Panter's Pride:
Hunted
by T. S. Hubbard
Disclaimer It's still mine. Note: Panter's Pride must be read first, as this is book 2.
Thanks to Thorie for volunteering to proofread yet another story.
Email address: thubbar2@insight.rr.com.- comments welcome.
Chapter Twelve
Thira felt the branch flex beneath her feet as she moved farther out along the high limb. Settling into a crouch to maintain her balance she looked out through the thick branches to the town below. She watched as the torches on the wall guttered in the light breeze that had arose during the night, the men on the walkways keeping a sharp eye on the surrounding trees. She flexed her fingers on the limb, her claws gouging the bark beneath them easily. Thira studied the fresh axe marks on the wooden barricade; she could smell the fresh pitch that had oozed from the recently cut timbers. Her eyes glinted in the darkness that surrounded her. It had been built to defend from an attack outside its walls. But if someone could get inside it would be an easy way to breach their defenses.
Thira leaped from her perch to the next tree over. Her claws caught hold of the branch that rushed towards her. A few pieces of bark fell to the ground below her in a light rustle that the sound of the trees moving leaves covered up. In her new position she could look right past the walls into the town itself. Her eyes narrowed as she caught a flurry of movement out of the corner of her eye. Her pupils widened to enhance the available light as her vision adjusted to pierce the shadows that hid the commotion. A young woman was being assaulted by one of the enemy soldiers. Her conscience warred with her as she moved instinctively to help, but the knowledge that her actions could expose their presence halted her in mid-motion as she drew a knife from her harness. Unhappy with the notion of doing absolutely nothing her gaze lighted on the stones scattered below her. While sliding her knife back into its sheath a plan came to mind making an evil grin bend her lips. A flurry of movement had her at the trees base grabbing several stones and returning to her spot.
Hefting one in her hand, she waited till an especially hard shove separated the man and his intended victim. She winged the stone with all her power, hearing with a sense of satisfaction the dull thwack that rose as it nailed him in the back of the head. He slid limply to the ground without a sound. The woman stood stunned for a moment before gathering her torn shirt together as she attempted to cover herself. She looked toward the direction the help had come from and with a small wave of thanks disappeared into the alley behind her.
After scouting around the perimeter of the walled town Thira slipped deeper into the woods. Full shifting she ran headed for their encampment they'd set up several miles from Tylan. Her blood raced through her veins in elation as she poured on the speed, her gait lengthened until she was at full stride her lean body moving in an almost effortless run as she neared her full pace. Thira savored the feeling of the cool wind as it whipped throughout her fur, as much as she had accepted being bonded to a human she cherished the sensation of freedom she had in this form.
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Panter looked up as Alesia burst into their tent. She shared a look of wariness with Tera before watching Alesia pace the length of the floor in agitation.
"Something wrong Alesia?"
Alesia stopped and stared at the canvas wall in front of her before turning to face her friends. "It's Thira, she's missing. I can't find her in the camp and no one can remember seeing her since this morning" Her brow furrowed. "You don't think she went to check out Tylan alone do you?" She rubbed her face in frustration. "What am I saying, of course she did"
Panter gestured Alesia to a seat. "Does that truly surprise you, you must bear in mind what she is"
Alesia slumped in her seat. "That she's essentially an assassin?" she thought of the speed and strength her partner had in abundance. "I know, but I forget that most of the time. The person she is with me is so gentle, so loving sometimes I don't understand why other people can't see that"
Tera smile was full of understanding. "I'm the same way about Panter"
There was simply a side of them that no one would ever see except for a select few.
Discordant shouting broke into their conversation. A rush of wind blew the tents entrance flaps back. Their grab for weapons halted as they took in the sight of the sleek animal now standing in amongst their number. Panter waved off the wide-eyed guards that ducked into the tent.
"Thira" Alesia whispered as the big cat turned it's considering gaze on her. She rose and moved closer to it as her eyes absorbed the spotted coat that covered the lean muscular frame. A black tipped tail flicked slowly as she knelt by its side. She gradually reached out to stroke its head. Alesia drew back a little in startlement as a rough tongue licked her hand. She allowed the exploration the cat was intent on doing as she sent Panter a questioning look.
