Hunting the Hunter (Attn: Tracker) (Rated M just in case)

[Jehaine]

It had been a good day for Toram Rashevar. An investment he had made had finally started paying off, and during the celebration party that evening in the Dancing Flagon he had found the dice were bringing him luck as well. His pouch was jungling with a combination of earnings and winnings, and he had even been fortunate enough to find a merchant willing to swap his silver marks for good Andoran gold, allowing him to keep his purse thin enough to be safely tucked out of view.

 

It had been a good day as the dice rolled well for him once again, earning him enough money to pay for the round of drinks he had just ordered, leaning back in his chair, exhausted from the excitement of the day's events. He was rich now, could buy that house he had his eyes set on after selling his own. Marisa would like having more space, and he felt the kids would as well, they seemed to grow taller every day now. He felt the wine getting to more places in his body than just his head and stood up to leave for a minute. Some fresh air would do him good too.

 

It had been a good day, but it is the will of the Wheel that all things must one day come to an end. As Toram relieved himself in a more secluded alley next to the Inn, he never saw nor expected the figure standing on the rooftops behind him, believing himself safe within Fal Sion's walls like so many others. He never heard nor expected the whistle of cloth through air as the figure jumped down from the roof. And he never felt nor expected the dagger that was driven far into his neck from the impact of the stranger's landing almost on top of him.

 

Those outside would hear a thud from the alley, as if someone had just tripped over some loose boards, or a box of junk. Most would think nothing of it, though there would be some that for an instant would believe a person was being robbed before sinking back into the false sense of security Fal Sion's walls gave them. And there were those with heightened senses, whose ears would recognise the snapping of a neck hidden by the stumble. Those few would see a woman in a poorly fitting suit of leather armor holding the limp body of a man close to her. Those with sharp eyesight would also notice the woman wrenching and slicing the man's neck as if to open the wound further, despite it being clear from the wound that the man was already dead.

 

And, to their horror, those watching the gruesome spectacle would see the woman put her mouth over said wound after pulling her dagger out, blade glistering darkly with blood in the torchlight during the brief second it was visible until deft hands hid it in its concealed sheath at her side again.

 

 

Daciana Mordecai

The hunt begins!

[Nynaeve]

Winifred twisted her mouth in distaste as she watched the young woman she was designated to pick up. She had been watching her moves half a day now, waiting for the opportune moment to reveal herself, as she frequently did with wanderers. Midnight was left behind even though he insisted to tag along, but Winifred knew all too well how uncomfortable the wolf could get in populated areas and so it was decided that having a jumpy wolf by her side was not a wise idea when one was trying to make a good impression.

 

Unfortunately, the pick up turned out different than what she would have expected. Usually she would reflect over how to make her presence known without scaring the wanderer away. But the more she followed this pup around, the more she was convinced that in many ways this pick up was going to be difficult.

 

Winifred had no love for people. She felt kinship towards the wolfkin alone. Still, she found it distasteful to hurt them, when unprovoked. Live and let live seemed like the reasonable approach and seeing a wanderer slaughter someone in cold blood seemed wrong. But what really struck her was not the deed itself, but the pleasure she seemed to draw from it. The hunger that reflected in her eyes. It's time.

 

Jumping off the roof, Winifred landed on the ground right in front of the girl and forced on a smile. "So, does blood really taste metallic? Because you know, you hear stories but never quite know what to believe. Oh, I'd be careful if I were you, it's dripping. And removing blood stains is such a dreadful task."

 

 

Winifred

Head Tracker

[Jehaine]

To say Daciana was... unpleasantly surprised by the newcomer's sudden appearance would be a severe understatement. Her head whipped around, causing blood from Toram's neck to splatter onto a nearby wall as she glared at Winifred, or to be more precise at the golden eyes the woman had. Due to her albinism, her own pupils had a distinct coppery tint to them, but there nevertheless seemed to be a spark of recognition in her eyes that this intruder was similar to her somehow. In that light, her reaction was completely understandable.

