Hunting-Part 5

Kye moved as fast as he could with the wound in his side. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he moved along the path directly instead of sticking to the shrubbery around the path. The pain increased in severity as he moved, yet Kye held in his voice and kept moving forward. Once he got back to the cabin, he could bandage himself up and take a short rest. As Kye made his way down the path, he heard a voice from behind him.

"HEY! WHO ARE YOU?"

Kye turned his head around and saw a man in a familiar black outfit approaching rapidly. He had a bow slung over his shoulder and a full quiver of arrows on his back. The man kept approaching and realised that Kye was wounded. He pulled his bow off his shoulder and knocked an arrow.

"I asked you who you are! Answer me!"

In Kye's current state, he couldn't close the three-metre gap between them, so he played along for the moment.

"I'm just a hunter, I live in the forest."

"How were you wounded?" The man accepted Kye's identity but still remained wary of him.

"I was hunting at a cave down the path but a goldclaw bear was living around the area! I barely got away with my life!"

"A goldclaw bear!? In these forests?!" The man's eyes widened in shock.

"Were there any other people like me down that way? I'm trying to look for my friends."

"Uhhh... Not that I saw but it's possible I passed them if they weren't following the path. I wasn't focused on anything but getting away."

The man with the bow nodded and loosened his arrow, placing it back in his quiver.

"I would like to help you but I have to find my friends. I wish you the best of luck."

"Wait! Can't you just help me bandage the wound quickly? I can't do it myself. Please!"

The man turned back and clicked his tongue but did walk closer to Kye.

"Fine but after that I really do have to leave."

"Oh thank you, kind sir!"

Kye sat down at the edge of the path and the man came over, crouching down to help him. He lifted Kye's shirt and inspected the wound. He frowned as the wound was clean and wasn't what he had expected from something like an animal claw. He raised his head to look Kye in the eye.

"Are you sure this wound was caused by a bear? What are you not telling me?"

"Nothing I swear!"

The man stood back up from his crouched position.

"I don't trust you, I'll be leaving."

Kye forced himself up, stealthily pulling the knife from his ankle sheath as he got up and reached for the man's back.

"Please sir wait!"

"Now you listen he-"

The man spun around to admonish Kye but was cut off when he saw Kye lunging for him with a knife. He didn't have time to react as Kye sunk the knife into the skin between his shoulder and neck. The man screamed out in pain as Kye brutally pulled the knife downwards, cutting a massive gash across the man's chest. Without waiting, Kye pulled the knife out of the skin and stabbed him in the stomach several times. With Kye's weight on him and the major wounds he had suffered, they fell backwards together, Kye continuing to stab the man repeatedly. When they hit the ground, Kye pulled the knife out and stabbed him in the throat. Blood slowly gurgled out of the man's opened throat as Kye pulled the blade out, falling backwards as he did so.

Kye panted heavily and winced as he felt his wound tearing open further under the strain he put his body through. The blood was pouring out freely so Kye clutched his wound and got back up, staggering slightly when he was upright. He went over to where he sat down and picked up his spear before continuing down the path. Before he could get further, Kye heard a whoosh pass him and saw an arrow embed itself in a tree just slightly ahead of him. Spinning around in an alert stance, Kye held his spear with both hands, dropping his knife. Kye scanned the area for the assailant but couldn't locate them. Another arrow flew at Kye and hit him in the left shoulder.

"AAAGH."

Kye's arm recoiled and let go of the shaft of the spear. He squinted under the pain and focused on where he thought the arrow came from. Kye scanned the area but still couldn't see the person shooting him. Suddenly, he spotted movement out the corner of his eye and stepped back quickly as an arrow aimed at his head flew through where he was standing. Shifting his head to face the direction, he saw a black silhouette move through the thick undergrowth. Kye ran after the figure, ignoring the pain that shot through his side and arm as he moved. The chase continued until the figure looked back to see where Kye was but tripped on a thick root from one of the nearby trees. They fell to the ground and let out a feminine grunt.

"Ahhh!"

They hit the ground and Kye quickly caught up to them. The woman struggled to pick herself up and could only turn around to see Kye closing in on her with his spear over his shoulder, ready to strike at her. She gritted her teeth and pulled a small knife from her belt and brought her arms over her head in a crossguard. Kye reached the woman and stabbed down with all his might at her exposed thigh. The spear sunk into her flesh and Kye felt the thigh bone shatter under the force of his blow. She screamed out in pain as she felt her upper leg get destroyed. Kye struggled to pull the spear out as it had sunk deep into her leg, so he grabbed her arm that held her knife and smacked it against the hard tree root next to her, causing her hand to open on reflex and drop the knife.

"FUCK YOU!"

She screamed as she pulled an arrow from her belt-mounted quiver and stabbed it into Kye's thigh. He grunted in pain but picked up her knife and stabbed it into the side of her neck. She gasped in pain but slowly her eyes closed and the hand gripping the arrow in his thigh lost its power and fell to her side. Kye was breathing heavily, he felt all the power in his body leave and rolled off the dead woman.

"Hah hah hah... fuck this."

With those words, Kye closed his eyes as exhaustion overtook him.