shoot straight and true.

 ❝    in complete darkness,            we     a r e     all                 the same.            ❞

[thewildhuntress-deactivated2016]

Hunter was usually pretty good at figuring things out, but it was difficult for her to analyze and understand his intentions. At first she had seen him as nothing but a nuisance, then hostility seemed to be at play, and now she couldn’t figure out what he was trying to play. Was he genuinely telling her not to be too hard on herself or was he teasing her again. Either way she felt inclined to answer. The comparison of an old tale she once heard was enough to give a subtle turn in the corner of her lips, hopefully more recognizable as a smirk rather than a scowl. Even if it was an attempt to mock her again it didn’t appear to be in much harm. “Perhaps…can I afford to be a tortoise however?”

[hangmanshawk-blog]

Even though he had the chance to poke some more fun at her, he decided to keep his kind streak going. He could ask if she would like some help in potentially catching more game before she returned back to camp, but at this point he was way too tired, not to mention she probably would refuse the help before he even finished that sentence. ‘The worst she will say is “no”,’ he thought, knowing that if he did not ask something they would probably continue staring silently for the next few hours.

“Would you like an escort back to your camp? I’ll help you wrangle anything we encounter on the way,” Hawk asked with a slight grin, clueless to what kind of response he was about to get back.

[dawn-tless-blog]

She snorted. Her initial assumption of him had been correct, then. He was an honourable individual. But what was the alternative, then? He would spread tales of her bravery? He’d sooner lose his head than be able to say something nice about a Lost Girl, no less Dawn. 

“I think tales of my cowardice will be greatly over-shadowed by tales of your stupidity,” she countered, prepping to climb the tree she had chosen. She raised a fair point, in her eyes, she couldn’t fathom Hawk being anything but berated for failing to cut her head off when he had the chance. 

[hangmanshawk-blog]

Not that he would ever admit just how stupid he had been thus far, but she did have a point, he would never hear the end of his foolish actions if the others found out. Not sure if it was her leadership qualities or all the sarcastic jabs she threw his way, but Dawn was starting to grow on him. Not enough to stop his hatred for the Girls and everything they stood for, but enough to have a small shred of respect for her…so far. Of course that could all change in a split second, depending on the outcome of this upcoming cat and mouse game with the WIlpear.

As the small tremors of a charging beast began to rumble closer, Hawk could not quite put a finger on which direction it was coming from. “I can’t see him from down here, a little help would be nice,” he shouted, hoping it was loud enough for Dawn to hear.

[thewildhuntress-deactivated2016]

His words accompanied by his change in tone would have made her flash him a look but she chose neutrality. The lost boy didn’t bother her much anymore. She looked to the sky and watched a bird fly over, she made sure not to give the boy too much attention. The cold began to bother her less and less until it lowers dramatically and she has to start the process all over again. I prefer to think I’m just adamant. She looks down to her hand, the one without the rabbit, and examines her bloodied, dirt embedded finger nails. She scratches the edge of one with her thumb and replies in a monotone, “Are you?”

[hangmanshawk-blog]

At this point he did not even feel insulted, instead he felt regret, at insinuating anything about her intelligence. ‘She has to be pretty down after that hunt, should I be a little easier on her?’ he asked himself, though he could not tell if she was actually disheartened or if she was just this socially inept. He realized this was more or less a waste of both of their time and might be time to go their separate ways. Still he felt obligated to at least offer some assistance or words of wisdom, after giving off such a harsh first impression of himself.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, we all have days where we are more the tortoise than the hare,” he joked, trying to at least get a laugh or two from this encounter with her.

[dawn-tless-blog]

She tilted her head, pursed lips as she considered him. He was certainly an…honourable fellow, which would matter if honour held any weight on this island. At least, in her eyes it meant very little. Still, it was almost enough to make her feel a little guilty at betraying his trust, but then–when had he earned it? He was useless to her in so many ways, what with his pesky loyalty at play, and she wasn’t exactly in the mood to hunt Wilpears or create a rather unsteady friendship (at best). 

“You have my word,” she replied, nodding rather seriously, taking note not to stumble and avert her eyes. She pointed ahead of him, “See that patch of grass? Notice how it’s almost…flattened? Willy’ll be back soon enough, and she’ll attack you on sight. That’s just how they operate. Wait there and I’ll climb this tree,” she continued, pointing above, “and when she comes back, run this way, and once she’s in my view–I’ll jump. Got it, or should I explain again, more slowly?” 

