Posted by PK on October 30, 2001 at 16:45:25:
The odd thing was, she did not feel at all panicky. Tense and a little scared, yes, but in
control. Her mood was more like excitement then terror. It wasn't far removed from sheer
enjoyment, all of her trivial worries were gone, dismissed as irrelevant. She glanced at her
watch. Not long now.
A short climb away, up a bank, was a tall tree. It might be useful to go up and have a look
around, just to get a better perspective. Rachel secured her water bottle and started up.
Amanda changed unhurriedly into her hunting kit. It didn't take long. She left the locker room
and made her way to the portal, smiling to herself. It was a gorgeous day for a hunt.
The woman who had checked Rachel out was waiting to verify her time of departure. "Hello,
Greta," she said pleasantly.
"Amanda." she uttered. "Don't leave before I say so. Anything to sign out?"
"It's my own gear, you know that. Hi Dave, come to wish me luck?"
"I should, I suppose." He shrugged. "Don't take this wrong, but I rather hope she makes it."
"Wish her luck, then," said Amanda equably. She stretched like a cat on her toes, flexing her
hands. The muscles in her limbs snapped into relief and relaxed again.
Smiling tiger, thought Dave. Blake must have seen her in a nightmare. Fearful symmetry
indeed. Suddenly he really did wish Rachel luck. If he had that on his trail he'd be scared half
to death.
Once outside, Amanda didn't just rush into the woods, she cast about looking for spoor, some
indication of which way her quarry had gone. The park wasn't that big, but if she started off in
the wrong direction she could wander about for hours without crossing her trail. Hours in
which Rachel could be resting, planning, perhaps even laying traps. Amanda's home
advantage would diminish all the time, while the quarry's grew. There was no convenient
muddy field or stand of corn to give her an obvious path, the grass around the lodge was
short and resilient, but eventually she found a partial impression. Straight up to the woods,
then. She set off at an easy run, not a walk. Time was not on her side. The slope didn't even
begin to wind her, she trained on cross-country runs, she could keep this pace up for hours.
Rachel checked her watch again. Her start had elapsed well over half an hour ago, but still
no sign of Amanda. She had stationed herself in a small knot of trees, almost too small to be
called a copse, in the middle of a field. She was fairly high relative to the rest of the park, so
from here she should be able to see Amanda coming from any direction. At the moment, she
sat just inside the cover of the trees looking toward the larger woods between her and the
lodge. She nibbled on a ration bar, taking small bites and chewing slowly, ears alert in case
anything came up behind her. Although she'd jumped once or twice in the first hour, she was
getting used to the sounds of the country, more able by the minute to distinguish between
what belonged there and what didn't.
The waiting was getting to her so badly it was almost a relief when she finally saw Amanda.
Almost. She slipped back a step further into cover and took a good look. The huntress was
wearing light boots or high strapped sandals of leather, a halter, a sleeveless jerkin and a
very short pleated skirt, all tan coloured, possibly chamois or some light hide. She carried a
bow, as Rachel had expected, and a knife sheathed on a belt of darker brown. Her hair
seemed to be tied back. She wore no ornaments, it was a practical outfit that Rachel had no
doubt she was used to. She backed slowly into the wood. Now she would have to leave on
exactly the opposite side so that Amanda would have to come through the trees and search
for her. If she didn't keep the copse between them, the huntress would sight and chase her
directly across the field instead, cutting the lead she had planned for herself. Best if she
could reach cover on the far side before Amanda got here. Quickly and quietly, she moved.
Minutes later Amanda stood staring down at the trees her quarry must have reached
moments ago, but she could see nothing from here. She was oddly pleased. She'd been
lucky so far, picking up and following Rachel's trail, it would have been rather disappointing
to find her napping here or just hiding up a tree. That she'd been here she had no doubt, but
it seemed that she'd planned her escape too. She hoped so. This was going to be a fun one,
despite the easy start. Dave, she told him in her head, never mind that you didn't get her. If
you've never caught a live runner before, you sure as hell couldn't catch this one.
But I might, she thought, and set off across the field.
Over an hour later Rachel was still alive and free, but by now she had no idea where
Amanda was. She had been exploring her surroundings and planning since she was sure
she'd given the huntress the slip the last time, but she was uneasy. She would have preferred
to find another vantage point, but it was hard to find one that wasn't also a blind trap if
Amanda found it too.
