Predator and Prey [Solo]

[ArcanaFate]

"Who the 'ell are you?!"

The 'leader' of the pack yelled as Ezra came into view. The bear shifted its gaze as well, and the Homunculi made a look between the large creature and the man demanding answers. Spear tip pointed at the bear, the Homunculi gave a nod to the man. "I am here for the bear. I shall assist you and your team as needed, but we need to work together in order to slay it." The man blinked in surprise, then shrugged and began barking orders once again. One of the other hunters, an older man with a net and spear, made his approach to the beast. The bear sensed the movement, swiping a large paw at the man. The elder stepped back, the front of his tunic ripped into from the large claws. Although there was blood leaking from the wounds, they seemed like surface wounds at best and the man sturdied himself upright with a small grimace. He stepped back a few paces, leaning into a tree. The leader gave a worried look, and the elder gave a grin and a weak thumbs up.

"Easy, Ray! No need ta die a 'ero on us, ya know?" The leader called with a laugh, shortsword in hand. The blade was well-crafted, and seemed to be top-notch work for a blade made in town. Nightclaw roared, turning his attention towards the other two men who had shifted behind the bear while it was distracted with Ray. It lashed out with its teeth, jaw clamping down on one of the men's arms. He let out a scream of pain, but was quickly silenced by a strong paw swipe to the head. Ezra could only watch in minor fascination as the man's flesh was carved with claw and he dropped to the ground with a sickening thud. The other hunter let out an anguished scream before swinging his axe into the side of the bear. It let out another roar, shifting its large body with slow stomps. One paw crashed down into the corpse of the hunter, and the sound of rib bones breaking under the weight of the creature rang out. The leader held his sword high, charging in and swiping down atop the bear. Before the bear could retaliate with another swipe in response to the sword cut, Ezra made their move. With a careful spear jab, the Homunculi cut into the bear's mouth, spilling crimson onto the forest floor. They quickly moved back along with the leader, who was grinning like a madman.

"Nice move, lass! What's yer name? I'm Rhodey, I work as an apprentice blacksmith back in town, but I like ta think I'm a good 'unter!" He laughed again, then went somber for a moment as his gaze shifted down to his fallen comrade. Ezra remained stoic at the body, and gave a polite nod to the man. "I am Ezra. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Another roar rang out, and the two quickly snapped back to attention. The hunter who had cut into the bear with their axe had stumbled and was on their back. The bear made movements towards the fallen man, and quickly went for another kill. Before the bear could end the man's life, Ray had reappeared and stepped in between the beast and the hunter. Nightclaw roared once again as the net came down on and Ray began stabbing furiously with the spear to push the bear back.

"Well, what are ye waitin' fer!? Ye wanna die, boy!?" Ray barked, the young man attempting to scramble to his feet. The elder hunter looked back for a moment, but the moment was enough of a distraction for the bear to get revenge. With another powerful swipe, Ray crumpled to the floor with much more blood. He hadn't died, but with the amount of blood and how far the town was from their current location, it was unlikely that the man would survive. Ezra's analysis, however, was not agreed with by the young Rhodey. The younger man made a dash for the severely injured Ray and Ezra could only follow behind. Rhodey dropped his torch in order to grab Ray, but was met with a rage-filled stare of a bear. It swung its paw once more, but the Homunculi had other plans. Following with the quickest physical response they could muster, Ezra pulled Rhodey back as far as they could in an attempt to avoid the powerful swing.

Rhodey had, in fact, avoided any damage from the swing.

Ezra, however, got to experience true pain for the first time. The claw carved into the Homunculi's arm, and the purple-red liquid that was their lifeblood began to pour out. They could only scream in response as they fell to the ground, rolling to the best of their ability to avoid the bear's ire further. A string of curses echoed out in Rhodey's voice, and the sound of footfalls made their way closer. Gripping their spear quickly, they attempted to rise to their feet and assess the situation. Nightclaw had its attention pulled by Rhodey, who yelled and swung at the beast's eyes. The other hunter, whose axe was still dripping with the bear's blood, stood over the small Homunculus with a hand out.

"Come on, we gotta help Rhodey!" He exclaimed, his voice nervous and shaky. Clearly, this young man wasn't much of a fighter, but chose to help out regardless. Was it for fame? Friendship? Or just the usual 'trial' of becoming a man? Regardless, Ezra could only nod in agreement. Talking seemed difficult with the throbbing from the wound in their arm. Rhodey was still combating the beast, but eventually was knocked back by a swipe. Without his armor, the young man would have most likely been ripped apart from the bear's attack. Instead, he was thrown to the side by the swing, armor dented in. He lay still, but it was clear he was out of the fight. The young man with the axe screamed out Rhodey's name, and Nightclaw shifted once again and aimed for the noise. The axeman and the Homunculi stood on one end, the bear on the other. With a bestial roar, the creature made a mad dash for the two.

As the creature made its way towards the two, Ezra's mind seemed to slow. There was a very distinct possibility that they were going to die to this beast. It had already drawn blood and killed who knows how many, and it had no intention of being slain here. Buzzes began ringing in the Homunculi's head, and the world was silent yet deafening. The sclera of the Homunculi turned black as night, and their purple eyes began to glow furious. There was one word that echoed in their head; one simple command that became the backbone to their very being and could not be ignored. A calm yet overwhelming presence rang in their mind, and the Homunculi could not disobey.



"̳͓̖͇̳̥̱͙̓̈́ͫ̈́͂̍͢Sͭ̚͏̺̤͞U̵̡͇̱͉̇ͮ̓̾̌̒ͯ̇R͈̦̳̊̈̏ͯͦ̽̓͋ͅ ̼͕̮̭̥V̴̱͍͍ͪ̌ͨ̂ͨ͊̿̍I̶͉͎̞̤̳͚ͯ̍V͚̥̆ͧ́͟Ȩ̛͖̩̞̘̪̲̜̞̔̿̒́ .̴̜̬̂͐͊̊ͮ͆̍"̢̙̰̲̫̐ͨ̿̐̕



The Homunculi's head immediately shot up as the bear got closer, time seeming to have returned to normal. As the bear almost reached striking distance, the wounded hand of Ezra shot out to the axeman, pulling him into the bear's path. He could only get out half of a scream as Nightclaw intercepted him, pinning the man down and rending his throat with sharp teeth. Ezra took a step back with unnatural grace, readying their spear. The bear let out a vicious roar of challenge, and the white-haired construct quickly responded with a spear in the mouth. The beast gagged at the weapon impaling its throat, but could not react as Ezra drove the spear in further, a sickening squish and crunch vibrating along the shaft of the spear before the bear finally toppled and went limp. The Homunculi let out a deep breath as the sclera faded back to white, and they slumped to their knees. The beast lay still, and Ezra looked at the spear still embedded in the creature's mouth before falling to their side and all faded to black.