Predator
/ˈprɛdətə/
noun
1: an animal that naturally preys on others.
"wolves are major predators of rodents"
2: a person who ruthlessly exploits others.
"a sexual predator"
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Her eve at the Folly had left her dissatisfied. Normally a jovial, warm and welcoming respite, it was that night, naught more than irritation, annoyance and a brewing headache. At first, a pathetic mewling creature determined to ruin hers, her dwarven company, though more pointedly, Lirics night, the woman for some inexplicable reason spouting venom toward her friend. Vincent, a man who always struck Jess to be patient, had his hand forced by the argumentative patron, Syaven too seemed ill at ease, but sat with Jess, and eventually the aggressor left though not without yet another child like tantrum.
Oddly, one of the fair kind was in attendance, and she too sought to argue with a large, foul mouthed man, who to Jess' knowledge, had done naught to warrant her ire. Joselle, for lack of a better phrase, was the final nail in Jess' coffin. The pretty and blonde socialite clearly was upset, yet Liric, always eager to please, followed her out into the darkness to resolve whatever troubled her. In short, it was an unpleasant eve, and even the sweet richness of the wine did naught to better it.
As she left The Kings Folly, she walked past her friend, deciding not to interrupt to bid both him and his companion farewell. Light footsteps carried her down the scholars stairs, the leather and silken shoes quietly tapping against cobblestone, moving past the puddles that reflected the starlight, carrying her beside darkened windows and pools of lamplight. It was cold, bitterly so, but her cloak, scarf and swift pace ensured she kept somewhat warm.....and eventually she was free. Free of the town once through its heavy wooden gate, the air feeling fresher, the taint of wood smoke fading with every subsequent step through the well traveled path of the woodland.
It was a familiar road, it brought false confidence.
A courtyard in the woods, a place to rest should the road take its toll and marked by a yellow leafed tree, was when she first felt the prickle at the back of her neck, the small hairs upon her skin raise. Something was wrong, as if being watched by a predator in the shadows. Unwisely, she did not remain, for there was lamplight there, homes of the small folk not terribly far, instead she hastened her pace for her own home would only be a little further. The security, the warmth, beckoned her. It was once she left the light, guided only by the moon and its companion stars, the pounding of her heart and a growing fear, that her instincts were proven to be true.
He rushed infront of her, arms open wide and walked backward as she tried to get around him. A shadowy form whose soft laughter was more like a rolling growl.
"What's the hurry princess? Bit late to be walking."
Again she tried to walk around him, only to be mirrored. Words failed her, a woman known to be skilled in negotiations, had nothing but a lump in her throat.
"Now now, dangerous going out alone around here. Wild beasties..."
He began to circle her, and once behind, moved closer, his strong body to hers, his scent of leather and sweat invading her.. A gloved finger intimately moved aside her hair. His hot breath warmed her frozen skin as he whispered by her ear.
"...Old friends..."
It was then her instinct to survive flared up and she suddenly attempted something and failed miserably. Mule kicking the man did nothing other than make her clumsily fall forward in pain upon the leaf and mud strewn path, her dress not having the give in its fabric to allow such a motion and betraying her. She had spared herself hitting her head, by planting her hands out before her, scraping them on the stone, mud and leaf littered path.. He gave a dramatic sigh.
"Jessi, Jessi, Jessi...up you get.."
The figure loomed over her, roughly grasping the fabric upon her back to pull her up from the ground, but her screams, pleas and struggles, her resistance, was not wasted. A lantern broke the darkness, the light small at first, gradually growing brighter between the dense trees, but it was the dogs that arrived before the bearer did, jaws snapping, teeth biting, paws, claws, gripping the nutrient rich, leafy soil, ever closer and ready to serve their master or mistress' orders. Predators seeking their prey. The dark figure fled, climbing from her to stumble at speed into the darkness, the dogs quick on his scent, and eventually lost to her sight
She lay, collapsed on the ground and breathed. A shawl draped over her and soon, a small, comforting arm.
