"Gurk!" Enidri shouted with her hands clasping over her mouth to amplify her words. "Gurk! Where are you?" Her head slowly planned the forest. The swordswoman's steps were uneven as she continued to limp through the foliage. She grunted before taking a moment to rest

"Any other time..." she whispered to herself. "Her and Itzy... would be all in my business." After another grunt, Enidri stumbled towards the nearest and perched herself against the trunk. She took one hand and placed it against the wound Lars made. She winced as she applied pressure to the injury.

"Please..." Enidri mumbled. "All I need… is a moment..." Her eye closed and her breathing slowed. The natural sounds of the forest all blended into a single soothing hum.

****

"Eni..." Gurk mumbled. The swordswoman remained still. Her breathing was slow yet stead. The crocodile lowered himself and hovered next to her head. The duckling stood on the opposite side, staring at Enidri with an inquisitive glare.

"Eni?" he repeated, this time louder and with concern. He placed one hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle nudge. She began to stir, her eyes clenching tighter as she mumbled something incoherent under her breath. Having grown restless, the duckling waddled on Enidri's stomach, making her twitch again. She stared into the swordswoman's face before sniffing her cheek.

"Stop," Gurk said lowly. "Tired."

The duckling spread her wings apart, flapping them fervently while marching her little webbed feet on Enidri's stomach. She then quacked continuously as Gurk stretched his hands to try to stop her from making noise.

"Stop!"

"Huh?" Enidri's eye opened wide, startled by the young Neo-Sapia standing on her. The swordswoman shot up to her feet, causing the duckling to slide off her body and on her back. "What the—" Enidri reached for her weapon attached to her hip, but promptly returned to a calm state when she noticed Gurk standing by her side.

"You fine?" Gurk asked.

Enidri exhaled and wiped away a bit of dirt from her forehead. "Gurk," she said with a slight grin. She gave him a pat on the shoulder. "I'm glad to see you're all right."

"Thanks."

Enidri looked at the young Neo-Sapia. She peered back at her with both wings behind her back. "How's the kid handling everything?"

"Don't know," Gurk replied. He grunted as he reached down and lifted the duckling from underneath her wings. She didn't resist as the crocodile hoisted her above his head and placed her on his shoulders.

"She got a name?"

Gurk shrugged his shoulders.

"We gotta call her something," Enidri said. She squinted her eye and the duckling stared back with big round eyes. "At least a nickname for now. If you don't come up with something, I will."

The crocodile stroked the bottom of his chin. As he pondered a name, the duckling chirped and grabbed the others' attention.

"You better pick something good for her, Gurk. And make it quick, too. We don't have all day to sit around thinking of names."

"Eva." The crocodile nodded his head while squinting his eyes at the young creature. The bird stared back, her eyes wide and filled with a blend of curiosity and caution. Enidri tilted her head in between the pair, first looking at the duckling then back at the crocodile.

"So that's the name we're going with, huh?" she asked Gurk before turning back to face the duckling again. "You like that name, kid?"

A single squawk left the bird's open beak.

"Think so," Gurk replied.

"Eva it is then." Enidri sighed as she took a few steps away from the conversation to peer into the sky. The sun continued to bear down. The crackling of the simmering air overcame the silence of the group. "What I wouldn't give to be out of this damn place."

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"The others?" Gurk mumbled, bobbing up and down while Eva held onto the sides of his metal mask. Enidri faced the crocodile again, wiping away the sweat that started to pool on her forehead.

"We split up. Itzel and Janus went to one sector. Donva to another. And I'm here."

"Great..." Gurk moaned.

"Look at the bright side," Enidri began, only to interrupt herself by placing one arm over her eye as a makeshift visor. "That's one less psycho we have to deal with."

The crocodile looked where Lars' body lay. The trio went silent again, except this time Gurk's attention was placed on the corpse in the distance.

"What is it, big guy?"

"Hear somethin'?" Gurk asked without moving his head.

He pushed one finger to his lips and made a soft shush. As they stared into the brush, a gentle voice floated through the stagnant air."

"Any... one..." the voice said. Gurk tilted his head in the direction of the sound while hopped on her heels.

"The radios!" the swordswoman declared with consternation.

"Huh?"

