[Fan-fic] Not Today - A Kindred Short Story

Disclaimer I don't write often. it's a hobby or pastime I often indulge, but I read A Good Death, and got a bit of inspiration to knock this out while I was in work. I also typed it up on a phone, and am useless at proof-reading, but have given it a once-over. Enjoy!

Not Today

He stopped for breath as he crested the rocky hill. It had been three days since he had slept, and two since he had risked taking more than a handful of moments to rest. To take more was too great a risk, because he knew once he saw his pursuer it would already be too late.

He didn't even know why he was running. Nobody ever escaped. Nobody COULD ever escape them. But the moment he stood in front of them, he knew it was not his time. It couldn't be. All men must die, and all who stand in front of the Lamb and the Wolf are bound to their fate. But he knew that not everyone accepted it. Their sheer existence, their natures, guaranteed that the chase would always exist. And if there is a chase to be had, surely there is a chase to be won.

With a deep breath, he braced his shoulders and began to run once more. A lifetime of travel and danger had honed his physique to near perfection, and every ounce of remaining strength was focused into each new step. Efficiency in movement would be the key, he told himself, as he loped nimbly down the hillside once more. This path was shallower and more stable, and he was quickly able to build pace as he moved silently down the slope. As the ground beneath him levelled out, and the trees of the forest loomed ahead of him, he heard it.

That howl.

The howl of a lone wolf would send a shiver down the spine of most men, especially those alone in the darkness, but it had been a long time since the sounds of the night had scared him.

But that howl.

This wasn't a wolf searching for his pack. This wasn't the sound of one wolf telling the others how to move or where to be. This was the sound of a beast, telling the whole universe, anyone or anything that would listen, that it was beside itself with joy. Unbridled, unrestrained ecstasy rang from every ululating tone. And it was that thought that redoubled his efforts, as he sprinted headlong into the depths of the undergrowth.

As he sprinted between the trees, the forest changed around him. Stray shafts of moonlight picked out the forms of birds, while he heard the sounds of the wildlife scattering around him. As he splashed through a small stream, he glimpsed a patch of brown fur as a bear lumbered back into the inky night. Stumbling into a small glade, he stood, panting, his bare chest glistening in the moonlight. He had abandoned his coat the previous day, too heavy as he ran through the midday sun. His shirt he had shredded on the first night, padding out his boots to cushion his aching feet.

Ahead of him were dark figures, lurking in the shadow of a lone tree that stood in the otherwise open enclave. He continued to run, skirting as close as he dare without adding too much distance to his path. As he approached, the four wolves feeding in the shadows emerged, running swiftly for the tree-line, abandoning their kill. Any other night and he would have had a fight on his hands. But tonight. He was another Wolf's prey, and no creature wanted to get between a Wolf and his target. A light rain descended as he began to pick up pace once more. Yesterday afternoon he had passed his last familiar landmark, a small fishing town in the distance that he had visited many years before. This was new territory, unfamiliar, and with only instinct and his experience to guide him through, he knew the path ahead would become more treacherous.

The rain had hardened now, transitioning from a light trickle to a steady, steely downpour that dripped from his body and sent spray with every movement of his arms. He was glad he had dropped his coat now; the cold iced his aching muscles, and a downpour like this would have left him sodden and struggling a few days ago.

The precipice was on him in an instant. A small stream in a deep gully, maybe 7 feet from edge to edge, and slick with rain. With a fraction of a second to decide, he dug in with his last step, his foot teetering on the edge, and pushed off, launching himself over the gap. If he'd known it was coming he would have cleared it handily, but his jump was rushed, and his landing sloppy. The ledge beneath him slid into the murky steam as he collided with the opposite bank, his ribs taking the brunt of the impact as he clung to the grass ahead of him. He dragged himself out of the crevice, barely able to find purchase on the muddy walls, and collapsed onto the grass, exhausted.

He breathed deeply, and shuddered as pain arced through his side. One rib definitely broken, two at least slightly bruised. This was it. He stood up, looking down at his mud-caked body. The thought of stopping didn't cross his mind, only of how much time he could spare before he continued.

Not enough.

He had cleared the woods now, but the nature of the game had changed. He could feel himself slowing. The pain in his side had roared with every flex of his abdomen, but now it just roared, protesting his every breath. The sky above him was clear and the air was fresh, and the open plain around him was dark and empty. But still, he was alive. He knew that. But he also knew he had lost this chase. The air felt still, the occasional faint breeze tickling his bare skin as he pushed forward. Wolf was no longer chasing. The chase had finished the moment he hit that bank. This was the next part of the game. The waiting. The savouring. He'd heard no more howls. That wouldn't be fun for Wolf. This was the part where he waited, teasing every last moment of anticipation from the hunt. Struggling between his desire to finish his prey, and to watch his prey finish itself.