[hangmanshawk-blog]

As he brought his gaze up to the tree she was about to climb, he tried to go over every detail of the plan in his head. ‘At least she can’t run away up there,’ was his first thought before he quickly realized she could very well not jump on it, letting the beast trample him. ‘I wonder if she would laugh at how stupid I have been through it all,’ he pondered, imagining her giggling up in the tree while watching ‘ol’ Willy’ slowly devour him.  Dawn seemed to have charmed...manipulated him enough to almost fully let his guard down right from the get-go.

“That will work, but if you somehow disappear when it comes for me, I will spread word of your cowardice,” he countered, hoping to scare some loyalty into her.

[thewildhuntress-deactivated2016]

He managed to prove her thought irrelevant as he became more irritating with each word. Her gaze shifted and began to follow up a tree, avoiding his stare. She scoffed, “the minute I saw this I had it in my hands…” She shifts the rabbit forward slightly. “If I see a bear I’ll catch it. Don’t underestimate the animals of this place. They’re not all stupid enough to let themselves freeze.”

[hangmanshawk-blog]

Hawk made it a habit to never underestimate anyone…friend, foe or animal, and he was not about to start now. The fact that not only was she suggesting this but also the way she constantly avoided looking him in the eyes, made him more annoyed then angry.‘At this rate, I am going to be the one who breaks first,’ he thought, his blood slowly beginning to boil at how frustrating this whole scenario was playing out.

“They might not be stupid enough, but are you?” he responded, his tone quickly changing to a serious one, showing her that he was done playing games.

[prisxner-blog]

“Creepy?” Loki’s brow quirked as he crossed his arms, playfully glaring at the other boy, “Who’s creepy?” He wasn’t quite sure what the word meant, if he were honest, he had never bothered to learn. But everyone called him that,s o he wouldn’t argue. Perhaps he was, whatever that said about him. The boy shrugged, rolling his eyes at the other, and grinned, “There are better ways to hunt.” His tongue ran over his teeth, knuckles cracking by his sides as he bent each finger, making sure they were ready. It was too late the second he was in pouncing distance of any animal. Most humans, as well. But he wouldn’t hunt them, that wouldn’t do. “You’ll see~” he purred the words, knowing he wold never be caught dead with a weapon. But not everyone was so weak as to need one. “Just tell me your favorite hunting ground.”

[hangmanshawk-blog]

‘His bare hands?’ Hawk thought, shaking his head at the very notion of not only how twisted that thought was, but also that he was talented enough to be able to achieve such a feat. His initial intrigue of Loki had not wavered, though he was still a little hesitant to prod his brain any deeper.

“Let’s head to the meadow,” he suggested, which was not his favorite spot or even one ripe with game, in his opinion, but he was also not about to reveal his hunting secrets to just anyone…especially not him.

“So tell me, what would make you ask me, someone you’ve basically never said a word to, to escort you on this hunt, or whatever this turns out to be?” he casually questioned, as not to suggest any kind of hidden agenda that Loki might have.

[hangmanshawk-blog]

Task 1

The weightless feeling of being submerged just a few feet deep in a huge, dark, endless sea. Hawk was not about to drown or anything, he just kept swimming, and though he seemed to put more and more effort into each stroke, it was as though he had not moved an inch. The shadows of waves in the distance, dimly lit by the moon, seemed to mask just how crushing the heavy water felt on his body. In the dark watered distance was a pitch black shape “Hello! Can you hear me?” he shouted, gasping with each word, but the more he yelled the more distant the shape appeared until there was nothing left but dark gloom.

Hawk began to swim towards the murky depths of this whatever body of water this happened to be. ‘There has to be an escape route somewhere,’ his cloudy mind questioned, as he began his descent into this sudden bone chilling abyss. The sub-zero temperature slowly began to constrict his entire body, slowing his every move to a tortoise-like pace, sucking any bit of life he had left in him.

As his lifeless body continued down into a bottomless sea of darkness, Hawk finally realizes that there is no escape, that this water enveloped prison was to be his final resting place. Any feelings of anxiety and fear had been replaced by a calm numbing that ran throughout his entire body. ‘Am I dying? Is this death?’ his thoughts fading, as the last of what light remained was swallowed up by this blackhole of a sea.

He was not sure whether he had awoken into reality or was taken from one nightmare to the next. Hawk could never he remember what exactly triggered this dream, whether it was an experience on the mainland, or something that had happened very early upon arriving to Neverland.

“I don’t know how much longer I can wake up feeling like this,” he muttered to himself, feeling disoriented, almost separated from his body, which was a usual feeling after this specific night terror, which had seemed to haunt him more frequently as of late.  Hawk had tried nearly everything to rid himself of this burden, but to no avail. ‘How can I solve this riddle?’ was the kind of question that echoed through his mind, knowing that the answer was very likely the only way to stop it from reoccurring.

