The Hunted

Wren

When I came back into camp from my walk, I couldn't believe it. Everything had just... happened.

I first saw Dom, than Tarrion. They were both hurt as was Dimitri. "What in hell happened?!" I asked, incredulous.

"Tarrion attacked me," Dimitri said quietly. I turned towards Tarrion. Him?! Attack someone?! Never?!

He looked very guilty. "I don't know what came over me," he said.

I walked up towards him and Gemma. "Well, what about Dominique?" I said worriedly, sitting beside them. She was my best friend here, and I wished desperately to go and talk to her, but Dimitri was guarding her and I didn't want to talk to him either.

"She... she accidentally got punched," Tar said, and this threw him off his edge. He looked devastated.

"She'll be alright, I'm sure," I said quietly, resisting an urge to hold his hand. "She'll be fine."

TARRION

I put my head in my hands. I still couldn't believe what I had just done. "She's going to hate me, absoultely despise me. I would never, ever, ever hurt her. I swear I was set up... I hurt her." I hated myself more than I hated Dimitri.

"He used her as a human shield," Wren murmered.

Gemma's brow furrowed in confusion. "But you weren't even here-"

Wren cut her off. "No, but it fits. He avoids the punch and makes Tarrion look even worse. Win-win situation."

She was right, it fit perfectly. The way he had moved to doge the blow, just right so that I wouldn't be able to recooperate in time to save Domi. "Wren's gotta be right. The way he had moved out of the way...it didn't give me any time to stop myself. It was perfectly timed." I repeated my toughts out loud.

"What a jerk," Gemma muttered. "Where is Dimitri anyways?"

He had disapeared. "No idea. I think he's outside," Wren replied quietly.

I eyed my guitar and flute sitting in the corner. Shalow was perched ontop of my flute case, sleeping soundly. "Do me a favor and if I don't come back, take good care of Shalo," I murmered. I made it look like I was going after Dimitri, but that isn't what I had in mind at all. I still hated myself for what I did, even if it wasn't my fault after all.

I pushed myself up and exited the small cabin, searching for a vine or rope or anything. I found one over the branch of a tree. I yanked on it to make sure it was secure, it was. I climbed up the tree, ignoring my throbbing leg. My limp was back and it was a pain in the arse. I wrapped the vine around the branch a few times and tied a small noose in the front, just big enough to fit my head through.

Wren

I turned towards Gemma. "Listen, Gem, I'm going to go after Tar. Make sure he and Dimitri don't kill eachother. Ok?"

She looked at me nervously. "Don't get hurt, alright?" she said.

I nodded and then walked through the forest. Dominique had two guys after her- it seemed odd to me, the one girl who never wanted a guy.... but obviously they both had it hard for her. I could hear scuffling. Tarrion?

I saw a noose and realized two things at once. Tar was trying to kill himself- and I had to stop him.

"Tar don't jump!" I screamed. He paused, just long enough for me to speak.

"Tar, listen, I know you feel bad, but think of how terrible we'll all feel if you kill yourself! You can make it up to us but killing yourself isn't the way."

"No one needs me there anymore," he said quietly. "I'm better of this way."

"No you aren't!" I said, my voice choked. "Please, please, please come down!"

TARRION

I bit my lip. There was no way Wren could understand how horrible I felt right now. "I hurt her Wren! I'm just making her life horrible! I'm making everybody's life horrible! If I stay, Dimitri will take it out on all of us!" Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

"Tar, don't! Please, please don't!" She was shrieking now. I scanned the forest nervously, looking for any sign of Dimitri. I couldn't see him.

"Shhh! I don't want Dimitri to find me!" I hissed through my teeth. I continued tightening the noose and pulled it over my head. "Go, you don't need to watch me do this."

Wren's eyes starting to water. Great. "If you jump, I'm going to drown myeslf!"

I shook my head. "No, you're not. If you do I'll end up in Hell for murder." Did I believe that? Why not?

She advanced towards the tree and started scaling it. I quickly tightened the noose around my neck. I didn't have time to hesitate...but I did.

