Merle had spotted the pair first.
She thought them an easy target, a women bound tightly in her bodice and skirts, and a man who seemed besotted by the prim and buttoned up younger woman.
She had trailed them and had lost them, only to find them again when they slept. Merle suspected they knew they were being trailed, for twice they almost double backed, on her.
Clive took a bit more convincing. He had promised Merle that kind of life was in their past. He never forgave himself for teaching his sister to stalk and hunt. To kill.
He studied the buttoned up woman, not a fasten out of place, her dark eyes ever mindful and careful. And he had to tell Merle they were not a good target. He saw nothing worthy on them.
"They are travelling light, they have nothing on them." He tried to reiterate to his baby sister.
Merle was not convinced, "It's always these types Clive, you taught me that."
Shit. He knew he had, "The man is old, he should be easy to down, the woman will probably give up anything if we simply threaten her and him."
And they waited, and caught Exene off guard. Merle launched herself at her, relishing the sound of her fist hitting flesh. She seemed even goaded by the sight of the women's split lip.
It had all been so easy. Pining her down, one hand holding down her wrist, the other her foot stomping on her other wrist threatening to break it, dagger in hand, drawing it along her cheek and watching that thin rivulet of red mark where her blade had dragged....
When she felt the dagger begin to twist in her hand, towards her own heart.
She barely had a moment to recognize what was happening when she flew off of the other woman and slammed hard against a nearby tree trunk. It almost knocked the air out of her, and she struggled back onto her feet, startled by that show of power.
Clive thought he had the easiest hurdle, he was clearly taller and younger and taunted Eris.
Clive charged, punches landing into Eris' side and thinking he had effortlessly overpowered the man, when Eris got back up and showed him what he was made of.
He had abandoned his own dagger, where fists hit flesh, brutally. Yet...Eris was well rehearsed for such hand to hand combat, and his attacker was faced with more than just a challenge.
They continued to square off, until Clive heard a voice that was not his sister's.
A dagger at her neck "Stand down." Exene challenged.
Clive and Merle had bitten off more than they could chew, and now...they were left bested, tied to a tree, and talking amongst themselves, "Wolves and Witches....fuck."
Baited and bested, the siblings learned more about what they would be facing, when it came to Hillside.
