Red on White

The cold touches of the frozen winter persuaded the leaves of the silvery trees to turn fiery gold, its cold breeze caressed the Palkyrie sitting on a tall tree branch. The drying leaves rattled and fell one by one, onto the snowy field, and on the beast strolling between the tree trunks. With all the songbirds either hiding in their warm nest or fleeing to warmer skies, the late fall world was a silent world.

And that was how the Palkyrie preferred it. A world without distraction.

The green eyes drifted downward. The beast had unknowingly strayed beneath the hunter, its sharp claws snatching the bait left by the roots of the tree. With daylight growing shorter and shorter, predators spent most of their days hunting down their prey for their own survival. Of course, the predators themselves could easily become prey at the hands of other predators.

Taking a deep breath, the Palkyrie's body slowly woke up from its trance. The muscle twitched gently, and the gloved hands clutched the long weapon tight. Twice as long as its user, the sharp blade at its tip had its glimmer hidden by a smear of strange fluid. There was no doubt that it would be cleaned by blood before the sun slumbered; with any luck, it would be from the beast instead of the hunter.

Tasting the serene air one last time, the hunter's senses sharpened, focusing the mind on the only two things in this world that mattered - the predator, and the prey. With a gentle push from the clutched tail, the Palkyrie's lithe body drifted sideways, the center of gravity staying from the tree branch before the clothed body turned around the branch, and fell off. Cold air breezed across the smooth, cool skin, and the viridian forest rushed across from both sides. It felt almost as if the hunter was a bird of prey, soaring across the dark woods.

None of them mattered, though, and the hunter's sharp eyes locked onto the beast, the faint sound of something piercing through the air turning its head slowly upward. It was too late, though, as the cold tip of the pole arm was already locked onto its target.

A loud, bloody cry broke the silence in the woods. Powered by the long fall, the blade of the sword pushed into the hardened hide of the beast, smearing its fur with blood gushing out from the groove. As inertia pushed the small hunter's body down the shaft, the short limbs held onto the long grip, and a strong twist redirected the momentum into a circle. The Palkyrie's body followed the trajectory and spun around the pole, almost as if it was a dance.

When the hunter reached the zenith, the extended tail released its grip. It let loose a small shelled egg and allowed it to follow the arc onto the hind back of the beast. The sheer force was enough to shatter the egg, plastering the fluid injected into it onto the fur. From it spread a sense of irritation alongside the dulling pain and other senses for the beast, but beyond its senses, it also drew the attention of a hidden enemy.

The long tail shifted the center of gravity from the pole, causing it to turn aside as the blade carved its way through the collar of the beast. With another twist from the toned arms, the hunter's folded legs pointed towards the screaming beast. Conjuring every ounce of strength, the Palkyrie kicked against the monster, pulling the blade away as the body soared across the iron-scented air.

The tip of the tail was the first part of the hunter's body to land on the snow. However, the tail quickly kicked off from the ground, pushing the Palkyrie away just in time to witness the sharp claw smashing down before the green eyes, scattering the powdery snow around. With a few more hops, the hunter finally landed at a safe distance from the provoked beast. Its agitated scream shook the snow off the trees, but it did not matter. The green eyes carefully glanced aside, and a smile appeared on the predator's face as the bitterbug landed on the hind smear and dug its needle-like mouth in. The small tinge of pain was perfectly drowned out by the pain and numbness from the gaping wound, and the hunter was enough of a distraction for the beast.

A smile emerged on the hunter's face.

The hunt had begun.