The Game

[Scoinwolf]

Chapter XIX
It truly was a creature of nightmares. Brayden had elected to drive this time and Kevin was stuck having to turn back frequently to ensure the thing didn’t break its bonds too soon. The hideous beast behind him in the bed of the truck bared its teeth in a gruesome imitation of a smile, yet it was still tied up tight. Kevin shuddered and turned away.
The driver cast a look at his passenger before returning his focus to the road. “Where we dropping this beauty off again?” He asked to confirm their destination.
“The Alpine region.” Kevin grunted. He worked some words around in his mind. “This thing… it shouldn’t have been made. It’s not just that it’s the ultimate predator, it’s just how freaking intelligent it is. It knows what’s going on here. It understands what it’s supposed to do. It understands that it’s superior to us in every way, shape, and form.”
Brayden glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “Know what else? I’d bet it has a liking for you. The thing can’t take it’s eyes off of ya!”
Kevin couldn’t help a snort of laughter at the ridiculous notion. “Yeah, right.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s probably just sizing me up like you would a steak at the store.”
“Speaking of steak, I could go for a food break sometime soon.” Brayden hummed. “We’ve been driving eight hours straight without much of a stop between gas stations and bathroom breaks. I need some real food right about now, none of that travel crap you’ve been giving me!” He warned as Kevin started reaching down to pull out yet another granola bar from their bag of supplies.
“I agree that we could use some food, but I’m reluctant to stop with the beast back there.” Kevin cautioned. “It seems content for now, but if it decides it’s bored while we’re off eating?” He shook his head.
“How about fast food then? I’ll go in, grab us some burgers, and you can watch the darling back there. I’ll park a bit away so that no curious person would notice our lovely companion here.” The big man wasn’t going to give up on a solid meal without a fight.
The show host laughed. “Alright then. Can you ask for a bit of raw meat too? Just to keep ‘our lovely companion’ satisfied as well.”
“You got it.” Brayden would face the awkwardness of having to explain his need for the raw meat if it would mean he got a hot meal out of it. “Do you have any change? I only have a fifty iron on me and I don’t think they’d like it if I tried to pay in a large amount.”
“I think I’ve got two twenty-fivers and a few ten coins.” Kevin dug around in his pocket and produced the money. “Here.”
-
The food break went well. Brayden convinced Kevin to be the one to feed the beast, which seemed pleased by his thoughtfulness, and made the host thoroughly wash his hands before even being allowed to touch the packaging on the burgers. They ate with the occasional joke or reminder that the other needed a new napkin and could almost have said that they were relaxed. Besides the fact that there was an intelligent killing machine waiting patiently next to them in the truck, of course.
Once both had finished and used the bathroom they set back out on the road. Brayden drove recklessly, but steadily, and they were making good time even if it was erring on the side of illegal. The triple moons were up in the sky at this late hour and Kevin felt himself starting to drift off to sleep.
Brayden watched his companion as Kevin dozed off. He looked so comfortable lying there against the side of the door, his arm resting on the two inches of space by the window, his head propped up by his hand. The driver smiled to himself. He had been about to ask the other man if he’d mind if the radio was turned on but decided he didn’t need it for now. Maybe he’d turn it on when Kevin dropped into a deeper state of rest.
-
The young man woke with a start. He didn’t open his eyes immediately and instead opted to check out what was going on with his other senses before he looked.
First, he noticed was that the engine was no longer running and the car was at rest. He no longer felt the vibrations nor heard the sounds that indicated travel.
Second, something stank rather awful. Kinda like raw meat that had been left to sit in the heat for too long.
Third, there was a soft rasping sound coming from just outside his window. Almost like something large was trying to breath but its fangs were getting in the way. Huh, that was a detailed thought for a noise. Wait, hold up. He’d heard that specific sound before.
Kevin started with a jerk. The one flaw of the perfect hunter was that if it got too close you could hear it breath. The perfect hunter that was supposed to be restrained in the back. It was right outside his window, staring in at him through the closed glass.
“Don’t move suddenly.” Brayden’s soft comment drew Kevin’s attention to the man. He had been slowly reaching to unbuckle the show host’s seat belt and now completed the task. “Come over to my side.”
Kevin cautiously back up until he felt his back press against Brayden’s chest. Mumbling an apology, he went to go forwards a few inches to give the man space, but the head security guard drew him back by wrapping one arm around his chest. The beast hadn’t moved, save for its eyes, which followed both their every move. No, just Kevin’s motions were noted. It didn’t care about Brayden.
“Kev… are you gifted?” Brayden whispered the question into the other man’s ear without any of the awkwardness that would usually accompany it.
“Not that I know of.” The younger man breathed back. “Then again, I don’t remember much of my life before I started working as the host for the Game, so I suppose it could be possible.” He thought he knew where Brayden was going with this. The beast might have this weird fascination with him because they had found that the experiments were drawn to gifted and abhumans. No one could figure why, only that they were. Another thing they had found was that a select few instinctively knew the locations of all the other hybrid beast at any given time and could always locate them. That had been the reason they had taken this particular predator out of the lab.
The reason they had taken it out of the lab.
“Did we make it to Alpine yet?” He could feel Brayden nod.
“Yeah. The thing broke free as soon as we crossed the border.”
Kevin cleared his throat and tried to speak loudly with a clear voice. “I want you to track down the other creatures similar in creation to yourself. Kill them or bring them back to the lab, whichever you can manage best.” Eh, he got close enough tone wise. His voice was a little high in pitch but it didn’t waver or shake as much as he was worried it might.
The beast blinked its pitch black eyes once before turning around and vanishing.

[Scoinwolf]

Chapter XX
It was following them again. The three boys had been fairly certain that the thing had never left in the first place, but it was making its presence known again. The way it was acting now gave off the sense of agitation.
A terrible screeching howl was flung from the throat of some terrible creature far off to the east. The boys were startled, wracked with a primitive fear so intense that their muscles seized up and they couldn’t move. Their reaction, however, was rather different than that of the hybrid tailing them.
The beast launched itself out of the woods, landing far outside the range of the trees, and bounded over to the trio. It stepped over the crouching kids and growled, protectively scanning the terrain around them all. It kept them there for a good hour before it was satisfied that nothing was coming to harm them. Once it was content, it moved to the side and stretched out its mass bulk in a giant yawn before curling up and watching them. Seth stared at it warily while Jacob ventured off to gather firewood. The beast tracked the boy with its eyes. It grunted once and picked its head up when Jake went a little too far away from the group. When he returned it went back to its original position.
Dark pulled some of the food they had gathered earlier that day out of his pack and dumped it into the collapsible pot with a little water. Seth had found the pot a couple days ago in Jacob’s bag and the boys quickly figured out how it worked. He propped it up over the fire and let the berries do their thing while Seth chopped up nuts and the various herb to add later. It wasn’t the most appetizing of mixtures, but it provided plenty of nutrients and the berry syrup coated the nuts and herbs nicely, giving the otherwise tasteless items some sort of flavor. Once the syrup was complete, Dark dipped the chopped food into the mixture before handing each piece off to Jacob so that it could be laid out to cool. Once every piece was coated, Dark removed the pot from the heat and let that cool down just a little so that they wouldn’t burn themselves as they ate the remains of the berries for their evening meal. The warmth more than made up for the excessive sweetness.
By this point they had almost forgotten about the hybrid watching them. The feeling had become so familiar that the only difference was that it was out in the open instead of from a distance. The beast drew their attention back to itself as it rolled down onto its side and closed its eyes. They could tell it was still awake though by how its ears twitched to follow just about every sound in the night.
This gave the small group an opportunity to examine what had been after them for so long. It was hard to make out every detail by firelight but they could identify that its fur was composed of various shades of grey, starting off dark and getting lighter towards the underbelly and halfway down its legs. The back of its ears, the dot above each eye, the line under its lip, and the three rib markings on either side that came from its back-stripe were all the same almost-black coloration as the mane like ruff of fur that stuck up on the back of its neck. There was a jagged tear in its left ear and its tail looked just a little too short, as if it had been cut off at the tip and was still growing back those few inches. When opened, the creature’s eyes were a bright silver.
In form the beast was massive, maybe 17 hands high to the shoulder, and had a somewhat wolf-ish look to its face. About halfway down the jaw, a larger tooth protruded upwards from either side of the creature's mouth. But the way it moved screamed cougar, and that neck fur reminded Seth of a hyena. Dark thought it looked rather like one of the native beasts from the forest next to his house.

