4.Bounty Hunter

Under a clear blue sky and on a green grassy hill, Mirōven sat, studying his dagger. The remnants of the fire he had built for the night was still smouldering, and the saddle, with all his possessions already packed in and ready to go, rested against a tree. Mirōven was dressed in black boiled leather with a golden sun insignia embroidered on his right arm and a small non descript brown scabbard for the dagger hung from his waist. His black travel cloak lay on the grass beside him.

The dagger was a heirloom of the family. It was handed down to Mirōven by his father ,and by his father before him, and by his father before him, and by his father before him, who had had it forged himself. The hilt was golden and in shape of a dragon's head. Mirōven's hand fit snugly over the dragons neck and just below it's lower chin, and never in all his years had his grip ever faltered. The blade itself was black, not the glossy black of an onyx, but rather the all consuming inky blackness of a new moon.

Mirōven spun the blade in his palm, first to the left and then to the right. The weight was as familiar as ever. He lightly ran his thumb over its edge, and felt a slight tingle of pain as a single bright red drop of blood gathered on his thumb. Satisfied, he replaced the dagger back in its scabbard.

As if on cue, Shadowfoot emerged from the trees nearby. Mirōven's wolf was a huge beast. He came upto Mirōven's elbow, and Mirōven himself was a large man standing in at almost seven feet tall. Shadowfoot had long fur black as the blade, except for a small white diamond shaped patch near his front left paw. He had gone hunting for prey in the morning and was just now returning, his jaw adorned with blood of some hapless animal that had the misfortune to be in his sight.

Shadowfoot bounded upto where Mirōven was sitting. Mirōven took a rag out of his  belt and wiped Shadowfoot's jaw of the blood. Once he was clean, Mirōven placed the rag back in his belt and stroked Shadowfoot's black warm and cosy fur. Placing his head against the beast's side, Mirōven gave Shadowfoot a quick hug. They had been by each other for so long, they were less man and beast and more like brothers.

"Am I interrupting?" a sneering voice cut through Mirōven's thoughts.

John Abrahnet or General as he was infamously known as, was notorious. He was the ringleader of a gang of thugs that called themselves the One Army. Starting out as a motley crew of thieves, it had soon grown in numbers and stature, with thugs, bandits, kidnappers, murderers and all sorts of rogues joining it's ranks. Anyone with enough coin could hire them, and no dirty job was below them.

General now sat leaning against a tree. Mirōven glanced at his captive. General had his hands bound from wrists to elbows with thick rope which then looped around his neck and was tied to a sturdy branch on the same tree. He was a wiry fellow dressed in rough hewn grey clothes; dusty from travel and in need of a bath.

General had a huge bounty on his head, but capturing him meant having to go through One Army. Mirōven took his chance when after a party to celebrate another successful assassination the whole group was in a drunken stupor. He had to dispose of a few guards, but other than that capturing General had gone easier than planned. The One Army would just be waking up right now, and when they found dead guards and a missing leader, a chase would surely be afoot. Mirōven had put some considerable distance between them during the night, but he was not yet completely safe.

General spat onto the ground, interrupting Mirōven's thoughts once again. "Oh.. don't mind me" he said, "Ya lovebirds continue with your lil moment of love."

Mirōven got up from where he was sitting and brushed the dirt off his cloth. He then picked up the cloak and put it on. General had been sleeping and Mirōven didn't want to disturb him till Shadowfoot had came back. And now General had woken himself and saved Mirōven the trouble of having to wake him.

"Time to get going,boy" Mirōven said in a low voice to Shadowfoot. Shadowfoot acknowledged with a small growl. Mirōven moved to get the saddle. Shadowfoot stood still as Mirōven fastened it to the wolf's back.

"I heard ya screaming in your sleep" General taunted, the sneer still in his voice, "Had ya some bad dreams soldier? One eyed monsters with scary teeth come for ya?"

Mirōven walked over to where General was sitting. He towered over the sitting man and stared at him silently for a few seconds, before his right fist came swinging down onto General's cheek. Blood spilled and General went crashing to the ground.

"Your bounty didn't specify whether they wanted you alive or not." Mirōven said in a matter of fact voice, "Another word and only your head will be coming rest of the way"he warned.

Mirōven reached up and untied the rope holding General from the branch. Shadowfoot came over to him and Mirōven tied the rope to the front of the saddle.

"We are going." Mirōven stated flatly without looking back as he mounted Shadowfoot and the wolf started to move forward. General, coughing up blood, struggled to get onto his feet and followed them on his sore bleeding feet.

In the distance, the rotting skyscrapers of the abandoned city of Akram kissed the morning sky.