 

In one swift motion, she tossed Toram's limp body towards Winifred's feet in an attempt to unbalance her, in the meantime pulling her own dagger from its scabbard at her hip, and moved in in an attempt to stab her. Winifred however seemed to have other ideas, as the woman parried her attack with a dagger of her own. Subsequent attacks were parried as well, and her physical strength seemed unable to overpower her opponent.

 

"Hey, did you hear that?"

 

"Yeah, could be trouble, stay close."

 

Voices in the distance told her it wouldn't be long before people would arrive, making the risk of being discovered too great. Even if she would be able to kill this stranger, this predator intruding on her territory, her face would be seen. It would make selecting a target during the day much harder. All the time, she kept looking straight at Winifred, until a slight narrowing would tell that she had had an idea. Spraying a liquid in her face that smelled (and felt) suspiciously like lukewarm blood, she growled below her breath at Winifred.

 

- "Leave, now! This is my hunting ground!"

 

Putting her strength in a final shove to push the woman back while she was (hopefully) still blinded by the blood in her eyes, she darted off the other way, deeper into the shadows and away from the voices of the guards that were approaching the other end of the alleyway. She hated being chased, but it couldn't be helped, as regardless of how good she could hide, if half the city would be out looking for her it would only be a matter of time until they'd come across her little sister. The blood on her face would help shake the woman off her trail, after which she'd have plenty of time to stalk her newfound competition on her own conditions.

 

 

Daciana

Trying not to get caught

[Nynaeve]

Winifred cursed under her breath and wiped the blood off her face. She had quite a few colorful names to shout out after the women, but there wasn't much time left. She was standing next to a corpse, covered with his blood. Odds were no one was going to believe she just happened to stumble upon the body, especially not with her eyes' particular shade of color. No, they would label her as a murderer without a moment's thought.

 

Getting away was no longer an option as she saw some people approaching. Blood decorated her blouse, still dripping from her face. A confrontation seemed unavoidable. Then again... Winifred collapsed on the floor and started to breath heavily. Only three men seemed to have made it to the scene. She kept calculating the quickest way to dispose of them. A kick to a knee, a dagger slash to the ribs, a blow to the head. However, Winifred's top priority was voiding the risk of being killed or captured. That was above all.

 

One of the men crouched next to her, as the other two inspected the body. "What happened here? Are you well?". Winifred squinted her eyes so their color will go unnoticed, and answered after a few exaggerated coughs. "A woman. She..." Coughing ensued. "She mugged me and my... my uncle. She took his money and she tried to dispose of my as well, good sir." Winifred gave him her description and pointed out the direction she went. He nodded intently and turned around and told one of his friends to call for help.

 

"Oh, no! I am too far gone, good man. Please, get that woman. Avenge me and my uncle. That is the only act that would bring me peace, please I.....". Winifred started coughing again. She started shaking her body and then took one deep breath before letting her chest sink and rise no more.

 

She heard a few muffled words before the men quickly ran in the direction Winifred told them, to seize the thief. When Winifred was sure they were far enough, she got up and giggled. How thick can you get? She was glad she managed to get rid of them and she was also rather pleased that she found a way to keep the girl busy while she cleaned up. Of course, Winifred made a point of first passing through quite a few guards, notifying them of the horrendous murder of her uncle and giving them her description from head to toe.

 

And so the fun began.

 

 

 

 

Winifred

Head Tracker

[Jehaine]

Daciana had not been standing around while Winifred had been waiting on the guards to arrive, and by the time they had reached the other end of the alley she had run into they would find a dead end, their target having reached the rooftops. They might have been better armored than her, but it also made them heavier, and much more likely to not survive an agile dash over Fal Sion's snow-covered rooftops.

 

With her pursuers shaken off, she made her way to the Inn she was staying in. Oh, she hadn't actually been renting a room there, but by chance she had discovered that the attic was unused for anything but a storage for crates and dust. Wiping off the snow, she pulled open the makeshift hatch she had made in the roof, lowering herself in before putting it in place again to keep the snow out. After she wiped the blood off of her face and knife, she lazily walked to the pile of her victim's cloaks in the corner. There, she slipped out of the leather armor she was wearing and crawled between the cloaks for warmth as she fell asleep not too long afterwards.

