Page 8 of Heart of the Hunted
CHAPTER THREE
Taredd
Taredd wasn't surprised to find that Arun had left early the next morning. For someone who wanted time off, he was awfully eager to get going with the hunt. Taredd wondered if there was more to it than Arun just wanting to win a bet, but he wasn’t about to pry into Arun’s private life. Arun was welcome to his secrets. He knew if he ever needed them, Taredd and Dain would be there, no matter what.
Dain was more than likely still fast asleep at this hour. He probably only turned in an hour or so ago, so it'll be closer to lunch time before he finally crawled out of his pit. Either way, it didn't matter to Taredd. Neither he nor Arun would accept any help from the Shapeshifter. After all, that would be cheating.
Taredd packed up his few belongings, then headed out. The sooner he found a Human, the sooner the bet would be over with and they could all get back to work. Yes, technically he was still working, but they were much more efficient when they were all on the same team, working together rather than against each other.
Stepping outside, Taredd took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. This was the best time of day to start a hunt. Humans seemed to think they had nothing to worry about in the day, especially first thing in the morning. They thought it was more dangerous at night, so they let their guard down in the day. Which was a huge mistake on their part. In fact, it was more dangerous during the day. Taredd wasn't about to enlighten them to the fact though, because it made his job a hell of a lot easier.
Without a destination in mind, Taredd decided to head north. He didn't know why he picked that direction, as it wasn't very popular with the Humans because of the colder climates. Only a few had been caught up there over the last ten or so years. But for some reason, Taredd had a feeling it was the right place to begin his search.
The cold weather didn't bother him. Like many of the other species, he could regulate his body temperature using magic. The Shapeshifters were the only kind unable to do that, but then they could transform into an animal that could withstand the cold so they didn't need the ability.
The weather wasn't all that great where he was at the moment either. It was prone to rain an awful lot, and the wind could pick up without a moment’s notice. But a couple of miles up the road, it was even worse. At this time of the year it snowed regularly.
The mountains didn't help either. More often than not they were covered with snow, just like they were today. From where Taredd had been staying, to travel north meant he would have to pass through the mountains first.
This is where it would be handy to transform into another creature, but unfortunately his kind couldn't transform into anything else like some of the other species could. If he had possessed that ability, he would have turned into a bird and covered the distance in a third of the time. But since he couldn't, he was stuck with walking on two legs. At least he was faster on his feet than Arun.
Taredd wondered how Arun was getting on with his search. Which direction had he taken? Knowing Arun, he was more than likely heading back down south. Even though he could regulate his temperature the same as Taredd, he still preferred the warmer climates. So Taredd wouldn't put it passed him to head in that direction. Whether or not he came across any Humans was a different matter.
Before they came to the little village at the bottom of the mountains, they had been searching the south. There weren't many Humans left down there now. The few that were left were becoming increasingly harder to find, which was why they had travelled this way in the first place.
Taredd didn't care where Arun was going. If he was heading back down south, then good luck to him. It wasn't going to be easy for either of them anyway. So north or south, they both stood the same chance in winning the bet.
It didn't take long for Taredd to reach the beginning of the pass that would take him through the mountains. It should only take him a couple of days to reach the other side of the mountains from here. Taredd planned on walking through the night as well, so he could save time instead of wasting it.
Being a Demon had many perks, being able to see clearly in the dark was definitely one of the best. That, along with being able to regulate his body temperature, meant it was going to be more like a walk in the park instead of a freezing cold mountain pass.
"Are you following me?"
Taredd jumped at the sound of Arun's voice behind him.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Taredd asked him. "I thought you had gone south again."
"I was thinking about it, but then I thought I would try my luck in the north instead," Arun said. "I take it you thought the same thing?"
"Yeah."
"Well, since we're heading in the same direction,” Arun said. “We might as well walk together."
"What? Then split up on the other side of the mountains?" Taredd asked.
"Might as well,” Arun said. “Unless you think you're going to find any along the pass?"
Shrugging one shoulder, Taredd said: "Nah, I can't see any of the Humans hiding out in the mountains. It's far too cold and the weather too unpredictable for them."
"True," Arun agreed. "So, how about it? Start the bet when we've reached the other side?"
"Okay then. We'll start the bet on the other side," Taredd agreed.
"Let’s get going then," Arun said.
"What's the rush?" Taredd asked.
Not that he wanted to drag this bet out longer than needed, but Arun seemed extremely eager to get going... even more so than usual.