Panter walked over then crouched as she extended a hand for the cat to sniff. Tera followed and mimicked her movements. "It's important that Thira knows your scent in this shape, while your scent is distinctive to her in human form, its much more complex to her while she's like this. That way no matter what form she's in she'll be able to find you, it won't make any difference how old any trace you left is"
They all moved back as the cat's form rippled. Alesia watched breathless at the transformation in front of her. In the space of a few breaths Thira was standing in front of them with a small smirk on her face. She was grateful for the lessons Panter had given her with shifting while remaining clothed. It was much simpler that way, trying to successfully explain away why a change of clothing was being carried in an animal's mouth was unlikely. Being naked in front of her mate was fine, but being that vulnerable in front of anyone else was unacceptable.
Thira approached her wordless mate and kissed her. Her eyes narrowed as Alesia pulled her closer. The time she'd been parted from her had been almost unbearable. Forcing herself to concentrate on her agenda had been the only way to push back the unease that arose from being away from Alesia's side. She eased back from Alesia a bit. "Later love, we have other things that need our attention" She was pleased at the reluctant nod she received in return. Alesia was finding it just as difficult as she did.
Giving Alesia a final hug she stepped back. Turning to the other two women in the room Thira approached the table and snagged a pen and parchment. Rapidly sketching she drew out the layout of Tylan. "The rear portion of the town backs onto the forest, however they made sure to clear a large section so anyone coming close to the new walls they built would be easily seen. The front is clear of any cover we might have wanted to take advantage of" She shoved the rough sketch towards Panter. "Most of anything we do will be fully visible"
Panter regarded the layout in front of her. "I have to admit war is not one of my better skill sets. So far we've been very lucky things have gone our way, its only going to be harder as we go on" She leaned back in her chair aware of Tera's quiet gaze watching her. Briefly the sense of responsibly that her position entailed weighed heavily on her shoulders. She turned a considering gaze on the woman standing in front of them. "Not to put a fine point on it Thira, but out of all of us you have the most knowledge in this particular area"
Thira pushed back the rush of anger and resentment that surged up. She had spent enough time in Panter's company to realize she was speaking factually. Her skills were in infiltration and assassination; she'd practiced it continually in her pursuit of Panter for the past several seasons. "So you want to know what I'd do, is that right?" Thira sank into the chair next to Alesia.
Panter settled for a wordless nod of assent. She searched out a fresh sheet of parchment and readied her pen intent on taking notes of anything that could be helpful.
Thira grunted as she leaned back in her chair. Closing her eyes, she stilled as she brought what she'd seen at Tylan to mind. One of her talents was being able to immediately identify the weaknesses that were exploitable in almost any plan or defense. She opened her eyes briefly. "I assume you want to try to keep the killing at a minimum?" She wasn't surprised to see her guess was right as they agreed. Closing her eyes again, she went over what she'd seen. "Their defenses are arranged to bar an offensive attack. Whoever planned the layout was only thinking in that vein; they didn't consider anyone trying to come over its walls in small groups. While I was there I noticed that their guard spacing had been arranged too far apart" Thira smiled disdainfully. "Their commander must be an absolute fool, we'd need to go over the walls at night but it is definitely doable. However, we have to keep them occupied while we do so"
Tera noticed the gleam in Thira's gaze. "What's brewing in that mind of yours?"
Thira pulled the sketch back over and borrowed Panter's pen. She wrote a number of x's on the sheet. She started to label them as she laid out her idea. "We'd need to start out early tomorrow but I want to take about half the forces we have and position them here and here"
Panter started to see where she was going. "That way we have a sizable force but their not aware of just how many men we have" Her eyes grew dark as she reflected on the rising death toll of enemy spies and scouts that they'd disposed of on their way here. Thira had been vital many times in chasing them down as they'd tried to flee when found out. She'd also taken it upon herself to almost casually kill them after retrieving what information they could glean from them. Panter had to admit she was glad that Thira was on their side, to think of trying to fight against the almost exceptional talent that Thira had in planning strategies could be a little daunting.
"Right, we give them just what they expect to see. I'd prefer to move in tonight and suddenly be there when the sun rose but we don't have that kind of time. But the sight of us arriving and setting up camp almost on their doorstep should work just as well. I would like the leading edge of the camp to be a good two bow lengths out of the range of their bowmen. I didn't see any other projectile weaponry mounted anywhere on the walls so I think that should be enough of a barrier" Thira paused and tapped a nail on the area at the rear of the town. She looked up as a goblet was set close by her hand, sipping the cool water she found inside she smiled at Alesia, grateful of her thoughtfulness. "Two sections of amazons need to be posted in the trees at the back of the town. The trees encircle at least halfway around the entire place. With their compound bows they should be able to easily pick off the men on the walls. It should be unexpected; I only saw standard bows being used by them. Thinning their ranks will give us a greater advantage of being able to get inside without being seen"
"What will our other men do as this is occurring?" Tera asked.
