Come and Catch Me

I sat on a tree branch, Tucker hidden in the dead brush at the base of my new tree. When I had first set up my little tree stand I was a coiled spring. With night falling fast I hadn't wanted to finish my hunt by being woken up from my prey walking out of the clearing. That had been an hour or two ago. Now I was crouched low, and debating just leaning back for a nap. I decided not to for a little while but muttered down my tree either way. "Nap it off Tucker, we'll be a second." I heard a minor shuffle as Tucker got low and readied himself for bed. I decided to sleep in shifts. Tucker wouldn't get it, but he would listen. So I flipped from a crouch to a comfier sitting position and laid my pistol across my chest.

It was another hour or two before I heard something coming through the forests. It's tromping steps made me think it was large, and I moved as slowly as I could to keep quiet as I transitioned to a crouch. My hunch was proven right as a creature that could easily rival a full-sized cow wandered under my tree. I looked it over before softly cursing. It was a freaking manticore. As in mythological beastie and creature of legend manticore. I mentally added another point to my current predicament being some bad rehash of the movie Predator. It paused to sniff the ground as I raised my pistol and debated my options. Well, the base of the neck always leads to a spine right? But if I miss that would I hit anything vital? I don't know how thick the skull is so no shots to the brain pan. I guess going for the chest cavity would be best, hopeful chance of hitting heart and lungs. Plus even if it's not instantly fatal I'll have a nice trail to follow. I nodded and centered my sights to the left side of its chest cavity, in the approximate place of a deer's heart. It moved slightly, taking in a deep breath, and I fired.

The round tore down powered by satan's breath. I didn't see that much immediate damage, besides the bloom of the morbid red flower of lifeblood splatter across the snow. The manticore tried to release some mighty roar, but instead, a series of racking coughs forced it to sink deeper and deeper into the dirt. I watched as it slowly died in front of me. I'd gone roughing it before, and that had included living off food I hunted. I was used to watching animals die, even if I didn't enjoy it. I waited until its tail stopped twitching before venturing down to look at my kill.

It was more food than I knew what to do with. I didn't have a knife to dress the kill, but that could wait for me checking over the body. I glanced down at the lion paw with a set of wickedly long claw from it. I smiled as I circled the manticore a couple times. I hefted one of the lion paws up and held the whole thing up by the base of a claw. I ran it across the digit of another paw and smiled. A line of red meat was cut deeply across the knuckle. I let out a short whistle and glanced at the brush. I saw Tucker emerge from his hidey hole. I gestured to the manticore. "Well boy, looks like meats back on the menu."

He let out a happy bark as I began my unholy work. I ran my unwieldy paw in short gashes across the digit I had cut before. I peeled back layers of flesh and muscle, leaving behind only bone. The snow was stained a deeper red as I stood back up and wiped my brow. I had never had to strip part of a kill with its own body. I grimaced at the exposed ring of bone around the claw, before strengthening my will. I grasped the slick bone with my hand and pulled. The bone gave easily, pulling out of the creatures paw and into my hands easily. I also fell as it gave, splashing blood all over my jeans and face. I let out a laugh as I shuffled my legs to be more comfortable. I looked over the first part of my new makeshift knife, a still meaty claw held in my grasp. I stretched out and felt a prick in my thigh. I looked down and saw the tail was still lying on the ground, with the exemption of the stinger, which now rested under my pants leg. I cursed and slowly stood. Yep that was in my leg. I didn't dare remove it, but I tried to work as quickly as I could.

I cut off a strip of my shirt and grabbed a few sturdy sticks. I still knew a few basics from being a combat lifesaver, as well as a rugged survivalist. Well, one of those things was truer than the other, but I knew how to make a tourniquet. I made it as high as I dared on my punctured leg and stared at the wound. I had no way to make an antidote, and the tourniquet was a stopgap. I made sad eyes at my meat that I knew would be lost with this decision. "Tucker, skit home."

Tucker let out a bark/whine combo when he saw my leg but raised his nose in the air. He let out a short sneeze, before walking into the forest. I limped after him, winding through the trees. We made slow progress, winding through trees and wintery bushes. I saw a few creatures make eyes at us, but be it my blood-coated appearance, or simply my natural predatory body they never bothered us. After five minutes I was feeling my forehead heat up, and my vision began darkening. I saw a few tribal looking fetishes, and hope sprang from my chest. I grumbled as I took another step behind Tucker. "Come on, you're the nice witch of the woods. You ain't gonna eat my dumb ass. No, you'll patch me up and give me a full meal." I stumbled and nearly fell, causing Tucker to rush beside me as I stood up. I nodded my head and he took point again, whining the whole way. "Why, with my bloody body, you might even give me magical powers and proclaim me forest protector. That's what'll happen."

I broke through a small tree line. In the center was a small hut, with more fetishes hanging off the roof. A flash of hot pain raced through my body, forcing me to my knees. I took a few deep breathes and tried to remain calm. "Come on Peter, your almost to the door. Move slow, don't get so excited the poison runs through you even faster. Just get back up and knock on the door." Instead of getting back up, my body sent more pain through me. I collapsed onto the snow and felt blessed relief. I let myself revel in the cooling snow before I realized some really bad news. This snow should be a really sucky amount of cold. It felt nice and cool. I was probably running a fatal fever right now. I tried to yell out to the door and found my voice gone. Tucker was by my side and began barking after my attempt at speech. In the last moment, before I closed my eyes, I saw the shack door begin to open. Then my eyes fully closed, and I felt no more.

***

I woke up suddenly, a cool rag on my forehead and a soft bed under me. I could vaguely remember being in danger of some sort, but I couldn't for the life of me remember what it was. My brain was still in boot-up mode and was much more focused on the little things. Like the fact I really had to pee. Without another thought, I reached a tired arm up to my forehead and pulled off the rag. I sat up slowly, my body protesting the whole time. After going through what should have been a simple process I tossed the rag on a pillow and threw off my blankets. looking at myself over another fact came from my awakening brain. I was naked. Okay, now I had two current objectives. I needed clothes and needed to pee. I forced myself up and found one of my legs to be less than cooperative. I began limping up as I looked around the room I was in.

It was a small bedroom that seemed to be very... exotic. Not in the movie way with danger and unknown things lurking around. Just simple things that I had no background for. Silly masks, vials of unknown liquid., a book in an unknown language. Simple stuff like that. I began piecing things together from my memory. I had gotten sent somewhere, that was clear. And then I got hurt and collapsed outside a hut. So, with simple logic by my side whoever was in the hut had helped me. I slowed to a pause outside the door and tested the waters. "Hello? Anybody home?"

I heard a melodic voice outside the door, as well as soft scratches from a certainly strange dog on the doorframe. "And what creature are you, with such an old speech? Though with how I talk, I am not one to preach."

I smiled and opened the door, moving to a large room. I stared as Tucker began excitedly jumping onto my knees. I had been right. This place was a straight up witches house. All of that only added to the mystery of my savior. Now, I'm no rascist, but I had some trepidation about her. Mostly because it was another God-damned horse person.