The Hunted Book 1 Chapter 2

Author's Note: I hate this chapter. It started out a bit promising but my god, it became a train wreck. I finally got fed up with it and just cut the two new chars off at the end and jumped into what happens in the next chapter. :/ Eventually, I may go back and change this to make it actually work but this took me almost a year to do while working on about five other parts I'm trying to connect. This is what I get for trying to work on four stories at a time.

II
Master Thief

Let us cast our eyes farther ahead, into the city which is Alyk's destination, whether he knows it or not. The homes are built with a crudely cut brown stone, stacked almost haphazardly to form the buildings the common folk lived in. Shops crowded the center of town, encircling the behemoth building entitled City Hall. It crouched like an ugly beast, made of smooth gray stone, carefully cut and placed. Beyond this monster, the spires of the cathedral could be seen, bells long rusted still. It was abandoned besides the few loyal souls who drifted in to pray. Few have faith in God during a war.

This city was the pinnacle of the battle between humans and creatures. The hunters fought to rid the world of those entitled werecreature and shifter. Among the Werecreatures there are those that are much like the ones possessed by the spirits of old, but they have no fight for control, commanding the form of many animals. The hunters consider them one in the same, hunting each down. Between these two societies, they battled for life. And the hunters seemed to be winning.

Shifters and Werecreatures hid  themselves away, their own city beneath the human one. It was their most guarded secret, somehow keeping it from the hunters. If their town were to be lost, so were they. Where did this place come from, what force created it? The dead. Long ago, the officials created the catacombs, the people living above the deceased. Death was their survival. No more was this underworld used for burial, the allure of fresh air and sunlight changed that quickly. Only the tunnels and a few graves remained. This was where they settled, where they found haven.

A city of thieves. When all is against you, theft if your only ally. They struggled to meet even the simplest needs. Food was scarce for they had no money. No money for they had no job, who would take a person labeled as a menace? Some did, however, have an income for they were yet to be discovered. These were the ones who provided the honest goods. Yet, that yielded only so much. Those who possessed speed and agility were the thieves, obtaining what was needed in bigger numbers. Through all their hard work, many still left. Each day, more and more people deserted, deciding life on their own would be easier. None were heard from again. Whether from death or fear, they never came back. Through this bleakness, many simply faded from life, others, however, refused to give up, to stop fighting was not an option to them. Despite the grim life, they lived, they laughed, they stole.

One such thief was now running through the alleys, arms full of bread. The baker chased after the thin form, yelling abuse. The thief merely ducked into one of the small branches connecting alley to alley. The rotund man couldn't keep up, the theft made and successful. The thief cast a joyous look back, blond hair spreading in a wave behind her. A wide grin broke her lips and a bubble of triumphant laughter spilled forth from her mouth. She was perhaps 20 or 23, eyes a striking green, hair long and silky despite her living conditions. Her skin was pale, deprived from sunlight. A strange, dark mark rested on her left cheek bone, bold and impossible to miss. She was the infamous thief Evalyn and she was a hidden shifter.

How she concealed herself so well was a mystery yet it was successful. Thief was her title and she carried it proudly. Her shifting powers perhaps aided in her job. As silent and agile as a cat, she could retrieve what she needed and be gone before the shopkeeper could notice. She was a jovial spirit but could spit venom at any foe, both verbally and literally. When you were on her good side, she was an invaluable ally. On her foul side, she made a challenging foe. Kindness and spite bound together, balancing almost precariously against each other.

Spiriting down the alley, spoils in hand, she made her way to a crumbling home. The door hung on only one hinge, creaking slightly as the frigid wind blew against it. She slid into the small opening, disappearing inside, where she paused to catch to her breath and to see if anyone pursued her. Hearing nothing, she nimbly leapt out the broken window, sprinting down the small road and cutting through another ramshackled building. She continued this pattern for quite awhile before finally stopping in one such dwelling.

A thin layer of dust covered the floor, small footprints scattered around it. She smiled at the ruse and walked easily over to a rotting wardrobe. Her feet left bold footprints but they blended easily with the children's. It look liked street urchins had taken haven in the building, playing their day away then left, leaving imprints behind only. Now came her challenge. The piece of furniture couldn't be moved, else the dust would be unsettled and the illusion ruined. A false wall lay behind the barrier, easily kicked in. The opening to this entrance was small.

Reaching her hand in this space, she slammed her fist against the wall. She winced at the noise. Even though the area was deserted, silence was a thief's greatest ally and the noise the hit made sounded like a thunderclap to her. She paused, listening intently, then quickly squeezed herself into the gap. The tunnel yawned before her, dark and chilled. A shiver trembled through her body as frozen air leaked out.

"You'd think the infamous Thief Queen would be used to this place by now." a male voice laughed from her left.