It had surprised them by coming out and had only further reinforced Jacob’s idea that it was there to protect them. The scary thought was that they needed protection. Whatever that aggressive bellow from earlier was had clearly boosted the hybrid’s concern. If it had felt like it needed to be closer to protect the kids than it already was, then that lead to even scarier thoughts.
“Could there be something hunting us? Sure, we thought that this thing was at first, but maybe we were just the first ones it saw and it felt the need to provide security for us.” Jacob suggested.
“Or maybe it can tell that the thing from earlier is hunting us in specific and it’s using us as bait to lead it to the other predator.” Seth responded as he stared into the fire. “Maybe it’s a cub that got separated from its Mum. Maybe it’s waiting for her to finish us off.”
Silence fell for several minutes as they contemplated that thought. Jacob was the first to break that silence. “Oh, shut up.” He scowled and stretched his arms back above his head. “I’m going to sleep. See y’all in the morning.”
“See ya.” Seth and Dark grunted together.
Not long afterwards Seth went off to get some rest. That left Dark with the hybrid, which had reopened its eyes by that point and was watching the dark haired boy silently.
The abhuman boy studied the beast quietly. “You did come out suddenly after spending so much time being shy. What’s up with that?” He questioned softly.
The great hybrid raised its head and gently blew a bit of air into the boy’s face. Dark gagged at first - the stench of carrion was immensely overpowering - but he caught an after scent of fresh mint.
“If you’re trying to freshen your breath, please put a little more effort into it.” The abhuman boy gasped. “You need way more mint than you’ve been eating.”
He knew he should be frightened of being so close to a predator but for some reason unknown to him he wasn't. Dark stretched out his left hand and the hybrid sniffed his upturned palm. The warm breath tickled a bit as the beast withdrew.
Dark chewed on his bottom lip as he studied the creature before him. “Why are you here? Not here here, like on this planet. I mean here. With us.” He didn’t expect the beast to answer him but still felt disappointed when it didn’t respond.
Those silver eyes were mesmerizing. They were like deep pools of living liquid metal when the firelight danced across the surface. From a distance, and in the pitch dark, those same eyes became abysses that one had to be careful not to fall into.
The abhuman boy shook his head to draw himself out of the trap. The hybrid lifted its lips and barred its teeth in an awkward imitation of a smile. Almost like it was “Apologizing.” Dark realized with a start that he was picking up on the hybrid’s moods just as it was copying his expressions.
The experimental creation yawned, showing off its long fangs. They were oddly placed and the boy figured that eating must be difficult. But the elongated points would be good for gripping and for keeping something in place if the beast wished to hold onto or carry anything.
The beast shifted position and grinned again momentarily. It didn’t look too comfortable with all the attention it was getting right about now. It wasn’t going to harm the boys but at the same time it wasn’t used to being around them.
“I’m sorry.” Dark mouthed, knowing that even though it would get the general message of his actions it was still unable to understand the language in full.
The creature laid its head back down with a huff. Silver eyes closed halfway as the beast relaxed.
Dark lay down as well and closed his eyes in full. Tonight he would sleep alright with the hybrid keeping guard.

[Scoinwolf]

Chapter XXI
Kevin swore as the latest report from the tracking chip came in. The massive creature had been making its way through largely populated areas and deeper and deeper into the continent. It took a haphazardly made path and didn’t seem to care that it was terrifying the public. But Kevin cared. Kevin cared very much. After all, it was Kevin who had to deal with all the phone calls. It was Kevin who got stuck trying to explain away everything to a panicking population.
The man was awake more often than he was asleep. Even when he did manage to catch some rest it wasn’t very refreshing and he constantly woke throughout the night. He had dark circles under his eyes and would have fallen asleep at his desk if he were able. Ah, if only he were able.
The tired man rubbed his jaw line, ignoring the rough mark of the torn scab on his cheek, as he gazed at his write up with half-closed eyes. That bloody write up.
A groan escaped from somewhere deep within the man’s chest and he slumped forwards, unable to deal with composing a detailed analysis of the predator’s movements. This was not what he was being payed for. So definitely not.
Soft knocks echoed three times throughout the room and Kevin mustered enough energy to roll his head to the side and see who it was. Gavin stood in the doorway, watching his host with an unreadable gaze.
“Bloody Daemons.” Kevin swore once more and scrambled to stand upright. In his haste he knocked over his chair and several papers ended up on the floor. “Shoot.” He bent down to get those but was stopped short.
“Relax. Just leave it there.” Gavin rumbled as he gazed into the shorter man’s eyes. “Let's take a walk. Get some air.”
It wasn’t like he could say no. Reluctantly Kevin followed his boss through the hallways and out of the building. The show host wondered what Gavin had planned but was unable to ask as he struggled to keep up with the brisk pace the other man had set. Gavin was tall and took long strides. Kevin jogged every other step to stay close. His boss’s mind must be elsewhere for normally he noticed when his companion was struggling.
When the large man stopped abruptly the shorter almost ran into him.
Gavin turned and fixed his gaze upon Kevin once more. “Tell me… What do you know of the gifted and abhumans?”
Why they had to be in the middle of nowhere to discuss this, nowhere being the abandoned construction levels, Kevin had no clue. “Just the common knowledge.” It became clear that Gavin was waiting for him to continue so he did. “Abhumans are the direct result of a Daemon - Human cross. If two abhumans have a child then that child is considered abhuman as well. But if an abhuman marries back into the human race, and if its descendants continue to do so as well, then the line becomes mostly human again. Any children with unusual abilities or appearances at that point are considered gifted.”
“And if an abhuman mates with a full Daemon once more and their line continues in such a fashion? What happens then?” Gavin pressed, eyes flickering with an odd light.
Kevin was thrown by that question. “I - I don’t know, sir. I’ve never really heard of that happening before.”
“It’s not typically announced to the public, but some of our race have chosen to go and stay with the Daemons for various periods of time, as a culture exchange member, if you will. Out of that select few, several have elected to remain with Daemon mates.” If Kevin was hoping for a more elaborate explanation he was to be sorely disappointed. “What do you make of that?”
“I dunno, sir. I guess it’s up to the individual what they want to do.” The host replied. “Sir… Why are you telling me this?”
Gavin smiled grimly. “You haven’t figured it out?”
Kev… are you gifted?
Brayden’s words rang out in the younger man’s mind, as did his own response.
Not that I know of... Then again, I don’t remember much of my life before I started working as the host for the Game, so I suppose it could be possible.
Kevin frowned. “Are you saying that I’m gifted?”
Gavin looked surprised. “No.” He paused. “Well, not quite.” He rubbed his jaw as he considered how to break it to his show host. “Kevin. Do you know why you were chosen as host?”
“Because of my oration skills?” Kevin shrugged. “I’m good at analyzing people’s skills and personalities. That’s really what y’all needed me for with this Game project.”
“And do you know why I’ve been assigning you extra tasks?”
“Not really, but if I had to guess it would be because of the same qualities that make me an alright host.” Again a shrug.
Kevin was making this incredibly difficult for Gavin. The man was having difficulty phrasing the sentence that he needed to tell the show host. As he gazed down into the shorter man’s questioning eyes he gave up. So he changed tracks. “I’m going to send you overseas to work with the Daemonis. You’re right about you being a good orator and I’m hoping your easygoing personality will make the whole experience go smoother. Just find what you can on the native beasts from them and then report back to me.”
That wasn’t quite what he had been expecting, but Kevin agreed. “Sure thing, sir. One question though - who’s going to cover my spot? We do the Game as live as we can, so it’s not like the episodes are recorded a full season in advance. Just a few hours to a day.”
“Don’t worry about that, I’ve got someone in mind that can take your place.” Gavin dismissed the issue. “You’re leaving at three in the morning so pack a bag or two while you can.”

