Fox Hunt: Chapter

The progress we make is slow. I knew the chances of finding a trail or any sign of her passing would be slim, but if there was anything, I didn't want to miss it. Normally, I wouldn't care about making slow progress, especially not when it meant I was being thorough. Though it would also usually be silent, save the sounds of the forest. Considering I wasn't alone though, the slow progress was starting to get on my nerves, or rather, he was.

"If we're going to Sorchal," my unwanted companion says, "This is a waste of time."

I stop, turning to give him a look. I don't know if Raphael is intentionally not looking my way or not, but I still find it annoying.

"She did buy a map," Raphael points out. The one piece of intel he had managed to dig up and didn't seem intent on letting go of any time soon. "If she is as smart as you seem to think she is, she'll be taking the fastest route." He spreads his arms wide. "This route." He finally turns to face me. "Why are we wasting time trying to verify this?"

"Because she's trying to avoid detection," I point out. "If we travel too fast, we risk passing her. Just because we miss her, it doesn't mean she misses us. And if she is taking this route, that just might cause her to take another route or make a completely different plan." I turn away, going back to searching the brush by the road for any sign of disturbance. "Besides, we can't be certain that she is heading to Sorchal."

"You doubt Premier Constantine?" Raphael actually sounds surprised.

"No. But I don't share his assurance, and I don't like to assume things I don't have good reason to be sure of. It leaves too much to risk."

"Ever the strategist," Raphael drawls.

That's when I spot it: a small patch of trampled growth, oddly placed by a tree. I move toward it, eyes carefully sweeping the ground.

"What is it?" Raphael calls, but I don't bother acknowledging him.

Now that I'm nearly upon it, I can see the faint outline of boot prints in the soft, loose dirt by the tree's base. Lowering myself, I study them. They certainly don't look big enough to have been left behind by a man. Slowly I rise, eye flicking between the tree and the trail. I move around the tree, careful not to step on the prints.

From my new vantage point, I can still see the road, and Raphael watching me, arms crossed in annoyance, but if I were to duck down. . . Yes, between the tree and the brush by the road, I'd be hard to see, easily missed by anyone not looking.

Two more prints mark the direction she went- the direction we're heading- after whatever she had hidden from had passed.

"Now I have a good reason to assume we're on the right track," I tell Raphael.

"Wonderful," he answers, seemingly honest. "Can I leave now?" And there it was.

I let my glare be my first answer. "Two sets of eyes are better than one and I need someone who knows the area," I recite two of the reasons Priamos had given me. "And we've both been tasked with finding her," I remind him.

I being to walk, eyes trained on the forest floor, watching for more signs of her passing, though my pace is faster now.

I can hear him sigh in annoyance. "Remind me again why we can't have the militia in nearby towns on the lookout for her?" There's defiantly no mistaking the annoyance in his voice.

"Well, for starters, it was one of the only direct instructions we were given. Not to mention, she may not even go into any town. She is more than capable of surviving in the forest. And let's say she does go in. If she doesn't get caught and becomes aware of the fact that we are after her, she's going to be even more careful, making this job even harder." I give him a pointed look as I finish speaking.

Raphael just rolls his eyes.

I turn back to the trail. "How many times have you been court marshaled?" There was no way he hadn't been at least once. Maybe that’s why he was stationed all the way out in the middle of nowhere; he'd pushed his luck and had come across a superior who wasn't willing to put up with his attitude and insubordination.

"None actually," he answers smugly.

His response actually causes me to stop in my tracks. I turn to face him. "Really? I find that hard to believe."

"Because I'm not an obedient lap dog like you?"

My eyes narrow to slits. I wasn’t unfamiliar with such insults directed at the Hunter Corp. "You wouldn't have even survived the training for the hunter program."

He smirks at me. "I was actually recruited for the program." His response catches me off guard. I had been recruited. They only recruited those with the most promise and skill; potential they didn't want to risk losing. "I was just lucky enough to be turned down at the end of it all."

Finished talking, he brushes past me. I turn, studying him. He was angry about something, but I don't think it was because he had found out he wasn't compatible with the serum.

