Amir ignored the warm spray of blood against his cheek. He was finished with this one, already on the lookout for danger. It had been too easy. He blinked a clot from the corner of his left eye and wiped his knife on the coat of the wolf. It contorted as he did so, turning from a black, grey-muzzled wolf to a small female with brown hair. He sneered down at it. One less.
He didn't try to disguise his trail although he did move quietly and quickly away and didn't leave anything too obvious. The night was young. He was well-fed, and feeling strong. This was what he had been created for, and it was good to get back to something simple.
Tucking the tanto back in its sheath he followed a deer path until he found another trail, clearly left by something much larger. It followed the deer as well, and Amir trailed them both.
He came upon this particular wolf as it crouched over the corpse of the slaughtered animal. There was no element of surprise this time; the moon lit the area well and the wolf was still on guard. It lifted up its head and snarled at him as he emerged from the bushes.
"Bring it on," he grinned, dropping into a crouch.
The wolf brought it. It was one of the smaller ones, again, and it charged him with surprising speed. Amir moved sideways, not fast enough, and the wolf caught him on the left side, snapping its jaws close to his face. His reflexes were quick, though, and he wrapped his arm around the wolf's neck as he rolled with the blow. His knife, once more freed from its sheath, flashed twice, biting into the thick fur and past the skin, but the cuts were shallow and non life-threatening.
Still grasping, Amir was dragged along as the wolf landed on the grassy ground. The wolf rolled, kicking with its feet. Amir took the claws on his stomach, the silver and thick leather protecting him. He rolled over the wolf's back, hand still hooked onto its scruff, and the tanto flashed again, diving into the wolf's chest.
Around the two went, rolling over and over, Amir unwilling to let the wolf go, the wolf unprepared to call it a loss, still kicking and twisting. Finally Amir managed to rotate enough, drawing his left arm back and releasing a forceful punch that took the wolf over the eye, silver studs splitting skin. The wolf let out a cry and Amir's hand was forced away as the wolf's form rippled briefly.
He rolled to the balls of his feet. The wolf snarled, and Amir was momentarily taken aback by the ferocity of the animal, its expression murderous. Then he regrouped and returned the favor, exposing his fangs and wordlessly snapping at the wolf.
Surprisingly, although the silver had injured the wolf, it managed to maintain its shape. Its tongue flicked out, tasting the blood of the deer it had just killed, and it came at him again. This time Amir was prepared for its speed; he couldn't match it so he continued to move with the wolf, not bracing himself against the charge but tumbling in the same direction. The wolf's teeth scored over his back and into his scalp; he ducked his head and took another shot at the wolf's exposed stomach, feeling another spray of blood as he did.
Once more they parted. Amir could feel a trickle of dampness down his neck but it stopped quickly; the wolf, on the other hand, was visibly weakened. It came at him one more time, slower now. Amir simply sidestepped it, his gloved hand diving into his jacket, coming back out, and releasing a shimmering cloud in the wolf's face. Silver filings, fine and sharp, clinging to the wolf's mouth and nose, getting into its eyes.
It halted immediately, coughing, hacking, losing its hold on its form. Amir didn't wait this time; he walked toward it with even stride, grabbed the fur that was quickly becoming hair, yanked the head back, and slit its throat.
Dropping the corpse to the ground, he once more cleaned the blade of his knife. Two down.
Leaving a Message (private)
Amir cut the engine of his bike and stood, looking over the vast acreage of the park and preserve. He snorted to himself. Preserve, indeed. It was like a giant werewolf buffet out here. What an ironic moniker for it.
Slinging his leg over the bike, he crouched experimentally. It had been a while since he'd actually been geared for warfare. His pants were constructed of supple leather, soft in texture but reinforced with plates of silver between the layers. Not so much fun to be bitten while wearing them, but a lot less fun for whoever was doing the biting. It was worth it. His shirt, too, bore panels of similar reinforcement. It wasn't a perfect suit of armor, obviously, for he needed room to move, but it would put a hurt on a wolf or three.
