COTN House of Canaan Part 12

12. The Hunter

The cities of Man is unlike that of the Elves. The Elves however lived in deep forest or in the case of the House of Canaan also deep beneath the ground. Its not a choice of theirs but borne of necessity with the encroachment of Man.

Man are more than Elves as they populate fast but they take up great spans of land on their claims but not for use. They are more than greedy and needless wastage. This city named as Temper; they claimed a large span of land outside the city walls as theirs but inside they crowd into close quarters into structures they called houses. They lived like elves do in the caverns but they do for fear of security. The elves do it as its their lifestyle.

They find themselves in the tavern as the drinks loosen the tongues and information are brought with more drinks. It was their sixth tavern that they had visited in so many days, as they hide their facial behind the hoods. The cloaks hid the side arms.

Cedi chanced on a drinking junior officer having his drinks. He is between the near the level of collapsed drunken state when Cedi bought him one more to the dozen he had before.

"If you...<hic>..looking for information, I am < hic> the Man. I worked < hic > for the Lord and < hic > he tells me more < hic > than he knows."The Lord has just signed < hic > off a consignment warrant for delivery of five hundred gold < hic > " Cedi slammed the drunken officer head onto the table knocking him off for the night.

Five hundred golds is a lot of money. It may be enough to buy some good warriors too.

Cedi saw the convoy passing the corner at the forest path as the two wagons pulled by the horses come to my view. He counted four guards each on the covered wagon, and a calvary squad of twelve guards riding by the side. The officer in charge is riding at the front with his eyes watching the two sides of the road. He is a careful man as he knows that the value of his load could bring in robbers.

Cedi can see the previous night drunken officer is riding at the rear of the wagons.

Cedi signaled Medi to attack first. She rode out in her horse to meet them but the riders are leaving instead of engaging her. Even the ones on the wagons are jumping off to get a ride from the riders.

Something is wrong. Cedi shouted out to Medi.

"Get out. Its a trap." But they were too late.

Medi has fallen into it.

From the wagon came out a group of ten Man dressed in armor with long pikes and nets. Cedi saw the riders who earlier fled now returning back with more reinforcements. They numbered now not twelve but twenty and they are all armed with pikes and nets too. At the same time, Medi' wolf came rushing out to protect the mistress. It ran to its mistress side and stood there. The guards on seeing her spread out with Medi and her wolf in the middle.

How did they know of her? He cannot allow her to fight alone. He was also riding a horse then but Gryphon is back in Dark Valley. Its more difficult to hide a Gryphon than a wolf.

She did the unexpected. She climbed onto her wolf and got it to charged the guards. They broke through but I could see the broken off pike on the wolf's hind leg. The wolf despite being injured ran for the tree lines with Medi on its back.

Cedi took out the bow and nocked in two arrows. He needed to buy them time to escape. He raised the bow and released the arrows. He nocked another two more and shoot them off. The arrows did not kill anyone but managed to wound two guards. They saw him and five of them are rushing over. He nocked in two more arrows and this time he aimed at one target; the junior officer who lead them here.

Cedi shot him with both arrows in the chest and then turned his horse to galloped away.

It took Cedi half a day to lose them but he took one more guard down. It was in the deep forest when they stopped following him. He watched the trail for a while before he doubled back. He need to find the wolf trail so that he can find them. The elves people are good trackers but he can hardly find the wolf until I looked up to trees.

Do wolf climb trees? I must be crazy but this is not ordinary wolf. And so is Medi.

Then it crossed his mind that she or both of them are probably caught by the guards but there are no signs of any struggle or a fight. Then he saw the sign on the ground. Its a well covered entrance and he found it. .

Cedi send the horse off and made his way down there with careful steps. There was two Elven traps which he defused before he crawled into the tunnel below the ground level. He had to crawl in for about a few feet before he land on the small hole the wolf has created. Its laying there with its wound tended by some Elven healing poultice. It growled at him when he tried to go near it. He kept his distance and then after sometime he heard someone coming in.

It was Medi and she is pulling a rabbit behind her.

"They found your horse. I saw them holding it. We need to leave now." She threw the rabbit to the wolf, and we both watched it eat it.

Then they got up and went for the tunnel.

"Give me half an hour and then come out." He crawled out and looked around for the guards.

Cedi move from the entrance to search them and soon he found them. The guards are out at the plains and settling down for the night. There are ten of them and they have his horse among theirs. He tied some rags to the two arrows and added in the special potion to the rags. He lit them and shot at the horses.

The arrows hit one horse in the hind and the other was at the neck. The wounded horse hit out at the horses as it body caught fire. It panicked all the horses which went berserk on the fire. The guards ran for the horses but they have ran off. Now Cedi trailed back to the tunnel and find Medi missing with her wolf. They must have left when he went to create the diversion.

But she left a trail. One that only an Elf can follow. Her wolf can still run and I am without my horse. That may take time to even the distance between us.

He caught up with them near the edge of the forest. She is sitting next to to her wolf and patting it. The wolf looked tired when Cedi walked up to them.

"Cedi, there is a beast hunting us. It found us at the tunnel but I throw out a fake scent. It followed the scent and we escaped but I think its here now." She point at him or more to what was behind him. Cedi turned to look behind and he saw it.

