//------------------------------// // Chapter 2, Hunter And The Hunted // Story: The Infinite Cycle- First Blood // by Temayes //------------------------------// She had her eyes closed, so she could not see you enter the room. Her hand gently moved up and down her exposed pussy. She was going to cum soon, you could tell. Then, when she almost climaxed, she opened her eyes. You didn’t know what to do and just stood there.. staring. The time you took staring straight into Katarina’s lush poison-green eyes may have easily been called an eternity. At last, you snapped out of it when someone screamed their lungs out. ‘’AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!’’ Katarina yelled. Finally realizing what is going on, you take the full view in before being kicked out of the room. ‘’Katarina? I- I.. I-‘’ You could say before being cut off. ‘’Why didn’t you knock on the door like any pegasus would?!’’ She shouted. ‘’I.. Just wasn’t expecting something like this..’’ This seemed to have calmed her down a bit, as she now opened the door and let you back in. ‘’I.. Er.. Well.. I’ll let it pass. For now.. just… don’t you ever dare forget to knock again!’’ She said. ‘’Don’t think I’ll forget… Don’t even think I’ll ever close an eye at night anymore if I see how furious you can get.’’ ‘’That’s….’’ she looked defeated. Got you now. You thought. ‘’Well…’’ ‘’You just better say you brought some breakfast!’’ She rapidly spouted out. ‘’Hell, that’s one thing I didn’t forget.’’ You unpacked the bags, revealing a large pack of daisy sandwiches and caramel apples. Katarina’s grin became wider and wider with each and every delicacy taken out of the bag. ‘’How did you know I like daisy sandwiches?’’ She said with a really big smile. ‘’I’ve known you for like, one day.’’ ‘’How could I know?’’ I replied with a grin. ‘’This is a good sign, my valiant unicorn.’’ ‘’I think I’m liking you already!’’ Whoa. She just forgot all about what happened when I entered the room… maybe taking those daisy sandwiches was indeed a good idea… You thought to yourself. ‘’Itadakimasu!’’ You said. ‘’What?’’ She looked at you as if you had just lit up a pool of water. ‘’It’s Japanese.’’ You said. ‘’It means thank you for the meal.’’ ‘’Oh.’’ She said. ‘’Well, I learned something new then.’’ Looking genuinely happy. ----------------------------- ‘’How did you…. Escape that last bandit last night?’’ You asked after a good breakfast. ‘’I..…’’ *clears throat* ‘’He ran.’’ She said. ‘’What?’’ You asked, surprised. ‘’Yes… well, that’s what happened. He just ran.’’ ‘’If you’re trying to lie, you aren’t very good at it...’’ Katarina seemed a little pissed off at this notice. ‘’Hey, can’t you believe a fellow pony on her word?’’ You looked down and rested your palm against your forehead. ‘’It just sounds unbelievable.’’ You said with a smirk. ‘’Believe what you will, or don’t let go.’’ ‘’It’s all up to you.’’ She said, as if quoting a poem. ‘’That sounds like music to my ears.’’ ‘’But okay, I won’t bother you with it anymore.’’ ‘’Much appreciated!’’ Katarina smiles. You quietly ate your caramel apples and daisy sandwiches, and the two of you lay down on the tavern bed. Full of a good breakfast. You looked at Katarina, and were greeted by the heartwarming sight of an astonishingly beautiful mare, peacefully sleeping by your side. It made you smile, and the irresistible urge to snuggle up next to her was getting even greater. You were close to doing it, until you realized something. Wait… What am I….? Thinking?! The thought crossed your mind. How the hell can I be thinking about something like this at… a time like this?! The thought panicked you. I’m a hunter. I’m immune to feelings. I have no emotions. I feel no remorse. I am not allowed to feel love for someone. I can’t allow myself to become weak! You jumped up from the bed, and swiftly sheathed your blade into your shoulder pack. You ran out the tavern as fast as your four hooves could take you. You needed to get away from her. Being with Katarina had made you drop your guard. What if she wanted to kill you? Your hunter’s instinct told you she wasn’t who you think she was. She was posing to be sweet and innocent on the outside, but you felt something dark was looming within. You eventually arrived at Marifgar’s city gates. It was still dawn, so you had time to train some more. You stormed out the gates and made your way to the forest. ----------------------------- A black pelted creature with what looked like a cloak, approached you on four legs as you were practicing in using your katana more efficiently. ‘’Who goes there?!’’ You shouted at the direction the beast was coming from. No response. It simply kept coming closer and closer, as in response you became more and more alert.The creature stood on two legs, and swung its cloak over its shoulder, revealing a giant creature that looked like a combination of a tiger and a bear. But with a giant piece of armor, metal claws and a strangely shaped blade. ‘’My name…’’ ‘’Is Rengar.’’ The creature said, in a calm, yet focused and deep voice. ‘’Ren…gar?’’ ‘’What… are you?’’ You asked, surprised. ‘’Something beyond your comprehension.’’ ‘’Weak creature.’’ You felt the rage burn up by this insult. You scrape the ground, visibly angered. ‘’Who do you think you are?!’’ ‘’One does not simply underestimate one of the Knights of the Blood Oath!’’ ‘’You dare call yourself a knight, weakling?’’ The disgusting creature looking you in the eyes. You could not hold the rage any longer. You charged toward the beast, lunging at him with your katana. ‘’Hopeless.’’ Rengar said. He took your katana by the blade with a single paw, and broke it. Afterwards throwing you to the ground with a single strike. ‘’This..’’ Rengar said. ‘’This is what makes me strong.’’ ‘’And what makes you weak.’’ Shocked, the gigantic hunter jumped on top of you, blade against your neck. Tears welled up in your once victorious looking face. ‘’This is all you can do?!’’ ‘’This is the challenge this weak land is supposed to bring me?!’’ The beast shouted. ‘’Go ahead, you weak piece of scum.’’ ‘’Cry as loud as you can, while I will eat your heart out!’’ Defeated. Overpowered. About to die. Without having changed anything. You felt utterly worthless. You felt as if the world wouldn’t have cared whether you had existed at all. As if ponykind had never accepted your existence. ‘’Rengar.’’ You said, depressed. ‘’I shall spare you your last words, weakling.’’ ‘’What is it?’’ Pressing his blade yet closer to your throat. ‘’I want to become strong.’’ ‘’Truly strong.’’ ‘’And I reckon…. You wouldn’t want to kill without a challenge, yes?’’ ‘’I think you and I are alike. Even though I am the weaker one.’’ You said. ‘’What are you saying, worm?’’ Rengar replied. ‘’Give yourself a challenge.’’ ‘’Make me stronger and fight me on equal footing!’’ ‘’Why should I?’’ ‘’Kills are to be made, not to be saved.’’ Rengar spouted out with gritted teeth. ‘’Because killing someone, or, something like me would not pose well on your honor.’’ ‘’What you say… It makes sense to me…’’ Rengar said, standing up. ‘’Are you saying you will help me?’’ you asked. Eyes wide open. ‘’No.’’ ‘’I will make you suffer, but leave you alive on a whim.’’ ----------------------------- The next thing you knew, was that you regained consciousness. You were still lying down flat on the forest floor, when you realized something was off. You felt.. lighter. Like the weight of the world was removed from your shoulders. You know you weren’t dead. Or… were you? You just didn’t know. It felt like you weighed nothing and all life was just an illusion. However, you saw something in the distance. It was… Blue. With red hair. You recognized the girl, that was the last one you had wanted to see you like this. But things got worse as she got closer, looked at you, and ran away. Screaming, no less. What the…? You stood up, and got back on your four hooves, and finally noticed what was off. You were bigger. MUCH bigger. Your legs now looked more like those of a manticore. Your mane had become longer. It had been a cutely colored rune-blue once. The wind had once blown through it, carrying it up and making it wavy… Now, it was black. As dark as night and black as shadow. Also.. You had wings, fitting your mane color. It must have looked terrifying. It had been no surprise that Katarina ran away screaming. You looked like a bloodthirsty abomination. You were looking around for your katana which you expected to be broken, but encountered a strangely shaped blade and metal claws instead. So this Rengar… left his weapons? You thought. That goddamned cat. You felt even more insulted at this discovery. You made your way back to town, getting many terrified gazes along the way. The town guard was even planning not to let you in, thinking you either might mean harm, or you could be a griffon spy. At the gates however, Swift the innkeeper was waiting. Recognizing you and asking the town guard if he could interrogate him.The town guard, believing the pegasus’ story, let you go with Swift. Under the idea you would be ‘interrogated’. The two of you quickly made your way back to the inn, and stormed into Swift’s back chamber that he used for keeping supplies and the like. ‘’Honestly..’’ ‘’You look like hammered shit!’’ Swift said. ‘’Pfft. Tell me about it.’’ You replied, in a voice that didn’t sound like your own. ‘’What happened to you, mare?’’ ‘’Who did this to you?’’ ‘’I was… running away from something I didn’t want to do.’’ ‘’And went to the forest.’’ ‘’And then?’’ ‘’I met a hunter.’’ ’’A strange looking beast, standing on two legs..’’ ‘’He couldn’t have been from this world..’’ You said as you tried to remember what it looked like. You could barely remember his name. ‘’His name was… I don’t know.’’ ‘’Rengar?’’ ‘’He struck me down in a single hit… And I..’’ ‘’Next thing I knew, I woke up.’’ ‘’That sounds fucked up..’’ Swift said, shaking his head in disagreement. ‘’Right…’’ ‘’But is that girl still here?’’ You quickly asked. ‘’You mean the red-maned one?’’ he said. ‘’Yeah.’’ ‘’You just missed her. She ran out the door about an hour ago.’’ ‘’Listen, Swift, I think she saw me in the forest.. but she ran away. Screaming.’’ ‘’No wonder why, my old friend. No wonder why.’’ You smiled at your friend. Always the same smart-ass remarks, just like you knew him. ‘’Get some rest. You’ve been screwed enough for today.’’ ‘ ’Yes sir.’’ You quietly slipped past the crowd in the inn’s main hall, avoiding being seen and getting a whole mess started. You found the door to your regular room on your left hand side and went through it. No one there. You dropped down on the bed, and closed your eyes. You were done with this day. Shit got worse enough as it is. ----------------------------- The next morning, you encountered Bjinx in the hallway.