The Hunter

It was well past noon and Ben was crashing through bramble and low hanging branches without a care for if he was seen or heard. He was perhaps two miles away from their camp now and exhaustion was creeping up on him fast. Gasping for breath, he paused, placing a hand on a tree. His shoulder itched where he had previously injured himself, but he ignored it. Ben yanked his bandanna out of his hair and used it to wipe sweat from his face.

A moment later, however, it dropped from his hand as he heard someone dashing through the trees just as he had been a moment before. Although this person was perhaps a bit more graceful about it than he had been. Leaving the bandanna behind with a soft curse, he ducked down behind a near by tree that offered better shelter from sight and waited.

“Ahah!” A familiar voice exclaimed from where Ben had just been standing moment before.

He did not hear the familiar rustling of leaves Ben was to used to hearing when Max was near. Ben realized perhaps Max had taken off his disguise. Curious, Ben peeked around the tree only to immediately regret it. Max was right there, though he had his back turned. From what little Ben had managed to see it seemed Max had indeed ditched the leaves for loose camouflage pants and a black tang-top. Ben had to make an effort to keep his breathing shallow, but he knew it was likely too late. He heard Max take a step back, and then another.

“Ben,” Max called softly, his voice almost a whisper.

Without warning, there was a loud rustle from somewhere in the opposite direction of where Ben was crouched and Max charged, laughing. Within seconds Max was gone and Ben flopped shakily to the ground for a moment. That had been lucky. Not wanting to waste much more time, the boy crawled forward on his hands and knees, hoping that if Max doubled back, he would not notice Ben if he was low to the ground. Once he felt he was safely out of sight, he leaped to his feet and ran once more.

Ben had no idea where he was any more. He could easily have gotten himself turned around and was headed back to camp, which he knew would be bad, but he could not stop moving. If he wanted Toby's plan to work, he needed to be as far away as possible and to outrun Max for as long as he could. He doubted it would be much longer before Max caught him.

Not long after, Ben burst through the trees into a clearing and stumbled on a root. He fell flat, but did not get up for a moment, feeling as if he would not be able to walk so much as a step more. Giving a small groan, he hauled himself up so he was siting and glanced around. With a start, he realized he had wandered into a camp. He had not noticed it before, due to the fact it had been carefully camouflaged, but looking around he could make out a few things that were obviously not natural.

One tree had a blue tarp in it that had been covered in mud and leaves. Branches had been stacked on top of it to form a sort of platform and dead leaves on top of that. He thought he saw what looked like a sleeping bag at the back of it, toward the trunk, but he was not sure. In another tree a backpack, also nicely decorated in mud and leaves, hung in some of the higher branches, well out of reach of most animals except birds. And the root Ben had tripped over was actually the remains of a log from a fire pit that had dirt and brush kicked over it. The ground around it was still warm.

“Hey you!” A voice barked from behind and Ben startled.

Three men stepped out of the trees and advanced swiftly. One was a massive bear of a man, tall and muscular, hairless but for a peppered beard that had been painstakingly trimmed and an expression that promised trouble. The second was a tall man, thin like Ben, but better fed, and blond. His blue eyes stared at Ben with interest, a friendly grin on his lips. The third, and the one who had called out to Ben, was tiny, no taller than five feet. He had the build of a runner, with strong legs and a well proportioned body. Ben scooted backward, but he found a fourth person had joined them in the clearing-a woman. She stared blankly at Ben and the three men, dark circles under her eyes which were almost completely hidden fro view by waves of dirty, knotted, brown curls. Ben silently cursed his luck, wondering what was about to happen to him.

“I don't mean any harm! I, uh, I was looking for my friend!” Ben quickly sputtered to the three men.

“I don't believe ya for a second, kid!” The bear man snapped, but was swiftly hushed by the blond.

“I don't think this is our thief, Greg,” the blond stated as they stopped about a foot away from Ben.