Its a not a hideous creature that they would had branded as a beast, but this one is Man dressed in the fur attire of a Lion. The Man is also carrying a long pike and a large net. He smiled at them and then he looked at the wolf.

"Its a wonderful creature. Lord Netsu did not tell me of this wonder." The hunter caressed his fur attire and raised the spear to above his head. Cedi stood in between of Medi and the hunter.

Cedi drew out his sword and held it on both hands.

"Do not stand between me and the wolf." The hunter warned him before he dropped the net. He then reached out for his sword and brought it up to point at Cedi.

"I would kill it first."

The hunter hurled his spear at him and he had to duck down to avoid it. The hunter charged at him with a forward roll and then the hunter' sword was at Cedi' chest. The tip of the sword touched his leather armor and he was saved by Medi when she pulled him backwards. They both fell back next to earlier spear.

Cedi reached it out and hurled it back at the hunter.

The spear did not hit the hunter at where Cedi intended but the blocking of the spear caused it to cut the hunter' left ear. The hunter reached for his wounded ear, while Cedi pulled Medi to the nearest tree for cover. Medi had then motioned to the Wolf to run and it did.

Cedi looked to back at the hunter but he is no more there. He is pursuing the wolf and ignoring them.

"Medi, he has gone for the wolf. We need to follow the hunter."

They found the trail and pursued like a couple of hunters; jumping over roots and evading low branches. Medi' pet looked to be bleeding badly as the blood spots were quite obvious. It was round the large tree when Cedi instinct made him pushed Medi to the ground when the arrow hit the branch behind her.

"He has got arrows" Cedi told her as they crawled to the nearby tree for cover.

The second arrow hit the trunk of the tree; missing Medi by a few inches.

"He is toying with us. He knows how to shoot but he intentionally missed you. He is warning us not to follow him." Cedi peek back at the hunter.

"My mate is in danger. I cannot ignore it." Medi got up and ran after the hunter.

Cedi followed suit and they were still running through the night.

It was at dawn when they stopped at a boulder to rest. Medi who was sitting next to Cedi then leaned over and slept against his shoulder. Cedi did not move and let her rest. The sun was up for over two hours before she woke up. She looked across to him and smiled.

"I would find some food for us."

Cedi got up to look for some fruits or anything which they can eat. It was a short distance away looking at the tree when the trap was springed. He heard the scream and he ran back to her. He found her trapped in the net with a spear over her head. It s the hunter and he looked injured. There was scratched marks on her like a wolf mauling.

"Find the wolf and I would spare her life."

Cedi tried to step forward but the hunter pulled the net tighter.

"Don't try to cut the netting. Its a special rope for holding elves. Your weapons won't cut the ropes."

The hunter then looked back at Cedi. "Bring the wolf to me at the Matteo Plains. You know that place."

Cedi nodded and then he shook his head.

"The wolf is behind you."

Cedi spoke out to the Hunter but the hunter laughed at him. Cedi point the finger to his back.

The hunter turned to look backwards and the wolf jumped on him. The wolf collided with the hunter and they went down to the ground. As they were struggling, Cedi ran over to Medi and tried to pulled the netting but its tangled. Cedi drew his sword and slashed at it.

It broke open the netting as it was held down by magic. He got her free and then he noticed the two fighting on the ground have now disengaged.

Both the hunter and wolf are wounded but they are facing each other. The hunter has only his dagger and its bloodied. The hunter held out his hand to Cedi.

"Do not come near. This is between me and the wolf. This is our hunt; a hunt of pride as the better killer."

Medi did not take kindly of the fight. She had picked up her spear and wanted to join in. Its her mate in danger but Cedi held her back. She looked at him and he shook his head. He can see the pain in her but this is a personal fight.

"Look at your pet." Cedi told her and she did.

The wolf is looking at the hunter and then back at Medi as if it know Medi is looking at it. Its expression showed anger and then it faced back the hunter.

"What did the wolf say to you?" Cedi asked Medi and she just kept quiet.

The wolf starts it move by moving itself to the left of the the hunter. The hunter on seeing the wolf moving, also moved in the opposite direction. Its a bold move as the hunter is now coming with his back to us. He is so pre-occupied with the wolf he forgotten us.

Cedi did not wait for Medi to strike. He thrust out his sword at the hunter's back and stabbed past his armor. The hunter fell on his knees and looked at Cedi.

"You cheat me of my prize." The hunter spoke out weakly and Cedi smiled.

"Silver!"

Medi ran towards the wolf and held her pet. The wolf is bleeding at its wounds and is looking weak. Her mistress is showing emotions at the wounded mate.

Cedi set up some elves traps around to protect them then he went to search the area for the guards. They are all gone and the area is all cleared. He brought back food for the two and patrolled the area for days.

It was a week later when the wolf can move.

Cedi had Medi to take the wolf back to Dark Valley to fully recover like the Gryphon.

"I would meet you back at the Dark Valley in a month. I got some unfinished business with Lord Netsu."

For once Medi did not asked to followed him. She worried about her pet than the Nation now.