Removing his jacket he rested it over the bike seat for a moment, and opened the gym bag strapped to the back of the bike. His sword belt was there, complete with a full complement of blades. Guns and silver bullets would have been ideal, but the noise was too much to risk tonight. Amir was a hunter now, and he had to do this quietly. Any uncalled for noise would be dangerous... not because the human authorities might be alerted, but because any wolf within hearing, even of the soft sound of a silencer, would come running.
Amir strapped the belt onto his hips, adjusted it properly, and made sure the knives hanging from it were angled properly. This particular belt held two tanto, one at either hip. In a sheath against his thigh was a stiletto whose quillions were as sharp as the blade. Next out of the bag came a second harness, this time with his favorite sword, a kilij that he had had for several hundred years. The old weapon fit his hand like a glove. The harness buckled to his chest, the weight of the sword resting comfortably at his back. Last from the bag were his gloves, meant to cover from fingertip to elbow, made of the same black leather as the rest of his clothing. They were studded at the hands and knuckles with silver, and plated all along their length. They buckled up the outside, fitting snugly along his forearm and stopping just past his elbow, with enough give to allow him to bend.
Thus outfitted, Amir carefully closed the various bags and packs on his bike. Pulling his jacket back on he turned up the collar and buckled it, too, although there was no silver panel there. Wolves often went for the throat; he wasn't about to risk having his jugular sliced by a well-meant but poorly planned silver plate.
The park was deceptively quiet as he started down the slope, boots making surprisingly little sound in the grass. He didn't expect to find much hunting here near the road, but the park covered many, many acres. They were out here. And they were probably out in spades tonight.
Amir
13 years ago
Amir
13 years ago
Amir had made his way through the first section of lightly wooded parkland. He stood now on one of the bluffs overlooking the length of beach. It was a conspicuous location but that didn't matter much; there was no one around. He dropped to his stomach and peered over the bluff. No movement below. Tucking his head he somersaulted over the edge and fell. His boots hit the sandy soil and he slid the remaining few feet to the base of the bluff where the long grass met the sand.
Jogging along the lower track, his stride ate up the yards as he made a wide circuit around the bluff, heading back toward the eastern side of the woodland. He heard them before they heard him, he suspected; two of them, larger than the others. Xephier's pack. They were running headlong, side by side, and they rounded the edge of the bluff as he did.
The scent of blood must have tipped them off just in time, though. Amir whipped his kilij out and it bit deeply into the wolf on the left, but the one on the right stopped short. He squared himself as they turned; they seemed to pause as if considering the fight or flight option. Then, in unison, they attacked.
Two sets of teeth from opposite directions was definitely more exciting than one. Amir's sword slashed down once, his feet shuffling quickly in the sandy soil. The first wolf avoided the blow; the second was rebuffed by a silver plate on his shoulder. Still, the heavy blow knocked him forward and the first wolf took another shot. It passed inside of the range of the kilij quickly but Amir was turning even as he moved forward. His arm shot out and the tip of the sword slashed along the back leg of the wolf who'd just knocked him in he shoulder. He missed the hamstring but did some damage nonetheless. He didn't have time to see how much. The lunging wolf came over his arm and Amir slid beneath it, slamming his closed fist into its open mouth and levering it up and over. It hit the ground on its side.
Amir had no opportunity to finish it off before the previous wolf was back. How frustrating. He let this one grab his forearm, hoping he still had the reach to finish the grounded wolf. Instead he was pulled off balance like a big tuggy-toy, staggering back a step. He turned and swept his sword up; the wolf let go and dodged away. As the prone wolf regained it balance, they returned to a Mexican stand-off, the two wolves circling Amir.
He battered away a few halfhearted passes. They dodged a few aborted swipes. Amir couldn't commit himself fully to one wolf without exposing himself to the other. They knew it, and they played it. These two were different. These two were far more in command of themselves than the previous wolves had been. He might have been imagining a glint of madness in their eyes, but it wasn't as complete as it should have been.
