Loosing an arrow it struck the beast in the neck. Its roar echoed throughout the forest and it barrelled toward its attacker who stepped out from the shadows, releasing another arrow and pulling out a broad sword. The beast staggered as the second arrow embedded itself in a hind leg. Then in a flash the beast was on the ground the light leaving its eyes. Burning the body of the beast the hunter took a token back as evidence that the village was safe from its attacks.
Skyler leant back in his chair after cleaning and sharpening the blades after finishing the hunt. His equipment had all been serviced. A tarnished weapon has the potential to kill you. He lived in harmony with the forest. He understood the creatures and the territories each held. From the wolf packs down to the rabbits who lived in the nearby warrens. Some came near sensing that there was no threat from him. His cabin was solitary from the rest of human society. Yet he earned what he needed to purchase supplies he could not acquire by himself. He was a tracker and understood animals better than anything else. The years spent alone had estranged him from people. He was respected for what he did. Whenever there was a creature that needed hunting he was the person that the nearby village turned to. They admired him but he would never be one them. Which was fine, here in the forest as the sun set, he was never truly alone.
The following day was as fine as the last. However there was a new chill in the air. Winter was coming and the harvest period was the time when the most dangerous beasts began to emerge. Walking to the village Skyler watched the landscape. The leaves were beginning to yellow and the grain in the field was ripening. This year looked to be a good one for the farmers. The forest, however, was a different story. There were fewer deer and other smaller prey this year. This meant that the predators would be desperate. The main village was a few dozen houses with all the necessary craftsmen to sustain it. The largest building by far was the inn. This is where all news could be heard. That was the last place that Skyler would go on this particular visit.
As he neared he noticed a crowd gathering and angry voices could be heard arguing. Over what he could not fathom but it seemed that soon fighting would break out unless it were defused. Quickening his pace he drew nearer to the mob. What he saw left him disgusted. The men were fighting over what looked like a young woman. Her pale skin battered and long brown hair tangled and matted with mud and what was possibly blood. Her body shook with pain over the beating and sobbing. The men were arguing about how they should kill her. They claimed that she was possessed by some dark spirit giving her inhuman beauty to tempt and destroy men. Soon the mayor of the village silenced the crowd with a bellow that may have come from a bear. "We will put her in a cell until we decide what to do with her or it whichever may be the case. We will discuss what to do with her at a meeting at the inn tonight."
The crowd grumbled but accepted the solution. A few still eyed the poor woman with hate. The only thing that Skyler could feel was anger at the men and pity for her. Once the crowd had cleared he could see clearly she was not exactly human, her ears had points and the fine build of her face was not something you found in any woman he had ever seen in all the towns and villages he had visited. Even at this distance he could sense the pain and fear coming from her. She was no demon or monster to be feared but she was different from anything he had encountered. This ability to sense his surroundings was what allowed him to track and it was never wrong. He would finish his business here but then something had to be done about how she was being treated.
That evening the men gathered at the inn. There were a number of angry faces. Some appeared fearful while others were indifferent to what was going on. The gathering was called to order by the mayor. His broad girth and booming voice taking charge. "We are gathered here to discuss the course of action, if any should be taken against the girl or creature that has been caught near the forests edge. Firstly we will hear all arguments for what we do with her, then come to a consensus after that. Who would like to speak first?"
A grave looking man with furrowed brow stood "She is a demon if not demon possessed. She is not human. Anyone could tell that. Plus she came from the forest. Nothing but monsters come out of there."
The crowd murmured in agreement. No one seemed to be considering any other possibility other than that she was a threat. Skyler felt his anger rising. He stood towering above the other men. Being over six foot and broad shouldered with the muscle build required for the tracking he did, Skyler made most men appear small. Every eye turned toward him. His face was darkened his shoulder length black hair further emphasizing his scowl. "You are wrong about her. She is not a demon as you suppose. I do not know what she is exactly but I have faced enough monsters from that forest to know she is not one of them. If she were truly a demon the treatment you gave her would not have upset her but rather angered her into fighting and killing you."
Silenced filled the room like a heavy blanket. No one had a response to the comments. Yet there was still obvious anger on the faces of some of the men. The indifferent faces showed some curiosity as the famed hunter and tracker argued against the killing of the captive. No one else stood to provide comment. It went to a vote and as Skyler feared it was not in favour of showing mercy but rather her execution in the morning. Skyler stood and stalked out of the building. Turning to the men "You will regret hurting her. Sometimes mercy benefits more than perceived safety."
The night was clear and nothing stirred. The faintest sounds were clear to his ears. Each breathe of wind bringing scents from the fields. The feeling that he could not leave her in the villager's hands growing stronger. As he wrestled with how to deal with the situation a soft voice came to his ears. The words were from no language that he had ever heard of but the meaning was clear. The sorrow in the tone was obvious. She may not be human but she was no monster. She needed to be freed.
This night the sky was lit only by stars the moon having reached the end of its cycle. The shadows gave many places for one to hide. The hunt was about how one read these shadows and how they were used to the predators advantage. Skyler had learnt to master these as he wandered the forest. His own vision more sensitive than others in the dark and the other senses heightened. Slipping between buildings Skyler moved as one of the shadows. For anyone watching it was not a man over six foot who passed by but a merely a change in the shadows. A flicker, a figment of one's imagination. The grass barely bent and no hint of sound or life was given. The village was arrayed in a circle around the central square where most of the farmers brought their produce to sell. The cell in which they held the girl was close to the mayor's house and was also what served as the village prison until judgment could be passed. The cell was little more than a hole with a metal grill which was chained in place. There was one guard set to watch only to chase off those who would act separately of the towns division. In this case though the decision would be a hanging or worse.
Crouching in the shadows Skyler watched the young man guarding the cell. He watched with wide eyes. Yet his eyes were fearful and uncertain. He was little more than boy but none were willing to stand guard while the discussion happened. The lock was large but not complex and one could easily pick. Pouncing forward Skyler clamped a hand over the youth's mouth, pinning him he gagged him and made sure he could not see his face. Turning to the cell he picked the lock with ease and lifted the grill. The girl peered at him with eyes filled with fear thinking her death had come. Reaching out a hand he lifted her out gently. Replacing the cell's cover he locked untied the boy who had passed out from fear and loped out of town carrying the woman on his back. Soon the lights from the village were nothing more than a small speck in the distance.