Hunting the Hunter Ch. 01

Prologue

Date: October 22, 2004 - Friday

Time: 8: 45 pm AST

Location: Stevens International Airport – Anchorage Alaska

Xander Zver arrived on flight 408 from Moscow Russia and walked into the airport through the service tunnel. When he came out of the walkway past the security guard station, he expected to see his parents, or maybe his Aunt Abigail waiting for him, but no one was there. He would have been happy to see his cousin Michael show up, even if it meant having to listen to him talk about some girl that he was trying to mount like a rabid dog. But alas, there was no one there.

It was fine; he had money for a cab. He headed down the escalators to the baggage claim. He saw his blue and white duffel, picked it up and headed out of the exit, spotted a cab and got into the passenger seat in the back. "7010 Fergus Circle," He said to the driver and then leaned back and pulled his CD player out of his backpack.

Xander was 6'4" and weighed about 220. His hair was light blonde, almost white in color, and spiked on his head. He had what his mom called a runners body. Well defined six pack, toned arm and leg muscles and a friendly smile made it so that Xander was a handsome young man of 18. He had just returned from spending a year in Siberia with his mother's side of the family. They lived on the Kuok Plateau, and at first, he had not wanted to go, but since he had gone through the change at 16, he had no choice. The law of the family stated that all new cubs had to go to their family's homeland for year to understand what they were, and what Xander was a were-tiger, a Khan.

Xander rode, listening to his music and watching the road. It was not that busy for a Friday evening and he made good time as the cab drove through town and headed down the highway to his part of town. He looked around as he rode, and from what he could tell, not much had changed in the little over a year he had been gone. He was tempted to call his girlfriend and let her know he was back in town, but chances were that she was out with her girlfriends, and would not hear her cell ring. He decided he would call her tomorrow, in the morning, when he knew she would be home.

The cab pulled off the highway and took the roads to his house. They pulled into his neighborhood and started winding down the streets. He looked around and saw that the McDowell's were already putting up Christmas lights, he laughed softly to himself. They drove a little further and he saw the Keulper's Golden Retriever running around the yard behind their fence. As they rounded the last corner, he was glad that he would be home in less than 30 seconds; he could almost feel his bed calling his name. They rounded the corner, and the cabbie slammed on the brakes in shock, his house was on fire!

It took a moment for his brain to compensate for what he was seeing, but when he did, he jumped out of the car and headed up the front stairs to the door. As he was running up the stairs he could see his Aunt at the bottom window pounding on it and trying to get out, but the glass would not break. He could hear her screams, and see that her shirt was on fire. He reached the door and went for the handle, but it burned his skin, he jerked his hand back. He stepped back and kicked at the door, it would not budge. He looked down and he saw smoke coming from under the door, and then suck back in and then nothing. He knew that meant something, but the logical part of his mind was shut down, he had to save those people.

He turned back to the door and shifted to Sabro (Roughly resembles a human, but has too many bestial features on it to be one.), and then spun and mule kicked the front door. It broke from its frame, but then an explosion sent the door back at Xander and flung him across the street. He landed on the front yard of the James' place and then the door hit him. He had just enough sense to switch back to his human form before the world went black around him.

Date: September 10 2012 – Monday

Time: 7: 53 pm EST

Location: Tlv da tsi Tribal Grounds, Appalachian Mountains North Carolina

Trisha moved through the forest trying not to make a sound. The look of fear on her parents face when they had awoken her and urged her to hide in the woods was all her sleep starved mind needed to get out of their lodging. She was dressed in a short belly shirt, shorts made of rabbit hide and a pair of brown leather moccasins. As she ran she could hear the screams of people behind her. She stopped to look and could see her village was on fire.

"I have to try and help. I can't just stand here gawking while the village burns down." She thought to herself. She ran out of the woods, slipped through a burning building, and looked for anyone that needed help getting out. She ducked out of view of two men with guns. The cracking of boards above her head shifts her gaze upwards. The support structure of the building that she was in was about to give way, so she lunged out of the building moments before it came tumbling down.

