The Rare Feral

Chapter 3

Victor grumbled unhappily as he rose from yet another night in the forest. It had been almost a week since he had been dropped into the park, and he hadn't even got the faintest sniff of the woman that he had been sent to retrieve. He thought once again of sending a communication to Stryker to get him the hell out of there; but he remembered his boast about this being an easy job and the bets the rest of the team had made against his success. And he knew that if he returned emptyhanded, that he would never hear the last of it. Particularly from Wilson.

He leant down and washed his face in the river, the sudden shock of the freezing cold water waking him instantly. The feral knew that the more awake he was the better he would hunt, and he needed to hunt. It had been days since he'd eaten, and the idea of fresh black-tailed deer was making his mouth water. The wolves in the forest had seemed to dislike his presence in their territory and every time he had even got close to his prey, they would either howl, making the prey run, or would run through the trees to the prey themselves. Each time depriving him of his meal.

He wondered how the woman was surviving. Wondered if she was out in the vast expanses of the wilderness hunting for herself. And if she was, was she getting as much trouble from the wolf pack as he was? He hadn't seen a fire, not as though he expected to; it was now obvious that the young woman was far more intelligent and cunning than he had first given her credit for. Not once had she slipped up. Not once had she made a single mistake to give herself away.

A few nights, Victor was sure that he had felt her watching him. He had questioned why she hadn't left the forest already, though if she had done, Victor realised that he probably would never have known. But his gut instinct had told him of her presence last night somewhere in the trees watching him through the flames of his fire. A fire which he would never normally have lit but given that his entrance in the chopper had most certainly made his presence known, there seemed no point in trying to hide.

Victor chuckled as he thought of the old adage "Curiosity killed the cat." Maybe the little tigress was curious about him. Maybe that was why she was still here and watching him. He remembered her father sometimes throwing caution to the wind as his curiosity got the better of him, nearly leading to the older feral getting his ass blown up on more than one occasion. If she was like her father, then maybe eventually this curiosity would cause her to slip up and he would have his prize.

Victor slipped off his large coat, it was warmer today and the bulky garment sometimes became stifling. He looked at the crystal clear water of the river that ran alongside his camp. The cool water was tempting, and despite his better judgement he took off his shirt and jumped in. The feel of the cold liquid making him momentarily forget his annoyance at his current situation.

Reluctantly, Victor finally dragged himself up the bank and stood in the sunlight warming his body; his ears pricking up as he heard a rustle in the trees and caught a glimpse of a streak of orange dart through the foliage. The feral unable to hold back his smirk.

"You know kitten, if you want a good look at me you can come a bit closer. I don't mind." Victor called out, as he dried himself off with his shirt.

"I know you're there kitten. I just want to talk." Victor called out again. Hoping to see another movement from the vast expanse of green that surrounded him.

"I know your father, we fought together a few times. Where is he now? Didn't want to stick with his little girl? Left you all alone has he? Did he do a runner after you were confronted by those three idiots?" Victor continued, hoping that this new tack might get a better reaction. And as the sound of a deep and guttural growl rang out, Victor knew that he finally had her attention.

"Touched a nerve did I kitten?" Victor shouted, as he waited for a reply.

"Hey! I'm talkin to you." The big feral continued. Hoping that she would give herself away.

But as a few minutes passed and there was still no reply, Victor huffed, as he realised that Ryder's daughter was going to keep him out here forever. But there was no way in hell that he was going to go back empty handed. And as he pulled his shirt back on, his grumbling stomach drew his attention back to the fact that he needed to eat. And now that he knew she was still out there, food took precedence.

                                                          >>--------------------------------<<

Victor had been stalking the deer's for over an hour, constantly changing his position to stay downwind. Luckily there had been no sign of the wolf pack that constantly dogged his efforts. And for once he thought that he might have a chance. He watched as a buck wandered from the herd, giving Victor an opportunity to hone in. Cautiously he creeped closer, readying himself to pounce. A sudden ear-splitting roar breaking the silence of the forest, causing his quarry to bolt.

"Aaaaawwwww! Did I interrupt something? Is the big bad feral hungry?" A laughing voice called out. Victor turning on his heels as he scanned the canopy for the female that had denied him his meal.

"I can't say that I'm impressed, I've seen the wolves beat you to every meal. I would have expected better." The mocking voice continued. Victor feeling himself grow angrier by the moment.

"Come down here and say that!" Victor called out. Now having lost all patients.

"Boy, you really are as dumb as my dear old dad said." The voice continued. Victor feeling as though he was being pushed to his very limits.

"And what do you think you know about me? And the only one that's dumb is your father." Victor replied, still looking around trying to work out the exact location of the voice.

"I know all about you. You said you know my father. And you see dad told me about a pair of ferals that he had been in the army with. One was called Howlett and the other Creed, and from the description that I was given you ain't Howlett. Dad told me he was a decent guy, someone that could be relied on; whereas Creed was an arrogant asshole that he wouldn't trust as far as he could throw, and that description suits you down to the ground. And believe me, my dad isn't the dumb one, he taught me everything I know, and I've been able to avoid and outthink you for nearly a week now dumbass." The retort came. Her voice seeming to bounce off the trees, causing Victor to think was that she was moving from tree to tree, knowing that if she kept on the move, he wouldn't be able to pinpoint her.

"Oh, and about the river earlier; don't flatter yourself, I've seen better looking stray dogs." She scoffed. Victor letting out a snarl as he felt himself pushed over the edge. He'd had enough. He'd had enough of being stuck in the middle of a forest, enough of being hungry and especially enough of her.

(Y/n) looked down onto the man. It obvious that he wasn't happy. But as much as she knew that she should run and find somewhere else to hide, she had to admit that there was something about this Creed's musk that was preventing her. Something that had brought her back to watch him every night. Something that she couldn't help but be drawn to. And she actually had to admit that she was quite enjoying their little game of cat and mouse.

"I tell you what. Why don't I keep the wolves off your back so that you can at least eat?" (Y/n) offered. A small smile pulling at the corners of her lips as she continued to watch over her opponent.

"Why would you do that? What's in it for you." Victor hissed suspiciously, not sure what the tigress had in mind.

"Well out of the two of us I'm the nice one, and I don't particularly want to be responsible for you starving to death in the middle of the forest. And as for what's in it for me, well....... I want to know who sent you after me and why." (Y/n) replied, as she jumped down from the tree. Landing silently in the bracken beneath her.

"Why don't you come down here and you can join me on the hunt, then I can tell you what you need to know." Victor called out. Hoping that if he could just get her to make an appearance then this whole ordeal could be over.

"Ha! How dumb do you think I am? I'm not going to make this easy for you, Creed. If you want me that bad, you'll have to win this war. But I assure you that I am not an easy opponent to defeat. I'll run off the wolves for you. There is a large herd of deer that congregate around the clearing to the east. That's the best place to hunt. But apart from that, you are on your own. And may the best feral win." (Y/n) called out, before disappearing back into the landscape leaving a now intrigued Victor behind.