Raphael pauses, looking back at me. "Well, come on. I'm sure we both want to get rid of each other."

We continue at our new increased speed. I let Raphael stay at point. He has no trouble following the trail we've found, leaving virtually no trail of his own. Priamos had been right; he was an excellent tracker. That was probably why they had recruited him. Skills like that would have been heightened with the serum making him a valuable asset.

With Raphael in the lead, he's too focused on tracking to be his usual level of annoying. It only makes me wish we had found a trail sooner. The darker it gets, the slower he becomes until he finally settles down onto his heels staring at the ground.

"It's too dark to continue tracking," he finally announces, rising to his feet.

I can feel my frustration rising. We had finally found a trail and yet we hadn't found where she had stopped.

"You really need to learn to relax." I blink, looking over at Raphael. He's giving me a look. "We can't be far behind her. If you want to stay up and brood over it, feel free to do so." Raphael walks over to a tree, slinging his pack to the ground. Sitting down at the tree's base, he stretches out. "I'm not going to lose sleep over it though." Leaning back against the tree, he closes his eyes.

Finding a more or less clear patch of ground, I set my pack down, using it as a rest for my head as I lay down. As I stare up into the branches above and small patches of the night sky shining through, my mind works this puzzling situation as I drift off to sleep.

The next morning, I'm up with the sun. So is Raphael. I half expect him to take point again, but he seems to have lost interest once again. I'm just grateful he's silent as he follows along after me today. We haven't been traveling for too long before we finally find a patch of trampled ground.

"Well, would you look at that?" Raphael muses in amusement. "A campsite."

I scan the ground. There's no sign of a fire. This would have been her first stop after leaving Raphael's town. She must not have wanted to risk it. If anyone had been following, it would have been a dead giveaway to her location. So, she had just laid down out of sight of the road and gone to sleep. Ever the clever fox.

Stepping up to where she had slept, I crouch down. I take a slow, deep breath, working to pick out anything that doesn't belong in the forest. There is something mingled in with the scent of dirt and trees, but it's too faint to be of any use.

"That's not a happy face," Raphael points out, voice still tinged with amusement.

I turn a glare on him. As usual, it seems to have no effect on him. His smirk doesn't even waver. "You don't seem too concerned with finishing the mission. Do I need to remind you that the faster we do, the sooner you are free to leave?"

His smirk still doesn't fade, but I can see the amusement in his eyes turn to annoyance. "If only that were true."

He's on the move before I can respond, off after her trail again. I rise, glaring after him. What was his deal?

He hadn't been comparable with the serum. Many weren't. Joining the hunter program didn't guarantee anything outside of the fact they would test you for your compatibility. It wasn't anything to be that upset over though. After all, if he had been recruited, he had been good. He was good. Priamos would have wanted him under his command. If he didn't work under Priamos, it would have been because he turned it down. So why had he turned it down? What had happened that would make him want to keep his career in the militia out in the middle of nowhere? Why did he even stick around?

I shake my head to clear those thoughts. It wasn't my problem. I needed to focus on the mission.

The rest of the day is silent. When Raphael is actually focused, I don't mind him around. We actually manage to keep each other on the right track. Yet he also seems to be easily distracted, losing interest as quickly as he gains it.

When dusk comes around, Raphael is at point again. I'm following after him, half watching our path as I chew on some of the hard tack from my rations. When he stops suddenly, my first thought is that he's lost interest again. Yet when I reach his side, I can see that's not the case.

He silently points dead ahead at a small blackened patch of dirt. "Either she slowed down or we're moving faster than her."

I don't bother responding to him. I move into the small camp space, searching for a patch of trampled ground. It's easy to find. Crouching down by it, I search for her scent again. Once again, it's barely there, so buried in the scents of the forest it's all but useless. "Her scent is still too faint," I grumble.

"Then sleep there," Raphael answers easily. I look up sharply. He's not even looking at me, stretching his arms above his head. "If you're as good as they say, it should be all you can smell come morning."

I don't bother responding. He had to know that wasn't how it worked. I silently rise, looking for somewhere else to sleep.

"Fine. Don't take the advantage."

"Raphael," I say calmly, settling down onto the ground.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."