Feathers and Claws (MxMxMxMxM)

Chapter 19: The hunt. (Part 2)

And a late chapter. . .But the hunt happens soo. . .

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I swallowed nervously as I stood just on the edge of the woods, Two soldiers stood with me, One on either side.

The sun was slowly setting in the distance.

I had only a few minuets left before the hunt was to start.

Sophie had given me tips while we had waited in dread for the hunt.

During the hunt, No one was allowed to be in their first form, Only their second or third.

It was supposed to make everything a little fair-er for everyone, However I assumed that wasn't the only reason.

Sighing, I hugged my wings tighter to my body.

I could feel the air cooling off as the sun slowly started to disappear over the horizon.

Here we go. . .

Sophie had advised me to find a way to loop back around behind the 'hunters', Until I could mask my scent I needed to rely on the other males scents to hide mine.

If I got caught, Then it's all over for me.

Turns out, A final part of the hunt is to mate with the 'prey', It's apparently the way they mark their claim over their mate.

I could feel my heart beat picking up as the last rays of sunlight creeped over the horizon.

''Good luck'' One of the soldiers whispered to me as they moved back.

The 'Prey' was allowed to have a two head starts, We were not only moved to the edge of the forest we were also allowed to start running while the sun was still setting.

With that in mind, I turned and ran into the forest.

I wasn't allowed to go around the forest, I had to go through it.

I should have flown over it. . .The trees are too close together in here to actually fly. . .

It was too late to stop now.

I heard the trumpet that signaled the start of the hunt from somewhere in the distance.

Gritting my teeth, I picked up the pace I was running at, The branches of the trees and bushes clawed at my skin and the toga like thing Sophie had given me.

It was very impractical in the running sense, However, I had a strong feeling that'd it'd be very useful if someone caught me.

I could easily fight them off while they try and get this surprisingly sturdy article of clothing off of me.

Big tree!

Stopping beneath it, I slowly started to climb up it's trunk, Sophie's advice ringing about in my head.

Best way to get back behind their lines is to go from above, They'll most likely be too busy chasing my scent to notice I'd be using the branches above them to move about.

Letting out a tired sigh as soon as I made it fully up on the higher and much thinner branches, I took a moment to catch my breath.

Climbing big trees barehanded was a lot harder than I remembered.

Maybe I'm just too tired from running. . .

I did feel tired, Now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off a bit in the surprisingly quiet and concerningly dark forest I could feel the exhaustion and soreness in my limbs from not only running but also the scratches from the plants around me.

I could feel my racing heart beat slowly starting to calm down now that I was up high.

Makes sense, My home is in the trees. . .Huh. . .I normally climb them everyday. . .So it must be the panic that's making me so tired. . .

 Getting to my feet, I started to backtrack using the branches as a walkway, Hopping from sturdy looking branch to sturdy looking branch with my wings slightly outstretched to give me a backup incase I misjudged the distance.

Soon enough, I heard the sound of people below.

The hunters. . .

Discreetly sniffing at the air, I could make out the horrid mixture of their scents melding together into a headache inducing concoction.

Sophie had told me they put an odd plant juice on their scent glands before the hunt to make their scent much stronger in yet another way of showing off.

Trust me when I say it was not doing any of them any favors.

At least it's plenty strong enough to cover my scent fully.

Walking further towards the start of the forest, I could just make out the men down below.

They all were overly muscled and either overly dressed or under dressed.

One man wasn't wearing any clothes at all.

Gross.

Just as I was about to keep walking again, Ignoring the men below, The strong and bone chilling wintery pine scent reached me.

I could feel a shiver run down my back despite how warm it was out.

My body was starting to feel freezing cold as my mind seemed to beg me to chase down the source of the smell.

Gritting my teeth, I tired to ignore the mouthwatering smell as I continued back towards the entrance where all the hunters scents should be the strongest.

Before I could fully get there, I heard a cackle from below before something collided with my shoulder, Knocking me off balance and nearly toppling me from the branch I was on.

Luckily, I managed to regain my balance with a few flaps of my wings.

Turning to look down at who threw something at me, I felt my heard sink as I saw the balding man from before, The same one who told me I'd be fucked by Aldo. . .

''Looks like I win.'' He growled out, Spreading his wings slightly as he spoke.

''Touch him and I will rip those wings from your back'' A familiar velvety voice growled back from behind me, Nearly making me jump from the branch in surprise.

I could feel my feathers bristling as I turned to face Aldo.

He was in the trees too?. . .Explains why I could smell his scent over all of the others . . .Fuck. . .How long was he following me?

''Y-You wouldn't.'' Balding squeaked out, His voice shaking slightly as he folded his wings close to his back again.

I shrunk away as Aldo calmly hopped over to my branch and covering me with one of his wings.

''I would without a second thought.'' Aldo growled back, His hand moving to grip my shoulder tightly.

I'm screwed. . .

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So, We get sex next chapter. . .Uh. . .Put away the weapons please. . .

Anyways! Like always, Have a good day/night and find a better book! - fallen