There was something about the small clearing she was crossing that she didn't like...
A small sound or a flicker of light caught her attention and she turned her head, body frozen
to make no sound. Amanda was there, bow drawn, out of nowhere. She registered it all in an
instant, unfroze and ducked, then she ran like a deer. A split second after she started, a rush
of air past her ear told her that the huntress had loosed an arrow. Good, she acknowledged
as she ran. She won't be able to draw again before I'm out of range.
Stupid, Amanda chided herself, trying for a classic shot. She just looked so beautiful there I
wanted to take her down where she stood. No time for a second shot, either. She didn't let
regrets stop her from giving chase, but Rachel had a precious start on her and, God, the girl
was fast! She must have planned the route, she was running through close cover which
slowed the bigger woman more than it did her. Bloody overgrown rhododendrons. Her bow
was a useless impediment in this mess, she couldn't shoot, and if she slung it, wasting
precious seconds, she'd have to unsling it again when she got clear. Clever little doe!
By the time she got out of the tangle, Rachel was nowhere in sight. It was impossible to
chase and track at the same time through a thicket, she knew only roughly which way the girl
had gone.
A few hundred yards away, Rachel stood panting, hands on knees, trying to get her breath
and keep listening at the same time. That, she thought, was just too bloody close. She took
stock of herself carefully, still listening. Good hunter or not, nobody Amanda's size could run
full tilt through a wood without making some noise. She must have stopped to find her trail.
She still had some rations, and a little water. Her strength was holding up pretty well, she
didn't feel weak. Her legs had picked up a few scratches, nothing even worth a plaster.
Maybe she should have worn leggings of some kind, but she was far from sure. Bare legs
keep you from blundering through shrubs making a racket, and she was really getting used to
the freedom of movement. The lack of panties no longer bothered her at all, maybe that
sense of vulnerability really had helped. Amanda was out to kill and probably eat her, she
couldn't care less if the woman got a look at her bare buttocks or the patch of dark fur
between her legs. She started to walk, careful not to make a sound or leave a trail. Eyes and
ears on full alert, she began to plan her next moves as she went.
An hour later, Amanda Blake was beginning to think she wasn't going to win this one. She
was not at all tired, but her intended prey was no nearer to being caught, and she was
proving a more than worthy opponent. She was quick, resourceful and tougher than she
looked, and every hour she stayed free she was getting harder to catch. Despite near perfect
hunting conditions, Amanda would need luck as well as her considerable skill to get her.
There was a very simple reason why most runners survived. It just wasn't easy to find
somebody in several square miles of varied English countryside who didn't want to be found.
Only a brilliant tracker had even half a chance, and only that because they both started from
the same place. It was little wonder that Dave had never won a live hunt, the prey took it
seriously. Most losing runners were the ones who made silly mistakes. They moved when
they didn't need to, or vice versa. It was easy to panic when life and limb were at stake, the
ones who kept their heads usually made it.
Rachel wasn't panicking. She was past that and Amanda knew it. An image of Rachel's tasty
rump flashing her as it disappeared into the foliage flitted through her mind. She wanted it so
badly she could almost taste it, and that wouldn't do at all. Maybe I'd have a better chance of
sinking my teeth into it if I'd just asked for her phone number, she thought. Her comment to
Dave returned to haunt her. She needed to focus on the task at hand.
Sitting by a stream, she removed her footwear and sat cross-legged on the bank. She closed
her eyes and opened her other senses, including that sense of everything that touched the
borderline between intuition and psi. Amanda didn't care what it was or how it worked, she
knew that it sometimes did for her and that sufficed. What she wanted was a sense of the
whole relationship between herself, the environment and Rachel. She reached out for her.
Where are you, Rachel? she asked. She harnessed her love and hunger to work for her.
Almost any reputable scientist will tell you that hunting magic can't possibly work. Almost any
anthropologist who's done field work will confess, when drunk enough, that everybody knows
it does. Amanda breathed the air, felt the sun, took it all in. She searched for Rachel's scent,
called to her. I'm going to eat you, she told her prey. When she was ready, she simply waited
for a vision, a sense of direction.
Time passed.
