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I know well the sensation of being hunted.
It starts off imperceptible to all but the most attuned to those sorts of things; those accustomed to being prey. The best hunters make no sound as they stalk but the hunted who stays alert can taste it on their breath – - metallic and earthy. It tic-tacs down your spine and snakes between your flesh and hide, thud-thudding along with your heartbeat; and your blood begins to hum with adrenaline, low and buzzing at first, then a flood of limb-aching dread. That basic instinct to survive stirred to life in the clench of your gut and the sudden dryness of your mouth. Do you stand your ground or take a chance and flee? Down either path lies uncertainty. How I despise not knowing.
I do my best to give off a nonchalant air, dipping my mouth to the river’s surface again and weighing the surrounding forest and my options. The water and woods are still quiet, save for the usual sounds of morning as the earth stirs to life, but I know something - someone - is out there. Has Set finally found another use for me? Has he sent Niklas to drag me back kicking and screaming to do the capricious magician’s bidding? They know I won’t be so easy to bend this time. Bent. Not broken. I will keep telling myself that until … well, until I no longer have to, I guess.
I carefully start to move further downstream, at the same time angling away from the bank. I go slow, the footing uncertain, the slow waters here murkier the deeper I get. I’m not particularly adept in the water, but I reason the more water between myself and whatever is out there, the better. I only make it a few steps before my coat begins to turn black, the light brown fading rapidly as panther fur burns its way across my body. He’s found me. If it were a normal panther, my magic wouldn’t have latched on to it … For all my bravado, I have only just learned the depths of my powers and I have little experience in wielding it. Typically, it wields me. Like now. Panic clogs my throat. All the confidence I’ve gained these past few months melts away in the span of a breath. All I can think is how Set’s found me and I’m not ready to face him yet. But face him I do.
I whirl on him with a strangled yowl, caught somewhere between horse and cat, mustering as much ferocity as I can though my sides heave with the effort and I fear my heart is going to tear through my ribcage. “I hope you choke!” I snarl. It’s the best I can come up with, swallowing hard to steady my voice, lashing my panther-flanks with my own tail, clutching the river bed with thick, furred paws. My skin crawls with the disjointed feeling, but I don’t dare take my focus off the woods.
It starts off imperceptible to all but the most attuned to those sorts of things; those accustomed to being prey. The best hunters make no sound as they stalk but the hunted who stays alert can taste it on their breath – - metallic and earthy. It tic-tacs down your spine and snakes between your flesh and hide, thud-thudding along with your heartbeat; and your blood begins to hum with adrenaline, low and buzzing at first, then a flood of limb-aching dread. That basic instinct to survive stirred to life in the clench of your gut and the sudden dryness of your mouth. Do you stand your ground or take a chance and flee? Down either path lies uncertainty. How I despise not knowing.
I do my best to give off a nonchalant air, dipping my mouth to the river’s surface again and weighing the surrounding forest and my options. The water and woods are still quiet, save for the usual sounds of morning as the earth stirs to life, but I know something - someone - is out there. Has Set finally found another use for me? Has he sent Niklas to drag me back kicking and screaming to do the capricious magician’s bidding? They know I won’t be so easy to bend this time. Bent. Not broken. I will keep telling myself that until … well, until I no longer have to, I guess.
I carefully start to move further downstream, at the same time angling away from the bank. I go slow, the footing uncertain, the slow waters here murkier the deeper I get. I’m not particularly adept in the water, but I reason the more water between myself and whatever is out there, the better. I only make it a few steps before my coat begins to turn black, the light brown fading rapidly as panther fur burns its way across my body. He’s found me. If it were a normal panther, my magic wouldn’t have latched on to it … For all my bravado, I have only just learned the depths of my powers and I have little experience in wielding it. Typically, it wields me. Like now. Panic clogs my throat. All the confidence I’ve gained these past few months melts away in the span of a breath. All I can think is how Set’s found me and I’m not ready to face him yet. But face him I do.
I whirl on him with a strangled yowl, caught somewhere between horse and cat, mustering as much ferocity as I can though my sides heave with the effort and I fear my heart is going to tear through my ribcage. “I hope you choke!” I snarl. It’s the best I can come up with, swallowing hard to steady my voice, lashing my panther-flanks with my own tail, clutching the river bed with thick, furred paws. My skin crawls with the disjointed feeling, but I don’t dare take my focus off the woods.
@Iliana