The Warrior's Fate/C4 Chapter 4
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The Warrior's Fate/C4 Chapter 4
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C4 Chapter 4

The bear passed Adda easily. Of course, she was still standing there, staring stupidly, so it was no surprise really. The scent that followed him was definitely Shifter, though, not the strong sour musk of an actual bear, and, if she wasn't mistaken, he was rogue, as well. The same Shifter whose bed she had awoken in.

Huh.

He turned, the wide mass of his head glancing back over his shoulder to where Adda stood, gaping. He tossed his snout, clearly commanding that she follow. Behind them, as if orchestrated in timing, the woman's voice broke through the trees, barking commands.

Follow. Yes, that seemed like the best option for now. Perhaps the only option. She pushed herself forward, dashing in and out of the wide trail the bear left, attempting to come alongside him. She needed a better look at this occurrence...a great beast, like the heroes of old. And here she had thought them only children's stories.

After assuring her compliance, the bear faced forward and ran once more, not giving her another glance.

She tried not to feel a little put out that her obedience was taken for granted in such a way, but such thoughts soon left her mind. She learned two new things very quickly: one, that exhaustion had definitely taken its toll on her abilities, she wasn't able to maintain anywhere near her normal speed; and, two, bears were fast.

Forget coming alongside the Shifter, she struggled to stay behind him. The same branches and roots that tangled in her fur and tripped her paws had little effect on him; what he didn't burst through with raw power, he easily avoided.

Alternatively, she seemed to trip over nothing at all. Eventually, she discovered that if she stayed as close to his back end as possible, followed in the wake of his passing, many of her obstacles were misplaced, or destroyed, and only the rare solid root or branch presented itself for her to dodge around.

The shadows beneath the trees crowded together, creating a solid mass of darkness, with slightly lighter areas dappled throughout. Adda's eyes, well attuned as they were, were nearly useless. She found herself, instead, relying more on scent and instinct to guide her.

For a massive creature, the bear-Shifter was amazingly quiet, too. Not silent—a nearby Quatori would hone in on his noise without problem—but, she hoped, quiet enough that the pack couldn't follow them through noise alone. Of course, the pack probably had a tracker or two; they certainly found her easily enough the first time.

The dismal thought kept playing in her mind, a repetitive hoop of doom and despair. How would she ever complete her task with an entire pack hunting her? Wasn't it bad enough she was looking for something she wasn't even sure existed?

They ran for a long time, hours maybe. The pads of her feet became numb, though she suspected one was bleeding, leaving a nice strong scent for her pursuers. She might have taken a bright paint and left a trail of arrows for all the good running was doing her.

The first hints of dawn peeked along the eastern horizon, a paling of the otherwise monochromatic skyline. In the distance, frogs still croaked, and the buzzing of nearby insects was joined by the first tentative notes of birdsong.

Ahead of her, the rustle of brush came nearer and she caught a glimpse of furred lumbering backside. She wasn't sure what the bear-Shifter had in mind, but she happened to be grateful they were no longer running like their tails were on fire.

'It is unwise to follow this beast any longer; it would be better for you to run now.'

Nex had been silent for the duration of the hard work, so it startled her when he spoke. She yelped slightly and leapt sideways, nearly skinning her side against a tangle of thorny vines that were contentedly choking off the remaining life of a suffering tree trunk.

'Where?' Adda scrambled back to the path. 'I can't even see where I am going. I think I'll stick with him for a bit. He did protect me, after all.'

'Only because he believes you are innocent.'

'I am innocent.'

'You really believe he'll think that when he finds out the truth?'

'Yes?'

Though silence ensued, she could feel Nex's incredulity.

'If you didn't want someone who believes in optimism, you should have inhabited someone else.'

'If I had, you would be dead. Where's the optimism in that?...foolish notion.'

She grunted at herself. She was far too tired for arguments with a demon in her head, a demon that was turning out to be far more articulate and less vicious, at least vocally, than she had expected. And at the moment, such an unusual turn was less than comforting, and took up far too much of her awareness.

Fur flashed in front of her face.

She skidded to a halt just in time to avoid the embarrassment of smashing into the Shifter's backside. It wasn't enough to save her from what came next though.

Slowly, taught sun-browned skin replaced fur. Well-sculpted hips and thighs appeared in place of the bear's hind quarters as the man stood upright. Great Six.

That had to be the sexiest ass she had ever seen. She stared, unable to help herself. Such perfection. A backside like that was worth following, even to one's doom. Given the way his thigh muscles melded into the perfect round lobes, she would guess that he'd have no trouble keeping up sustained use of the area.

'Disgusting. A little consideration for other presences please.'

'That's easy to fix, get out of my head,' Adda countered, but she stopped staring at the Shifter's behind. Mostly because he turned toward her and her attention caught on his other glaring attributes.

Odd that a Quatori could make such a disgusted sound directly into her thoughts.

“We will rest there.”

There was a smokey quality to his voice that pulled funny little strings on her insides, like fingers on an instrument. She forced her gaze higher, across an incredibly broad chest, with tree trunks for arms. Even his neck was thick, but fortunately proportionate. Shaggy gray and tawny brown hair dangled just above his shoulders, brushing against a firm jaw stubbled with at least a week's growth. Wide, sensitive looking lips sat amid the stubble, and, though it was taboo, she followed the line of his cheek until she met his gaze.

Wide eyes blinked back at her, a mixture of green and brown that suited his wild appearance. Like a beast, barely tamed. Intelligence shone in them, too, and, after a moments regard, a single tawny brow raised in question.

Gods save her.

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