Night falls early in the forest, it was important for the Rangers to finish their tasks early and return back to the base. Though risky, Rana and Rudra would often go exploring the forest. They never went past a certain point because of the dangers involved. Even though there were excellent spots for camping, the night inside the forest would give a normal person PTSD.
Rudra packed up his stuff and prepared for his return. He had plucked off a jackfruit from one of the shorter trees and gathered some firewood for the night. Rana was going through his inventory seemingly looking for something.
.
RAAAAAAAAA !!!!
A loud roar broke the cheerful chirping of the birds and the gentle noise of the trees. Rudra's right hand instinctively reached towards his handgun holster. Rana prepared the rifle that he was placed on his back. Vigilance came automatically to them. They were in the wild and in there everything kills.
They registered movement in their vicinity. Even with years of experience, Rana dripped sweat.
"What do you think it is ?", without making any movement Rudra asks.
"I believe it is a tiger. But I am not sure. Stay on guard!", Rana replies.
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The signs of movement didn't stop. It was as if the two Rangers were surrounded. The two shared a look of confusion and terror. Tigers don't hunt in groups. This is definitely something else!
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A strong wind came in, shaking the trees. It was beginning to get dark. With swift footsteps, they began to mobilize before the Rangers. They were not human. Standing on their two legs at a height of more than 6 feet. Seven figures had them circled. One of the figures wielded a machete-like weapon that was as long as a longsword. There was blood dripping from it. The Rangers felt the gravity of the situation pummeling them down to earth. The figures slowly started a walk around.
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[[ Hunters! ]] One of the figures seemingly made a confirmation gesture to others.
[[ Hunters possess intelligence. Should we risk letting them leave? ]]
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The encirclement stopped. The Rangers held on to their wits. They knew that if they were to take that shot, they would not be going back alive. In front of them was a pack of creatures they had not heard of before. They emanated such an aura that from a single sight, they understood how dangerous these creatures were. Almost like a uniform, the creatures enveloped themselves with some kind of metallic ghillie suit and they each held a different weapon from one another.
One of the figures which was holding two circular discs in its hands started to approach.
Rudra took one step back. The creature whooshed forward towards Rudra and held one of the discs near his neck. Even though his life was being threatened, somewhere in his mind he cemented the thought that the creatures would not hurt them. If they wanted, they could have killed them both long before. The wind was getting stronger, the night sky was above them.
The figure brought its head near Rudra and it muttered in broken words.
"This forest does not belong to you!"