Someone was watching her, she knew. Her eyes opened and she got her vision. A dryad was
standing at the edge of the woods. Her limbs were dappled brown and green, and she carried
a budding staff. Dark eyes regarded her.
Amanda's mental focus shifted, caught between worlds. The rational side of her said
'camouflage' but the sense of the mystic persisted like an afterimage on the retina. The dryad
faded into the trees like the spirit she was. Amanda rose like a Fury, leaving her shoes
behind. She ran.
This was a really stupid idea, Rachel thought. The mud and plant leaves she had smeared
on her exposed skin, good idea. Teasing Amanda, really stupid. She just couldn't stand the
notion of being the victim, being passive. Still, she had to stick to the plan. Maybe she could
take the huntress out. She ran, a tiger on her tail, and watched the terrain. Her timing had to
be perfect. Amanda was closing fast. She let her.
Closer. Something was wrong. Amanda saw that she was being led, but not why until a
hammer blow hit her in the gut. She fell back and rolled, catching her breath.
Through the trees, Rachel watched her recover. Damn it, she'd hoped for more but the
bloody bitch was stronger than an ox.
Spring trap, Amanda saw. She'd been hit by a branch. How the hell had Rachel done that?
Tied it back ( she could see the knotted creeper she'd used) and made a trip wire she must
have weakened with her knife as she ran. Fucking brilliant. She looked up and saw her
opponent disappear into the trees again.
I'm definitely going to shake that girls's hand, she thought. Unless I kill her first. She walked
back to the stream to find her footwear, massaging her midriff with one hand. There was a
welt across her belly where the branch had hit her. No serious damage, but if she stiffened up
from the bruising it would impede her mobility. She forced herself to relax and breathe, going
over what had happened in her mind. Rachel had taken an enormous risk to trick her like
that.
This is going to make a great story to tell at the lodge, she thought. The mighty hunter
suckered by a novice. She couldn't help it, she started to laugh. Her breath came easier after
that. All the points to you so far, Rachel, she told her quarry. Maybe you will win this one. Her
mental equilibrium was restored.
She put herself back together patiently and set out on Rachel's track, hunting in purity,
without rancour or lust of result. There had to be a trail somewhere....
Rachel was halfway up a tree, taking stock. She knew her hit must have shaken Amanda but
didn't really believe it would stop her. No more tricks, she decided. She'd barely survived that
one. If she could just stay out of sight for a bit longer she'd be home free. She felt quite
confident that she could do it. In the half day she'd been here, the park had become her
territory. She understood it, felt the gestalt of the place. She almost understood Amanda.
That meant she could beat her. If they met again, the huntress would be careful, wary of
traps. It could cost her time. Her gamble had paid off. Think positive. Her ears pricked up.
Amanda was coming after her again. The patterns of sound and silence in the wood were
clear to her, the huntress had found her track. Time to move.
Amanda stalked Rachel for another hour before she realised it was futile. The girl had gone
feral, sensitive as a skittish doe but cunning as a human. Her current persona wouldn't work.
She discarded it. She dropped the bow and quiver where she could find them again and took
off her skirt and jacket. Unless she could meet Rachel in the reality she inhabited now, she
would never catch her. Playing Artemis had failed. She moved into shadow.
Time passed.
The light started to fade towards early evening and Rachel was now pretty confident. She
hadn't heard or seen a trace of Amanda for how long? She looked at her watch. It seemed
like a thing from another world. Not long before she could go back to the lodge and claim the
win. She started to plan her route.
Amanda put a hand on her shoulder. "Hi there," she said.
There is a reason, Rachel told herself, why she's supposed to be good. "Hello, Amanda," she
replied. "What happens now?" she asked, rather proud on one level of her mind that her
voice didn't falter, though another level, never quite silent, noted the higher register.
"Now," said Amanda, "I eat you." She put her arms around Rachel, embracing her from
behind. She she kissed her left ear, just giving it the tiniest bit of a lick. "Unless you want to
play a little first."
There was no mistaking what she meant by that. "Before you kill me?"
"Wouldn't be much fun afterwards, would it?" Amanda ran a finger down her belly. Rachel
could smell her, feel the heat of her body.
"I don't usually do that sort of thing," she protested. Now Amanda's finger was brushing her
pubic hair, just lightly at the tips. It was like butterfly's wings tickling her crotch and belly. She
squirmed, not entirely in distaste.
