<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'">“That’s reassuring.” She muttered, not liking the thought of being so blind and disadvantaged that they could easily find themselves face to face with the monstrous beast until it was too late. The Hunter’s disposition was infectious, preventing frustration and pessimism from setting in as he moved toward the wailing cow. She averted her eyes as he pulled the blade from his side, able to pin-point the exact moment he took the sharp steel to its flesh. It had to be done. With the elusive creature regrouping in the heights of the trees, they needed to better tempt its appetite, its primal need to stalk and chase. His plan was sound, and she nodded since she was content to allow the cow to run and roam, appeal to its predatory instincts. Despite the immense uneasiness she felt, having stared into that thing’s wicked, red eyes, she was more determined to rid the woods of its presence. Her green hues flickered up to the trees around them often, wary of their surroundings while Wes cut the cow loose from the wires it tangled itself in. Though cautious, a little smirk found its way to her lips, amusement in the small bout of laughter that escaped her. “I owe him an apology myself. He did try to warn me.” <i>If you’re not careful, it’ll hunt you back,</i> he said. The words echoed in her mind, leaving her to wonder if the vicious creature was only interested in the helpless animal because there was a challenge involved, something that enticed its need to prevail over a formidable challenge. <br/>
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Ava followed after the Hunter, allowing him to trail the cow while she covered the rear, ensuring that there would be no attack from behind. They kept up well with the wounded animal, panicking and in pain as it moved through the woods, stumbling through obstacles it was too frightened to consider. But soon it became tired, exhaustion slowing it down till it was trundling along to the point of collapse. The defeated noise it made tugged at the strings of her heart, but the pity it incited was replaced by a flare of alarm. The same eerie calm blanketed the woods before a ferocious howl sliced through the silence. It was close in proximity, so close that it sounded like it was right next to her and all around them. Ava lifted her gun, the barrel moving slowly and carefully about the environment. It sensed blood, and began scaling down from the limbs it clung to. She could hear the rustle distinctly, able to see the movements through the lens. Its eyes gleamed, two unsettlingly bright beams that locked onto the animal intently. With the leap so swift she could hardly process it, it lunged forth. Her trigger finger reacted, but her aim was not as true as the Hunter’s as the bullet loosed from her barrel collided with a tree in the distance. Though she cursed, it was lost beneath the shrill shriek of agony. The piercing sound, though disorienting, was satisfying but the feeling of triumph was short-lived. <br/>
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Much like it had with her when she simply grazed it, the enraged Grunch turned its fury on the Hunter. A swell of hope gathered in her as it darted at him. Right inline with his sights, it would have been a clear shot. But the dreaded click of an empty firearm made her panic. Aiming again, she realized that her position put Wes at risk. She could fire her weapon, and with how quick and erratic as the beast was, she could easily put a bullet in the Hunter by accident. “Hold on!” She called, acting fast to find a spot where he wasn’t so vulnerable, his situation worsening by the second. He was disarmed, and its sharp, pointed claws pulled back, ready to swipe its talons and tear the Hunter to ribbons. She fired a shot, the bullet lodging in the beasts’ back. With another piercing screech, it arched in pain. But, the hide upon its back was thick, a dense leathery layer that made it so that the wound was not fatal. Again and again she fired, contact made with each round she let loose. Once, twice, three times. She was ready to tap the trigger for the fourth time when it dashed away. Its movements were not as coordinated and effortless as before. The creature did not make any attempts to retreat to the trees; bloodied and wounded it was likely that it was incapable judging by the trail of blood it left in its wake. <br/>
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“You going to sit there all pretty, or are you going to give me a hand with this thing?” She teased as she moved over to the Hunter quickly, extending her hand to help him to his feet. “It’s wounded pretty bad but it’s tough as nails. You got a good shot in, though. Seems like the stomach is a weak spot,” she mentioned, still able to hear it as it tore a path angrily through the woods. “And, it’s moving slower now. Might be a little more your speed?” Ava gave him a good-natured pat to the shoulder as she moved ahead, following the thick drips of blood in the soil. The path led them deeper into the woods, the tracks and droplets going cold as they came upon a pond. “Shit . . .” Lowering her rifle, she stared at the water, the surface still and placid. What hope she had for tracking it and finishing it off diminished the moment she saw the stagnant pool. For all she knew it swam to the other side, washing away the traces of blood that poured from its wounds. “We can go around or go back to using bait again. I’m not certain if it will fall for the same trick twice.” Ava turned, ready to walk away from the edge of the water when a pair of gleaming red eyes appeared just above the waters’ surface, like a crocodile lying in wait. For the briefest moment those eyes disappeared, and suddenly the vicious monster launched itself from hiding, claws bared and fangs jutting. <br/>
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Ava heard the breech, the disturbance of the water as it burst from it. It was as if time moved in slow motion, and she was unable to react quickly enough. Though she wanted to turn, point and shoot, she wouldn’t get around in time. In a split-second decision, she threw herself to the ground, letting go of her rifle voluntarily. She rolled onto her back, hand reaching for the gun in her holster. </span>