16 The Hunt

The street was drying from the rain only hours earlier. Roku stopped halfway down one street and leaned his head back enough to sniff the air. The scent of blood lingered softly in the distance, intermingled with alcohol and something else. "This way," he told his handler, leading them more towards the Hotaru.

Dexter laughed to himself, wondering just how many they'd find. Covertly, he clicked his receiver twice as he followed Roku down the street for the alley only two blocks down. When Roku slowed down, he knew then that they were almost on top of whatever vampire was at the end of the trail. "Strike South, we're heading Northeast," he whispered into his mic to Mia, knowing she was on the radio now.

Mia whistled as she walked down the street. "Copy that," she responded swiftly as she continued to the coordinates on her tracker.

At the end of the dark alley, Amari was still calming down. It had been a while since anyone had been this close and her mind tried to bring itself back up to reality, attempting to dust off her emotional turmoil and focus on the prospect of just going home. "Thanks," she whispered, rubbing a tear from her eye with her finger before flicking the droplets away.

Amari looked at Elijah's chest a moment, steeling herself as she tried to suck in a deep breath but Elijah's voice smoothly interrupted her focus.

Elijah sighed. "Let me walk you home." Now was probably not a good time for her to walk home alone, especially with all these attacks going on.

"Yeah, but-" she breathed in sharply.

"I really don't mind. I'd rather see you home safe." Elijah cut in.

Amari loosened her grip on his shirt and flattened the fabric with her hands. "Alright. It's just... My house is a long way from here," she told him. "I live on the South side of the city," she murmured quietly, sniffing. She couldn't hear the low rumble of an empty bottle roll across the ground in the distance, but she felt her hair stand on end a bit.

Amari guessed it was her nerves till she felt like maybe she was being hyper sensitive because she was being emotional. "Just give me a moment." She blinked, rubbing at her eyes.

As Roku crept closer, Chise managed to sneak past him. Her silence almost cloaked her presence till her eyes glowed in the dim light up at Elijah. Mia whipped around the corner next to Dexter as they followed the two lycans into the depths of the alley.

Despite Roku's nerves, he could see their two figures better as he closed distance. By the time he stared up at Elijah, he glanced at Chise, watching white fur sprout down over her form till her shoulders arched forward and her head lowered into a more animalist pose.

The growl startled Amari and as she turned her head to look up at Elijah, Chise stopped and coiled her muscles in initiation to pounce.

"Elijah-" Amari breathed, staring at them. Damnit! Her mind raced. They were going to die here!

Amari pivoted as Elijah stepped back. She took a step back with him as her feet shuffled, scraping the ground as her gaze trained hard on the four. How would they escape?

"They're hunters," Amari whispered, feeling like her last breath wheezed out from her throat.

Mia stepped in front of Elijah and Amari. She lit a cigarette and looked at them, taking in everything. "Kinda late for a midnight stroll."

Elijah's eyes darted up from the white lycan to the woman. He watched her careful as she lit her cigarette and he felt an icy grip squeeze his throat tight. His body screamed for him to run, but he knew that four against two was definitely unfavorable odds.

"What?" Mia asked, blowing smoke out after her hit. "Are you at a loss of words? Did you think you could skulk around the city undetected forever?"

Elijah clicked his tongue quietly, wondering just how screwed they were. They had completely blocked the street off, and he knew that he needed to weigh his options quickly. Elijah glanced up, surveying their options above. The top of the first flight later caught his gaze just barely to their right, near the dumpster and lycaness.

Dexter rolled his eyes, stepping forward as he watched the two stand in utter silence. "I suppose they don't talk much, do they?" he snorted.

He stared down at his watch a moment. "I guess we can cut the small talk and proceed with the cultivation period."

Fuck! Elijah turned quickly, grabbing Amari's hand to lunge forward.

Chise unexpectedly pounced in unison, falling forward over the two as an ice blue-eyed, half-formed lycan shifted form behind her. Elijah's rigid body made her focus on Amari, worried she'd be the first to attempt to escape from them as she directed for the small vampire girl.

She ripped her arm out of Elijah's hand, letting herself teeter back to the ground as Chise slammed across the ground behind them and Roku stared at Elijah, wondering what to do now.

Elijah shifted his weight to the left and right, trying to figure out an opening. The two hunters definitely didn't look too appetising after fighting with the black furred lycan with blue eyes. He couldn't tell what was going on behind him, but he heard her claws scrape across the ground as she squared up against the two.

Dexter stepped closer. "Go for the little one," he mused, his eyes beaming. He signalled for Chise to go for Amari and without hesitation, she ran forward to make a second lunge at Amari.

Fabric caught the edge of her teeth as she tried to pull her down but Amari jerked out of the way. She seemed to scramble up, waking from her light daze to run for Elijah as she tried to stay close.

"Cut her off!" Dax yelled.