[Scoinwolf]

Chapter XXII
Dark patted the beast's shoulder uncertainly, but the creature didn't react negatively. Instead it half-closed its eyes and a purr rumbled from deep within its chest. Apparently it liked the congratulatory motion. The boy was just happy to still be alive and well.
"I guess you two are starting to understand each other better now." Jacob joked nervously. He had his fair share of marks from upsetting the beast, though accidental his mistakes had been.
Dark shrugged. "I'd hope so. After all, it seems like I'm stuck with it." And so he was. The beast hadn't left the boy's side since they bonded.
"You should give it a name." Seth suggested. "Might make things easier or strengthen your bond."
It didn't take the boys long to settle on 'Trouble' for the beast's name. All the thing had brought upon them was mayhem. It stole Seth's food from his hands when he tried to eat, it refused to let Dark be alone or get close to the river, and it had tried pushing Jacob down each hill they came across. No one could figure out if this last action was out of playfulness or hate.
"Trouble it is. Hey you! We're calling you 'Trouble'." Dark tapped the beast's shoulder to get its attention.
Trouble didn't act like it cared it had been given a name. Instead the creature yawned and lightly head-butted Dark in the chest. The human grunted and stumbled back. Trouble eyed him for a moment before returning to staring at the pathway it had found through the rock piles.
Seth offered a hand and pulled his friend up from the ground. "We'll have to work on its manners sooner or later." He sighed.
Dark grunted in agreement. "Definitely."
-
They had been walking for close to two and a half hours when Trouble stopped abruptly. The beast had taken the lead, as it usually did when the boys showed no sign of knowing where they were going, so the trio of humans had to react quickly to avoid walking right into the hybrid. Well, Seth stopped quickly. Jacob collided with Dark, who had skidded to a halt and narrowly avoided hitting Seth.
"Er, Trouble?" Seth asked the beast hesitantly. He meant the name of the creature, not actual trouble, but didn't care how it was interpreted.
The interplanetary hybrid didn't respond. It remained still as its eyes took in their surroundings.
Suddenly it turned quickly and grabbed Seth around his lower torso. With the boy in its jaws, Trouble tensed its muscles and leaped across a pit that had not been there a moment before. It was a long hole, about seven meters across, and extremely deep as no one could see a bottom. The path they were following was narrow to begin with and the steep sides were too tall and soft to climb.
Jacob and Dark backed up to give Trouble room to jump back across. The beast made the jump easily and took Dark next, returning after for Jacob though Trouble seemed somewhat inclined to just abandon the tall boy where he was.
Jacob was shaking as Trouble set him down, unnerved by the ordeal. Nothing like that had been on previous games. Never had he been carried like that before. The midsection area of his shirt was damp from the hybrid’s spit but in this heat it would dry out soon. Though it would still smell off afterwards.
“Oh gods, Solis, what if Trouble hadn't had such keen reflexes?” Seth roughly ran his hands through his hair a few times, looking around with the paranoia he’d displayed several times before when his guard was down.
Dark looked up at him in surprise. “You pray to Solis? I’d have thought Vita was more your style.” He admitted. “Since you’re a healer an all.”
“Nah, Solis marked me as his own when I was little. The high priest himself sought me out for apprenticeship.” Seth shook his head. “They’re inter-dimensional beings, sometimes who they choose doesn't quite add up in our eyes.”
“Vita is rumored cousin to Solis, maybe the family connection draws hazy lines between power shares. Besides, we’re gifted from the Daemonis, not god-chosen.” Jacob suggested. “So it’s not like we’re the same as the legends, gaining our powers from the gods.”
Something about how he said it struck Dark as off. “You don’t hold faith to the gods?” He asked slowly.
Jacob blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m existential.” He admitted. “I try to hide it, so people stop being awkward around the topic with me, but I guess I don’t do well enough.”
“Nah, man, I was existential for a long time too.” Dark grinned. “I only recognize you ‘cause I’ve had to phrase my sentences like that for far too long.”
“And now you’re not?” Jacob frowned, confused.
“No, I’ve taken up with Solstice’s cult.” Dark confessed softly. “I’ll admit to the gods, and on some level I do believe now, but our rituals are a lot more relaxed lore wise and focus more on present actions. It’s a good balance for me - better Solstice than therapy anyways.” He rolled his eyes.
Jacob kicked at a stone. “Wish we wouldn’t have to be pressured into the belief.” He muttered.
Seth was confused. “Existential? Like, existentialism?” He broke in.
“Yeah.” Dark nodded.
“Geez guys, we’re on a show still. Population’ll tear you two apart.” Seth groaned. “You for being existential - and you for following Solstice.” He pointed out his two pals in turn.
Jacob frowned again. “I dunno Seth, I haven’t gotten the feeling of being watched in quite a while now.” He claimed. “I’m not even sure they still have cameras on us.”
“They have cameras everywhere.” Dark put in with his own worry crossing through his eyes. “Either we really got too far off the grid or they’ve stopped tuning in on our progress.”
“Could it be due to Trouble here?” Seth inclined his head towards the beast, which was on high alert and agitated right now. “Or trouble over there?”
“Maybe trouble over there.” Jacob hesitated. “Assuming our Trouble broke out from the labs, perhaps other beasts have as well.”
Dark cast a nervous glance around, took a deep breath, and looked his two companions in the eyes. “Then this is no longer about the finish line. Everyone is just out to survive at this point.”