She felt the impact of the bullet as she rolled to her feet. She grabbed her side and shuffled into the nearest house, also on fire and leaned against a wall to get her bearings. She reached down to her hip and saw the ever increasing blood circle there. Then she sensed them, humans. She could smell their excitement mixed with sweat and gunpowder. She looked up just as the first one entered the home.

"Too bad they are nothing but animals; this one is kind of cute." One of the men hissed as they raised their guns aiming at her. The smoke in the house she was in made her cough. Cracking came as her eyes shot up towards the roof. A scream rang from her throat as the roof and the walls of the house caved in on her. The men sneered and fired shots, not aiming at her but in the chaos that was around her. Some of the shots dug into her flesh.

Chapter 1

Date: September 10 2012

Time: 8: 03 pm EST

Location: Near the Tlv da tsi Tribal Grounds, Appalachian Mountains North Carolina

Xander drove his yellow and black modified 99 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec through the bends of the Appalachian Mountains. It was night, and he had his lights off. He did not need them to see. He looked down at his clothes for a second. He was wearing a pair of Roc-a-Wear Jeans, Nike LeBron's, a Washington Redskins Jersey with 72 on it and a leather jacket. His eyes glowed a soft green and he could see as clear as day, that and his reflexes made him one of the safest drivers on the road. As he drove with the window down, taking in all the smells, he thought about what brought him here.

There were flashes of people burning, screaming out in pain. There were children crying out for their mothers and no one coming to save their lives. He could remember trying to open that door and the pain that had caused. He glanced down at his right palm, there were no scars, and they had long since healed. He remembered flashes of the door exploding out at him as he had just kicked it in. He could remember a man's face right before he lost consciousness, the man who was responsible for the death of his family.

He remembered the lawyer that told him that there were wills on the family and insurance on the house. The net total came to just over $4,700,000.00. He was so distraught at the time that he did not care about the money. It had taken several months for him to get over his grief enough to start planning. He invested his money, keeping just enough out to live on. He started doing research on the man he had seen that night.

Clues were hard to find, but they were there. Subtle smells, receipts of the gas stations they stopped at, video files of them getting gas and buying food. He was patient, and it took time. After several years, he found them, and a few killings later, he learned of Maxwell. He learned that he was in the South East, and Xander knew about where.

As he thought of this, he could feel the rage well up in his chest like fire. There would be vengeance for this atrocity. He drove on, letting the sounds and smells of nature wash over him and calm the rage he felt. Then there was a new smell, something was burning. As he drove on, he could tell it was a big fire that was burning. It was too late in the season for random forest fires. He knew there was not enough dry wood around for someone to cause it. No, it was something else that was burning. He shifted into Sabro and followed the smell. It lead to a dirt road with a sign that read 'Tlv da tsi Tribal Grounds ', he took it. As he drove, the smell kept getting stronger and stronger.

Then he smelled it, the smell of burning flesh, of homes and property turning to ash. He could smell the hunters also. The oil from their guns and the gasoline they used to start the fires. He knew that smell all too well. He had smelled this combination of smells over 30 different states, and always at the end of some family's life. He pulled his car to the side of the trail and got out. He shut his door and ran to the edge of a clearing. As he got there, the smell of death washed over him like acidic rain. He could see that there were three hunters standing before a collapsed building where they had discharged their guns and rifles into the wood; they had just finished killing another person. As far as Xander could tell, nothing lived. Animals, people, and buildings strewn burned across the land. The sight of the hunters smile triggered his thirst for vengeance, and Xander did not fight it off this time.

He ran at one of the hunters and tackled him from behind. As they fell to the ground, startling the other two hunters, Xander shifted to his Crynas (The "War-Form", which is a terrifying hybrid of both human and cat with superior strength) form. The additional weight of this form on the hunter he landed on cracked his back and knocked the wind out of him.