Roku's eyes darted towards Amari, watching her try to dive forward, and he jumped at Elijah during his distraction, in hoping he'd bring at least one down.

The two almost had her pinned, making her drop to the floor as they tumbled down to the ground and Elijah hopped on top of the can. He knew it might be futile, but he had to try. Amari was behind him, trying to climb up when Chise scrambled up from the ground and wheeled on her.

The ladder fell down, but not before Dexter started to laugh as events unfolded before him when Chise grabbed Amari's ankle and dragged her down. Amari fell hard, slamming her chin on the edge of the metal bin, dazing her, as Chise dragged her under her and roared hotly in her face, making her go pale.

She reached out for something beside her and grabbed a fairly sized chunk of asphalt and slammed it into the white lycan's face, knocking Chise back as she grabbed her face painfully.

"E-El-Elijah!" Amari's voice tremored.

He looked down, cursing as he jumped down again and stumbled as he hopped from the top of the bin. They were just toying with them! Elijah looked up quickly, seeing Roku scrape up from the floor, and he steeled himself for another attack.

Roku lunged forward right as Elijah let him phase through his form. A thin mist displaced from his body, emanating in the low light before he turned on Roku and kicked him in the back of the head.

Elijah heard a sharp yelp as Roku gasped, slamming against the bin as he knocked the wind out of him. He watched his body slump for a moment as he grabbed him by the back of the neck. Anger bristled through him, sharp and hot when he felt Roku's hand shakily grab for his hand. He slammed his head against the bin again and a sputtered laugh shuttered him, shaking him from his action.

"He's getting a bit rough." Dax sighed, pulling out the tranquilizer. He aimed sharply for Elijah's back as Mia pulled her small knives out and threw two of them at him.

They clanged against the metal dumper, one sharply jutting out of the metal as the others landed on Roku. Elijah tore out of the way quickly, partially dissipating to the physical realm for a moment before he stared at the two hunters sharply. He remembered himself only then, puffing as he felt a pain slowly pour in.

Dexter grinned, absolutely intrigued as he watched Elijah stare at his thigh a moment and one of the metal knives hit the ground noisily. He snorted, watching him go for the girl as he raised his gun sharply in his direction. Two in the bag. Dexter couldn't be more pleased as he thought of the kit that he prepared in his left coat pocket.

First, he'd start with the male. He seemed to be the best fighter. If he didn't get away. Squaring his sights up with Elijah's back, he aimed slightly higher as Elijah knelt to grab for her.

Amari grabbed her face, holding it as blood poured down over her left cheek and eye. She could barely see between it as her head swelled, and she waited for her body to recover. Elijah grabbed her hand, helping her stand up when she noticed them squaring the sights of a gun on him, and she shoved him back quickly. The first tranquilizer hit her in the ground and she gasped, reaching up as her hands trembled around the large pin sticking out of her neck. Tears welled in her eyes as she felt the drug overwhelm her nerves and senses.

Chise stared at them with one good eye, snarling as she stared Elijah down. She bared her teeth at him, sending spittles of saliva forward as she charged. It took him a moment to catch himself, staggering from the effects of the poison as he snatched Amari up. They seemed to spin clumsily out of the way as Chise charged, slamming into the wall behind them before hitting the ground.

She struggled up, dizzy and hurt as she tried to turn on the two.

Elijah was kneeling over her, holding her up just enough off the ground that only her head and legs touched. "Amari, don't slip away yet. Please." He breathed low, whispering to her. He could hear her voice struggling to filter through an answer, but he knew she was doing her best.

"Ah!" Dexter mused, amused by his shot. It was better than he thought. "They'll do nicely. Don't you think?"

Mia ignored them, watching Elijah fell to the ground, nearly paralyzed now. Even if he tried to stand, his legs wouldn't support him. She noticed Dax take the first step forward past her. "Dax," Mia started, but she stopped herself, figuring he wouldn't listen, anyway.

Dexter walked up to Elijah, staring down at him as he glared up at him slowly. Elijah looked pissed, but he was harmless. "Must be quite miserable, being on the underside of your prey." He snickered, unpacking the metal tin. He opened it up and pulled out a fairly large needle filled with a strange liquid. "Worry not, you won't feel much more pain."

Dexter flicked the case shut, pocketing it as he reached over when Elijah's gaze seemed to shift. He was confused a moment, seeing his attention change from him and out of curiosity, Dexter turned his head ever so slightly up.

"Dax!" Mia yelled, seeing the shadow appear.

He was tall, lanky and his yellow hollowed eyes bore straight into Dexter's, making him unconsciously drop the needle. The lanky lycan seemed to grab him by the collar of his shirt with extreme grace as he brought their faces close.

Dexter was shaking.

"Fuck! Where'd he come from?!" Mia cussed. "Get up!" She yelled at Roku and Chise. Chise struggled to get up again, but fell back to the ground, limply. "Get up!" She pulled another knife from the sheath that skimmed his shoulder as he rocked forward.

