Ulrika's Defintion of "The End"

"That's it," Suke said, shaking her feathered hair back and forth and plucking out broken and ripped feathers.

"That's not it," Ulrika replied. She winced as Gisil and Sypha fretted over a wound still oozing crimson laced with ink on her side. It had been bleeding since the battle, despite Sypha's magicks and herbs.

"Have you gone mad?" Suke said, opening her black eyes wide. She spat out a bit a blood, then gestured around to all the wounded that surrounded them in this haven of a forest glade. Trees were shifting occasionally, walking on their roots in patrols. Bear stood stoic over Ulrika's injured form, watching every movement of the two trying to heal and stabilize her.

"Everyone is injured," Suke continued, "everyone is hurt. No one wants to fight anymore."

"If it's one thing I know--" Ulrika said. She interrupted her heated tone to let out sharp cry of pain. Sypha had just poured another herbal remedy into the wound. The inky color seemed to let out smoke, and there was a distinct hissing sound. "I-I know that good always wins."

Gisil paused, turning his head to gaze into Ulrika's pain filled face and eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but Suke beat him to it, laughing coldly.

"This is not some child's story! The good guys don't always win. Most of the time, it's the bad guys. This time, it's the bad guys. The bad guys win, Ulrika. There's nothing you can do about it. This is reality, and this is the end."

Ulrika grinned. It looked more like she was baring her blood-reddened teeth than an actual grin. The inky-blackness in her blood returned, and Sypha let out a wail of frustration.

"If the bad guys are winning, if they have won," Ulrika said. She inhaled deeply, and let her head rest back down against Gisil's thigh as he supported her on her side. "Then it's not the end yet."

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Dierdre's Discovery

Sun. It's bright. It hurts my eyes at first but I love it. It makes me warm all over, all together. All of me, it feels like...

I do not know the word. I've never had one, so I forgot it. It's somewhere between the tanks of my family.

But! But that's not the best part. Cainus gave me a ball, and he said to eat it. It was red. It's blood was so sweet. The flesh was firm against my teeth and so it needed biting. It was biteable.

Then the things came. The looked like Papa but... but... their smiles were not cold, they were dark. The sun's light made their long teeth glitter and the sun was brighter because of the writhing dark in their smiles. My stomach trembled.

Cainus fought, and after he killed I fought too and it was easy. I felt good. But it was not fun. It hurt, they were angry like Papa was angry and I had to break them so the anger came out with their blood.

Then the Gisil came. He's bigger than Papa was, and when he smiles his eyes close and his cheeks have dents in them. He looks at me soft and likes to play with my horns and it's weird but okay. Then he picks me up and gives me what he calls a hug and I laugh and feel warm all over. He's like a Papa-Sun.

He has a Cainus too, but he is called Freykis and they know each other. Freykis can't see but he knows and the first thing he did was give me a bath with his tongue and I still don't know if I liked it or not. Clean is good. So it was worth it.

Freykis is worried like Cainus worries. Gisil tells me not to worry but his mouth and eyes and cheeks are sad when he looks at his bow and then at my claws.

Sad is not good. I won't make him sad.

So I do not worry.

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Gisil's Resolution

It's just a little kid.

No, seriously. Sure she's got some strange bits - like horns - but from what I'm looking at she's just a little girl with big diamond-like eyes. Actually, she looks a lot like her hunting-hound. So she's a Hunter. A Hunter with eyes that reflect the world she looks at.

That's good. By the way Freykis was reacting I thought I was coming after a Killer - I didn't think children could be Killers.

She's pretty cute though, except when she starts gnawing on my bracer. Still, if ever there was a kid who loved hugs, she's it. It takes Cainus grabbing her by the nape like a pup to get her to release. Not that I mind - being a Hunter is pretty lonely at times. Towns don't really get the difference between us and them. The girl would only freak them out even more, they wouldn't be able to distinguish her from a Killer.

I'll keep her with me. Freykis is still scenting something wrong, and if the girl is a Hunter then she'll be able to help. I can't say that reassures me much though - I can't swallow the idea of putting her against the Killers. She should be playing all day, until it's time for her mum to put her to bed.

What happened to her parents anyway? When I asked her she went very quiet and stared off into the middle distance, running mentally from the question until I changed the subject.

I guess now isn't really the best time for having kids anyway - not with whatever is coming. Freykis just insists we hunt more determinedly. The Killers' numbers have been growing out of control.

I guess Dierdre doesn't have a choice. Her play will have to be the Hunt.

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Gisil's Hunt

I'm a Hunter. I have a monster-hound who is blind. He's still the best, and he will be at my side until I die. I asked him once what he will do when I die – he was quiet for a long time.

We stay away from people because they aren't very comfortable with neither me nor Freykis. It's fine. I can't say I wouldn't act the same if the hound hadn't found me as a child.

There are monsters that will kill on sight. Some of them are human. They're called Killers, easy to remember huh? I was caught by a bunch of Killers, then Freykis appeared as if forming from the shadows themselves. I never understood why Freykis saved me, and he refuses to talk about it.

I guess he just liked my smell. When we sleep he stuffs his giant head under my cloak and groans whenever I move.

There's been something strange spreading through the forest and I know Freykis can feel it, but hasn't commented on it. Weird because other than particular personal questions, the hound is a critic of everything. I often have to grab one of his massive horns and yank his head to the side to quiet him down. Oddly enough the only thing he does not criticize are children. I think he has a fondness for them, or he just really wants pups.

Freykis stops, and lifts his head to the sky and inhales deeply through his nose. I watch a ripple travel through his fur as he shudders. A scar on my back aches. It is from Freykis stepping on me during my childhood rescue – his lethal claws had easily scraped into my soft flesh by mistake.

Just as I wonder what Freykis is scenting, he turns to me and shakes his head. The ache grows worse. I tell him my scar hurts, and he closes his eyes as if I just confirmed some inner dread. He tells me we have a new Hunt, and that we have to move fast.

Our actions will speak to either salvation, or the ruination of everything.

Freykis tells me that when I die he will sleep on my grave until I find him again.

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