Xander crouched, claws out, and roared at the remaining two hunters. One pulled a gun out and shot at Xander. The bullets passed by his left ear, missing him completely. The other one pulled out his gun and fired. He did not even come close. Xander lunged at the first shooter with claws out and got him across the stomach. He fell, dropping his gun, as he tried to keep his guts from falling out of the hole Xander just carved into his flesh. Xander turned to the second hunter, and saw the look of fear in his eyes, good.

He leapt at him with his claws and tripped on the first hunter he incapacitated at the beginning. He stumbled and rolled and came up in a crouching position next to the second hunter, who was pointing his gun right at Xander's head. He pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Xander in the head, but he didn't feel it. It dropped from his forehead as his body rejected it. The hunter stood there with wide-eyed amazement. Xander scraped his claws against the cement on the ground and brought his claws up. He caught some of the hunter's clothes as he dodged to the side to avoid the claws. Nice moves, Xander thought to himself as he stood up. Xander saw movement to his side and looked. The first shooter was barely standing. One hand at his belly with blood and guts oozing through his fingers and the other hand had his gun raised at Xander, he fired. The bullets hit Xander in the shoulder and were also rejected by his body, falling to the ground like the previous bullet. Xander stepped toward him and tore the man in half.

As the 2 halves lay on the ground spilling their contents all over the blood soaked cement he turned and swiped at the second gunman, who stepped sideways and watched the claw pass him barely. In one smooth motion while dodging he brought his gun to bear and fired again, but nothing happened, the gun jammed. Xander saw his opportunity and took it. He clawed the man across his jugular and watched as he tried to stop the bleeding, while he ensanguined through his hands and fell to the ground dead. Xander turned to the man he had tackled and knocked the wind out of, he was breathing now, but he was unconscious. As he stepped toward him he turned back to his human form. His clothes unfolded from his body and he started to pick up the man when he heard a sound coming from under a pile of smoldering wood.

He walked over to it cautiously and looked under the charred wood. There lay the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was obviously mixed with Native American and Caucasian because she had their cheek bones and long red hair. He reached down and felt her pulse, it was strong. Good, he thought, she is just unconscious. He picked her up gently and walked her to the edge of the opening. He put her down gently on some soft moss and tuned back to the hunter that was left alive. As he neared the hunter, the man stirred. Xander kicked him over onto his back and kneeled next to him.

"Where is Maxwell?" Xander asked the man.

"Why should I tell you?" The man asked, trying to sound brave. The look in eyes told a different story.

"Why do you think?" Xander asked as he nodded his head to the corpses of his companions lying near him. The man looked, and then turned to his side and puked.

"He was here, but he left yesterday. He said he was going to Salisbury to find an Omega that was spotted in the area." The man said as he wiped bile from his mouth.

"Good." Xander said as he stood up. He turned to his Crynas form and stepped on the man's neck, crushing it. Xander shifted back to human and turned back to the girl, she was still out. He picked her up and took her back to his car. He put her in the passenger seat and buckled her in. He could tell she was like him, a Bastet, but he wasn't sure what breed. He knew that any damage she had, her body was healing it now. He started the car and turned around. When he hit the main road he turned toward Salisbury and sped up, his lights were still not on.

A soft cough and groan came from the girl. Her brow furrowed as the last bit of pain left her body. As she breathed she could feel a bullet from her shoulder slide out. She begins to cough and as she does some shrapnel dislodges itself from her throat allowing her to breathe easier. She attempted to open her eyes but couldn't make out any details so she shut them again. She could smell blood and a feline musk. As she calmed herself she could hear the engine of the vehicle she was in and feel the road under the tires. She opens her eyes, blinks away the fog and turns toward Xander.

"We have to go back. We have to see if anyone survived. The hunters have to be stopped. Turn around." She says looking at him.