Then he turned his gaze to her, dropping Dexter and Mia straightened up. She reached for her pistol then, letting the cigarette drop from her mouth as she stepped back. Urgently, Mia looked down, fumbling for the firearm before a whimper cut through the silence.

Amari moaned, reaching out as Sven stopped. He stared at her, the little miss laying stiffly under Elijah as he tried to hold on tight and pity overtook his senses.

"ZAyats." He muttered gruffly, turning to go back to them. He stalked over to Elijah, moving past a terrified Dexter as he picked up Elijah gently and he heard him grunt as he peeled Elijah back to see Amari clutching at her throat where the needle lay slack against her chest, protruding somewhat up towards the sky. "No." He breathed, picking her up as he kept a grip on Elijah by his shirt collar.

"Oh fuck," Dexter couldn't seem to get a hold of himself as he watched the large lycan pick the two up carefully. He didn't drag them at all, carrying them with an inhuman strength that seemed to only prove how easy the task was for him. Within minutes, Mia finally managed to unholster her firearm when she pointed it up, but in those moments they disappeared.

"Why the fuck didn't you do something?!" Dexter yelled at her, feeling his rage boil up.

Mia stared in the surroundings, bewildered at the sight. He disappeared out of thin air! She holstered her gun, grabbing her phone to call for a van. Despite Dexter cussing in the background, she knew damn well they were onto something!

"You were late," Sven remarked, hauling Elijah up over his shoulder. "I got concerned." He saw her eyes move as if trying to respond, and he only clutched her closer a moment before he gently let Elijah down onto the couch. They had traveled back home through the shadow with ease. "Hold on." he murmured, plucking the needle from her throat. He carried Amari to her room, opening the door as the scent of wildflowers and lilacs flooded out of the open door and he carried her into a room hoarded with dry plants of all assortments.

Sven laid Amari down on the table gently, pulling out a small wooden drawer from a tall wall of tiny drawers. He plucked the vial from the box, shutting it immediately after before pinching her cheeks together and popping the bottle's cap off with his other hand.

A few drops spilled over her lips as she stared blankly up at him, and he knew she was gone. She'd be back, though. Soon enough.

It took a moment before he re-emerged from the room, ducking his head to be mindful of the low clearance of the doorway. "Let me see it." Sven ordered Elijah sharply.

He could see he was suffering, even despite lying on the couch. The man's face was practically purple from how long he was holding his breath, puffing into his cheeks painfully after having ripped out the knife.

"Reckless," Sven grumbled hotly under his breath as he walked over and ripped the fabric back to see the puss-ridden wound. "You're lucky a bacteria eating flesh can be cut out without amputation. She'd hate me if I let you die." He curled a lip, grabbing the surgical tools from the drawer next to him. The lamp shuffled a bit from how rough he was, yanking it open, before he opened the small brown leather kit.

Sven started to cut the flesh out, hardly worrying for Elijah's pain as he felt him jerk his head back and yell.

"You're a grown-ass man. Act like it."

"Fuck!" Elijah yelled.

"I am done." Sven turned away, setting the severed flesh in the trash.

"Gah!" He felt his strength leave him as he stared down at the chunk missing from his leg.

"Don't thank me. Thank her." he told him, standing up to walk to the kitchen. He set the tools in the sink and grabbed a packet from the fridge and threw it on the couch from over the kitchen counter.

It took Elijah a moment before he raised his head and grabbed it. "You could be gentler."

"I could have let you die." Sven retorted coldly.

"Touché."

"You're welcome," Sven remarked gruffly from the back kitchen.

"They were close to the bar. I hope they don't pick up a scent there next time, or even attempt to lock down the area until they find a weak point in the veil. It'd cause trouble." Sven hollered, walking back towards the back bedrooms were the closet was. He pulled a blanket out for Elijah.

"I hope not! Nobuko is to weak right now to defend herself." He pulled himself to sit up. An array of plants met his eye at the opposite end of the wall. Chemicals, beakers, glass. He mused his hands back through his hair, staring up at the old, dusty brown wooden fan reminiscent of an old shack in the woods. Surprising how she lived in the city like this.

"They'll remember us, you know?" Sven told Elijah, reminding him of their blunder.

"I know," he said, relaxing more. "It's not safe to even walk about anymore."

"That's why I take her home," he breathed, throwing the blanket on the side of the couch. He walked past, going back to the tiny broom closet to get a roll of gauze.

"Well," he said. "That's good. Maybe we should stick with that next time." Sven was kind of creepy, in a powerful, ominous kind of way.

"Except you led her away from the usual meeting spot. She was late." He growled at him.

"I know." Elijah closed his eyes again before he felt a pressure on his leg. He squeezed the bag of blood in his hand, leaning his head back. They fucked up. He wouldn't forget.