The Animal In Me

Liliya stood frozen, her eyes wide, a mix of shock and fear reflected in her hues. Alexander's words echoed in her mind, her whole body going numb and cold. He wanted to leave her? Fine. She didn't need him anyway, she was perfectly capable of handling herself. Liliya had no problem with being alone.

"I don't need you." She hissed under her breath. Liliya didn't need anyone. As Lex walked away, her own fury started to fade, her pain became too much for her. Her knees buckled and she slumped to the cave floor, wheezing and gasping. She did her best to hide it, because she didn't want to seem weak. At least not until Alexandre was far enough away from her that he wouldn't hear.

The Huntress didn't show it, but his words had cut her. Deeply. She knew she'd have been left, after being raped, alone and helpless. If they had left her alive she would be nothing but a shell of her former self. She didn't need to be reminded of how close she had become to that awful fate. Normally Liliya would be able to brush off angry words, she'd heard them enough, but in her weakened state the mental wall she'd forced up in her mind began to crack and crumble.

In her mind, she begged Alexandre to move faster, to run, to leave her quickly. She didn't want him to know, to see, that her pain was quickly becoming more emotionally present than physically. He had been the only being to show her any semblance of kindness and she shoved him away because it scared her. Feeling anything more than anger or hatred was new and frightening. Liliya didn't want Alexandre to know that she didn't want him to leave; the only company she'd had since she had been forced out on her own, the only person to tolerate her this far. She didn't want to be alone anymore, no matter how different they were. What had he called her? A friend? Ally? Liliya had never had one of those before, she wasn't sure how to react, to handle that situation.

Moisture brimmed her eyelids, her uninjured hand clamping over her mouth to stifle the pained whimper threatening to escape. 'Don't leave me...' she thought, 'I don't want to be alone anymore...'

His fists still clenched, Alexandre stalked into the morning air, down the embankment, and onto the road. Really he didn't care who he ran into at that time. As far as he was concerned, he was his own problem and no one else's. Similarly, everyone else had their own problems and they would have to deal with it themselves. He had tried being nice, to go out of his way to help someone that needed it, even though they may not have deserved it. All it got him was a world of grief. Why should he be made to feel bad for wanting to help? It made no sense to him, but then again nothing did. By all rights he should have been dead by that point. Whatever force that kept him alive was doing an outstanding job, though he was beginning to wonder if the afterlife was really worth enduring.

"Boring..." he complained just before veering off the path and into the woods to carve his own trail. He was hungry; the deer he'd killed had been left behind, a parting gift for Liliya, despite her venomous tongue-lashing. Maybe she didn't deserve the meat, but he was too angry and far too proud to go back for it. Much would go to waste, he thought, as he believed it nearly impossible that she could eat the entire creature before it spoiled. But no matter. Lex was confident that he could find food either in the wild, or...

"A farm house," he whispered. The woods came to an abrupt stop in front of him, beyond which stood an old but seemingly sturdy home. The house itself was large enough for a small family with a little room to spare, and a barn had been built on the other side of the house for the cattle that was pinned up nearby. There would be milk, meat, and possible some bread, more than enough to continue his existence for a few days.

As he crept up on the house, Lex felt slightly uneasy. The sun had been up for at least an hour or two, but no one was out working the fields or the beasts. The monster pushed the unease away, dismissing it as paranoia as he sneaked a peek in through the window. There was no fire on the hearth, having been extinguished already. Thinking they had already left for the market, Alexandre slowly entered the home. A quick inspection confirmed that he was indeed alone in the structure, so he set to the task of collecting needed supplies for the days ahead. A lucky find, indeed.

The morning was still and quiet, the only sounds from the animals just waking in the trees. Among the birds in the high branches crouched a man with hair blacker than the night sky, streaked with grey. His eyes a bright green, the color shining excitedly in the rising sun. Without a sound, he flung himself forward and down, soon landing on the ground, hidden in shadow, just on the edge of a farm. This man had been on the hunt for his daughter, a young little thing, who had lost her way and needed... redirection, but as he was closing in on her, a new target caught his eyes. A bigger one. More lethal, more fun.

The monster had entered the farmhouse, and the older man followed, his steps silent, movements fluid and far too graceful for a man of his size. Entering the house, he watched and waited, debating. Should he make his presence known and make the inevitable fight interesting, or take the monster by surprise? The man chose to go with the former, always up for a challenge.