Enidri darted across the grass. She crouched next to where Lars lay. After rummaging for a moment, she came running back with a small black waving above her head.

"Donva! Donva!" she repeated with glee. "You're alive!"

Gurk caught up and stared at the radio in Enidri's hand. The swordswoman carried a long grin as she angled the radio so that both could hear.

"Yeah. Just barely..." a groggy voice said through the radio.

"You come across anyone else?"

"Yeah. Two of the hunters." The sentence was followed with a cough. "One isn't going to be a problem anymore. The other.... isn't as bad as he seems."

"What do you mean by that?"

There was a short silence. Both Gurk and Enidri waited with bated breath for a response.

"Howdy," an exhausted voice said through the dingy speaker. "The name's Bodahn."

"Never heard of you," Enidri replied.

"He's one of the hunters. Or was. Without him, I wouldn't be speaking to you right now."

"New friend?" Gurk called out.

"Is that the main target?" Bodahn asked, startlement in tone.

"Yeah. The same person your 'friends' are trying to kill," Enidri replied.

"Don't tell 'em your location!" Bodahn blurted. "Mag and Lars are still gonna come for ya if they know where you are?"

"Is Lars the wolfman?" Endiri asked.

"Yes ma'am."

"Don't have to worry about him. I'm talking to you through his radio."

"Well damn. Never liked him anyway."

"You said Mag and Sheila are listening?"

"They can hear our every word. They got a radio and are on the same frequency."

The swordswoman's expression turned irate. She pointed one finger at the radio. "Then I hope he hears this! We're coming for you! Me. Gurk. The others! We've turned the game around. Let's see how you like being prey!"

Silence returned. Enidri's hand turned into a tight a fist as everyone continued to leer at the device in her hand.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into." Mag's voice was low. Calm. "But it's too late to get yourselves out now. All I can say is that me and my daughter enjoy a challenge."

"We'll see how long that lasts!" Enidri shot back. "I'm not holding back anymore!"

"I appreciate the gesture! You know, these hunts were getting a bit boring. The result was always the same. We'd track the prey. They'd fight back. Then they'd get injured. Then they'd start running. And it always ended with—" Mag mimicked the sound of a bullet firing using his mouth. "Not much variety. I for one welcome the change of pace!" The hunter cackled, drawing disturbed looks from both Enidri and Gurk. "My only piece of advice to you; be careful what you say. This is my second home. I know it in and out. You won't hear a peep from us. I wouldn't to intrude on your conversation!"

The audio from the radio cut out. The two Labrissoners stared at each other with unease.

"Hate to break it to ya, but Mag sounds one-hundred percent serious," Bodahn said, breaking the silence. "Seein' him mad ain't a pretty sight."

"Too bad for him I'm mad too," Enidri grumbled. "We'll keep communication to a minimum. Just... stay safe. And if you come across the others, tell them that I found Gurk."

"Got it," Donva replied. "One more thing, Enidri."

"Yeah?"

"There's Essencima in here."

"That's what I figured."

"Dangerous ones. Please be careful."

"I'm Labrisson's number one exterminator. I know how to handle myself."

"I know, I know. But still. Just be cautious. For me."

Enidri opened her mouth, ready to speak until Mag's sinister laughed returned. "I'm sorry." His response was interrupted by more cackling. "This really is the last time you'll hear from me. I couldn't help myself. It's going to be such a shame to kill you two. I'll try to take you both out at the same time if I can help it."

The swordswoman trembled with anger. She gritted her teeth, struggling from holding herself back from screaming at the radio.

"Don't let him get to ya," Bodahn continued. "Just focused on getting out there. Alive. The mental game is a huge part of the hunt. And Mag knows his stuff."

"Whatever," Enidri said. "We'll only talk in case of emergencies then."

"Sounds good to me," Donva said.

Enidri attached the radio to her hip by the clip and crossed her arms. She looked towards the center of the Eco-Dome and shook her head.

"All right?" Gurk asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I've seen better days though. Let's just focus on finding Itzel and Janus. If we reunite, Mag and that brat of his shouldn't be a problem for all of us."

"Yeah,' Gurk said.

The swordswoman patted the crocodile on the shoulder before taking a step forward. "I've got a feeling we'll be walking for a while. No point in procrastinating any longer."