Dead Meat

[Alice Gamble]

She stood still, her back and feet arched as she felt the end of the arrow between her fingers. Hazel green eyes scanned the area - she tried to keep her breath steady; she needed to pay attention. Getting through the wall had been troublesome enough, she wasn't about to walk away from here empty handed. Or worse, get herself caught by gangrels.

She moved forward, brushing branches and bushes away as carefully as she possibly could. Despite her years of training, Alice wasn't near being perfect at being stealthy, but she supposed this was good practice. After all, sitting around back behind the wall would do her no good. She felt restless as she had for the entirety of the past week.

And there, a few meters in front of her; A buck. Not a huge one - it likely had only lived for a year at most, but it would offer quite a lot of food. And that was before even considering how much she could trade its hide for.

She aimed her arrow and pulled the bowstring back, her hands shaking. Swearing to herself, the young brunette held her breath - only to see the buck raise its head and movement from the corner of Alice's eye had her drawing her lips back into a snarl, but before she could react the buck set off running, far away from the reach of her bow. Moving, she aimed the arrow to the area of movement, her entire body tense.

"Who's there?" she called out, only then realizing how stupid that was. If it was a vampire - or worse, a gangrel, she would be dead meat.

[Valko Holt]

He pulled no punches when he hit the man beside him as the buck ran off. “You lousy loud idiot! You scared it off!” He growled. The man rightly cowered away from his leader. They’d spotted the buck a little while ago. It had seemed like an easy kill, especially with three of them. He should’ve taken the shot himself, but he was trying to actually teach these two how to wield bows correctly. Unfortunately that backfired when the man tripped and scared their meal off. It just went to show; you want something done you do it yourself.

Before he could properly punish the mistake, someone else spoke up. It definitely couldn’t be one of Valko’s boys. The voice was far too pleasant to actually hear, and came from somewhere else. Another hungry soul had been staking out the buck, which meant they probably had a bow or at least something similar.

Blue eyes trained on the direction the voice came from. He held back one of his boys from stupidly breaking cover and moving towards it. “Someone who doesn’t want to get shot as much as you do, so how’s about you quit aiming that thing at me?” He responded, taking a wild guess that she probably held a bow aiming relatively near him. Take or the idiot beside him who’d made the disruption in the first place that got them noticed. Despite his stupidity, Valko wanted him alive. “You a vamp? Since you ain’t growling and hissing like some damn animal, I’m guessing you’re not a gangrel."

Alice Gamble

[Alice Gamble]

Grimacing, the brunette cocked her head slightly, though made no move to lower her bow. "Don't do anything stupid and you've got nothing to fear," she warned him. The situation could easily have been read as the man, whoever he was, didn't have anything to shoot back at her with, but as her luck would have it, he likely wasn't alone. Regardless, the young spitfire stood her ground.

"If I were a bloodsucker, I wouldn't need a bow to kill you," she stated simply, her eyes narrowing. There was a certain amount of disdain in her voice. She couldn't quite help herself; Vampires were the very thing she'd spent greater parts of her life hunting. They were hardly any better than the gangrels.

Scanning the forest in front of her, looking for any signs of movement - or life. Whoever this man was, he'd yet to make himself visible. All Alice could do was locate him by his voice and in a place like this... Well, she didn't like the odds. "And you?" she called back, her brows furrowed.

[Valko Holt]

Don’t do anything stupid? Valko sent a glare to the man next to him that had scared off their prey. “Little late for that one.” He grumbled with a low tone. Again he cringed and backed away like a scared critter. Valko turned his attention back to what was more important.

“Some of them are eccentric. How the hell should I know?” He asked with a shrug. However there was no mistaking the disdain in her voice that carried even over to him. This was no bloodsucker they were dealing with. Just another human out for food. That made things much easier if the situation turned violent.