"I'm hoping that us being right in front of them will be to much of a temptation and draw them outside their own walls. We want it to look like we aren't expecting anything but still be ready for them when and if they try to attack. I'd prefer to keep two squads in hiding but there's simply no place around there that would serve. If we tried to hide them in the woods, by the time they came around to the front any element of surprise would be ruined, they'd see us coming long before we could get there" Thira glanced at the regents. "After that it's pretty much wait and see"
Tera looked over the battle plan. At her call a guard entered the room.
"Please have the following people come here immediately" She turned and retrieved the list they'd put together as they talked. "Captains Adelphos, Karsten and Basha" she glanced over at Thira. "Do you want the same amazons that went with you last time?"
"I'd prefer it actually if that's alright?" Thira didn't want to seem as if she was trying to take over by telling them who could and couldn't go.
Tera smiled. "Anything if it helps," She continued her request to the waiting guard. "Also send Amazon's Cherise and Jeno" She dismissed him and settled back with the others to wait.
Only a few moments had passed before the first of the requested people arrived. Tera motioned them to take a seat as the rest started filing in. Thira and Alesia moved to Panter and Tera side of the table so they could easily see the face of the captains.
Tera motioned for Panter to take charge of the discussion for the battle looming ahead. "Its your arena" she whispered. "Not mine" She held back a sudden laugh at Panter's brief expression of bemusement.
"Tomorrow our battle with our enemy continues. We are going to take back Tylan" Panter watched as the look in her subordinates eyes grew grave as the news sank in. If she had seen any hints of eagerness at the information she would have immediately removed them from their position. An eager person tended to lead their men straight to their deaths by charging in without first seeing what the lay of the land was.
"Thira has just returned from scouting the town so I'll let her fill you in on what she's seen and what our next movements will be" Panter motioned for Thira to take over the meeting.
All eyes went to Thira as she stood. Moving to the map behind the Regents position she started to layout the plan of action they'd come up with. Only time would tell if it was a sound one.
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Panter stood watching the walled town before her. The layout had been precisely what they'd been told by Thira. After the meeting, everyone had scrambled to assemble everything they'd need for the mission ahead. Out of over five thousand on hand troops they brought only around two thousand with them. Enough to show a strong presence but not enough to tip their hand by showing how many troops they had available.
A hard ride had them here just after mid day. After ordering for camp to be set up Panter had taken advantage of the staged chaos to carefully slip away to take her own look at the objective before them. After a quick glance around she returned and made sure that her presence was very visible.
"How do you think it's going to go?" Tera asked as she appeared at her side.
Panter slipped an arm around Tera's shoulders and drew her closer. "The plan should work fairly well, at least on paper it does. We'll just have to see how it goes" Panter pressed a kiss to the top of her mate's head. She looked towards the woods to the left of the town's position where Alesia was hiding with the amazons. "Come, we have things that need seeing too" Panter turned and headed for the assembling campsite. She made sure Tera was at her side away from the wall just for her own peace of mind.
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Alesia sent the Amazons to scatter into the surrounding trees. At a call they would each pick off one of the men on the wall if possible. They'd try for disabling shots but if that wasn't feasible they were to kill them outright.
She started as Thira appeared suddenly at her side. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
Thira smiled wickedly. "Perhaps" She didn't choose to elaborate on her answer. She considered it a need to know; right now there was no need. "The Amazons know what to do?"
Alesia nodded. "Of course, now it's just a matter of timing"
"Time we get in position then" Thira lead her to the tree she'd used when last here. It's dense growth would shield their presence relatively easily, since it was situated at the starting edge of the cleared area they'd need the cover as they watched the walls that loomed a mere bows length away from their location. She stepped back to allow Alesia to start her ascent before she followed. Thira watched the movement of the muscles beneath her mates skin as she climbed. She abruptly remembered how it felt to have that power moving beneath her. Thira bit back a gasp as her body tensed as it recollected the sensations that had swept over her. Her fists tightened as she dug her claws into the palms of her hands. The pain brought her back to focus on the problem at hand, now wasn't the time for distraction like this. Alesia whisper caught her wandering attention.
"Are you coming up?"