[Scoinwolf]

Chapter XXIII
Macey was set down gently this time, as compared to her fall the first time. The Ice Beast had taken her back to her house and let her climb off its neck onto the porch. It settled down with a sigh and rested its head on its front… paws? Macey wasn’t sure what the proper term to call its feet were. She moved cautiously into the house, aware of the dull throbbing in her foot. Her first stop was Dark’s room. Her brother had torn his ACL last year and had to use crutches for a couple weeks. He still had the things stored in his closet and she planned to fish them out for her own use.
The little giant outside had attempted to lick at her swollen ankle as it had healed her arm, but Macey had been so unnerved by the sensations last time that she had pushed it away. Not the smartest decision, maybe, but she was still unsure of the side effects. If there were any side effects other than her sudden resistance to cold temperatures.
The young girl dared a glance out the window. Her beast was still lying contentedly out on the lawn, growing patches of frost around it. It raised its head at some sounds she couldn’t hear every now and then but would always settle back down. Eventually it rested its head once more and ceased movement, seemingly satisfied where it was.
Macey wasn’t satisfied. She came out of the house and hobbled over to the outer door of the garage, awkward on the crutches until she adjusted the height, and pressed the button to open the massive door. Her father usually kept the truck and his crates of raw resources in the large storage area but as of right now it was empty, save for one large spool of copper wire and two closed crates of scrap metal. Part of her parents’ trip to town had been to secure another shipment of materials.
For right now, though, the beast could fit inside the garage. They were lucky it wasn’t fully grown, Macey wasn’t sure how large these things got, and it might be a bit of a tight fit but it was still shelter. Besides, she didn’t want just anyone happening to wander by and see the thing lying outside her parents’ house. She didn’t want anyone to be overly alarmed by it. At least this way anyone who knew her family would see it was welcomed to stay in the space, else the garage wouldn’t have been opened.
The beast moved lazily into the area designated to it and laid back down with a huff.
Macey made her way back inside, a feeling of comfort from the presence of the beast nearby. She snagged the first aide kit from the hallway and sat down on the couch. On second thought, she got back up and limped over to Dark’s room once more. Her brother had a more extensive first aid kit stored under his bed, a precaution taken by her parents, since Dark often came home from not even the gods know where with extensive, though mild, injuries. She was fairly certain he had some sort of ankle brace or ace bandage wrap in his kit. Plus hot/cold packs.
When she had rebound her ankle and finally settled down in a comfortable position on the couch her stomach decided to remind her that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Macey groaned and rubbed her eyes with the back of one hand. Just when she thought that she would be all set to rest for a bit, this happened. Reluctantly the young girl got up and made her way over to the kitchen. She briefly looked through the pantry, full of boxes and cans, but found nothing quick that she could make. Instead she grabbed an apple off the counter to settle her stomach while dragging a chair over to the pantry. She stood up on the chair with some difficulty and scanned the higher shelves. Ah, there it was. She found the can of soup she had been searching for and popped the top when her feet were planted once more on the floor.
As the soup heated up in a pot on the stove, Macey sat at the table and made a list of everything she had right now. Her food supply was limited and looked even more so when she realized with horror that she’d not even covered a full side of the paper. Preserved food wouldn’t go bad for a while, so she’d eat the fruit and other perishables first, but once her dwindling supplies ran out…
Once that happened she’d have to go down into town. Macey shivered and it had nothing to do with the cold she no longer felt. She was smart enough to realize that she’d been lucky enough so far with her minimal encounters with the creatures roaming the district freely. She was lucky enough to have a companion of sorts looking out for her. But that couldn’t last. She’d be forced to go out to town sometime sooner or later and that was risky even without being crippled.
Maybe she should let the Ice Beast try its magic with her ankle.
No. Macey was shaking her head even before she could finish the thought. She’d see if the beast was willing to go down to town with her once she started feeling a bit better. She could last through the week if she was careful about portioning out the remaining food. Food.
Shoot, what was the beast going to eat? It was young, had it learned to hunt or gather meals for itself already, or had it been separated from its herd before it could do so? Herd, pack, parents, whatever group the things traveled in. What did it even consume as an energy source? It was huge even if it was young, did it need to ingest a lot of substance throughout the day or was it able to store energy to be used later? Did it feed off some magical source?
There was so much she didn’t know, so much she may probably never figure out.
It was growing darker still and she felt a sudden increased desire to get that rest she had been promising herself. Macey ate and cleaned up before settling back down on the couch. Those were all problems that could wait until the light to be solved. They weren’t going to become more pressing within a few hours at least. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed was the faint hint of moonlight coming through frosted over windows.

[Scoinwolf]

Chapter XXIV
Peter was furious.
Nowadays that wasn’t uncommon. He was ticked off at just about anything just about anytime and his sources of annoyance never ran out. His wife rubbed his shoulder and he raised one hand to hold her’s. “You alright?”
“I’m worried about Macey.” Abby admitted softly. “We were supposed to be home several days ago. She must be frightened.”
Peter grunted in agreement. “I just hope she doesn't have a problem such as ours.” They had gotten trapped in a grocery store so they had plenty of supplies. If Macey was unable to leave the home then she would starve.
There was a shuddering boom at the storefront. The beast outside was reminding them that it was still there. That they shouldn’t leave.
Abby had proposed the idea that the creature was trying to protect them from something worse outside. Peter thought it just hadn’t found a way in yet and that his wife was giving the beast too many nice qualities.
Most of the folks in the store were in agreeance with Peter. They were terrified, huddled in one big group. Abby sat with them most of the time. She really only got up when she wanted to track down Peter and talk to him about something.
Like she had just now.
“This isn't just about Macey.” Peter guessed. Her grip on his hand tightened along with something within Peter’s chest. He closed his eyes, stalling in his walk down the frozen foods aisle. “It’s about Dark.” He stated flatly.
“I have that motherly instinct. He’s being hunted.” Abby insisted.
“We’re all being hunted.” Peter’s voice stayed listless. He wasn't trying to start an argument with his wife about this. Really. He was sick to his stomach with fear for his son and had been ever since those freaks from the government first came to his house. He was sick with frustration at this whole situation. How could he protect his loved ones if he couldn't even ensure his own safety? Thoughts like that kept him wandering the lifeless store at all odd hours. Thoughts like that kept him from being able to settle down and accept the fact that he was a captive. Maybe he was trying to start an argument. He needed an outlet for all this anger. He’d cuss out the government, but the government wasn't there right now. Abby was.
“Peter, please.” Abby pulled back on his arm, unwilling to keep this aimless wandering up.
Peter stopped with a halting jerk. He hadn't realized he'd picked up a pace again.
“Just talk to me.”
“You wanna talk? Alright, let's talk.” Peter snapped, the rage that had been bottled up, that had been building since the day his son was singled out for the Game, all that pain that came with it, everything boiling over. “What could you possibly have to tell me that I haven't heard before?” A shiver ran down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold air in the freezer aisle.
A hesitation. Abby was looking him up and down, eyes narrowed as she tried to guess where this was going. Her words were spoken slowly as she tried not to take a wrong step here. “I don't know, Peter. I don't know all that you’ve already heard.”
“That’s right, you don't know. You don't know anything about this situation, least not any more than the rest of us.” His voice dropped, low and bitter. Abby drew back a bit but didn't drop his hand. If anything her grip got tighter.
“What we know is that the government cancelled the Game. That an extraction team was sent for the kids, but couldn't find all of them as a few, including our son, have gone off the grid after last being seen being stalked by a freaking hybrid. A beast which our own government created for undisclosed reasons. A beast that is one of many, which have also managed to break out of their closures. And if what your brother claims is true, from that one phone call we got from him, the government has unleashed an even greater threat they created upon all the escapees - with the impression that once this killer is done it’ll return all quiet like back to them!” His voice cracked, breaching hysterical, by the end. He stared wildly into his wife’s eyes. “What could you possibly have to tell me that could make any of that into something that could be considered sense?”
Broken silence was punctuated by his jagged breathing.
“It’s raining outside.” She whispered.
And just like that, the dam collapsed. Peter’s head dropped as the first tear rapidly crescendoed until the crack became a gaping hole, the leak a flood of pent up and suppressed emotion.
A slight warmth penetrated the cold. He hardly realized it, even as he buried his face against her shoulder, but Abby had leaned into his chest, pressing her cheek to his heart. Listening to it beat.
And she too was crying, still holding his hand.

