No, no, no. Shit.

Perhaps she still had the option to kill her off? But then that wouldn’t be playing fair. Winifred usually wasn’t too concerned with playing fair.

No, the sun was definitely up. If she or the hounds killed her, it’d be a tie. And they haven’t arranged what’s going to happen after the tie. 

At this point, Winifred wasn’t sure either to come in for the kill or not. She already made it clear to herself both winning and losing will benefit the woman. The girl was in plain sight now, incredibly invulnerable, an easy meal. Some of her more beast-like instincts told her to go for it. And yet she still held back.

Do I want an easy meal or someone to make love to? Decisions, decisions Winifred…

Perhaps it’s too late now.

❝Well played,❞  She grasped the assaulting hound by it’s flanks and forcibly ripped it off her leg, throwing the viciously-struggling beast onto the ground before she stomped on it to briefly immobilize the dog. She then turned back towards the hounds, running in for the kill.

❝Run. Patch yourself up. Try not to die; I don’t want this to end in a draw.❞ She spoke rapidly, knowing they barely had time, ❝If I find you’re alive and not too badly maimed by the next night, I’ll treat you with what I promised.❞

With all that said, she ran towards the hounds, her claws scoring across it’s side to confuse the beast

Winifred swore the lady could be close by. Just out of reach. A ready meal. Her excitement was at it’s peak. The demon gave a little hiss of delight, easily drowned out by the earsplitting growls and roars of the hounds surrounded her.

Come on, come on. The moon was just beginning to disappear. Not much time now. Huntress and hunted were so so close to winning.

She could just see that little speck of light from her lighter.. Yes, she’s definitely close. Winifred could practically see her now. It was nearly time to come in to the kill.

Her lighter slipped. No light source and the demon just reaching up right behind her. This was her chance. 

For a brief moment the sky brightens in the slightest. Whilst still dark, one could see the stark outlines of the boulders, illuminated by the bright light that was just beginning to make it’s way across the horizon.

Right at that moment, the leading hound seized the tender flesh of her arm in it’s teeth.

Aha! It seems one had found her. Dodging the boulders in her path, she dashed along to where she heard steady pawsteps and clacking claws fading in the distance, searching for the hound in chase. Some of the beasts followed along, their barks growing higher in pitch from excitement of a good chase. And Winifred can’t blame them either, for she was enjoying this.

Don’t stop. 

The moon was setting. The night was closing to it’s end. That moment the sun peered in the slightest from the east, it was game over and the hunted would win. 

What a shame these nights are usually short-lived during the summer.

They still had plenty of time to catch her, however. A volley of frenzied barks erupt from behind Willow, the huntress still among them.

Winifred had went over to the mounds, where her whistling encouraged the hounds to emerge, sniffing about wildly.

With a sly smirk, she beckoned them over. Although they barely understood the gesture, they ambled along in her direction anyways, looking out for any signs of prey. Winifred continued to amble along until a faint sound alerts both her and the hounds. The demon couldn’t exactly detect where the noise was, but a hound did have a clue.

There was a volley of barks while the beasts split up to sniff around for their prey. At least it confirmed she was in the Rockylands, though Winifred knew she wasn’t stupid enough to continue hiding. She just needed to find where she’s hiding and where she’ll bolt to.

A moment later, Winifred decided to seek out the Rockylands instead. The woman glanced about, seeking out traces of any sign of recent human activity. The demon glanced up at the night sky. The moon, a waxing cresent, seemed to be at it’s highest point and was just beginning to sink. Willow had an hour or two before the game was over.

Winifred contemplated her next move. She knew there were a few hound mounds not too far away. Perhaps these hounds can flush her out, if not finish the job for it. Almost an automatic win. But it wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying as killing the woman herself, and it’d suck the fun out of actually winning.

Hmm…

She glanced back at the slowly-descending moon. It was either that, or more guesswork. Perhaps she’ll only use the hounds for giving away where she was. After all, they were very good at sniffing out prey, as well as frightening it off. And when they proved to be no more use, they could easily distract these stupid beasts.

Mission accomplished. 

Feeling satisfied, Winifred ran along until trees thinned out. Perhaps she’ll ambush her there. She might have to skim around the edge of the forest first; the area was quite vast.

The demon was swift, running at her quickest, and soon enough she found the amount of trees dwindling until she could detect no other. Now was time to keep quiet. She swiveled her head one way, then another, looking on either side.

Now which direction? Called for more guesswork. She might be able to pinpoint where exactly would she escape the forest, considering there was no sign the other had exited yet. Perhaps she’d head east close to the Rockylands. Though if her calculations proved incorrect, she’d be truly stumped as to where she might have gone. This was going to be risky, maybe a bit too risky.

At least she flushed her prey out. And as far as she knew, the areas surrounding here didn’t provide as much hiding areas as the pine forest.

♣   

Winifred listened for footsteps, hearing only a soft patter before the sound disappeared within less than a few seconds. 

The blonde lets out a few more hissing noises, this time being as noisy as possible with each movement. It seemed to be working, judging by the faint noise of running. Surely that could only come from a human. Yes, she’s definitely in the area; all she had to do now was seek the direction she was running to.

In the meantime, she sought out any sign of movement while heading in the same direction, being swift in her moments.

Winifred delved into the pine forest. Unfortunately, in contrast to the barren land that was both the savannah (now gone) and the grassylands, this biome produced a multitude of hiding areas. The woman can be hiding anywhere, or already on the move, shifting from hiding spot to another, always out of reach.

How frustrating. Winifred didn’t want to waste time searching around this area as she unsuccessfully had done with the previous two. Perhaps she could frighten her into fleeing somewhere else? It’d alert her of her nearby (so close, yet so far from reach) presence and make the girl more quick on her feet, but that would mean keeping the game going for a bit longer. 

Perhaps it is a bit too early to end this little game so quickly in Winifred’s opinion. A good scare often made things more fun.

Winifred pretended to aimlessly wander about for a few moments, her eyes resuming their usually narrowed state. Then Winifred interrupted the silence with a loud hiss that echoed through the dark. Then she slipped from pine tree to pine tree, occasionally giving another hiss.