They came at him at the same time again, one low, one high. There was no good counter; one of them would have to succeed. So he ducked the one that came for his unprotected head, sweeping his kilij up in a fan as it did, turning away from the spray that matted his short hair even as the teeth of the wolf coming in low dug into the back of his knee. His leg went out from beneath him and he rolled, feeling sharp metal.
He came upright once more, favoring his wounded left leg, crouched on his right with the kilij extended out. Immediately his leg began to heal. The wolf who had bitten him, though, was squealing in pain, pawing at its mouth. Blood spattered the ground and the wolf began to lose control.
Ignoring his healing leg, Amir charged the changing wolf. The one he'd hit in the stomach ran to meet him; Amir was prepared. Dodging sideways, he sprang off the half-human's back, turned in midair, and made two more passes with the kilij. One opened the wolf's neck; the other took off the changing wolf's head.
Amir landed and didn't turn again. Sheathing the kilij, he continued his stroll under the moonlight.
((ooc: Amir out))
Jogging along the lower track, his stride ate up the yards as he made a wide circuit around the bluff, heading back toward the eastern side of the woodland. He heard them before they heard him, he suspected; two of them, larger than the others. Xephier's pack. They were running headlong, side by side, and they rounded the edge of the bluff as he did.
The scent of blood must have tipped them off just in time, though. Amir whipped his kilij out and it bit deeply into the wolf on the left, but the one on the right stopped short. He squared himself as they turned; they seemed to pause as if considering the fight or flight option. Then, in unison, they attacked.
Two sets of teeth from opposite directions was definitely more exciting than one. Amir's sword slashed down once, his feet shuffling quickly in the sandy soil. The first wolf avoided the blow; the second was rebuffed by a silver plate on his shoulder. Still, the heavy blow knocked him forward and the first wolf took another shot. It passed inside of the range of the kilij quickly but Amir was turning even as he moved forward. His arm shot out and the tip of the sword slashed along the back leg of the wolf who'd just knocked him in he shoulder. He missed the hamstring but did some damage nonetheless. He didn't have time to see how much. The lunging wolf came over his arm and Amir slid beneath it, slamming his closed fist into its open mouth and levering it up and over. It hit the ground on its side.
Amir had no opportunity to finish it off before the previous wolf was back. How frustrating. He let this one grab his forearm, hoping he still had the reach to finish the grounded wolf. Instead he was pulled off balance like a big tuggy-toy, staggering back a step. He turned and swept his sword up; the wolf let go and dodged away. As the prone wolf regained it balance, they returned to a Mexican stand-off, the two wolves circling Amir.
He battered away a few halfhearted passes. They dodged a few aborted swipes. Amir couldn't commit himself fully to one wolf without exposing himself to the other. They knew it, and they played it. These two were different. These two were far more in command of themselves than the previous wolves had been. He might have been imagining a glint of madness in their eyes, but it wasn't as complete as it should have been.
They came at him at the same time again, one low, one high. There was no good counter; one of them would have to succeed. So he ducked the one that came for his unprotected head, sweeping his kilij up in a fan as it did, turning away from the spray that matted his short hair even as the teeth of the wolf coming in low dug into the back of his knee. His leg went out from beneath him and he rolled, feeling sharp metal.
He came upright once more, favoring his wounded left leg, crouched on his right with the kilij extended out. Immediately his leg began to heal. The wolf who had bitten him, though, was squealing in pain, pawing at its mouth. Blood spattered the ground and the wolf began to lose control.
Ignoring his healing leg, Amir charged the changing wolf. The one he'd hit in the stomach ran to meet him; Amir was prepared. Dodging sideways, he sprang off the half-human's back, turned in midair, and made two more passes with the kilij. One opened the wolf's neck; the other took off the changing wolf's head.
Amir landed and didn't turn again. Sheathing the kilij, he continued his stroll under the moonlight.
((ooc: Amir out))