[Scoinwolf]

Chapter XXV
The Daemons were a silent group.
Kevin had been with them for some time now and he hadn’t heard the majority say a single thing. They communicated through body language and various motions. It was simple yet there was a certain elegance about it that made the whole thing … nice.
The village elders were more than happy to accept him back. At least, that’s what he thought they had said. Their Terran was broken and rough. They couldn’t hit the high tones either, which was probably a result of their lack of having to use their voices often. Kevin wasn’t aware that he had been there before, but Gordon had stayed with the Daemons for a time about a year ago - so maybe that’s what they were referring to?
Not that he and Gordon looked an awful lot like each other though.
One of their hunters, Nar’oc, acted as guide for the show host. The Daemon spoke only in hushed tones when he absolutely had to break the silence and would often shush Kevin for walking too loudly. This whole obsession with silence went mostly unexplained, though Kevin was starting to adapt to it. He’d be like an assassin when he got back home - no one would ever know he was coming.
Nar’oc was leading him through the camp now when a young kid ran out from one of the tents, tripping over a bucket in his haste. A man followed the boy out, catching him and pulling the child close to his chest. The man fell to his knees as the kid remained sitting. Neither were crying, though the man was on the verge of doing so.
No, not child. Kevin had been thrown off by the boy’s shortness in height, but the kid was closer to being an adult. Young adult? Older teen?
Nar’oc gently tugged on his sleeve and lead the government man out of the way, down a side path towards the lake. “The mother has been sick. She just passed on.” The daemon explained in that softened way of his.
“Is the mother...” Kevin hesitated, unsure how to phrase the question.
To his credit, Nar’oc simply looked amused. “She was one of us. The man, too, is our kin - however thinly he may be.” The hunter paused to check behind them. No one was coming. “She shall be burned tonight.”
“I assume I shouldn’t watch.” Kevin guessed, figuring the Daemons would wish to keep their burial rituals to themselves. As an outsider, he had no place at the funeral.
The guide looked surprised. “What gives you that idea?” His lips quirked in an almost grin. “We do not mourn her passing on. It is a simple time of silence, of peace, for the night.”
His own surprise must have shown just as clearly to Nar’oc. “I did not know.”
“Your people have strange customs, strange ideas.” The Daemon laughed with his body language, not needing his voice to articulate the feeling. “For us, death can happen anywhere, anytime. But we do not scare from it. We accept that and go on.”
Kevin cast his gaze downwards, to the earth beneath his feet. “We have gods. Well, most of us do.”
“We do not. Mostly.” Nar’oc was looking out over the water. “My gods do not interfere with day to day life. They do not mess with death. They do not exist to keep everything in order, not to move events like rivers flow. They are the Watchers. Always there. Always judging. Never acting.”
“You are different in your beliefs? Yours are not like your people’s.” Kevin questioned carefully.
“Same as you.” Again that soundless laugh reverberated in Nar’oc’s chest. “We are very much the same, you and I, in our differences.”
The human inclined his head. “It would seem so.”
They continued with their walking. Nar’oc set a steady pace around the edge of the lake and Kevin followed him.
“Why are you really here?” Nar’oc wondered aloud at one point. He didn’t face Kevin as he spoke, keeping his musings gentle. “It is not just to learn of our culture, of our ways with the beasts.”
They hadn’t even really gotten to discussing the beasts yet anyways. The Daemons were so obsessed with teaching him to be quiet. There had to be something to that. Some technique he was learning to prepare him for the encounters, right?
“I am here because my boss asked me to be.” The man admitted. “Other than that, I don’t know.”

-

“I haven’t seen you around before.”
The voice made Kevin jump slightly, who hadn’t realized that someone had come up behind himself. “I only arrived here recently.” The government man replied after a long pause. He shifted his weight to a more comfortable position on the log and cast the boy a soft smile.
“I’m sorry. I think I startled you earlier.” The kid apologized. “I didn’t know her very well. But I’d never seen anyone die up close.” He looked a little pale but that could have been from the firelight.
“Are you okay?” Kevin didn’t think anyone had asked the kid that yet, didn’t think any of the Daemons were going to. The kid didn’t look like he was the type that normally appreciated those questions, but right now he just looked shaken.
“I think I will be.” The boy gestured to the pyre. “They’re both burning. I.. I didn’t expect him to want to go too. But he had strange beliefs.”
The Daemonis had a custom of not naming their dead until a year had passed.
“Beliefs are up to the individual.” Kevin thought back on the conversation he and Nar’oc had had that afternoon. “Only thing that matters is what you yourself make of them.”
The kid nodded. He was silent for a drawn out minuet before sitting down besides the older man with a huff. “I suppose that makes sense.” He looked like his mind had eased off a deal of weight. “I’m Alexi. Alexi Staz.” He held out his hand to Kevin.
Kevin shook the offered hand. “I’m -”
“I know who you are.” Alexi allowed himself a grin. “Nar’oc told me.”
Kevin was surprised yet again by the kid. “Are you two close?”
“Close enough.” Nar’oc wasn’t typically one to chat about strangers with strangers. “But he’s one of the friendlier folk around these parts. He says you’re having trouble with the beasts back on our mainland?”
“Yeah.” Kevin sat up a bit straighter, studying the boy.
“I can help you with that. In two mornings, after I’ve completed the proper death rituals, I’ll take you to meet some of the beasts here.”