A smile touched her lips as she pulled herself through the small opening. She sent a sliver of silver liquid in the direction of the voice. A cry of mild surprise came in response. The smile widened, a small chuckle echoing softly through the darkness.

"Jorn, I do believe I said not to call me that. I'm simply a thief who has yet to be caught."

"With venom in her mouth and a cat in her limbs. You deserve the title." Jorn replied, stepping out of his dark corner.

Evalyn gave him a withering look, a wry smile touching her lips. Absently, she tossed a roll at him, starting down the tunnel. He nodded his thanks, pocketing the food. Children were to be fed first, even if the Queen had forgotten.Without acknowledging his gesture, she drifted into the darkness, feet making not a sound. After only minutes of her descent into the dark, slight giggling noises could be heard. They seemed to bounce off the walls, a rather disorienting cacophony. A slight smile touched he lips as the sound reached her ears. She continued on until the giggling turned into uncontrollable laughing.

"Alright Nina, come out. A deaf person can hear you laughing by now." she tutted.

The laughing paused for a moment before turning into muffled giggles once more, only this time focused in one spot. A bundle of blankets launched itself at Evalyn, a child's hands wrapping themselves around her in a tight hug. She grinned, dropping to her knees so the child could reach her better.

"Ev-Ev! Did you get us a yummy dinner? Mason couldn't get us any meat today so everyone's hoping you did." the little girl squealed, blankets falling to her shoulders to reveal large green eyes and brown bat ears.

"Only bread but everyone should be able to fill themselves with it. Now, I've told you before to stop half-shifting. If you ever want to go outside, you have to get used to being either a little girl or a large bat. No in betweensies." Evalyn sighed.

The girl huffed, but complied, ears disappearing. Evalyn smiled, pulling the girl upon her back and standing, Nina squealing with joy. With a soft laugh, she set off down the tunnel while piggybacking the child, pace unhindered by the extra weight. After a moment, pale light began filter into the dark before a bright doorway appeared around the corner. Evalyn blinked a few times at the sudden light while Nina dragged a blanket from her shoulders and up over her head, shielding her sensitive eyes until they adjusted.

A whole underground city opened up before them, people bustling to and fro. Many stopped and waved at the two, others smiled, and still others called a greeting. Nina waved at every single one, laughing and giggling carelessly. A blissful smile touched Evalyn's lips. Everything seemed peaceful, all thoughts of war forgotten. She could lose herself in the sea of people, forget the horrors and battles above but she was their leader and that wasn't an option.

After a moment, Nina began to squirm, eyes fixed upon a group of children playing off to the side of the entrance. With a small smile, she knelt, the child sliding off gently. The girl gave her a quick hug and she sent her off with a gentle push on the back. Laughing innocently, Evalyn watched as Nina joined the group, melting in easily with her friends. For a moment, she knelt there, smiling, before light footsteps drew her attention away.

"Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself. I also hear you managed to bring back some bread. Do you plan on sharing it with the rest of us or not?" a voice mused behind her.

She smiled as a small leather bag was dropped next to her followed by warm arms wrapping around her waist. Placing her spoils into the bag, she ignored the presence that had joined her until she was finished.

"You know, I would have clawed a man's face off if they acted like this with me." Evalyn chided softly.

"Good thing I'm not a normal man then." he breathed, rustling her hair slightly.

Gently, he pulled her up, releasing her as she turned to face him. Carmel brown hair fell in disheveled waves above crystal blue eyes. A pleased grin touched soft lips on lightly tanned skin. He was only a bit taller than her, slim yet muscular. A lone red feather was braided into his hair.

"You are an aerial sentry though, Gavin. Shouldn't you be in the skies right now?"

"Ah, it's always work with you. I traded shifts with a friend. We now have a few hours to ourselves." he grinned.

With a bemused look, she turned back to the children at play, seemingly content with watching them. Once more, his arm wrapped around her, chin resting on her shoulder. A wistful look entered her eyes as the two watched the tiny bodies chase after one another.

"You know, if you ever stopped working like a madman, you could have a family of your own." Gavin stated after a moment.

"These people need me. I can't just drop everything for a dream. Besides, this is no place to raise a child." she sighed sadly.

Before they could continue, a figure rushed through the crowd, forcing others to the side. Evalyn turned at the sound of startled and indignant voices. The thin form stumbled up to the couple, breathless and unsteady. As the girl bent double desperate for breath, she looked up at them with green eyes through curling sand brown hair. For a moment, a tail swished behind her, tan and spotted.

"Diana? What's wrong? You're suppose to be watching the southern entrance." Evalyn frowned, all attention now fixed upon the girl.

"Fight… Some guy… With a Hunter…" the shifter gasped, finally straightening, "He needs help I think. It's their leader he's fighting!"