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Chapter 5 - The Hunt Part 2

  Golden Era -

  The Hunt Part 2

  He had seen haze boil up in the split second his father left but like a phantom it had dissipated as he disappeared.

  Now, Beast stood in a field, vision tinted the color of a thick bloody orange. With his body more there then he ever felt, and the details of the world magnified a tenfold.

  Magyk was turning out to be quite strange.

  Beast shrugged his shoulders, no reason to sweat the small stuff he thought, and began making his way.

  It was hard to get a grasp on the details of one thing before the haze peaked up and took his attention, and beast was sure he wouldn't be able to get even close to his destination .

  Yet he never lost his way. The familiar path in his head blending with his magnified senses almost making it impossible for him to go any way but the correct way.

  In fact as he walked he had a feeling that the path would just reveal itself to him if he looked hard enough.

  He didn't though, he had a destination to be and was already late enough, he didn't intent to make himself later.

  Instead he had soon found himself humming a song and making a game over rock and hill the forest passing by in a blur of scenes and senses.

  There he spotted a small giant of a man standing next to a tree emanating a menacing aurua. The man had a beard of grey and criss crossing scars lining his face. His garb was dirt brown and wrapped in leather, his boots were lined with steel. On his back sat a sword the length of his body and bow with the thickness of a small tree.

  He walked up to him.

  "Father , I've arrived."

  The man turned and looked the boy from up to down, before nodding his head.

  "Let us begin while there is still light. "

  The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a large hunting knife and held it in his hand. The handle was a simple leather wrapped around the gaurd, but the bottom of the blade was a fine red.

  A Rubie.

  Haze poured out of his father's hand and rose into the gem like smoke.

  Like a arrow through air, a red blade of haze shot over the daggers edge. Sharp and solid, unlike the haze Beast had seen so far today.

  The haze fell away.

  "Take it Beast." His father said sheathing the blade.

  Beast reached out and grabbed the sheathed knife. It was small in the palm of his father, but for him it was the size of his forearm.

  He gripped it heavily and strapped it to his pants buckle. He righted the sword at his back as well for good luck.

  Then he began looking around for prints, figuring it'd be faster to get right into it. It took a while to get started but as he did he found the world beggining to drift off, everything falling away but his tracking for prints.

  Colors began to peaked and twist, changing into a dull reminder of themselves, sounds from far away began to stretch close. Distance seemed to fluctuate between close and far, and there at a tree up ahead he saw them, subtle prints that began to glow with a vibrant blue haze.

  As he got closer to them he observed the details. From the outlines, to the width of the scuff, the depth of the scuff, the wetness , all of it. His heightened senses took him through a deep dive of the print and for a second he worried if he would be able to look away , then he did.

  His eyes pulled from one print to the next, and the next print glowed as well. He looked forward a path in mind and watched as the haze began to rise up from the ground.

  The prints highlighting themselves and showing him the next direction.

  Finally he looked up with glowing eyes. "I've found the tracks father."

  Titan looked down with a observational eye and nodded. "Lead the way. "

  Together they walked through the glades. Jumping over shrubbery, steeping over twigs and listening close to the sounds of the world around them. Sharing a bond of alertness and attention as predators looking for their prey.

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  The further they went the more beast didn't need to look deep into the prints to gauge the distance, the deer making his tracks obvious along the way. Somewhere along the way the dullness of the world faded away , returning back to the soft orange.

  He barley noticed as he continued forward. His senses absorbed in the hunt.

  He juged the wetness of the prints and decided they were close. He paused and lifted a finger. His father stilled in response. Beast waited and listened, unbuckling his knife.

  The world beat in his ears, and the shades and shadows sharpened beneath his gaze.

  With one smooth motion, he coiled his legs and launched into a bush with his knife drawn . His arms pierced through the thorns of the bush and he felt his blades

  enter something soft and firm.

