Of Monsters and Men

Chapter 6 - Redanian Intelligence

Summery: Just when you thought Kaer Morhen was dulling down in her winter face does a certain mage you haven't seen since Sodden present herself in the quiet. Now with Triss here can Ciri finally catch a chance to do some real magic, but what of the decapitated monster head with it's origins still a thrilling mystery?
——

Standing on the thick branch of a tree do you rest a hand on the pines bark, crimson eyes ever watchful as you trail your sights across the fern and snow covered forest floor below near the grounds of Kaer Morhen. Today is decently overcast, spitting out flecks of white all over the land as you keep hidden in the trees.

Now you're not just out here unprompted for some casual sight seeing, in fact, you're actually above the Witcher training grounds aiding in the agility of young Ciri to further her training. Although now since you have a moment to think about it, maybe this way of training might be a little harsh, well, sort of. But in all regards did Ciri want this type of Witcherly activity to increase her agility, perception, and overall endurance.

The game being, she needs to run the whole course without you catching her once or it's all over and she's essentially been turned into monster food. You're obviously not planning on sucking her dry from bloodlust, yet you are excited to see what the little lioness has in her. As all the other times you've brought her to the course was it for simply running in the woods like a scared deer.

Pretending to be chased by you, pretending to be hunted. Now this will feel real.

After some time standing around and practically twiddling your thumbs do you hear the familiar sounds of her hard breathing in the frosty air. Heart pumping a mile a minute as she swiftly runs through the woodland, dodging past roots and trees alike as she hauls butt. Ciri brushes up against a couple ferns when she suddenly stops dead, listening to her surroundings.

Her shifting gaze looks left and right, behind her and then in front once again. Then she looks up at the tree tops to her left, looking to her right where not a single stick is out of place, nothing weird in the slightest. Nervously she takes a slow gingerly step forward, gaze still rightfully cautious, knowing you're somewhere close by and absolutely dreading being found before she meets the training course' end.

It's so close now.

Suddenly she bolts onward, arms pumping hard as she runs like the wind past ferns and trees standing tall. From behind the tree she was previously standing near, do you take a few casual steps out into the open. Watching as the back of Ciri quickly disappears behind some more trees, oh she was so close too.

But you can't seem to make yourself end this game quite yet, she's really doing well too, well for the most part. In between feeling on edge because of your constantly hidden whereabouts and sensing you're near yet not seeing you at all. You take a step to follow the running princess to wherever she finds herself next. This leading on for another good fifteen minutes before you decide to have some real fun.

Inhumanly fast do you run around her where she's not able to see nor hear you in the forest, when she grows tired does she quickly hide behind a tree to take a rest. Somewhat out of sight while panting like an old dog, green-blue eyes shifting left to right as she tries to calm her breaths to listen for anything out of the ordinary.

After a short while do you break a stick to her far right, Ciri holds in a gasp before booking it out of there as she turns left racing past more ferns. But just as she goes to pass by a thick pine does your light laughter float on the air causing her to stop abruptly near a small hill next to the trail. She looks frantically all around yet can see nothing weird.

"Where the fuck are you?" Whispers Ciri to herself, eyes nervously shifting from tree to tree.

She hears a stick snap behind her and whips around to see absolutely nothing but more woods below, then she grows with a sense of being watched, dread filling up in her chest almost instantly. Ciri quickly turns around to come face to face with you and two eyes of blood red crimson which causes her to gasp in fright.