"Okay," said Amanda resignedly. "I just thought you might enjoy a screw before you go, and
I'm all I've got. I know I would...never mind." She gave Rachel a brief hug and relaxed it.
"Wait, you mean I get a choice in the matter?"
"Of course you do," Amanda retorted, sounding offended. "I'm not a rapist."
"Sorry, no offense meant. You'll kill me afterwards either way, I suppose?"
"Yes, of course."
Which meant Amanda wasn't trying to trick her. Not that Rachel would have balked at
screwing for her life, but at least the woman was honest. "What the hell, why not? I'll try
anything once."
"That's the spirit. Come on, I know a place we can clean up and find a bunk."
Hand in hand, they walked to one of the rest stations, small cabins not much bigger than
garden sheds set up for the convenience of hunters and quarry alike. Rachel had avoided
them, fearing that Amanda might corner her too easily in or near one. Amanda's grip was
easy but Rachel knew it would be futile to try and pull away. She considered putting up a
fight, but discarded the idea. Unless she saw a real opening it would be pointless and
humiliating, it would make her feel like a petulant child. It didn't escape her attention that the
Amazon was naked but for her footwear and halter, unless you counted a knife sheathed on
her thigh. She couldn't think of anything to say, anything to do that would get her out of this
alive. Amanda broke the silence.
"You've never done this before, have you?" It wasn't really a question.
"What, sex with a woman? No, just some fooling around as a kid..."
"No, I mean the hunt. The stalking game, that sort of thing."
"No, I haven't. That obvious, was it?" It was dispiriting. She'd really believed she could win,
almost thought she had won, and now this.
"That's not what I meant. I checked the records, you've never practiced or played quarry - for
real or for fun - at any lodge we've heard of. You're very good, you know. Led me a hell of a
dance. I've never had such an interesting chase."
"Thanks a lot, but I wasn't good enough, was I? The quarry is supposed to have the odds but
you got me anyway." She strove not to sound bitter.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Rachel, I had a lot of things go in my favour. The weather, for
one, bright and still, perfect for hunting. Then I'm in peak condition and I know these grounds
like the back of my hand, you've never even trained and you're new here. I had a bit of luck
picking your trail up so quickly and on top of that I can tell you I was giving you my best
effort."
"Thanks a lot." Rachel murmured but Amanda went on brightly.
"...When things go that well I've caught people in less than half the time it took me to get
you. I'm pretty good at this, you know, given a fair break you'd have beaten anyone else."
"That's nice to know." She wasn't sure herself whether she was being ironic.
Amanda squeezed her hand encouragingly. "You don't get it at all, do you? In case you
hadn't noticed, you almost had me licked. I had to rethink everything, go up a gear to get
you. I've never had to work this hard to catch anyone."
Rachel still didn't follow. "You mean you catch everybody you hunt? But I thought..."
Amanda shook her head. "No, not quite. I get more than most, yes. I thought I always gave it
my best, but now I know better. What can I say? You...ah.. inspired me." She grinned.
Despite herself, Rachel couldn't help feeling flattered. She shook her head and smiled. There
was no modest reply to that.
Hanging by her ankles an hour later, she wondered why she wasn't more frightened. Any
minute now, a mad lesbian sex killer was going to disembowel her and have her for supper.
Possibly it was the sexual afterglow. Possibly it was simply because there was no more point
in being afraid. The day was fading now, but the air was still warm. Amanda had secured her
ankles with padded cuffs before stringing her up. Oddly considerate of her, but that was
typical of her style. Rachel didn't feel particularly uncomfortable, despite her position. She
closed her eyes and relived the hour.
The sex had been surprisingly good. It should have been surprising, too, that Amanda was a
sensitive and considerate lover, but somehow it wasn't. The real revelation was the complete
abandonment of her own response. Afterwards, she had relaxed completely in the woman's
powerful arms.
"How are you going to do it?" she mused idly.
"Do? Oh, kill you, you mean?" Amanda was sprawled half across her. She stroked Rachel's
hair back fom her face. "Well..." Her eyes flashed to the knife lying carelessly abandoned on
the floor. Rachel turned and saw it. She could make a grab for it, possibly kill Amanda first. It
didn't seem likely. She wasn't sure she wanted to bother. It would run the mood if she failed.