 

---

 

The next day, Daciana awoke feeling a bit hungry. This struck her as odd, given that Hunter said she'd arrange something to eat before she had fallen asleep the previous night. Either way, judging by the bustle coming from the Inn below her she guessed it was already late into the morning, and pulled herself out of bed. After some stretching exercises -- Hunter always said they were important! -- she wore the dress she usually did during the day, with a longsleeved furlined coat over it for protection against the cold.

 

She climbed out of 'her' attic again, and moved to one of the quieter districts where she could lower herself on the streets without attracting too much attention. She had a number of locations memorised for that exact purpose, and the first one she picked turned out to be empty. Landing on the ground almost without a sound, she then simply walked in the middle of the streets like nothing out of the ordinary had happened last night.

 

 

Daciana

Looking for me? Why?

[Nynaeve]

~ Can't you just grab her? She isn't that big ~

 

Winifred rolled her eyes and transmitted images back.

 

~ Patience, midnight. Unless of course... don't tell me you miss me? ~

 

No images were transmitted back for a prolonged moment.

 

~ Maybe... ~

 

Winifred laughed softly as she remained crouched on a roof she was using to get a good look at her surroundings. She had been monitoring the movements of Fal Sion's guard as they searched for the, now rather renowned, killer. They would find her, eventually. The girl certainly didn't leave the city. Midnight was in contact with a pack of other wolves that were to notify him if they saw her leaving. No, she was still hiding within the city and Winifred had no qualms with letting the guard do the work of finding her whereabouts.

 

Putting the girl between a rock and a hard place seemed like the sensible thing to do, especially after observing her reaction towards Winifred's presence. She was on the hunt, no doubt and considered Winifred her adversary. The only way to convince the girl to come with her was to expose her to a bigger threat that would compel her to leave with who she considered her enemy. Still, they shared a kinship of a sort that the girl could not ignore.

 

Winifred was worried, though. Not about getting the girl to the stedding, no, that was the lesser part of the problem. It was the girl's state of mind. Her behavior would have to be monitored in the stedding and slowly modified so she could settle in their society without... well... murdering anyone. Because that would be bad. Though Winifred could think up a name or two she wouldn't terribly mind...

 

~ You know, those sort of thoughts just end up biting you in the butt... ~ Midnight transmitted.

 

Winifred had a witty retort to send back, when her eyes suddenly caught a big group of soldiers surrounding a nearby inn. She hoped over a few roofs to get a better look and watched as they carried out a familiar young girl.

 

 

 

 

Winifred

Head Tracker

 

[Jehaine]

Daciana had noticed the guards giving her some more attention than they did the other citizens, but honestly thought nothing of it. Hunter was still asleep after last night, she sometimes did that when she had to put a good amount of effort into finding a good target. Perhaps the hunt hadn't gone well last night? She was still feeling a bit peckish, so that would probably be it then.

 

She grinned, pleased that she had managed to find the answer on her own. Resisting the urge to skip, she calmly walked into the Inn she stayed at. Though the innkeeper was unaware that he had an extra guest staying in his attic, he did however manage to recognise the girl as one of his regular customers. Given that she paid for her meals in coins of mixed mintage, he assumed she was related to a small trader, but as a good host he refrained from prying his paying customers.

 

- "Hey uncle Savaren, i'm back!"

 

"Ah, good to see you, young mistress. What'll it be today, the usual?"

 

- "Yup, thanks."

 

Daciana beamed a smile at the innkeeper as he ordered one of the waitresses to get milk, cheese and some bread. Returning a few minutes later, he set the tray on the table she was sitting at himself, watching her eat as he did his rounds. Though the girl was stronger than she let on -- a skill honed from running an inn for a couple of years -- she reminded him of one of his daughters, and had sometimes found himself getting a bit protective of her given that he had yet to see her parents or guardians around. At the end of the meal, half a dozen guards stormed into the inn, swords drawn at Daciana.

 

"Hold it, you're under arrest!"