"I knew you were a monster, but a thief, too? Tsk, tsk, tsk." He clicked his tongue at the monster man, his accent a thick Russian drawl. Aside from his eyes, he looked nothing like his daughter. The man that stood before the monster was Oleksy Volkov, the most feared Hunter in the region.

--

Liliya sat in the cave, hands clamped over her mouth, trying to stifle her pained cries. It was proving to be a lot more difficult than she had anticipated. Why was it so hard to be alone? The Huntress was a grown woman, who had spent most of her life on her own, so why did it hurt now?

"Lili, what's the matter?" A sarcastic voice drew her out of her own head and snapped her back to reality.

"Nikolai.." she hissed.

As soon as the words slipped into Alexandre's ear, a wooden chair went sailing across the small room. The intended target dodged it effortlessly. Lex turned to face the man addressing him, taking a long hard look at him before speaking. "Ah, the alpha wolf, I presume? Your reputation precedes you, but i'm afraid i'm going to have to tarnish your record." No mockery accompanied his words; he respected the talents of the man before him. But Lex had too much at stake to simply cower in fear. Liliya had told him that her father would probably come for him, so he had tried to prepare himself for their encounter as much as possible. Still, in his fatigued state, and with hunger draining his strength, Lex had to consider the possibility that he would not survive their encounter.

Since violence didn't seem to solve anything, Lex decided to change tactics. He took another chair by the table, one of three remaining seats, then slid out another for Oleksy with his foot. Maybe he could outwit the aging bounty hunter. Alexandre was a learned man in his youth, after all. Given enough time, he was confident that he could talk himself out of nearly any situation, when violence was not an option. In that particular instance, he had no real options, only stall tactics. He just had to hope that something would finally go right.

"I met your daughter on the road. Poor thing's half broken. You should take better care of your ilk."

Oleksy was no fool, he knew all of the tricks targets would try to pull to get it off being caught. Inevitably they all fell to him, so when Alexandre pushed a chair out for him, he figured he'd indulge the monster. For now. The ending would still be the same. Oleksy always won. His comment about Liliya didn't bother him in the slightest, his concern for her and her safety was waning.

"Little Lili?" The man scoffed, a dark smirk curling his lips. "She's being taken care of, as we speak. When I've finished with you, she'll be hand delivered to me. Don't you worry about that girl. Half broken or not, she's got a few lessons to learn." He shook his head as if he was disgusted to have to call her his offspring.  

"Now I know there was a reason you wanted to chat, and I sincerely hope it's not about that disobedient girl. Now, please, what's on your mind?" The look in the Hunters eyes was dark, and cruel.

--

"What's got you so down, Lili?" Nikolai strode toward his little sister, a mirror image of their father.

"What do you want Nikolai?" Liliya demanded, despite her injuries and her pain. The girl pushed herself to her feet, pulling her bow and quiver up with her. She did not, for a second, trust the man in front of her. If he was here, Oleksy was close, and that made a pit of unease form in her stomach.

"So suspicious.. I was just trying to see what was bothering my poor little sister." Nikolai chuckled, both of them knowing full well that there was another reason, a darker reason, to him being there.

Alexandre stared right back into the eyes of his wouldbe captor. In truth, he was quite on edge. The stories about the Wolf were true; he was as cunning as he was lethal.

"Children are in almost constant need of discipline, myself included. But you didn't come here to discuss parenting techniques, or to scold me for being a disobedient child. You came because someone is willing to pay you for my head, preferably still attached to my shoulders, if i'm not mistaken." Alexandre leaned back and dug around inside a cupboard until finally he stumbled upon a small bottle of unnamed alcohol. It seemed only right to offer Oleksy a drink.

"I'm not going to plead for my life, or my freedom. Words such as those would be lost on you. Instead, I wish to educate you on the ramifications of your decision. The benefactor on your contract is a cruel, malicious being who would use me only to line his pockets with silver and gold, and drink from a cup that is filled with the blood of the innocent. He will use me to assert control over this entire region and spread, like an acidic fog, over the land. He will become a plague that will consume any and all caught within it. You'll have no one left to hunt."