[Scoinwolf]

Chapter XXVI
The warden stared at the tv screen with a growing sense of distaste. The proceedings he was witness to left a sour taste in the back of his mouth.
This really wasn’t the best of days for him.
Not only did the vicious predator he allowed to be released murder two civilians in an ‘accident’ involving another deep forest creature instead of escaped experiments, but his little brother was not returning his calls. Kevin didn’t even appear to have received any of his messages in the first place since the show host really would have responded to several of them.
Gordon was worried. He was worried about the people of their nation, worried about the damage caused by creature he set loose, worried about the seemingly random attacks on native beasts instead of the lab grown ones.
He was worried about his brother.
Gavin kept calling him about one of the prisoners under his watch as well. Gordon was wary of the guy on a good day, let alone when he acted outright shady. So far he had yet to acknowledge the government man’s continued requests for a meeting. Gordon toyed with his desktop phone, spinning the receiver on one corner as he lazily flipped through his book of contact numbers with his other hand. Maybe if he agreed to open up a time slot for this meeting then he might be able to get answers about where by the Otherworld Kevin was.
-
A short hour later and Gavin arrived at the prison compound. He’d been nearby, investigating a new report on the predator’s progress, when the warden had called. Gavin had been eager enough to schedule an appointment that he proposed meeting at mid-day. Mid-day had come and he was there.
Gordon in turn was waiting at the entrance to Carceris One instead of in his office. The tall man was idly chatting with the guard on duty at the gates when Gavin showed up.
“You know, I was half hoping Kevin would be with you when you showed up.” Gordon had greeted him frankly. “I haven’t been able to get in touch with him, perhaps you can enlighten me as to why?”
“I certainly could. In return, perhaps, you could explain as to why you were dodging my own calls?” Gavin shot back with a wicked grin. He expected Gordon to respond like-wise to his flirting, but the other man seemed distracted and only shrugged.
“Sure, sure.” Gordon mumbled and waved a clearance pass at one of the various security checkpoints stationed at the few entrances to the interior of the buildings. He hadn’t really needed to, Gavin was easily recognizable as a government figure and had frequented the prison enough times to be remembered, but when the man got nervous he tended to become a real fanatic for protocol. Gavin frowned, but let Gordon go through with the process of signing him in if it helped the other man to relax even the slightest bit.
The moment they had entered Gordon’s office, however, Gavin decided he had had enough of the guy’s default OCD-like tendencies. He closed the door behind them, locked it, and strode over to stand just a little bit too close to where the warden had sat behind the desk. Gordon moved as if to stand up but Gavin placed one hand on the man’s chest and pushed him back down into the chair. The government man pulled up his own chair to sit down so close that their knees brushed just slightly. His companion looked like he was on the verge of an anxiety attack.
Gavin frowned.
“Gordon. How ‘bout we start with you telling me what exactly is going on through your head?” He decided after letting the warden freak out in silence for a few seconds too long. “You aren’t acting like the indifferent person I know you to show.” He spoke slowly, deliberately, but in a demanding way.
Gordon cast him a sneer along with a glare. “Well it’s not like I can really help it. Unlike some people here, I am subject to human emotions.” He sort of recovered but the cold bite to his tone didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Gavin rolled his own eyes. “Point taken. Kevin’s perfectly fine, just so you know. He went to spend some time consulting with the Daemonis about our, ah, little problem over here. They don’t have signal towers over in their part of the world. He hasn’t been able to make or receive calls.” Gordon visibly relaxed and Gavin leaned in closer. “If you were really all that concerned about your brother, you could have just agreed to meet me sooner to get the info.”
“Yeah, well, as much as I wanted confirmation that Kev was alright - I didn’t want to see you more.” The warden snapped in counter.
“Harsh.” Gavin commented, stung by the words, but not really. He gave Gordon a bit of space back, relaxing into his own chair, but not really. “And why exactly was that?”
“Every time we meet you manage to talk me into some bad idea.” Gordon started ticking the counts off on his fingers. “Keeping that pyromaniac at the prison, accompanying you to the Storm Isles, letting that freaking predator go-” He drew breath to add more but Gavin hastily cut him off.
“I get the point. Maybe not chronologically, but I get the point.” Gavin hushed the flow of accusations. Gordon may have a point there, but he really didn’t need to elaborate so fully on it.
Gordon rolled his eyes. “I’m not sure you do. I could go on?”
“No.” Gavin insisted. “I get it, I’m a bad influence. You’re probably right, this whole meeting will just drag you deeper into the depths of this whole issue.” He admitted freely with a dismissive wave of his hand. “But I want to get you in on the entire secret, Gordon. I want to explain where we were going with this whole… test run. We think you can provide some valuable insight into our research and would like to utilize said insight in the best possible way. It’s all up to you though - we won't force you to take a more active role in all this. I do, on the other hand, have a prisoner transfer request from Trench. The government there are requesting we take one of their more notorious suspects in a difficult case while they go over the details and evidence one last time. Without the concentration towards keeping the suspect in a secured location they would be able to focus in on the real problem easier. If we were to accept this transfer, he would be placed in Cerceris One under your personal supervision.” Gavin tilted his head. “What do you say?”
“I say tell me more about this prison transfer.” Gordon met Gavin’s gaze with a frown. “It’s not like Trench to request a move, not when they are far more than capable of detaining people themselves. Is their suspect gifted or abhuman?”
“Abhuman.” Gordon drummed his left hand fingers across the desk, reaching over with his right to pick up a pen there and examine it. He placed the pen back down and straightened out some stray papers. “Or so they claim. He’s a tricky guy to follow - to catch in the act. They’re basing their claim off of the evidence. He was found next to a figure that was completely frozen through, frostbite of a deadly degree, yet had no equipment with him that could have enabled this to have happened. While they have no way to confirm him to be abhuman, they do know his grandmother and father are lost from the records, and that everyone else in his family tree is most certainly human. It’s highly possible for the grandmother to have been Daemon, for his father to be abhuman, and the suspect an abhuman as well - if that is all true.”
“And if it is, then this man would be the first from Trench to have been of mixed blood.” Gordon murmured. “Trench security is not accustomed to dealing with the gifted. As the only prison to deal regularly with this sort of situation, I suppose making the transfer is in their best interest. I’ll contact Trench authorities, speak with their warden, agree to the move.”
“Very well. And as for my other proposition..” Gavin sat up straighter, slightly leaning forwards once more.
“I’m not interested.” Gordon stated flatly. “I don’t care to know what else our government has been fooling around with. I’ve been involved with more than I was initially comfortable with already.” His face bore that stubborn, challenging expression that Gavin knew all too well.
“I will respect your wishes, and your boundaries, for now. But I’m not giving up on you.” Gavin rose to leave.
The warden stood as well. “I suppose I’ll be seeing you, then.”
A parting glance. “Maybe sooner than you think.”