"I didn't see any signs that anyone survived but you. As for the hunters, they shared the same fate as the people back there." He said while staring at the road in front of the car. "I am going after their leader; he is a guy by the name of Maxwell. One of the dead hunters told me is in the city of Salisbury. He has a bit of a head start on me, but I will catch him." While he was saying this he pulled his car to the side of the road and looked at her in her eyes. His eyes glowed a soft green. "In life, you don't get many choices that matter, but here's one. You can get out of my car and go back to your home, bury your dead, and wonder for the rest of your life what you could have done so that their souls could rest better in the afterlife. Or, you can go with me to Salisbury, hunt that sociopathic asshole down and make sure that he and his kind never do this to anyone ever again. The choice is yours, but you only have 5 seconds to make it." He said looking deep into her eyes.

"Is Maxwell one of those monsters that came to my village and killed my family and people?" She asked as tears formed on the corner of her eyes. She could see the burning bodies and her heart tearing to bits as the tears were coming now. She turned her face away from him as the tears run down her cheeks. She wipes at the tears trying not to let him see her cry.

"Yes." He responds softly. Even though in her heart she had been taught that vengeance wasn't the way of things but with the faces of her family and people flashing before her mind her heart was leaning more towards that option.

"I want to stay. When he is dead and all the others that had come to my village are dead then I want to go back and bury the dead. Will you take me back after this is all said and done?" She asks brushing away a stray tear and looking into his eyes. He nods his head and puts the car in gear and heads towards Salisbury.

She pushes a strand of hair out of her face and pulls down the visor to see what she looks like. 'We never did anything to deserve this. Why did they have to come to my village? What did we have that those monsters want so damn badly to burn my home to the ground?' She thought to herself.

"My name is Trisha Shift Paws. Yeah, it sounds funny." She tried to giggle but it causes her chest to hurt.

"My name is Xander Zver." He replies. His eyes flick towards her every now and then but he doesn't say a word. She sits back in the seat and pushes up the visor and looks out the window. She sat there wondering what she could have done differently. After a little while she glances over at Xander.

"What did he do to you, if you don't mind me asking?" She asked gently.

"I was a normal teenager. I had friends, a girlfriend, was a starter on Varsity, you know the normal stuff. Then one day I find out about the gift, and the fact that I am not like normal kids that I go to school with. That's fine, I take it in stride. I spend a year with some family that I never knew existed in Siberia and learned about what I am and the responsibilities and dangers that go with it." He said while continuing down the road.

"The day I get home seemed normal, except no one was there to meet me at the airport, but it was cool, I grabbed a cab. I got home, and see that my house is on fire and I can hear my family screaming. Went to open the front door and the next thing I know, I am waking up in a hospital and the doctors are telling me my whole family is dead. They said the fire department reported it as a buildup of gas, that the pilot light went out on the furnace and filled the home. No one inside would have noticed because they were all sleep." He continued telling the story. While he was talking he was slowly but steadily pushing his foot down on the accelerator. Trisha glanced at the speedometer and could see they were doing 80 mph and climbing.

"The problem was we never had a gas furnace in the house. My dad didn't like natural gas, he preferred electric. He would have never switched it. So I went back to the home. That's where I met Maxwell. He came back to admire his handy work. He was surprised to see me alive, and he would have rectified that if the Fire Marshal hadn't decided to come by and make sure of his findings. I ran."

"I inherited about 4.7 million from my parents Will and sold my car and bought this car, which was 6 months ago. I have been hunting him ever since." He returned the car to the posted speed limit and kept driving. Trisha could see the slightest reflection as a tear rolled down his face.

They continued on in silence. About 30 minutes later they hit the highway. While they were driving, Xander saw a sign that said vacancy and glanced at the clock, it was 2: 30 in the morning. He took the next exit and pulled into the single level motel.

"Wait here and I will get us a room." He got out of the car and went to the motel office. While he was gone Trisha leaned back and just soaked in everything that had happened in the past few hours. 10 minutes later Xander walked out and came to the car. He opened up the trunk as Trisha was getting out of the car. He pulled a duffel bag out and slung it over his shoulder. He walked over to a door marked 22 and opened it. Inside were 2 queen beds, a television, and a bathroom. Xander threw his duffel on the bed closest to the door and reached up to the thermostat on the wall and turned it to 40 degrees.