Oleksy laughed, his eyes never leaving the target before him. He couldn't help it. Alexandre seemed to think that he didn't know who he was dealing with. "You are gravely mistaken if you think that I don't know the good Doctor." He managed, through his laughter. "I am no amateur. Not only do I know exactly who I'm fetching you for, I know what he's capable of. Let's just say.. that when I deliver you to him, it will not be the first time we have met."

The Hunter leaned back in his chair, an eyebrow raised as if promoting Alexandre to try again to convince him not to drag him back to where he belonged. The look on his face was now more than just amused. He was challenging the monster man without even lifting a finger.

--

"You're a liar." Liliya hissed. "You've never cared before why start now?" She kept her back to the cavern wall, so she could see both Nikolai, and the cave entrance, just in case someone else showed up.

"You're right. I don't care." The twisted grin never left his face. "I came here to tease you." Nikolai laughed at the confused look that crossed Liliya's face. "You have to know that as soon as the target left, Father was going after it. Actually..." he trailed off and glanced towards the mouth of the cave. "I wouldn't be surprised if Father was already halfway to the doctor by now."

Liliya frowned, her gaze flicking to the exit for a second. If Oleksy had Alexandre she had to intercept them before he got turned over. She owed Alexandre her life, she wasn't about to let Oleksy turn him over.

"Oh, no, Lili. You're not getting out of this one. When the monster is delivered, so shall you be." Nikolai lunged straight for her.

Alexandre snorted at the aging man's reply. If ever there was a display of true evil within the world, it sat at the table across from him. It was despicable enough that one human being existed as such a malignant being on the face of the planet, let alone two. His unnatural eyes hovered over Oleksy as a veil of darkness descended over his heart, draping over it like a cold blanket. There was no reasoning with the mercenary. There was no talking his way out of it. The only option was to try to fight his way out, as running was an undesirable option, not to mention the fact that Oleksy would simply track him down anyway. No, he needed to end it right then and there. It's only murder if it's in cold blood, after all.

After a brief exchange of glares, Lex shoved hard against the table, sending it skidding toward the hired tracker. Never one to assume victory prematurely, the monster-man lifted the chair he had been sitting in and held it over his head, ready to slam it down against his opponent if the table did not terminate his evil existence. "I'm not an easy capture, bounty hunter!" Lex roared angrily, trying to keep the killer off guard. If it came to a duel, Alexandre was sure he would lose.

Again the aged hunter laughed, quickly moving his position and ducking underneath the table. As he did so, he yanked his favorite bullwhip with spiked ends from its holster on his hip. As he appeared on the opposite side of the table, he flicked his wrist, the end of the whip flying fast towards the monster man.

Before the barbed end could have any contact with Alexandre an arrow sliced through the air, shattering the window. The force from the arrow hitting the whip was enough to alter its intended course, and stop Oleksy from hurting him. Liliya followed the arrow through the window and slid between the two men.

"That's enough, Father." She said icily. The way she stood, with an arrow fitted to her bow, indicated that her previous injuries were no longer present.

"I see Elijah had gotten to you. What a shame. Where is Nikolai?" Oleksy stood, his eyes narrowed at his daughter.

"He's tied up at the moment." Her own eyes narrowed dangerously. "It is two against one, if you try, you will lose. I suggest you leave. Now." Liliya did not lower her bow, nor move her stance, gaze locked on the man.

"You are weak. Galavanting around with this?" He thrust his hand towards Lex, "You are a disgrace to the Volkov name."

Shards from the broken window fell to Lex's feet, though his eyes never left the tense moment. The air felt thick and cold, like someone had sucked the life right out of the room. He was unsure who they were speaking of, but he guessed it was more of her kin. "As you can see, Oleksy, she has developed a higher set of morals than you ever imagined."

The monster took a step toward his companion, then another, and another, until finally he stood within arm's reach. He was grateful for her intervention, but he feared what would happen to her after taking an official stand against her family. "You heard the lady. Leave."

Liliya shifted herself between the Hunter and the Hunted, her bowstring still pulled tight. Oleksy wound up his whip and put it in the special slot her kept on his belt, but that did not ease the tension in the girls shoulders. "You know damn well that I am a better Hunter than-"

"Were." Oleksy interrupted. "You were a better Hunter, but you're not anymore. I gave you that title, little girl, and I am stripping it away. You are a disgrace to the Volkov name." He paused as he walked to the door, the point of Liliyas arrow following him. "I will let you have your fun, now that you're nothing, but you will regret it and punishment awaits you when you realize your mistake." With those words, Oleksy left, but Liliya remained still until she was sure he was gone.

