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Kyian turned his head to stare at the arrow embedded not an inch from his face, and then dove behind a nearby bush, as another arrow buried itself in the tree where his face had been a split second before. Spy reflexes had saved him twice now, and he cursed his pursurer as he tore cloth from his jacket to wrap his hand, now bleeding from the dive into the underbrush. "One more mile..." he muttered, staring to the south, at the faint city glow of Kugnae, his beacon of safety from this deadly night. "A dead spy is a useless spy..." the old motto, breathed near silently into his mask, refocused him on the task at hand. Get to the city. Make it to the King. Report the gathering of the savages, working themselves into a frenzy... maybe the largest threat to the kingdoms in recorded history, and not more than a few hour's walk from the city gates. And don't die. Rule number one... just don't die. He had to move, and he did so, seeking refuge in a nearby cave. Kyian kicked a rat away from his boot as he stared out the cave entrance, looking for some sign of the ranger stalking him. He hadn't even seen the fellow yet, and managed to evade the first arrow only by luck. The rest of the night had been one of mixed hiding and running, with more close calls than he'd had in his last ten Hyuls. "Wretched wilderness..." Kyian debated whether to venture further into the cave, or back out into the night. A glint, just a tiny one, of what could have been the polished wood of a longbow decided him. His skills were suited to back alleys and close quarters, not a long range firefight with a man seemingly clad in the leaves, who moved with the wind. He turned and headed deeper into the cave. Three hours later of kicking rats and struggling through a cave that was much larger than he had initially thought, Kyian found another exit. Staring out it, he saw his precious city gates not more than a long dash away. Wet, cold, and damp, the temptation to simply make a run for it was almost irresistible... but his long hours of training made him wait, and scan the foreign surface of the forest for any sign of hostility. There it was... the same gleam he'd seen hours before, slightly more pronounced in the low light of the coming dawn. He couldn't even see the ranger the longbow belonged to, but seven feet of polished wood was difficult to hide. Didn't matter. One good throwing dagger for distraction, and he'd be out of bowshot and over the city walls before the fool knew what happened. Kyian reached down in his boot, silently drawing his best throwing knife. It would be a shame to lose the expensive blade, but no price was worth one's life. He readied himself, took a last deep breath, and dashed out of the cave mouth into the breaking sun. One quick whirl, and the dagger was away. Kyian didn't even stop to watch it fly. He turned and sprinted towards the city gates, drawing his grappling hook. He'd be up and over the wall in a flash... only a few seconds more... Kyian wondered why the gates suddenly seemed further away... and seemed to be fading. His legs weren't moving quite right, and he could barely will them to place one in front of the other. As he fell to his knees, he noticed the feathers sprouting from his belly. Pretty feather... sharp and straight... attached to a nice... straight... stick... ******************************************** Coldhawk kicked the body of the dead spy, casually turning him over to retrieve his arrow. Windfire strode up behind him, carrying an ornate throwing knife and tying off a bandage over a small bleed on his right arm. "Nicked you, did he?" "Just barely. I hate being the distraction." "Well, he bought it. And the farm with it. Should've known that those who survive the Wilderness know better than to try and live alone." -KoruK | |