 

Daciana looked at the man, seemingly completely ignoring the man had a sword pointed at her. Though it was hard to mistake the small quiver in his voice for anything other than nervousness. He believed her to be responsable for the long lasting string of murders in Fal Sion after all.

 

- "Why?"

 

...Then again, a somewhat confused sounding young girl wasn't exactly wat he had in mind when he heard someone spotted a woman matching the description they had been looking for. The innkeeper started to get a little agitated as well with guards almost bashing his door in, to arrest one of his regulars as if she was a Darkfriend no less!

 

"A dying girl managed to tell the guards who attacked her and her uncle last night, and you match her description to the letter. We'll need to bring you in for questioning."

 

A murmur rose through the inn, some looking at each other, some at the innkeeper as they tried to recall just how often they had seen her have breakfast there. Daciana seemed not to be overly concerned about all of it however, finishing the last of her milk before putting the jug down again.

 

- "Mhm, wait... Okay, i'm done! Don't worry uncle Savaren, it's prolly nothing to do with me."

 

She jumped off of her chair, walking up to the guards as if this was some kind of game. Her voice had no hesitation in any way simply because she knew this had nothing to do with her. The guard had mentioned it had happened last night, that was Hunter, not her. Not really fathoming what kind of trouble she was into, she walked out of the Inn, flanked by several members of the town guard. That she acted as if there was nothing wrong would give the impression they were there to guard as opposed to arrest her, though that would depend on the person.

 

 

Daciana

Under arrest? Fun!

[Nynaeve]

Winifred waited till dark before she entered the jailhouse. She managed to find her way around it with a relative ease and without being seen. Finally, she managed to track the cell the girl was in. It was being watched by a lone guard. He was sitting on a chair, shinning his blade. 

 

Getting rid of the guard wasn't too tricky. Winifred thought about using her womanly wilds, at first, but then laughed at the notion and thought better of it. Her best friend from childhood liked to preach about using what the creator gave you for your own purposes. However, Winifred's movement were of a warrior, her feminine sways too rough around the edges.

 

Ultimately, though, one of her Friend's advices did help her resolve the problem. "Always be polite, sweet friend. Even the most stubborn mule will bow." Winifred greeted the guard respectfully. She apologized when she twisted his arms behind his back and smashed him against a wall. She politely laid him on the floor, tied him up gently and wished him a good night's sleep. He would need it for when he woke up.

 

Remaining in the shadows, Winifred spoke to the girl. "You don't know me. You don't trust me. This much I know and I probably share the same sentiments where you're concerned. But consider this, child. If you remain here, by this time tomorrow you'll be up in the air, your feet dangling as you strangle. That is, if you're not lucky enough to have your neck snap in the fall. I don't mean you any harm. The proof of that is that you are still standing." Winifred made a significant pause.

 

"If you want something to trust, trust this." Winifred came closer to the cell's bars and out of the shadow, giving the girl a closer look of her big yellow eyes. "We have this much in common. But we're different from them. They will never understand what we are, so we take care of each other. I can get you out of here and take you to safety, or I can leave you here to certain death. Take your pick."

 

 

 

 

Winifred

Head Tracker

[Jehaine]

Daciana looked at the strange face that had appeared just outside of her cell door, blinking as she noticed Winifred's golden irises. She didn't quite understand what the newcomer was talking about, though she knew enough that the dangling in the air bit sounded like a bad thing. Bouncing up from where she had been sitting, she walked over to the shadows where Winifred was hiding, peering into her hiding place curiously.

 

- "So umm, where are you gonna take me?"

 

It wasn't just her manner. Her voice, her tone, the wording, the very look in her eyes... None of it would remind Winifred of the murderer that had stalked the streets last night. If it weren't for the fact that they (she?) looked absolutely identical physically to the woman the Tracker had seen kill a man in cold blood, it would be easy to mistake her for someone else. More than one guard had, rumor had it this hadn't been the first murder in Fal Sion.

 

 

Daciana

Umm... Who are you?