[Scoinwolf]

Chapter XXVII
“The thing about the beasts, is that they’re all prey here. There is no top predator.” Alexi didn’t even bother with normal greetings as he launched straight into his role as teacher.
Kevin had been surprised to see the young man up so early in the morning. The human had been up far later than even the Daemons last night. He himself had just gotten up and was eating the paste made for breakfast when Alexi had come over and sat down next to him on the log.
The youngster kicked at a rock by his foot. “Everything preys upon each other. The more vicious ones do tend to pick on the natural prey creatures, but in times of rough hunting they’ve been known to turn upon their own ranks.” He glanced up from where his concentration was focused on his boot. “It’s almost always a time of rough hunting.” He cleared his throat.
“If something were introduced into the food chain as an apex predator, something so horrifying that nothing dared feed upon it, the whole system would be thrown into chaos. Beasts and the meek alike would go on the defensive. They’ll leave known territories and cross established borders, seeking out those that will either serve as weaker prey, an easier catch, to distract from themselves, or find something more powerful than them that they feel would be of less interest to the new predator. Unfortunately for us, humans fit both those descriptions. Physically we are a part of the weak. However our use of technology marks us as the clever ones as well.” He offered up a tight smile as he made eye contact with Kevin. “I’m right so far.” He decided, knowing nothing about what was going on back in their land but able to correctly guess the current circumstances based on his observations. “The creatures won’t settle down until someone, or something, removes the almighty predator from play. They may cause plenty of destruction and property damage, but overall they won’t intentionally be looking to create harm. They want to survive as much as we do.”
The young man leaned back, closing his eyes as he tilted his head up to face the sun. “Though if they are surrounded by a state of panic, they will freak out as well. You have a limited time frame to work with.” He opened one eye to peer at the show host. “Unless that’s already crashed and burned on you.”
Kevin shook his head. “The reports were not of panic among the beasts. Their movements were cautionary and it seemed more like the creatures were exploring their options rather than flipping out.”
Alexi hummed in thought. “But you’re not receiving reports now, at the Daemoni camps?”
“No.” The government man admitted.
“It doesn’t matter. Removing the predator will get them to settle back down and they will return to their former routines. What does concern you is the impact this will have upon the people and towns. The beasts will retreat in time but can cause an ungodly amount of mayhem before doing so. Either way, you still need to learn how best to approach these things.” Alexi leaned closer to Kevin, capturing the older man’s eye contact again. “Remember, the thing about the beasts, is that they’re all prey here. They’re all constantly on the lookout for anything that would make a move to attack and feed from them. What have the Daemonis been teaching you?”
“How to tread silently.”
“That has a twofold purpose. Can you guess what the uses are for silence?” Alexi pressed.
A long moment passed where Kevin organized the arguments in his head. “If one is silent, shows no indication of being present, then any potential hunter would have a far harder time locating them. It’s also useful in the sense that any potential hunter could sneak up upon potential prey without that prey being alerted to its presence.”
“Aye. You get the idea.” Alexi looked proud for a brief second before his expression lapsed back into seriousness. “But do you get it in practice?”
“I don’t think Nar’oc is satisfied with my abilities.” Kevin admitted easily with no sense of embarrassment. He knew any exaggeration could get him killed.
Alexi rubbed his jawline with one hand, thinking about what the other man had claimed. “Alright. We can work with that.” He frowned, still considering his options. “I’m going to take you to see one of those on the middling tier then. They don’t often serve as meals, their size makes them difficult for lone hunters to take down, but aren’t particularly aggressive predators either. There’s a grouping nearby of bestiae crystalli - the ice beasts. They’re guardian creatures, if they become attached to something they’ll defend it with their life against anything deemed to be a threat. The Daemons have one that watches over their livestock, but I want you to meet the ones not used to the presence of us. I want you to see how they react when faced with just me. Then I want you to imagine how much more unease they’d feel when faced with a whole town of people.” Alexi faced him with a calculating stare.
“You aren’t fully prepared to go up against a true hunter - and you’ll never even get close to the prey.” Alexi resumed his original position on the log. “Not if Nar’oc isn’t satisfied with your abilities. I’ll take a camcorder with me when I go out later. I’ll record my encounter. It won’t be the best way to experience the beast’s reactions, but I don’t want to risk your safety.” He slid his heels out in front of himself, leaving tracks in the dirt. The young man was fidgeting a lot, constantly on the move, seemingly unable to just stay still as he sat. That was how he’d been every time Kevin had seen him.
So when they did leave, Alexi’s complete transformation from unstoppable constant motion to deliberate actions and stillness caught Kevin by surprise. The excess energy seemed to spread itself out within the fellow, leaving him with a steady supply of just enough in each area it was needed in. The younger man glided across the ground, hardly leaving any notice of his having been there. Kevin was almost jealous of how smooth the other guy’s formerly halting movements had become. Almost.
Nope, he’d be lying if he thought that. He was totally jealous of Alexi’s gracefulness and agility.
The show host was still far more advanced in silent and traceless movement, far so more than anyone else on the mainland could even hope to be, hardly anyone outside of the Daemons associates could match his newfound abilities. But among the Daemoni camps he was still the awkward one.
The two ended up hiking through the tall grass until midday came. Alexi had been following some winding trail only he could see, so when the younger man held up a hand to indicate they were stopping Kevin was grateful for the break.
Hardly two seconds had passed before Alexi’s open palm closed down into a fist. Go.
Kevin bit back a groan. It was a lot of strain upon his body to keep up this stealth pace and he sent wordless prayer up to gods he held no faith to for this to mean they were getting close to their destination.
This time when the human boy advanced he went slowly. Three steps later and Alexi had transitioned from a crouch to army crawling forwards, bracing himself up on elbows, knees, and toes. He covered about thirty meters like this, stopping once more as he reached some destination. The young fellow beckoned the show host forwards. “I’m gonna head down the drop off to the gathering. Watch me approach, watch how I act, watch how I calm them down.” He breathed out the instructions into Kevin’s ear when the older guy lay by his side at the top of the small cliff.
A hundred meters below them lay a vast stretch of forest. In the far distance a range of mountains towered above all, peaks obscured by clouds and dry lighting. At the edge of the forest, base of the rock face, was a group of seven ice beasts. Five adults, two youngsters.
Alexi had vanished on him again. The first couple times it had happened, Kevin had felt the beginnings of a panic attack creeping up on himself. Without Alexi he was screwed. The show host had no idea where the camp was, or even a general direction to go upon, and he sure had no clue how to sense any incoming predator or avoid one even if he did get warning.
Now he knew better. He knew Alexi wasn’t going to unintentionally abandon him, that even if they did get seperated by mistake the kid would find him.
Shoot. Speak of the devil, there he was. Alexi had scaled the hundred meters straight down as if he’d learned to climb before he’d figured out how to walk. Damn kid was casually freefalling the last few feet to the ground as if he’d not a care in the world.
The beasts had taken notice of his suddenly dropping in on them. Kevin watched as the adults snorted and turned a wary eye on the human. The largest of them herded the young ones behind itself. Other than that, the group carried on as if hardly anything had changed.
Alexi approached boldly. They stirred, nervous now by his presence due to the closer proximity. The boy ignored them. He found a stray rock that had been knocked loose from the cliff and climbed up on it. He settled down into a comfortable position. Didn’t try to get closer. Sometimes his wandering gaze would land on the ice beasts for too long and the large one would start getting defensive. Whenever that happened, Alexi would avert his eyes naturally after a few additional seconds passed. The beasts relaxed.
After half an hour of just occasional observation Alexi got up. The young man was relaxed as he started to walk at a gradual angle towards the beasts. A few turned to watch him. The others ignored him as he continued to do the same in regard to them. Alexi got within ten feet of one of them and nothing happened. Both parties were simply ignoring each other, neither feeling threatened. The young man showed no sign of being uncomfortable, if he even was, and the beasts picked up on that. They sensed no harm in his intentions. He sensed none in theirs. Because neither made a big deal about what little interaction they’d had.
Alexi worked his way back to the cliff face, scaling the rough exterior easily. He hauled himself back up onto the horizontal plane up top and sprawled out on the ground besides Kevin.
“What did you learn?” He rumbled softly.
“That they’ll only react in turn to how you interact with them. When you payed them no mind, they had no interest in you.” Kevin responded in turn.
“Good. So you get the general idea, yeah?” Alexi propped himself up on his elbows, still lying for the most part on his back, as he watched the other man’s face intently.
“I think so.” Kevin nodded. “What you were saying earlier about a surrounding state of panic - I get that better now. Especially when factoring in that the only destructive interactions in the reports were mostly caused by instigation of some form.” Usually on the human’s end too. Very few beasts had picked fights by themselves.
“The typical prey gets spooked by just about anything. If any of them come in contact with humans, they’ll go straight into the fight or flight routine. The typical predator might occasionally try to feed upon a human if it’s in desperate need of a meal - most prefer to stick to familiar prey though. The only thing I’d be concerned about is that the predators will almost always choose to fight with offense as their defense. People will need to watch out for them. Don't make eye contact. But if we give them their space and privacy, we’ll keep ours as well.” He got back to his feet, offering a hand to help Kevin up as well. “I’ll get you the recordings tonight.”

