The Great Hunt

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"It's the circle of life, the hunters can also be hunted"

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THEY STARED WIDE eyed at the giant cat slowly stalking them like it would a prey, their eyes, although wide with shock had no trace of fear, instead and underlying amusement as a smile stretched through his lips. His head tipped to the side, a twitch of a smirk flashing as he whispered, his lips right above her earlobe.

"Bait?"

She faced the white tiger and back, smiling "Not today Satan!" she took off, glancing back at her betrothed as the tiger leapt in an attack "Run!"

He sprinted after her, large paws thudding where they once stood moments later, crushing her abandoned quiver of arrows right beside the smaller, dead tiger as the bigger nudged it's still body before letting out a growl and chasing down the two leaders.

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His long coat floated behind him as his quiver of arrows bounced on his back, he caught up to her, strapping her bow he had picked up after she killed the smaller tiger over his quiver as they ran through the forest, dodging and turning.

They could tell the tiger was getting closer to them as they ran through a clearer path by the thuds of it's large paws and slight growl.

"Why are we running? We are going right against the rule we set, remember, Hunt whatever you see" the Fuelhr, Yang, shouted.

"No we are not, we just forgot to tell the tribe about the second rule" his betrothed, Yin retorts

"Rule number two" they shouted in unison "Don't die hunting!"

The splash of the waterfall was deafening as they escaped the forest, their amusement drowning as their movement ceased momentarily, their eyes communicating and heads nodding in agreement.

They looked back, speeding up when the tiger stumbled out of the forest. A few steps from the edge of the waterfall, they leapt over the white spring, hanging off the other end.

Yang held on to his bow, it's tip sticking in between rocky surface and Yin tightly gripping the wet rock, her fingers slowly slipping off the rock as they dangled over the waterfall flooding with high currents.

Her fingers slid further, her betrothed reaching for her as she held tighter, the muscles on her arms springing up as she strained them in her grip, with the spray of the waterfall soaking up their clothes and disheveling their braided hair.

She grunts, groaning in pain as her hold loosened, Yang, a few inches above, stretching down to help her. She slipped, sliding further as he shouts after her "A'yin, hold on!"

The Fuelhr tried to safely unhook his bow from it's hold between the rocks, and slowly move down to his betrothed, pulling on the bow's end, his head startled up hearing the growl. His once slow movements hastened as the tiger leapt over the waterfall, slamming above him, falling down and knocking A'yin down as her betrothed snapped the bow's end stuck to the rock, diving after her.

The white Bengal tiger hit the deep water first, the heavy current pulling it away as it growled and struggled to stay afloat.

A'yin dropped into the wavy water next, her betrothed diving in moments later as he navigated through the currents reaching for her and firmly wrapping an arm around her belted waist as he swam to the surface.

Everytime they reached the surface, the waves crashed on them pushing them back as it carried them down the spring line, his quiver of arrows scattering into the water as he reached for them underwater, sticking the few he could grab into his coat he knotted tighter. He unhooked the lasso beside his sword hanging on his waist and kicked back up , his betrothed in his arms.

He breathed hard when he hit through the surface of the water, looking round and lassoing his rope to a tree ashore, he pulled hard, fighting through the current forcing him down as the rope lead him ashore.

The Fuelhr coughed up as he dropped his betrothed on the rocky shore, holding a palm to her face as he called her "A'yin" trying again before she coughed, heaving as she shivered.

She lay back, goosebumps from the cold visible over her exposed, pale skin as she chuckled lightly, glancing up at her betrothed worriedly shuffling about.

"That was close".

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The Sun retreated below the skyline as the moon lighted the dark night.

Multiple fire torches moved between the forest lines as the hunters searched about.

A group of archers stopped beside the Great mother examining the dead tiger with a spear in it's head. She pulled out the spear, her wrinkled fingers running through the brown spear and the tiny carve on it's top before handing it to a hunter.

"This belongs to the Fuelher"

"We found something else Great mother" an archer handed her the crushed brown quiver and blood stained brown coat.

The Great mother stood straight, her face a mix of emotions with two standing out, fear for what she may have lost and the will to get back what she lost.

She ordered the converging hunters.

"Spread out, stay alert, search every corner and cave, rummage through every tree and shade in this forest, leave no stones unturned"

"Locate and bring back my Grandson and his betrothed" her voice took a firmer tone as she squeezed on the bloody coat.

"Alive!"

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Her teeth clattered against each other in rhythm with the chirps of the crickets and the cracks of the fire beside her that did little to nothing in keeping her warm.

The Fuelhr added dry sticks to the fire, wrapping his now dry coat around her as his fingers rested on her temple, vibrating with her shiver. He sighed in slight relief but his worry still evident. She was still shivering and her body temperature high. That was a good sign, the bad sign was when her body started getting cold and she stopped moving. That was when things got bad.

He took off a layer of his upper wear, wrapping it around her neck and pushing her off the tree she relaxed on, her legs pressed together in front of her as she stared at the fire. Sitting behind her and pulling her in a back hug, his arm wrapped tightly over her shoulder as another ran through her brown hair, slowly redoing her braids as she relaxed into the touch, dozing off.

Under the full moonlight, they fell captive to sleep, their swords, side by side with the tallies joined to form a full moon, a promise to never be apart for long.

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A promise that was going to be brutally broken.