The Hunter

He was wrong. Stepping within five feet of the spring, a jolt of electricity shot through Toby so strong it tensed his muscles and he fell forward. His body fell clear of the barrier and he laid there for several seconds breathing heavily and regaining control of his body before sitting up.

“Ass,” Toby spat before pulling off his tattered clothes and setting them aside.

He pulled himself to the shallow water and carefully tested the temperature. As Max had said; the shock would not kill him and the water would not burn him, but both were more than he expected. He took his time getting used to the water before allowing his sore body to fully submerge.

The time he and Ben had spent in Max's cave had been both a blessing and a curse. It had allowed both of them to rest up, eat well, and heal any wounds they had gathered. However going back out on the move after three weeks of staying still and being able to be lazy had been rough on their bodies. Every muscle in his body ached from the long walk he had just finished to get to the springs and his head was pounding. The hot water helped relieve both aches, but he knew he would feel them all the more in the morning.

A sound beyond the springs alerted Toby that he was not alone. Before he had a chance to stand up, a doe strode into the path between the springs. Spotting the boy, she paused and stared him down, three fawns falling in step behind her. One of the fawns reared up and charged at Toby, but the electric barrier shocked it to the point that Toby could smell burning flesh. The fawn had gotten trapped and fell to the ground, never to get up again.

The doe snorted, shook her head, and moved onward, the remaining two fawns hesitating for a moment before they ran after their care taker. Toby stared the the dead fawn for several moments before shivering and lowering himself further into the water.

“The barrier is programmed to recognize friend from foe,” a monotone voice stated, scaring Toby half out of his wits.

Claire had appeared out of thin air, her two body guards nowhere to be seen. Toby surged forward in an attempt to escape, but Claire was waiting for him at the shore. His head spun and he fell flat on his face. The woman, no longer dressed in silver, now wearing a simple white shirt and black shorts, knelt at his side and pulled Toby's head up by his hair.

“You can't just jump out of hot water like this, Tobias. You run the risk of passing out. Well, perhaps not you, but at the very least it seems that you become incapacitated.”

“Get away! Get away from me! Max!! M-”

Claire shoved her hand into Toby's mouth making him gag on his last words.

“Be quiet, my dear. Max won't come running to you. He probably already knows I am here anyway. I'm not here to hurt you or kill you, or whatever you are imagining. Stop biting me,” Claire sighed.

Toby glowered up at her, bringing trembling hands up to grip her wrist and yank the woman's hand from his mouth. She watched him with interest, not resisting at all. He carefully sat up, debating on what he should do in such a situation. He could run...or perhaps he could get some answers.

“What do you want? I thought you went to go off on you little murdering spree,” Toby snarled at her, scooting back so he was sitting in the water.

Claire's eyes traveled up and down his body and Toby found himself trying to cover up his nudity. He glanced at his clothes, but they were behind Claire, well out of his reach. Still not speaking, she got to her feet and stepped closer. Toby scrambled backward into the water, but Claire kept coming. She reached out and grabbed a fist full of his hair again and pulled him toward her, wrapping her arms around him.

“I've always been jealous of Max's freedom. Every so often I come by and find him with a new toy, but this time is different...Ben's more than just a toy to him, it seems. In the past he never protested and more than once he helped me end the life of his play thing. When he told me about the two of you, I decided I wanted to try it too.” She chattered.

Toby grunted in protest, struggling to pull away, but she was far, far stronger than she looked.

“Granted, I have Kane, but you are far more suited to my tastes. You'll never bow down to me without a fight, huh?” Her monotone voice changed, becoming light and playful.

Instead of trying to grip his hair, Claire began gently petting the boy's head. She paid no mind to Toby's wild struggles, in fact it only seemed to make the tiny grin on her lips bigger.

“Kane was excited to hear I would be getting a new pet. Mio has always been boring; he can't stand a chance even against little Kane, so I can't expect much from him, but we're both looking forward to you. I heard you completely obliterated those Guards and the only reason most of them are still alive is because a group of Hunters happened to be in town.”

“Let me go!”

“You'll want to think carefully about your future from now on, Tobias. Things are going to be difficult and you are going to need to decide if you will accept me willingly or if we will make a life long game of it. I'm fine with either way. I'm looking forward to breaking you of this tameness. I want to see the madness in your eyes again.”

“Get away from me!!”

With a powerful shove, Toby finally managed to get away from the female Guard. She watched him with approving eyes before she chuckled.

“We'll need to work on your combat skills for some time. I'm so looking forward to seeing you in my colors. For now, however, I'll leave you with this,” she pulled a small black square from her shirt and shook it. It unfolded into a similar version of the silver suits she and the other two Guards had been wearing previously.

“It belonged to the trainee you killed. I thought it only appropriate that you have and wear it while you are training under me.”

Claire held it out to Toby who snatched it and threw it away. She chuckled again, but seemed satisfied enough.

“I'll be back later, my pet. This water is not nearly hot enough for me,” she told him, her voice returning to it's original emotionless tone.
The skinny woman turned and stepped out of the water. She passed through the barrier without so much as a flinch and Toby watched her figure disappear into the steam. It was only a little while later, when he finally got the courage to get out, the he realized she had stolen his clothes!