[Nynaeve]

Winifred blinked. She sensed bewilderment from the girl. She also sensed a little surprise surface, mixed with curiosity and the slightest hint of... excitement? That wasn't right. No trace of her scent from the night before stuck to the girl. Winifred couldn't explain it. If her eyes wouldn't have been confirming it at that very moment, she would have thought her to be a different person. But it was her. There was no time to linger, though. The girl was a danger, but right then Winifred's priority was to get her to the Stedding. The rest could be dealt with later.

 

"I'm going to take you somewhere safe. Where you won't be judged and hunted for being different." It was a bit of a void promise. The girl's homicidal tendencies will have to be seen to and Winifred wasn't sure on how pleasant that process would be. It was still a better fate then death. At least she was giving the girl a fighting chance.

 

Removing the keys from the unconscious guard, Winifred unlocked the cell's door and opened it, making sure not to let the girl out of her sight. She could be trying to play her, but her scent said otherwise, and there was no way she could be skilled enough to manage to trick Winifred. Still, the head tracker remained suspicious and wary. "Follow me. Stay as silent as you can manage and don't fall behind."

 

Leading the girl in a labyrinth of corridors, they managed to evade any notice from the guards as they crept outside. Winifred led the girl out of the city, covering her up with her own cloak to avoid detection. There was no way to know if the guard already came to or was found by someone else. The search for the girl could have started by then.

 

It took some time, but they finally made it to the spot where Winifred hid her mare. She could sense Midnight about, coming her way. She untied her horse, and went through her bag to produce a piece of cloth, a sack and some rope. Turning around, she faced the girl. "I think it's the moment for some time out, darling." With that said, Winifred forced her into the sack, tied her up tight and threw her on her mare.

 

~ Now you're into tying up little girls? This is new ~

 

Winifred laughed.

 

~ Oh, dear friend. Better safe than sorry. And I always bet on safe ~

 

 

 

 

Winifred

Head Tracker

 

 

[Jehaine]

Daciana followed obediently, the feeling of excitment increasing as the two of them stalked out of the dungeon and through the city. She liked this game the two of them played, pretending to be Hunter stalking a prey. Hunter didn't like her pretending to be her, had something to do with avoiding sasp..suspe... making sure no one would be able to tell where Hunter was.

 

When the sack descended upon her though, and she found herself tied up before she could get over the shock and react, the grim realisation dawned on her that this time, she had been the prey. Struggling against her bonds, she could hear the rope groan under the pressure, but her captor knew her knots well, it seemed. The fighting and yelling Daciana did to break free of her bonds however had another side effect...

 

"...Mind telling me where we are?"

 

Realising her sister was waking up, she stopped physically struggling, instead focusing her attention inward to speak to her 'older sister'.

 

- "SIS! I'm in trouble an' i was arrested an' some lady stuffed me in a sack an' i dunno what to dooooo!!!!"

 

"Calm down, i am awake. Now, tell me everything, from the beginning, and your big sister will make everything all better again."

 

- "...Okay. Well, i was in the Tavern to get summin to eat when this guard walked in an' said i had to go to jail. I thought he was making a joke, but then..."

 

A short while later, Hunter knew everything that had happened. Due to the encounter she had had last night, she had already taken an educated guess as to whom would have been responsable for her kidnapping just now. The one thing she was wondering however was just what Winifred was trying to achieve with it. She was unharmed save for some scrapes and bruises trying to escape from a sack, and bailing her out of jail meant the woman had plans for her, but overall she figured the best thing to do would be to play along, at least until she knew more. Choosing her words, she started talking to Daciana again.

 

"Okay, so this is what we will do. For now, we shall see where we are taken, as i seek to discover what this woman's motives are. If they want to hurt us, i will jump in and get us out, so there is no need to worry. I will keep you safe..."

 

On the 'outside', Daciana seemed to have stopped struggling completely, though Winifred would be able to feel her fear be replaced with some minor mood swings as the mental discussion between Daciana and Hunter progressed, only to end in a fair share of seemingly misplaced confidence. Hunter would protect her, she said she would. And big sis always kept her word...

 

 

Daciana

Talking to herself