[dawn-tless-blog]

She almost snorts in laughter. Their meat is dry, tough, and perfectly described as a last resort. Aside from the fact that they’re incredibly dangerous and difficult to catch, they happen to taste disgusting. She’s not sure if it means he’s never actually had one, or if the Lost Boys really are inhuman–though she’d bet money on the latter. 

“Is it?” 

She couldn’t believe her luck as the footsteps continued, although she’d wished she’d had someone more inclined to use a dagger than another archer. Wilpears were best hunted with two; distract with one while the other (usually from above, but not necessarily) attacks when they’re distracted. They’re vicious and impeccably fast. “You have to get them to try to kill you first,” she replies, her tone machiavellian. 

[hangmanshawk-blog]

Although putting himself in harm’s way was not something he was very keen on, he would never cower away from danger, especially in front of such an important figure. Hawk knew that he was in a tough spot, not only volunteering for possible death, but also having to deal with keeping an eye on both the leader and the beast.

Dawn, was turning out to be a far bigger mystery to him than he had imagined. He could not quite pin down whether she was manipulating this whole scenario to gain the upper hand, or if she truly wanted to track down this hog.

“Alright, if I have your word that you won’t run off, I will draw the attention of the beast,” he replied, staring straight in her eyes. He knew that if she were to betray him, those would likely be some of his final words.

[thewildhuntress-deactivated2016]

Maybe that’s why we call you pigs, her thought stays silent. He wasn’t the most irritating one she had come across. If she had to have something going for her she had that atleast. She didn’t quite like his mocking tone however. Part of her wished to counter it but instead her tone of voiced remained anodyne. “No.” I am perfectly capable of gutting a rabbit. 

She stared unblinking at him, her “bestial” side creeping in suddenly. Her fingers twitched and her grip around the rabbit tightened. She was a good hunter. She takes pride in her work. She’s indebted to her gift to blend in the wild and be able to capture it at the same time. And she wasn’t going to show that the lost boy blighted her expectation more than she already had. The last thing she needed was everyone thinking she couldn’t even scavenge correctly, nevermind gut a rabbit. “I wouldn’t be much of a hunter or a lost girl if I did.”

[hangmanshawk-blog]

He did have to give her some credit, she looked like she truly belonged out here. Whether it was the sight of blood smeared across her body or the dirt that was so engrained it appeared to be part of her complexion.  Not usually one to boast, Hawk was kind of enjoying seeing how far he could push this one. ‘Let’s see what her breaking point is,’ he thought, throwing all caution to the wind.

“Most hunter’s I know, would not be coming back to camp with something of that size,” he snidely remarked. “If they did, I could imagine they would have quite the excuse…what’s yours?” he questioned, knowing her response might not be a very friendly one.

[prisxner-blog]

A humorless chuckle grated its way past his lips, eyes rolling at the other boy’s question. “I’m not the one to worry about,” his head tilted to the side, one eyebrow cocking as he spoke, “The question is if you’ll slow me down. Will you?” Loki waited for the other boy to answer, cracking his knuckles absentmindedly. Hopefully the boy would say yes, it’d be a pity if he were to chicken out.

“Well…” he purred almost before he could stop himself, suddenly bouncing forward, towards the way out of the tree, “Let’s find out. Shall we?”

[hangmanshawk-blog]

He always had a kind of soft spot for this Boy, although he seemed quite content at times regardless of his loneliness, Hawk had always felt bad for the fate that befell upon him.

With every word that exited Loki’s mouth, Hawk begun to grow more and more leery of agreeing to any of this. The odd facial movements certainly didn't help ease his concerns, or maybe it was just that crazy look in his eyes that chilled Hawk’s bones. Either way, he was stuck with him now, and the afternoon had promise to be quite the exciting one…or, more likely, insane.

“Surprisingly, your creepy stares are not going to kill any animals,” he joked, knowing one of those glares was about to come his way.  “So, what is it you plan on hunting with?” Hawk questioned him, while making a few last minute adjustments to his bow.

[dawn-tless-blog]

She stopped, dead in her tracks, at his tone of voice. Was he trying to have…a conversation? A Lost Boy? She had, honestly, doubted they were even capable of such a human interaction. Sure, it was an appropriate question–if they were hunting, it would help for him to know what they were hunting and how she planned on catching it–but she still couldn’t help but hear something extra in his speech. She just couldn’t place…what. It was bad enough she hadn’t managed to shake him, but having a conversation with him was the sort of reckless behaviour she wasn’t sure she could play around with.