DOMINIQUE

I fluttered my eyes open, and almost screamed at what i saw. Dimitri was sitting over me, dabbing my head. What happened, i couldn't remember. I scooted away from him, i wanted as much distance as possible.
"Dominique, get back here. Your hurt." He reach out to grab me. I shrieked.
"No! Stay away from me! Don't you dare touch me!" I jumped to my feet. backing away. In three swift strides Dimitri grabbed her and sat her back down.
"Tarrion punched you. I told you he was trouble." It all came back to me. I started hitting Dimitri. It didn't seem to help. I was bawling my eyes out.
"Tarrion has helped me so much! Maybe not with survival, but emotionally. Now im twice as scared of guys! Because of both of you!" He looked ticked.
"Dominique you don't mean that."

"Yes i did! You set it up! Let me go! Don't touch me!" I squirmed free from him and started running. I saw Wren and Tarrion, about to hang himself.
"What are you doing!" They both stared at me.
"domi... i-I'm sorry." My heart was racing as my head pounded.
"I hate you! Both of you! Stay away from me! Don't come after me!" I took off, i didn't know where i was going, but anywhere was better then here.

I ran passed the trees, until i was in another clearing. That's when my leg gave out. I sat there and sobbed, pulling out large handfuls of grass and pounding my fists on the ground. "I hate you all!" I heard rustling in the bushes, i stood carefully.
"Please just go away." Gemma came through the trees.
"Domi, are you alright?"

TARRION

I watched her run, tears pooling in my eyes. I finally let them run down my cheeks in thick streams. I watched the house in the distance, through the trees. I could hardly see it, but I could see the doorway. If Dimitri dared come out to look for her...

"Tar, don't jump! I'm begging you please don't jump!" Wren screached. She was almost to me. I needed to jump, I needed to go before she could stop me.

"Didn't you hear her? She hates me, and I'm just putting all of you in more danger." I stared at the ground for a moment. I hadn't realized how high up this was. It was the perfect spot to die.

Wren

"Didn't you hear her? She hates me, and I'm just putting all of you in more danger."

"In what danger?" I asked, looking up towards him. "How will killing yourself help protect us? Tar, please, just don't jump." I tried not to cry.

He was looking down, surveying the ground. I didn't know if he was even listening, but I continued. "Tar, listen.... it'll blow over. Please come down." My voice sounded very small to me.

GEMMA

"Please, just go away." sobbed Domi.

I wanted to just freak out. Tarrion wanted to jump, because of he none the less, and she was just sitting here, sobbing like there was no tomorrow. Did she even care?! Instead I calmed my self. "Domi, are you alright?"

"Do I look alright? I have got a guy ready to jump, kill himself even. Me, I did that. I made him want to do that." Domi said, still sobbing.

I was quickly at her side, "You can fix it! Only you can, tell him it's okay! He will listen to you if you ask him to come down. He really cares Domi, truly."

"I can't, I just can't. I wreck things I don't fix them. Tar won't come down, not even for me." said Domi.

That put me over the top, I lost it. "Do you even care? At all?" I shrieked, "Tarrion, our friend, wants to kill himself! You are just sitting here having your own little pity party. If you feel so sorry about your life why don't you go join Tarrion!" Domi started to cry all over again. "Oh my god Domi," I said, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean that." Ugh now I was crying. "I care about Tar, I care about you! I don't want anything to happen to either of you. Please, just help us get him down."

TARRION

I stared at the ground for a moment more. If I didn't jump, I would end up ticking off Dimitri again, and we all knew how well that went. If I did jump the others would probably never forgive me. Then again, if I was already dead, what did it matter?

"Tar, please!" Wren's voice sounded near tears.

What are you doing? You're only hurting her more. I thought. "If I do come down, I'm going to get beaten to a pulp. A bloody pulp." This was cowardice and I knew it, but it was better to die than to live a nightmare. Wasn't it?

"I won't let that happen. Please Tar? Even if it's just for me?" she begged.

I closed my eyes. "Cut me out of this then." If she wanted me to live so badly, I would. Just for her.

Wren

"Cut me out of this then."

In relief I climbed up the tree. I had done this a lot, and it brought back childhood memories, somehow. I pulled out my small worthless pocketknife and, wishing there was someway I would know he wouldn't fall, cut the rope.

