Chapter 23 The Beast Hunters

"We don't have horses so you're going to have to be quick on your feet if one of these things get after you." Lucky said to his new crew of five.

"What do we do besides being quick on our feet?" A beast hunter asked. Everyone attentive and waiting for Lucky to answer the question.

"Say your prayers." He replied without joking.

The group looked at each other, concerned.

"Which is something you should have done already.  Look. This isn't a game.  These creatures are real and they do not play so don't play with them. If you do, your prayers may not be enough to save you.  Werewolves are not magical beings. They do not have horns growing out of their heads. They are dangerous."

"They're human first." Another beast hunter interjected.

"True but after that, being human means nothing.  That's why it's our job to capture these beings and hold them until the government steps in to take over.

We believe in life. Don't forget that." Lucky said, his new hired team sitting around the table, still getting to know each other.

"But!" Shouted a beast hunter—

"If it gets you," Lucky began, "Then by all means, save yourself. Even if that means killing the werewolf.  You will still have done your job."

"They change back to human afterwards. How will we be able to justify killing something that does that?" Another beast hunter asked, twiddling her thumbs.

"Well," Lucky said, "Most people aren't in the middle of Creek Dams Forest at night.  They're asleep.  If it's daylight,"

"Daylight?" He is asked curiously by a beast hunter.

"Yes. Daylight. Again, most people are in a place that makes sense. Like, work. The couple down the street won't be in the middle of the road together stopping traffic, a werewolf and it's pack, will.  Understand?" Lucky asked.

The nods are few.

"It's their subtlety as humans that gives them away. And when they aren't subtle they're over-the-top with their attitudes. Keep in mind that we don't want them when they are in the human form. We want them in the werewolf form. After they wake up time will show that something isn't right. Do not let the person out of the Dungeon no matter how much whimpering they do. Some of them don't need a full moon to change, remember that. And from what I've experienced, those are few. Any questions?" Lucky asked.

"Yes. Um, how do we kill them if we just have tranquilizer guns, chains, and rope?  No silver?" The beast hunter asked, receiving nods of approval for the question.

"Use what you've got. Load and reload and fill them with sedative. Anything, just make sure you don't get bit or scratched. If you do, there's a place in the Dungeon for you. Anymore questions?" Lucky asked. No one responded. "Ok. This is Cryptozoologist Dr. Zack. Listen to him he knows his stuff."

Lucky said before sitting down and Dr. Zack standing to talk to the group.

"Hello." Said Dr. Zack. "I don't have much to add to what Lucky just said except be careful not only with the werewolves but with anything that you are after and remember, you are not actually hunting anything, you are on a call to capture a being or beings to help the neighborhood function more normally."

"But it's already normal if there are little green men and women roaming the streets already. They're everywhere and it looks like there's no way to stop them because there are so many of them." A beast hunter said.

"Yeah." replied another beast hunter, followed by the echo of the word that Dr. Zack with no choice but to agree with the new hires.

"Now wait a minute before you all go off into the sunset thinking you can get away anything. We are believers of life. That means we believe in life. Living not dieing. Any other way would mean that we want to destroy life and be ok with doing so. We follow the guidelines of life that the government has set up. Sure we could have opted to go the other way but we didn't. The more costly way of having life on your mind after you've killed a human—that can change into a beast." Dr. Zack said.

"But even that sounds strange." A beast hunter said. "We have to capture something that is twice as strong as we are." The beast hunter said.

"But that's not all. It's anything that we get a call for. Horses with tusks growing out of their skull are not always pleasant beings you know and then there is the magic of other creatures. Some cast spells of mischief that make capturing them a days work, if not more. These beings love a garden in the middle of the night just as much as a werewolf loves digging up the ground to empty it's belly of some poor guy that never saw death coming on two legs with fur and a snout and a slight resemblance to mankind." Said Dr. Zack. "Just understand life and you'll be ok and yes that means the werewolf just like the angry horse with the sharp tusk growing out of its skull, lives."

"Do we at least carry guns? Regular guns?" A beast hunter asked.

Dr Zack looked at Lucky. "Lucky?" He asked.

"Lucky stood beside the doctor.

"This is a dangerous job especially when it comes to werewolf chasing. A gnome can cause a headache all by itself but a werewolf can show up alone or in a pack. As much as I'd like to say yes for the reason of our own lives, no we do not carry any other type of weapon expect for the tranquilizer gun. Be fast with it and you'll save your life." Lucky said.

"I think he means that if you put enough distance in between yourselves and it, you'll have a better chance of knocking it off of it's feet." Dr. Zack said.

"Please keep in mind that this job is not for the light hearted." Lucky said.

"When do we begin?" A beast hunter blurted.

"You already have." Lucky said, looking at the new crew of hunters, sure that hiring them was the right thing to do.