“But I’m not one of those fanged maniacs. As if any of them would want to turn me.” He answered with a snort. He was already enough of a nuisance to them. Being an immortal one would only make things worse. “Anyways, how’s about we quit this little game and actually show ourselves, alright?” He offered. Although instead of step forward himself, he grabbed and pushed forward the one who’d given them away in the first place. “I’m coming out, okay? Don’t shoot me and I’ll return the favor.” he called as he shooed the man forward and into view.

Alice Gamble

[Alice Gamble]

Raising her eyebrows, Alice had to stop herself from scoffing. "I wouldn't know," she said, almost in a growl. She didn't feel the need to learn much about vampires unless of course it would be useful to her work. Which, she realized was just her being childishly stubborn. If she had been a little more open mind, maybe she would have been a better hunter.

The man's words made Alice's head cock to the side once more. Then, she supposed, being turned by a vampire was something not just about anyone would ever experience. Especially with whatever curse there was running around turning most people who were attempted turned into gangrels.

The man continued then, offering something that could be taken as peace. Still, Alice remained on her guard. She lowered her bow, but didn't remove the arrow from the now loose string. If life had taught Alice anything thus far, it was that you didn't trust people simply because they told you to. It was something most people had to earn and even then it only went so far. 

Her eyes narrowed once more as the man came into view. He didn't seem to carry the same authority as the voice from before had held, but looks could be deceiving. "Don't hold your breath," she warned once more. She could only hope her reaction time was good enough in case the man decided to do something - anything.

[Valko Holt]

”Yeah? Well maybe you should learn so you don’t end up sucked dry. Just a bit of friendly advice.” He said in return. The more he knew about vampires, the easier it was to deal with them. He’d already taken down a few that had been foolish enough to get too close to his tribe’s territory. It wasn’t easy, but he’d found a method all his own.

When he didn’t hear the familiar thunk of a bow being fired, nor the sound of his sacrifice falling to the forest floor, he figured she actually listened. Still, he motioned for his remaining man to stay behind in hiding before cautiously coming out himself. “Oh please. I already know the whole human race consists of assholes and idiots. Just some are slightly less so than others.” He scoffed, coming to stand next to his man.

“I’m surprised you didn’t shoot this one though.” He added, clapping a hand on the poor sacrifice’s shoulder. It made him flinch. “He’s the one that scared off our prey back there, so he’d probably deserve it.” It came out in a bit of a growl as his fingers tightened. He dropped it while turning blue eyes back towards the girl. “You must be one of those lesser assholes I was talking about.” Now that he could see her, he observed her. She was pretty enough, although she had one hell of a suspicious and untrusting expression on. Not that he’d blame her.

Alice Gamble

[Alice Gamble]

"Telling someone they should get closer to vampires doesn't sound very friendly," she countered with an even tone. He was right, though. She knew that much. And yet, every fiber in her body told her to stay as far away from vampires as she possibly could. She supposed that made it ironic that, given the fact that she was a hunter. A hunter that hunted vampires.

Alice's eyes immediately snapped to the second man emerging; the one the voice from before had belonged to. She looked at him, studying him from top to toe. He looked a lot more dangerous than the man he'd sent out before him. A thin smirk formed on the brunette's lips. "You must belong to the first then, seeing as how instead of going ahead first, you send your comrade instead." She nodded towards the man who'd come out of hiding first. "How brave they must think you are," she added.

The flinch that came from the other man almost made Alice feel bad. Almost. She knew all too well how much authority could scare someone and that wasn't even starting on describing what someone had to do in order to maintain said authority. "Then you're either a moron or a terrible judge of character," Alice said as her hazel green eyes returned to the man who was talking, her chin raising defiantly.

[Valko Holt]

”Who’s saying you’ve got to get close to them? I mean observe them, idiot. There’s plenty prowling around in the outside city if you know what to look for. You don’t have to bump hips with them.” He countered back with a roll of his eyes. Over the years he’d gotten a knack for spotting who had fangs and who didn’t in the city. It came plenty in handy.