Her eyes darted around, looking for anything that could help her in her lie. A snapped branch and a shaved piece of wood on the trunk were like her saving grace. “I’m following a Wilpear,” she replied, before turning crimson at her slip of tongue. She’d only used such slang around Bandit, it was her own personal creation. Then again, if she was hunting with a partner, it was usually with Bandit–so that explained why she’d uttered it. “Uh…It’s a Warthog with bear claws. Happen to see it?” She asked, knowing that the tracks could very well be days old, but at least it was something. 

[hangmanshawk-blog]

'She's lost her mind just like the rest of em',’ Hawk thought at the ridiculous notion of her hunting a Wilpear alone. He had seen one roaming the island on more then one occasion, and had never tried to engage one without another Boy at his side. Still he figured he might as well sit back and enjoy the show, heck maybe he was underestimating her ability and this Rat leader could teach him a thing or two. She had already shown some impressive skills to Hawk, not only her tracking techniques but how easily Dawn was able to spot the claw print.

"Always been my favorite meal on the island...roast Wilpear," he spoke confidently, as if he had killed one hundreds of times, attempting not to look like the inexperienced one with said creature.

He decided to attain what knowledge he could of this animal on the loose, as he was sure she could not wrangle this beast herself, and Hawk did not want to look unprepared for the inevitable battle. As he took a knee for a closer inspection left by the claw mark, he asked, “I have to say I am curious what kind tactics a Girl, in that wild alone at that, uses to kill such a thing?" 

[thewildhuntress-deactivated2016]

It was bad enough that she was struggling with the hunt, but to have someone witness it? Especially with that someone being one of them. Hunter catches herself rolling her eyes at how ridiculous the whole situation is. Not to mention how careless she was being and to have this guy mock her for it. It was just foolish. The rabbit was becoming a symbol of shame for her in that moment but she dared not look at it. His words only made her more irritated. “He thinks he’s clever,” she thought to herself. She snorted. What could someone say to that? How would someone else respond? “I thought…You were going to be a boar.” She wishes he weren’t here. Or she wishes she were better with words. 

[hangmanshawk-blog]

Hawk was not quite sure what to think of her reaction. Was it an insult? Or was she just that dim-witted? 'I must of just startled her,' he thought, giving her the benefit of the doubt. Although Hawk did not know much about her, or exactly whether the stench was emanating from the rabbit or her, she displayed a very helpless look...almost innocent. Yet despite how small her catch was, it showed her killer instinct, so Hawk needed to be somewhat wary.

"Nope, but I bet you Girls basically think we are cut from he same cloth as those beasts," he joked, fully aware of the dark thoughts most of them have about his group.

"Would you like some help gutting that tiny thing?" a condescending Hawk offered.

[neversoslightly]

At first Slightly grimaced at the sound of the person coming closer, though upon looking up and catching sight of Hawk, it all but disappeared. There were few Lost Boys whose company would be welcome to interrupt Slightly’s thought, but Hawk was one of them.

Loyalty was important to the Lost Boys’ leader. And Hawk seemed to display exactly that.

“Don’t be silly. I’m not scared of arrows, Hawk. Not when you’re the only one on this island good enough to catch me with one.” He grinned, as if there weren’t plenty Lost Girls and Natives who were more than capable with a bow and arrow. None of them as much as Hawk, at least not as far as Slightly was concerned, but still. 

[hangmanshawk-blog]

He had always held Slightly above the other's from Hangman's, not just because he had forgiven Hawk, but he was also envious of the way he lead the Boys and the respect he commended. 

As he held back his laughter the best he could, Hawk not one to turn down a challenge suggested, "How about we try that theory out?", while inspecting his bow. "We can even put a small wager on it...loser brings back dinner?"  he proposed, seeing an opportunity to make it even more interesting.

[thewildhuntress-deactivated2016]

Upon searching for quite awhile, Hunter began to get irritable from the lack of game she was spotting today. Usually she’ll catch a glimpse of atleast one fox making its way around, but she has only managed to see a few rabbits, a mouse, and the usual birds. However, the absence of bigger animals made it quite easy to snag a little one. She now carries a rabbit by its feet tightly in her hand. While not being completely unsuccessful she still finds her endeavor petty. Her irritability and ambition for a bigger catch begins to make her careless. She steps on and kicks twigs around, making all sorts of noise with her feet as well as making a series of annoyed grunting sounds. At this rate she will never find anything, or atleast that’s what she thought. As she stops to check her surroundings she hears the sound of footsteps and leaves moving to the right of her. Quickly she crouches down and inches forward to get a closer look and anticipating a fox, a boar, or something of the sort she is rejected of the idea due to what she now finds in front of her. She stands up, “you can’t be serious.” 