Then it happened. He felt a tug as his foot caught an errant rock beneath him, and a fresh, hot pain lanced across his injured side, and fell to his knees. This was it. Panting, wincing, he stood and turned back to face the way he came. Open, exposed and alone. His hand slid slowly to his waist. The movement was almost instinctive. He had lost almost all he owned, and stood in the moonlight, bare chested, his boots caked in mud, his trousers stained and torn, and his belt, splattered and dull. And at his sides two pouches, the weapons within still pristine and gleaming.

He heard it first. A low growl, of satisfaction, of lust. He saw the moonlight dance across the pale mask, and drew, screaming in rage at the futility of his last living act. His weapons were never designed to work against this, and he knew it. Green light erupted all around him, blinding him entirely. He braced for the weight of a tackle that never came.

He opened his eyes slowly. The moon and stars were gone, swallowed by darkness. A faint green light continued to dance among the grass ahead of him. Beyond it, Wolf prowled, whining and snarling, pacing the boundary but never attempting to move any closer. A pale figure emerged silently from the darkness, her long shadow casting back into the gloom.

"Why don't you pounce, dear Wolf? Have you not enjoyed this game enough?" Lamb asked softly.

"It won't let me!" snarled Wolf, pacing faster. "I tried to win my game but it won't let me! It's only a mortal and he's spoiling my fun game!"

"How strange" Lamb murmured, gliding to Wolf's side and stroking his mane. "He did give us an awfully long chase. It has been a long time since we had to chase such determined prey. Maybe it knows something we don't?"

With this lamb looked up, the glow of blue from the eyes of her purple mask betraying the dangerous power behind her soft tones. She cocked her head slightly, and they both fell silent and stared at him expectantly. His mouth went dry as he searched for words, his mind going blank as he rushed for a sentence that would extend his life a little further.

The air stirred. The sound of a chuckle drifting almost imperceptibly through the air, before rising quickly to a raucous and grating guffaw, a laughter that was to sick and twisted as Wolf's howl was to pure joy.

"YOU!" Screamed Wolf, howling with anguish. "YOU STOLE MY KILL! YOU RUINED MY GAME!" He whined and he writhed, pain written in every movement as Lamb crouched beside him and tried to sooth him.

The laughter died, and another faint glow appeared, hovering several feet away, slowly growing into a cold, green orb.

Lamb looked up from Wolf, staring into the darkness around the orb.

"What right do you have to deny my Wolf His prey?" She demanded, her tones soft but radiating anger.

The laugh echoed again, and the orb began to glide forward, the soft clink of metal as the figure moved slowly forward.

"You set your mangy dog after my quarry, and you dare to ask ME about my RIGHT!?" He shouted from the darkness.

Lamb stood and turned toward the figure, the two points of light in her mask flaring briefly, like small sunspots flaring against the depths of the void.

"I warn you Chain Warden..."

The orb lifted, and the faint light picked out his features at last. The cold dead bone, glistening a sickly green in the light of his lantern.

"YOU warn ME? I am far from your grasp my little Lamb, as far as you are from mine. And this is not your soul to reap, any more than these are." He jostled his lantern, as faint ribbons of pulsing light arced from within, the faint screams and sobs of his victims echoing across the barren plains.

"But why HIM" pleaded Wolf, "We chased for so long, we earned the joy of ripping out his throat, of sinking teeth into his flesh. Why must you have HIM." He whined.

"Because," Thresh whispered through the night, "I couldn't live with myself if I didn't complete the set." He let out a howl of laughter once more, as. Single pulse of light emerged from his lantern. There was no scream, no moan, only a soft whisper.

"Lucian..."

He watched as Lamb's shoulders dropped, and she began to return to the shadows.

"Come, Wolf, perhaps we can find you some other prey. At least he gave you a long chase." She sighed as the night swallowed her. Wolf took one further mournful look at his former prey and whined quietly, before turning, his pale mask fading into darkness.

"Next time keep your mutt on a leash Lamb! I'm sure I can spare you the chain!" Thresh yelled into the darkness, chuckling to himself.

Lucian turned to face the glow of the lantern, as the ghostly green flame in the grass guttered and failed, and returned to its master, bathing his bones and chains once more.

As he lifted his guns, Lucian spared himself one final idle thought.

Maybe the Wolf wasn't so bad...