Thira cursed herself; she was determined to not be distracted like that again. That was a sure way to get herself and Alesia killed. Her eyes grew cold at the thought of loosing her mate; she'd die before she'd allow that to happen. She crouched then shot straight up; her jump took her easily halfway before she needed to dig her claws into the thick bark. She joined Alesia at the wide platform that the large branch's the tree was made of created.
Signaling Alesia to hold her position, Thira made her way further up the trunk to the crown of the tree. From there she could easily see the completed camp that spread out in front of the town. Turning her gaze to the town she watched the mounting flurry of movement that had been set off at their arrival. A sneer spread across her face as her sharp ears caught rising voices as they screamed frantic orders at the men. Panic would help keep them off guard; their attack from the trees would remain a surprise. She frowned a bit as more men appeared on the walls then shrugged; the action wasn't totally unexpected it just gave them a few more targets to take care of. Thira knew that this battle would end up much bloodier then anyone wanted but it was unavoidable.
Making her way back down the trunk she rejoined Alesia. She accepted the slice of journey bread and jerky she was offered. "We have a few more hours till dusk so after our snack we'll need to start our harassment of them. They've added more people to the walls but it doesn't change our plan any" Thira munched on the food in the quiet that followed her announcement.
Alesia finished her small meal then dusted the crumbs off her fingers. Pulling the stopper out of the water skin she washed the grease off her hands from the jerky. Taking a deep drink, she offered the water to Thira who took a quick swallow before restoppering it and setting it aside.
"Ready?" she asked quietly.
Thira nodded as she watched Alesia string her bow in an effortless movement. Her eyes lingered on her biceps that rippled with the strength it needed to accomplish the act. Blinking, she looked away. Realizing that they'd left several quivers of arrows below she muttered an excuse and darted down to retrieve them. Just as her fingers touched them, a crack of a branch breaking caught her notice. Grabbing them, she rushed back up the trunk and passed them to Alesia. Holding a finger to her lips, she motioned they had company before pulling off her boots and carefully making her way back down. Digging her claws deeply into the bark she placed herself head first down the trunk. A ripple of movement flowed over her body as fur appeared. Her spotted coat would make blending in easier; her body tensed as rustling noises drifted up to her from below. A pair of men broke into the small space underneath the tree. Thira noticed the emblems on their chests were stitched on rather then embossed. Must be mercenaries she mused then her incisors flashed as a small grin played across her lips. Fair game.
"I don't know why we have to search out here again. There's no way anyone could get to us from here, we'd see them before they got halfway to our walls" One complained loudly.
"Shut the hell up, fool. If someone was around here you just alerted them to our presence" the other whispered in a menacing voice.
"Too late" Thira growled before pushing away from the trunk. Twisting in mid-air she land facing them. Rising to her full height she relished the shock that flashed across their faces.
"Isn't that thing the one we were warned about?" the first man blurted before drawing his sword.
"Doesn't matter, get it" the other spat.
The two men rushed her simultaneously. The small hesitation in her actions almost got her spitted before she moved. She pushed the odd comment to the back of her mind as she fought. Catching one man by his swords arm she yanked. Keeping the sharp edge of the sword facing away from her she spun him slamming his body against the trunk with a meaty thunk. A scarlet spray splashed across the trunks surface as his head split open with the devastating force of the throw. His body slid down to rest limply at the base of the tree. She caught sight of the other man trying to flee while her attention was diverted from him.
"Oh no, you don't" she snarled as she pounced on the escaping man. She caught him in mid step; wanting to end it quickly she tore his throat open. She left his twitching body on the forest floor as she shifted back. She met Alesia's worried gaze when she climbed back to their perch. "I'm fine, I couldn't take the chance of them finding us"
Alesia caressed her cheek silently then switched the topic of conversation. "Better get our plan into motion now, shouldn't we" She moved to the spot she had chosen to shoot from. She felt the body of her partner join her; she glimpsed out of the corner of her eye that she held the quivers of arrows, leaving her to concentrate on her task. Throwing back her head Alesia let out the harsh cry of the hawk, the signal they'd agreed upon. Setting an arrow she drew her bowstring back at full draw. Selecting her man she let her arrow loose, it joined dozens of others as they streaked toward their targets. Bodies fell as the arrows found their marks, she accepted the next shaft and chose her next victim carefully. The afternoon waned as an almost constant curtain of arrows steadily picked off any man foolish enough to brave the walls.
Continued...