“Yeah, I guess not. The bastard was taller...and not so skittish.” The short boy frowned, kicking a foot out at Ben, who flinched.

“He's not the monster. Boy, did the monster chase you too? Scary, scary, scary...” The woman mumbled from behind.

“Hey, kid, you got a name or what?” The shorty asked with an almost friendly grin.

“Uh, uhm...”

“Ben!”

Ben flinched at the voice as they all turned to face Max, who had just darted into the clearing. Ben swiftly lurched to his feet and felt the need to assure Max that everything was alright. He was not sure why, but Max's expression was dark...dangerous...

“Hey! He could be the thief!” Greg growled, slamming his fists together as if trying to look menacing.

He succeeded in simply bruising his knuckles.

“Don't rush to conclusions, Greg. We don't want to risk anything like last time,” the blond hissed.

“He-He's the friend I mentioned. We aren't from around here, so it couldn't have possibly been us!” Ben sputtered out.

“Making friends, Ben?” Max called, his voice tight with annoyance.

“Where do you come from then? Surely not one of the other islands?” The blond asked.

“Ben, don't,” Max warned, but Ben ignored him.

“From the west. I'm not too sure how far away at this point, but Max might.” Ben answered truthfully, taking a step back.

The short man glanced back at Ben and frowned.

“Hey now, kid, nothing to be afraid of, since you ain't the thief nor the monster,” he called to Ben, but Ben shook his head.

“Um, well, you see, Max and I are...playing a game,”

“A game?” The blond asked, surprised.

He sounded as if that was the strangest thing he had ever heard.

“A game, a game! A game of mices and cats!” The woman cackled just behind Ben, dancing about in a circle.

“Exactly...actually, exactly what she said, see...We made a bet that if he catches me, I'll, uh, go hunting.”

“Well then! We'll not keep you any longer! Run, young Ben, and we'll keep your friend busy! Hah! A game! Perhaps we should try some time, yes? Visit us again, Ben. You'll be welcomed!” The blond laughed, massively amused.

“I can't believe you, you brat!” Max snarled.

Ben was not sure if Max was just putting on a show or if he was truly angry. However, Ben got back up to his feet and strode swiftly away.

“Then...I'll see you around, maybe?” He asked uneasily.

“Yeah, see you around. Hey! He's trying to go around!” the short man barked, and made a dash at Max as Max tried to dart away.

Ben bolted, his energy recovered slightly since he had gotten a moment to rest. He was free for perhaps five minutes longer before Max swooped down on him from the trees.

“You nasty little brat! Stupid boy!” Max snarled at him, breathing heavily.

“Ugh,” Was all Ben managed to get out, his face pressed firmly into the dirt and a rather heavy Max perched on his back.

“These are some of the people I've been warning you about! It's dangerous, Ben! If you only knew...” Max trailed off and heaved a sigh.

He shifted so he was straddling Ben, a leg on either side of him, and rolled him over.

“But damn can you run,” Max chuckled, leaning down to rest his forehead against Ben's.

Ben flinched, fearing Max might be planning to kiss him again, but Max did not move. He shut his eyes and for a moment the only sound was of their breathing as they both started to relax.

“Have you been running all day?” Max asked after a time.

Ben could only nod and Max lifted his head, laughing. He placed a hand on Ben's cheek and grinned down at him.

“You know, most people would find a place to hide in a known area rather than getting lost in the woods.” Max commented.

“I knew you would find me.” Ben huffed and took a deep final breath before evening out his breathing.

Max gave him an odd look, but then a sudden realization seemed to hit him.

“Toby! That little shit!”

Max took off at a fast sprint that left Ben aghast at his speed.

However he returned swiftly enough as Ben got to his feet in a panic. Seeing Ben's expression only made Max laugh again before he grabbed Ben's arm and tugged him swiftly along. Ben fought against him both because he was exhausted and because he wanted to give Toby more time. It seemed Max had figured them out in a flash. Ben hoped that Toby was ready and well hidden, however. He was not sure exactly when their half day would end.