<em>The beast chuckled as he watched her with tawny golden eyes. Smart. Very smart. His visage bent into a savage smile, he began to move before his muscles seize up, and his vision was clouded for a moment by a black of red and his ears picked up a soft, playful, girlish laugh that somehow aroused a sickening mix of fear and desire. It passed quickly, and, still hidden as he was, hadn't given him away, but again he paused to wonder the implications.<br/><br/>He knew well enough who this girl was... but he didn't really know what she was. Human, female, beautiful, deadly, intelligent... yes. All of these. That was almost painfully simple to observe. But there was something more, something he couldn't grasp... something... infuriating. Something he knew he couldn't know. Which was why she had to die.<br/><br/>The creature followed her into the forest, swift as wind and silent as shadow. While he had come this way, he also had avoided leaving any traces. After having lived so long, far too many hunters armed with the right weapons had come after him for the beastial stalker to rest so easy, despite his power. Instead, to escape detection, he takes to the branches of the trees. Not precisely the most natural mode of transportation for him, nor the quickest, but it would help him trail her undetected, for a time.<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>He could smell him. He had been moving quickly, and knew how to mask his scent, but not well enough that he couldn't be tracked by the avenger. Swiftly and far more recklessly, he weaved his way through the trees in the darkness. For one, he wanted his quarry to know he was coming, and, for another, as the pursuer, he had time to make up. Little did he know of the dual threat that he hurtled headlong towards...</em>