THE HUNTER AND HUNTED

There was a Duke of a large land, he had servants, slaves, women at his beck and call. he was known to be the hunter of all hunters.

His great hall was full of trophies

The trophies were of many many creatures

he had boars heads, elephant tusks, pelts of Lamia....

He also had creatures in cages, small pixies, kept in terrariums, and even an orc in his kennels.

This great hunter had a trophy of almost every wild creature, and had his dealings with every race, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Humans..... he was infamous throughout the land.

He had heard one day that there were people living in the forest to the west... a people who were believed to live with the wild wolves of that forest.

He had to have a hunt, to fetch one of the pelts of the wolves, and gain a foothold in this people's land.

Little did he know that the people who lived there were Werewolves....

They were civilized... as much as such a creature could be civilized.

These werewolves called themselves the Wolvers of Western Wastes.

They lived in packs in Dens, not in villages or cities.

The Duke, Marcarn, Took his 50 finest fighters. They rode into the Woods, their horses barded for battle with the Supernatural.

There was silver studded along their armor and the weapons that were carried were ensorceled by the finest Mages.

They rode into the Woods, and found not a single person or Lupine.

They rode deeper into the forest, where sunlight barely filtered down to the ground. The ground was a soft moss, and mushrooms dotted the paths.

The scent of old wood and raw earth filled the nostrils of the horses, who also smelled the wolves, very nearby, but not to be seen.

The Duke and his men rode for hours, looking and following trails, when a scream came from the end of the line, the horse had been knocked over, and the rider ........

the rider was nowhere to be seen.

The horse was dead in seconds, his throat torn open by some claw or tooth, and the men began to look around very nervously

the other horses started to stamp and snort, some rearing up, threatening to displace their riders.

But the Duke kept going.

Into the woods rode the hunters, tracking the beast that had taken the man from his horse without somuch as a snarl.

Another half hour went by, and soon, another man disappeared from the ranks, this time, the horse as well.

This slow and methodical decimation of the hunting party kept on, but yet the Duke Refused to yield.

he MUST have that pelt, on the life of every man ....

even on his very own!

This time, they were so deep into the forest, that even the finest tracker was getting lost

They had to camp for the night.

During the night, a slight figure slipped into the Duke's tent, its eyes a glowing yellow

There were no guards that saw this figure enter the tent, and the Duke was helpless

The slight figure bent over the Duke, and a warm hand slipped over his mouth, keeping him from shouting in surprise.

Marcarn awoke Instantly, hand going to a dagger that no longer lay in its place by his pillow, but resided in the hand of slight figure.

" You, human of the flatland. I will lead you and your men out of the forest on one condition....."

came the soft snarl from the throat of the man who held the Duke at hostage.

"You are not to return uninvited to these woods again. If you do, our people will come to your cities, take your women, kill your children and burn the buildings to the ground. "

"If you keep your word, and do not enter our wood for a year, we will send an emmisary to your court, and talks of peace will be had"

" Do you agree to these terms, Man of the Plains? " the hushed growl asked.

Marcarn's eyes were wide in wonder that this impudent .... thing ... was able to enter the tent, let alone have the ... audacity... to spell out terms of his surrender.

however

he did see that if he didn't go along with these terms, the remaining 10 of his 50 men would be lost to him, and his people would rebel against this venture he had

" Well, Man, what do you say? " came the querry.

" I will agree to these terms, as long as no more of my men are killed. I will not enter your woods again, unless it is under a banner of peace. "

Marcarn nodded as the dagger was handed back to him.....

He noticed that the palm of the man was seared and blistered where the silver had pressed into the skin.

" You are a Wolver...." he breathed

"Aye, I am at that. My name is Grenzis. I am a cousin to the deep woods Wolvers. They will not harm a Man under my watch. "

Marcarn nodded

" I will stay the night at your camp, O Man, and I will keep my cousins at bay "

" We will depart in the morning. " Marcarn stated flatly.

In the morning, they all woke, and not another man was taken, however, 3 horses were missing

It took another 3 days to exit the woods taking paths that the horses almost couldn't walk through,

but Grenzis kept his word.

and on the morning of the 5th day, they broke the treeline, and never were there a happy group than the men who saw the light of day

When Marcarn turned to thank his Wolven Protector, there was nothing, not even a moving branch.

They returned home, where the woman of the men who perrished were taken in by the Duke, and provided a stipend for the rest of their lives

He no longer cared for the hunt of the Wolven, and one year later, there was a man at the castle entrance.

He was dressed in what seemed to be the very pelts that the Duke had wanted for his wall and floor.

He carried a staff and large pouch at his side

The guards knew the story, for they were part of the group at the woods.

They quietly led him to the Throne room

The Duke stood from his chair, and bowed deeply to the man in the furs.

The man who came to court was a wolver named Bartholomew....

Bartholomew brought out treaties for the Duke to sign, and tales for the Duke to hear

Duke Marcarn and the Wolver kept their bargains. No hunters entered the woods, and no Werewolves harrassed the local peasantry

So is the tale of the Hunt... .the hunter and the hunted.... now you decide who was who.