[Scoinwolf]

Chapter XXVIII
“But how exactly are we going to go about removing the Predator, Kevin?” Gavin mused aloud at the staff meeting he had called. The man had been the first to speak once Kevin had finished going into details about his stay at the Daemoni camps. “It hasn’t completed the task it was given - it won’t return until it does and it won’t cooperate if we try to bring it in by force.”
Kevin, who had just returned hours earlier, shuffled through the pile of notes he’d brought. He attempted to organize the scattered pile back into something resembling a neatly composed stack and failed.
Martha cut in before the show host had a chance to answer. “One moment. The forest beasts had been getting restless even before the Predator was introduced into the equation. Can we be sure that taking it out will cause them to settle down? What if there is another factor that we, and the Daemons, haven’t considered?”
Kevin was shaking his head before she even finished. “The foresters only started hassling people once the GMBs escaped their labs. Our creatures were not made to be prey, and so would not act as if they were one. Remember, the thing about the beasts, is that they’re all prey here. We created something unnatural. Granted, the Predator outranks all of our GMBs on the food chain. It’s forcing our beasts into a prey state - which in turn goes against their natural instincts. It’s all chaos out there. Removing the Predator is only the start. Once that thing is gone the GMBs will settle back down. Once they do so they start behaving predictably.” He cleared his throat, consulting a report he’d pulled from the mess laid out in front of himself. “One thing our studies on them show it that they’re overconfident. If they feel secure, their defenses will go down. They’ll think us below them and take the impression that we wouldn’t dare attack as we are not their natural predator. Their predator will have been vanquished by the time we move on them.” Kevin was basing this theory off of the tape concerning the current top hunter in the Daemon lands that Alexi had given him. The thing had watched the young human almost lazily, going so far as to resume its nap while still in the foreigner’s presence. It had no fear of the kid, though it should, if what Alexi had demonstrated himself capable of was anything to go by.
“And you are absolutely certain that these beasts will follow along the predicted outlines?” Gavin pressed. “Kevin, we need to be positive. We need to know their movements before they themselves know what they are doing.”
“We don’t even know what we are doing!” Kevin growled, the sharp tone causing everybody to startle. Kevin wasn’t the sort of man to snap at others.
The show host closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry. It’s just… Look. None of this can be predicted. None of this is even likely to go along with what we know. My sources are confident as much as they can be. While nothing like this has ever truly happened before, there are certain patterns that the natives have found these beings to naturally follow. There have been certain instances in the far past where something similar has happened.” He heaved a heavy sigh. “I’m just a show host. Before that I was a sports announcer. I have absolutely no credibility in this area of experience. I’ve done the best that I can to gather information for you, but I am no expert myself. Please, make of that what you may, but leave me out of the choice you decide to make. I can offer nothing but the solution I outlined.”

-

He had been waiting in the outer room for close to an hour when a tall form dropped down into the seat next to him. Kevin didn’t look up. “Don’t you have a prison to run?” He didn’t even attempt to keep the bitterness out of his voice.
There was a low hum before Gordon replied. “Apparently I am to be given a new set of priorities once them in there decide what they wish to do about our current… situation.” He glanced at his little brother out of the corner of his eye. “As I am to understand, I am not the only one who is being placed out of my comfort zone.”
“They expected me to provide them with the answer they need.”
“Need, not want?”
Kevin leaned his head back with a low chuckle. “I suppose you’ve got a point.” The two lapsed into a not uncomfortable silence. Kevin was the first to break it, Gordon always knowing just when his brother needed to collect his thoughts. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”
Now it was Gordon’s turn to consider the statement. “You do not want to be the researcher into the Predator’s case anymore? Or you do not want to be a part of any of this?” The look Kevin gave him said it all. “That is a dangerous path, frater.” He rumbled. “Take heed not to speak of it lightly to anyone.”
Kevin snorted, crossing his arms. “And since when have you cared what risks I take?” He shot back.
“Since I thought I’d lost you.”
The younger man was taken aback by the hurt, concern, and raw terror he heard in that statement. He twisted in his seat to face his brother more directly and saw a complicated mix of emotions on the typically scornful face.
“... What?” He questioned softly, words hardly more than a whisper.
Gordon grimaced before allowing his jaw to drop back into his customary scowl, resting his head back against the wall. “I thought I lost you, Kev.” He admitted again. “Gavin.. hah. He didn't exactly do much to reassure me that you were alright. When Brayden phoned me about that incident with the Predator, gods, I didn't think I could ever look him in the eye again. Didn't think I could look at you.” He swallowed. “I knew so much more than I let on about that beast. I worked straight with the man who created it, may Chronos let him rest. I knew the patterns, knew the look. Damn - I knew it had a fascination with me! That it could recognize we were related. And still I let you take it. I should have said no.”
Kevin felt his gut clench unpleasantly. Gordon sounded so ... jagged that he couldn't help himself. He should be furious about this. He should be furious about everything. And yet, Kevin let the tension in his shoulders slacken. Gordon was still his big brother, even if they hadn't been on the best of terms recently.
“But you did. You let me take the Predator. And I’m fine. I’m sitting here right next to you.” The show host insisted gently, reaching over to grab his sibling’s hand. Gordon looked down to where their fingers intertwined. He said nothing and Kevin let him, the two sitting on in silence.