<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Those smiles that she hid and restrained were becoming more frequent, a lightness in her green eyes replacing the lusterless quality she maintained. Brought on by the Hunter’s relaxed demeanor, his way of being disarming and engaging when he spoke, the strength of her guard lessened. Wes truly didn’t appear to have ulterior motives, not when he was talking candidly about the calmness of nature or the balance between good and evil. She assumed that he cared only for revenge, that he couldn’t see beyond his goal of retaliation. But, it seemed that he <i>could</i>. Even if his current actions furthered his own vengeful endeavors, he did have some sense of duty to mankind, which was more than she expected of him. As she surveyed the area, she looked to him as he gave his own assessment of their situation. Nodding along, she agreed that raw, bloody meat would have been a better option. She wasn’t too keen on seeing the cow be ripped to shreds by a predator, and yet she understood the thought process behind having live prey. The creature liked to hunt, and while she was certain that it wouldn’t pass up an easy meal a helpless animal was likely just as enticing as fresh meat. She had to admit, it would have been less work scattering meat than leading a stubborn creature into the middle of the woods. “Well, something fresh is still an option. I don’t think they would have brought her out here if it wasn’t expendable. We’re in it’s hunting grounds, so if anything we might at least draw its curiosity.” <br/>
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Ava readied herself while Wes setup a perimeter of barbed wire and laid traps. She tested the scope on her rifle, the night vision capability working as expected. Through the lens the world was tinted green, brighter at distances that were obscured in shadow. With the preparations made she positioned herself across from him, closer to the cow but able to view the area behind them. Alert and focused, her senses were open-- almost hyper aware of their surroundings. It was difficult to resist the urge to react to every noise around them, every snap of a twig and every scuttle of active night creatures. As the minutes passed, turning into hours, those vigilant instincts became more accustomed to the ambient sounds around them. Nestled between two wild bushes, her heartbeat steady and her breathing even, she noticed a shift in the atmosphere. The night calls faded, and there was an unnatural stillness she sensed. Her eyes level to the scope she focused the lens on the cow, its deep vocals turning urgent and its movements more frantic. Panning about its location she didn’t see an immediate threat, and for a moment she believed that it was simply reacting to some perceived danger that would do no real harm. Cows got spooked over quite a few benign things after all, but she realized that the source of its panic was much closer. Ava moved her sights toward the Hunter . . . Shock nearly paralyzed her. <br/>
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It was right behind him, down on all fours and a snarl on lips that peeled away from jagged, piercing teeth. Strings of saliva dripped to the ground, its posture hostile as the black barbs that lined its spine stood on end. Ava had to see it for herself, without the saturated green vision of the scope. She let her eyes settle on the creature, its hideousness disgusting and its aggressiveness palpable. Her heart was back to thumping wildly in her chest, the threat of danger sending adrenaline coursing through her veins. Slowly she brought her dominant eye to the scope again, steadying her breath though pressure made it slightly shallow. Her finger hovered over the trigger, counting down in her head. Three. Two-- <br/>
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Just when she was about to squeeze the trigger, the rope connecting the cow to the trunk of the tree snapped. With a bellow it ran toward its freedom, across her cross-hairs and toward the barbed perimeter. “Fuck.” Ava cursed, watching as the creature’s attention darted to the fleeing cow. With a deafening howl it dashed off, and despite the unclear shot she pulled the trigger. A pained, but venomous roar emitted from the Grunch, the bullet grazing its hind leg. Ava rose to her feet, wanting to seize the opportunity to take it out in the next shot while it still reeled from the superficial blow. She aimed again, narrowing the barrel toward it as it whirled around. It’s crimson eyes stared back at her as a bitter hiss released from its throat, bearing its razor-like teeth intimidatingly. The brunette pulled the trigger despite the vicious warning, but the bullet that cruised from her weapon instead lodged into the ground, sending a small spray of earthy debris. With an agile jump, the ferocious monster latched onto the base of a nearby tree, evading a wound that could have been more detrimental than the last. Though she tried, it was difficult for the end of her rifle to find the swift creature again. It bounced from one tree to another, bounding higher and higher until she could hear the snap of tree limbs under its weight though it was no longer in sight. <br/>
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Leaves and moss rained from the sky, branches falling to the ground. Though she could no longer see it, she knew it hadn’t gone far, that it was somewhere in the heights of colossal trees. Watching. Waiting. The cow hadn’t gone far either, clumsy hooves clipped by the trip-wire, bringing it to the ground. Its wailing hadn’t ceased, only becoming more prominent in her ears since she was having trouble tracking the movements of the Grunch above her. “Can you see it?” She asked, trying to resist the urge to quiet the crying animal that distracted her senses. </span>