He stumbled back onto the tree, to my relief, instead of falling to the ground.

TARRION

She cut me loose and I stumbled a bit, somehow managing to regain my balance. I followed Wren down the tree, landing on my bad leg. I winced and grabbed it. My injury hadn't been bugging me in weeks, it must have been all of the moving around.

"What's wrong?" Wren asked, alarmed.

I shook my head. "Just an old injury that left me scarred for life." I managed a weak smile. "Shall we go find Gemma and Domi?"

It was Wren's turn to shake her head. "I'll handle Domi, you can take Gemma back. If Dimitri's there, just completely ignore him. Okay?"

I nodded and we walked into the woods in the direction that Domi and Gemma had darted earlier.

"Wren, thanks. That was pretty stupid of me huh?" I felt embaressed. Had she not come I would have jumped. Sure, life would be so much easier for everybody, but being alive and knowing somebody cared felt good.

"What? You think I would let you jump? And yes, that was retarded." She was trying to be mad, but I knew better than that. She was thrilled despite her frown.

Gemma and Domi were still talking about coming and saving me as we walked through the trees and into a small clearing. "Tarrion!" Gemma shrieked, jumping to her feet.

I smiled, feeling rather embaressed. "Wren sorta saved my butt. I just couldn't believe what I had done..." I trailed off, gazing at the night sky. Another loud growl in the distance sent shivers down my spine. I doubted the wolves were the only thing we had to worry about out here.

Wren

"Wren sorta saved my butt. I just couldn't believe what I had done..."

"Don't count on it next time," I said, smiling. "I might just kill you myself for being so stupid."

I suddenly heard a growl and turned stiff. What was that? Wolves? Maybe...

TARRION

Another growl echoed through the trees. They were getting closer. "We'd better get back," I murmered. A twig snapped and we all jumped. "Yeah, getting back seems like I very good idea to me at the moment."

Nobody argued. I avoided looking at Domi at all costs as we started to walk back, jumping at every leaf blowing in the wind. There were a lot of them, considering we were in a forest. Another growl, but this one seemed to hide a low hiss. They were getting way too close. "Hurry," I encouraged.

"What is that? I've never heard anything like it," Gemma asked quietly.

"No idea. I'd really rather not find out." Wren shuddered and I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Personally I agree with my saviour. We're almost there." My leg was starting to throb again and I was forced to resort to limping. I had managed to hide it quite well up until now. Ah well, it wouldn't matter much anyways.

Wren

I looked worriedly at Tarrion. He was limping. The growling got closer. And suddenly, I could hear it right behind us.

"Freeze," Gemma whispered. "Don't move."

I closed my eyes tight. "What do we do?" I breathed.

"Do we need to fight it?" whispered Domi. "And if so, how?"

"The only way to find out is to turn around," Tarrion whispered.

*There, you can add in that beastly beast description, Ish. *

(((Yay!! ))))

We were all about to turn when the thing shrieked. We all covered our ears, inching closer together. I might be dieing tonight after all. I thought bitterly. Sure, as soon as somebody talks me out of suicide, we're mauled and devoured by some hungry beast.

"What do we do?" Domi squeeled.

I thought for a moment, there really was nothing to do. I was about to tell her that when something slithered in the bushes infront of me. We all froze, horrified as the thing stepped out to face us. It was covered from head to foot in shimmering purple scales and stood as high as a wolf and nearly twice as long. And that was excluding its massive tail. It stared at us with red eyes that blazed against its purple body with cat-like slits for pupils. It opened its mouth and shrieked at us again, reveiling two yellowing fangs from the roof of its mouth. Its long tail swayed dangerously behind it, a single spike protruding from the tip. It took a menacing step towards us, gripping the earth with curved claws.

"We're going to flippin' die," I muttered under my breath. No, no way. Not the girls. I had wanted to die only moments ago. It just wasn't fair. Oh, and I won't neglect to mention that this was all my fault for being a total moron and attempting suicide in the first place. "Don't move a muscle," I hissed through clenched teeth. This was not good. Not good at all.