Hunter and Prey

Chapter 10: The Beyond

A long distance spaced itself between the pair of traveling outcasts and the world of the civilized. Rose and Kimata had travelled atleast 40 Kilometers since that morning and the sun was starting to dip down towards the valley now that lay another dozen miles ahead of them atleast. They had kept a steady pace at walking speed, only taking an hour break at high noon for some lunch which consisted of an apple, a slice of fresh bread and some smoked meat. After they had gained their energy they had continued walking towards the high mountains that now lay closer before them. Though there might've been a lot to say or talk about, neither of them spoke much except to contemplate over directions and paths over a few rivers and the worry of how fast it would take members of the village to catch up if anyone knew of their plan to escape. Kimata had quickly assured Rose that once anyone realized their course of direction, the followers would turn around and leave them be. But He himself wasn't sure... Like him, if people were determined enough to do something, they would get it done. No matter what the risk... Kimata shuddered softly to himself and gazed up at the sky with a look of foreboding in his eyes. 'The sun is going to set soon...' He thought to himself as washes of pink and orange started to color the sky around the sun as it hovered over the mountains. It would be fully dark in less than an hour. He gazed over at Rose who was smiling cheerfully, not having complained once since the start of the trek, but he could see the worn out look in her eyes, catching her yawn and drag her feet a couple times in the past hour. She was getting tired. "Rose?" His voice gentle but serious as he turned to look at her. She turned towards him, smiling softly and he watched as her eyes lit up immediately nearly as soon as she heard his voice. "Yes, sir?..."

He smiled lightly at her perky mood considering her fatigue, slowing his pace a bit as he walked. "We need to find somewhere to camp for the night. It's going to be dark soon and it's going to be more dangerous than usual, especially since we are so far away from the settlement area and in the wild, and not to mention close to 'the Beyond'... There's going to be more creatures and predatory animals around here especially at night. So let's find some place to camp, and quickly, alright?" His voice sounding calm and commanding as he nodded firmly to her, regaining his more neutral and emotionless state of appearance. She seemed used to it, because that's how he had been for the whole trip since they spoke about what happened to her last night. Though he could tell she didn't like it. She shuddered softly and nodded back, starting to look around for somewhere suitable to camp. Kimata looked around as well as they walked, searching for a large high tree or more sheltered area. They were by a small ridge of the mountain that jutted out a few miles from the rest. Rocky peaks and shadows cast like gateways into the darkness itself. Kimata nearly jumped as Rose let out an excited squeal and gave a little jump, pointing towards a small cave some 10 meters off the ground, overlooking the forest from the rocky mountainside. Kimata smiled as he followed her finger, looking at the cave and nodding. "Good find... If nothing else lives there, we'll camp there for the night." He turned towards the cave and began to walk towards it, Rose following close behind, not having strayed more than a few meters away from him the whole trek. He gazed up the slope and began to trek and climb the steep but durable path that led towards the gaping mouth of the cave. It didn't take long before he could see out over the forest around them, the canopy of the trees glowing green and golden in the fading light of day. He heard Rose gasp once or twice at the pretty scenery, smiling lightly to himself. But his cheerful grin was soon replaced with a look of foreboding and worry. What did a strong and skillful bounty hunter have to be afraid of? This remained a mystery as he climbed onto the final ledge at the entrance of the cave, having already grabbed his long-sword readying it under his dark coat as he eyed the depths of the cave. It wasn't too big inside. It only went on for a dozen meters or so inside and was fairly spacious after that was taken into account. The ceiling stood about 12 feet high and the walls at the sides were about 20 feet apart. It was large inside, but nothing big or dangerous lived here. Maybe a few mice or bats, but that was all. His gleaming sword disappeared back into it's sheath at the non-existing threat and he wandered in, gazing at a few large boulders and pillars of rock inside. Rose had been admiring the view and finally wandered in after him, looking around at the stone walls that surrounded them.