  A twisted yelp echoed back. The cry filled his ears, and with the added sensitivity, it felt almost as strong as if it was a attack.

  Beast pulled up the blade and swung it down again and the sound stopped.

  He pulled out a small deer.

  His father walked up and patted him on the shoulder, then reached down and closed the creatures eyes.

  Like a wisp of smoke , a warm white haze drifted from the deer and dissapaited into the sky.

  The boy rubbed his eyes and found that some words just weren't made for moments like this.

  Titan walked to his side.

  "Good job beast." He gave the boy a moment to gather himself. Then he smiled crookedly and pointed at the dagger

  "Couldn't get it to work. " He asked pointing at the dagger.

  Beast frowned, he had focused on a blade appearing in his mind like he did when he was trying to form space, but nothing happened. He turned his face of confusion at his father.

  "How do you do it?

  His father clasped his shoulder. "It is good that you could not. Its not good to have all of lifes secrets at once. "

  Titan then began walking away.

  "Now stop fowning and get to skinning. Don't think I forgot you were late. "

  Beast looked down at his kill. The smell of the blood was almost tastable with his senses heightened. It was coppery and bitter. As he recoiled in dislike he felt the taste fade and his sense of taste lower. Ahh he thought and wondered what it would taste like and almost felt the copper leap back on his tounge. He coughed and spit. Bad idea he thought and turned it off again.

  In fact he thought, and began removing his enhanced senses sense one by one. He felt his head lighten as the world returned to a normal day. The orange rays of the sun falling way and leaving only the normal brightness of the afternoon. He paused and took it in. Then he sighed and attentively began skinning.

  if he damaged the pelt they would hunt again. This he knew. So he took his time with the blade. Drifting the knife up and down carefully. When he was finished he was thrown a sack and began wrapping them up before whisking the meat over his shoulder.

  "Father , " he looked up and rubbed his brow. Then turned around.

  " Father?"

  He froze as he saw it.

  A giant cat. It's claws the size of a blade, it's paw the size of his head, it's body the width of a large tree. It stood on its back paws haunched watching his father from across the way.

  His father held it's eye, with his blade unsheathed. Without turning around his father spoke.

  "The family motto beast?"

  " Slayers know no fear. " Beast responded his eyes on the large cats.

  "Good."

  Then the panther lunged.

  His father spun and his blade cast after images as he finished the swing cutting down, the grass below parting from the force.

  The cat rushed through the attack.

  Then it stood still on its haunches it's face confused.

  Beast watched as it's confused frown fell away as the panther began falling apart, it's body split in two. His father turned and stretched out his hand. A small purple flame ripped to life in his hand before staying forward turning the cat to cinders.

  Titan stepped away from the pile of char, laughed heavily and scooped beast up unto his shoulder.

  "What did I tell you boy," he said boisterously. "We are the Slayers. We fear nothing. He laughed loudly bending his head and projecting into the air.

  Then his face turned serious.

  "Now let's get out of here. I must speak to your mother about this "

  He put beast on his back and began running.

  Within minutes the miles were covered and Beast found himself back at his home, the thrill, fear and sensations still lingering made the ride past in a blur and soon he found himself put down on his yard.

  His father dropped beast onto the ground gently when they returned them looked at the door with hesitance.

  "Ahh, " he said with hesitance. " I'm covered in blood, your mother won't be pleased."

  He scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders, before turning to Beast.

  He looked at his face before sighing.

  "Seems the blood of the Slayer runs strong in you. It's good, but you can't come in the house like that, you'll give your mother a heart attack. Go wait on the roof until you calm down. "

  Then the giant man went to the doors to receive a scolding from his much smaller wife.

  Beast climbed up the roof slowly and wondered what his father meant. He walked up the roof as usual but couldn't help but feel something was off. The wind passed by him as he sat and he pondered the thought. For awhile he couldn't get it, but the longer he sat thier the more he understood.

  He reached a hand to his face and gave it a pat. How long had he been smiling?

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