[hangmanshawk-blog]

This was not exactly how Hawk had planned to spend his day. He had thoughts of a relaxing day in the wild, where he often felt in his true element. Yet here she stood, throwing a wrench into those very plans. Hawk was really not in the mood for hunting, let alone any type of confrontation. Yet the sad sight of the small rabbit she possessed, almost made him feel sorry for her, ‘Looks like she could use a lesson or two.’

“You should be happy that I am the worst thing you attracted with your reckless shouts....or whatever you call those,” he said, an obvious reference to her grunting. “You’re not going to make many friends with a greeting like that y’know,” he added with a slight grin.

[dawn-tless-blog]

If she knew just how confused he had been at what she had said, there was no doubt she would have spent much longer than she should have condescendingly explaining to him the concept of sarcasm. Which would no doubt irritate him–much to her joy–as he seemed to have a pretty good understanding of it already. Then again, Dawn had always been far too dead-pan for her own good. 

“What?” She asked, shaking her head in disbelief, “it was neither. It was a question. If you’re so enamoured with me, by all means, follow along. You can have half, or three quarters, or whatever,” she said, promptly turning on her feet and hoping he would follow instead of–what she thought was more likely–fire an arrow in her back. 

She turned again, after walking forth, her tone a bit lighter this time.

 “Well? Are you coming, or not?” 

[hangmanshawk-blog]

What did he get himself into? Hawk hesitantly began to follow her, having no idea what lie ahead. 'Watch her every move,' he thought, knowing that turning his back for a single second could potentially spell disaster, or even his own demise. With the truce in place, maybe something special could come from this chance encounter.

As Hawk started his trek with Dawn, he suddenly felt a certain comfort accompanying a Girl in the wild, which was both an odd and terrifying sensation.

"So tell me, what was it you were following and do you have an attack plan?" Hawk questioned her, in an unusually cooperative tone.

[dawn-tless-blog]

It took all she had within her not to breathe a sigh of relief right then and there. That would surely give her away, and this boy seemed like the type not to let the slightest slip-up pass. How infuriating. “You’re a funny one, aren’t you?” 

As if to prove her point, he seemed to be calling her bluff. Dawn had hunted, and she was most certainly a good one, but even she couldn’t make up prey when there was none. The absolute last thing in the world she wanted to do was to join a Lost Boy on a hunting party. “Tell you what,” she gleamed, “you can have it all. For being oh-so generous with me,” 

[hangmanshawk-blog]

Being called a comedian was the real joke to Hawk, he was usually not even remotely funny, at least not in his mind. Are her nerves getting to her? Is this a sign of her story unraveling? As he contemplated his next play, it crossed his mind that he could easily just end this whole debacle, walk away, forget this ever happened. 

That was just not who he was, Hawk had too much pride, not to mention the opportunity for a free meal, let alone one at the expense of the Rat leader. 'Let's see what she's made of,' he thought, excited to see what she would try next.

“That was a demand, not a compromise," Hawk firmly spoke, puffing out his chest.

[prisxner-blog]

“Alone?” the boy mused at the word, a grin spreading, conquering more of his features, “Wouldn’t you prefer company?” He shrunk slightly, allowing shoulders and spine to fold inward until he could look up at Hawk, eyes wide, an attempt to charm, “Makes things much more interesting.” But Loki wasn’t one to appease for long, straightening up once more before prancing a few steps away, “I won’t slow you down. Or we can go hunting, if you prefer.”

There was no point in keeping a secret from another Lost Boy, “Nibs won’t let me out unless there’s someone with me to make sure I come back to the Tree before sundown. If you don’t say yes now…” his eyes darkened, “You will later.”

“So what’ll it be?”

[hangmanshawk-blog]

“Can you keep up or are going to be a burden the entire hunt?” a very hesitant Hawk asked, knowing the frantic pace he could keep on a hunt. The possible consequences of taking Loki out with him alone certainly seemed worth the chance to acquainted to a puzzle as complex as him. 

Although the excitement of a hunt could turn this dull, quiet day around, he was still unsure of Loki’s intentions, his end-game. ‘I’ll see where his head it at,’ he thought, knowing this would be no ordinary adventure.

“Sure, what’s the worst that could happen?” he said with a foolish grin, shrugging his shoulders, and perhaps foreshadowing what’s to come.