The trees blurred past as she ran, the earth beneath her feet coated with the growth one would expect in a forest that had never known the presence of fire and axe. Faint noises in the trees and underbrush marked the presence of the inhabitants of the forest, most of which fell silent in the wake of her passing. From behind her, a howl rose into the air.<br/><br/>Cernunnos lowered his head, eyes alight and moved to the spot Dawn had sat. He closed his eyes, drawing her scent in through deep breaths, and smiled. A faint flash of movement in the dark depths of the forest marked her departing form. He drew another breath, fixing her scent in his mind, and began to pace after her.<br/><br/>Step by step his pace increased, the walk becoming a loping run. Her scent hung in the air, clung to bushes that she had brushed aside, and he felt it burn into his blood, each breath carrying more of her scent inside him. He raised his head again, howling like a wolf at the moon.<br/><br/>He wanted her to run. He wanted her to know he was chasing her. She would hear him closing, see him from the corner of her eye, and flee with all of her speed. It would not be enough.<br/><br/>The chase would end when he wanted it to, and he would bring her to the ground, her clothing torn from her body, to leave her naked and helpless before him, and her surrender would be sweet. He tore his shirt off, flinging it aside, heedless of where it would land. Her scent filled his nostrils, and he wanted to feel her skin beneath his hands, and to hear her cry out as he filled her body with his.<br/><br/>The rest of his clothing was discarded in moments, and he began to run again, breathing deeply. This was the hunt at its simplest.<br/><br/>The Chase.<br/><br/>The Catch.<br/><br/>And then she would be his.