She was trying to goad him? Cute. “You bet your snarky little attitude I do.” He said without hesitation. There was no illusion about what kind of person he was. The things he had to do in order to lead his group and come out on top demanded a certain demeanor he found easy to match. “And since I’m the one who’s managed to kill gangrels and vampires, I don’t think they care about bravery.” He kept the majority of their group well fed, equipped, and safe. That was more than enough.

“What, you want me to do a full character analysis right now?” He questioned, folding his arms over his chest. Normally Valko could judge a person pretty quickly. “I’m calling you that in relation to me, girl. From what you’ve pointed out, obviously I’m worse than you for pushing this one out to meet your arrow first.” He said with a slightly mocking tone.

Alice Gamble

[Alice Gamble]

Raising her eyebrows, Alice pursed her lips. "You can only learn so much by observing them." If you really wanted to know, you'd have to dig deeper. There was still so much she and probably many others needed to learn about them. It wasn't as if the king of the city openly offered all their dirty little secrets to whomever asked.

Watching someone so brutally honest was surprisingly refreshing. Alice was far too used to people going through the motions and hiding as much of themselves as they could. She too, did the very same thing. This guy, however, he seemed to carry himself with a certain kind of confidence you didn't see often in a world like this. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown," she mused, more so to herself than to anyone in particular.

Again, a smirk formed on the brunette's lips. It was a little ironic, given that her playful taunt hadn't been accusing. In fact, had the roles been reversed, she would have done the exact same thing. "No," she said, shaking her head. "Those who think other lives matter more than their own will quickly learn the mistake of their naivety." She hung her bow over her shoulder and shrugged her shoulders. "Bravery usually go hand in hand with stupidity," she finished.

[Valko Holt]

Admittedly she did have a point. Sure, Valko was certain there was even more to learn about the vampires than what he could just watch. How had they come into being? How did the whole siring thing actually work? Why were there gangrels? None of these matter much to him though. “True, but it’s given me all I need to either avoid or kill them so I’m fine with that.”

Her answer did surprise him somewhat. Most people he ran into long enough to talk would proclaim that they were better. They’d try and shake a sliver of humanity at him as though it would impress him. But this girl was actually being honest. A smirk was quick to form on his lips too. “Well what do you know? A girl after my own heart.” He mused with a fair amount of amusement.

“At least you aren’t trying to serve me some ‘holier than thou’ bullshit. That gets real tiring, real fast.” He said. In those cases he didn’t bother letting them finish their speeches. She wouldn’t have been an exception. “So since we’re both looking out for ourselves, how about we work to fix this one’s mistake and actually shoot down some food?” He propositioned with a slap to the man’s back. “Because if a gangrel or other less chatty people come along, you’re probably as good as dead on your own."

Alice Gamble

[Alice Gamble]

"Until it doesn't anymore," she replied with a shrug. She wasn't in the business of trying to convince him. In fact, whether or not he learned was no business of hers. She didn't make a habit of caring about other people's business. It had helped her survive thus far and she didn't really feel like changing it right now.

Why would she lie and pretend to be someone or something that she wasn't? Perhaps, had Alice been trying to make friends or find people to feel close with, she might have put up something of a front. That's what people did when they wished to be liked, wasn't it? No. If you wanted to survive, you were better off on your own.

Looking at the guy's comrade, Alice had to keep herself from snorting. "Oh yes, teaming up with the same people who couldn't keep still long enough to keep a buck at bay sounds like just the people I'd go near gangrels with." She rolled her eyes, arms coming up to cross over her chest. "I think I'd be as good as dead either way." Fidgeting and making unnecessarily noise around a harmless animal was one thing, but she had a feeling that fidgeting would turn into nervousness and around gangrels that would be instant suicide.

[Valko Holt]

”I’ll deal with that bridge when I cross it.” He returned. So far, it worked. Why fix what wasn’t broken? If he needed to figure out more information to keep himself and his people alive, he would. If he had to move his tribe entirely to escape the vampires, he’d do that too. Whatever it took.

“See?” He stated, glancing over to his companion in turn with a furrowed brow. “Even she can tell you’re pretty much useless out here.” In response his tribesman only hung his head, but Valko rolled his eyes and slapped him on the shoulder again. “He’s a work in progress. A slow one, but I’ll get him there eventually. Or he’ll die. Whichever comes first.” He stated frankly, turning his attention back towards the girl. Sure it wasn’t a nice thing to say, but it was the truth.

“However, don’t take his lack of skill as the example for me too. I actually know what I’m doing.” He added. “And let’s be honest; you don’t go near gangrels. They go after you first. Anyone who actually actively tries seeking them out is a case of suicide. But if you want to go it on your own then suit yourself."

Alice Gamble

[Alice Gamble]

Again, Alice felt the temptation to feel bad for the guy, but if he didn't shape up, he'd end up dead. As harsh and cruel as it sounded, it was just the way life worked. You had to up your game every damn day otherwise you'd find yourself even lower on the food chain than what you already were. Still, Alice supposed it was somewhat remarkable that this man took this poor guy under his wing. To her, it seemed stupid and risky, but she guessed she could see the appeal. There were both downsides and upsides to being more than one. "The slow ones always lose the race," she said, more so to the subordinate than to the leader.

"That might be the case," she pressed, but gestured towards the guy she still was certain would get them all killed. "But no matter how good or strong you are, all it takes is one mistake." In this case, the mistake was the guy she'd nearly felt bad about earlier.

There was also the issue of the size of their group. Moving around like this would make them easier spotted, but she had to admit. She was curious to see this guy in action. He talked mighty of himself and she wanted to see just exactly how much of his barking could be turned into bites. Getting her bow from her back, Alice flexed the string. "Lead the way."

[Valko Holt]

The tribeman took it with as much dignity as he could at that moment. Valko observed him for a bit before shrugging. “True enough. Fortunately this mistake wasn’t going to be as catastrophic. If it was a gangrel, we’d have been in trouble for sure.” He acknowledged fairly.

Still, she was actually willing to come along. It was a nice change of pace, and offered the possibility for a number of things. Not all necessarily positive. “Well then let’s get on with it and grab us some food.” He said before motioning to his third man to come out of cover. Once he was out, Valko took the bow from his less experienced companion. “As for you, just watch and stay quiet. The less you screw up the better today.”

With that he went off, searching for deer. He’d come out hunting here enough times that he could track efficiently. Hopefully they wouldn’t run into anything too horrible, or one of his other groups searching for food. Eventually though, he spotted another deer off in the distance. It was a doe this time, but even with the smaller size Valko would take it. Yanking the less experienced man down, he motioned to the animal and slowly crept forward, bow at the ready.

Once they got close enough he stopped and nodded his head to both the stranger and his armed tribesman. Three archers shooting at once might’ve been overkill, but he’d prefer a dead deer to an injured one running away. His arrow drove deep into the side of the doe’s leg, while his tribesman’s arrow hit it in the stomach. Wherever the girl would hit now didn’t matter as much; the doe went down and Valko was swift to run to it.

Alice Gamble

[Alice Gamble]

Alice's body tensed ever so slightly when a third man approached the scene. If this went south, she'd be in a less than flattering situation. Instead of protesting, though, the brunette kept her mouth shut. She knew better than to push their already tense surroundings more than what she'd already done. Ali would have been impressed with her - look at her, keeping her mouth shut.

In silence, the brunette followed suit. Carefully watching both the men and their surroundings until they found their prey. Slowly, she stooped down, propping herself up so that she could easily aim her bow and arrow without getting unsteady. She watching him give the signs from the corner of his eyes and the moment she heard the satisfying sound of the string releasing the arrow, she let her own fly as well.

Hitting the doe above its shoulder, Alice remained still as the man moved forward. She knew that gangrels didn't travel out much during daytime, but out here in the forest, the trees hid the sun fairly well from the ground, so she'd be foolish to let her guard down. Slowly, she rose to her feet, her hazel green eyes watching the forest in front of them before stepping forward, ever so slowly to retrieve her arrow.