Her bow fell from her fingers and her knees gave out from underneath her. Collapsing to the floor, Liliya began to shake. If there was anything she feared more than Death, it was being on the wrong side of Oleksy Volkov.

A million emotions ran through Alexandre's head, most of which too quickly to process. He was angry for many reasons, but also relieved, sad, and worried. He shifted so he could watch the Wolf disappear into the wilderness before bringing his sight back to Liliya. Watching the girl quiver on the floor, Lex debated on what to do. It seemed that she had made a full recovery, which was more than he could say for himself. Rage still pulsed in his veins, the thirst for blood temporarily thwarted.

The longer he stood there, and the longer she sat, the more he started to realize what she had done and the sacrifice she'd just made. Having said goodbye to her old life, Liliya made herself a target for other Hunters. She put herself at risk for the sake of someone he barely knew. After several deep breaths, Alexandre scanned the room with his eyes, finally falling on a piece of thick fabric that had been draped over a chair.

Placing it carefully on Liliya's shoulders, he lowered his voice to speak softly, though the drive for violence could still be heard. "Thank you... for helping me. You didn't have to do that... but I am grateful. But... I am sorry for the danger you just put yourself in."

It took Liliya a few moments to be able to use her voice again, but when she spoke her tone was firm. "I promised to help you take out the Doctor. I'm just keeping my word." She pushed herself to her feet and moved to the kitchen, pulling a shoulder bag from her arm. It was full of venison from the deer Lex had caught. Elijah gutted and butchered it, taking some for his family and giving her the rest. She hadn't eaten in a while, so she was going to make stew.

"We can stay here for a few nights if needed. Oleksy will have made sure no one comes this way. You are safe. Once he goes after someone no one else will try- no Hunter is stupid enough to piss him off." She spoke as she began preparing the food, still she had not turned her bright green eyes to Lex. She couldn't. His words echoed in her mind, the emotions and loneliness she'd felt when he left, lingered. If she looked at him it would all come back and she didn't want that. It hurt.

Alexandre noted Liliya's tone of voice and body language. Had so much changed in such a short time? He knew that he had left her company in a negative way, but was it true that the only reason she came back was to fulfill her obligation? He could tell that Liliya was upset with him, as she didn't respond to his gesture, or even acknowledged that he'd done anything at all. He didn't say anything in reply, choosing instead to keep his thoughts to himself.

To keep himself occupied, Alexandre set to the task of resetting the table and chairs so that they would have a place to eat. When he had finished, he took to viewing the modest cottage with a closer eye. Every home had a story, in his experience, so he decided to take a moment to read the story of their temporary shelter. A myriad of handmade trinkets were spread out across the two-room farm house. A ladder led to a loft space above where the children slept, while a hinged door blocked sight into the parent's bedroom.

Deciding not to disturb things any more than he already had, Alexandre went back into the main room and sat near the fireplace, watching the flames dance in the hearth. The weight of what they'd done was beginning to set in, slowly bringing him to the realization that there would always be Hunter's waiting to strike. Such was his life, for all it was worth. Liliya, in her stubborn defiance, was now a bug caught in the same web. He had doomed her the moment he met her.

Liliya remained in the kitchen as the stew cooked on the stove. She knew that she had come off as arrogant, rude, and some other choice words but she couldn't help it. After meeting her father could Lex not see that it wasn't completely her fault? And now she was stripped of everything she knew. Except being a housewife but she didn't want to live that life. Ironically, that's what she looked like.

There was a man sitting in front of the fire while she made dinner. Realizing what she was doing Liliya began to laugh. Not five minutes ago Oleksy had taken her job, and she was already cooking for a man. A man who, only a short while ago, insulted her and left her broken to fend for herself. She didn't mean to laugh, but it was funny. Shaking her head as her laughter subsided she got two bowls, two cups, and a bottle of brandy. If she was going to play housewife she might as well do it right. Lili brought Lex a bowl of hot venison stew and a glass of brandy.

She sat at the table, staring out the window. "When I was ten my father bought me a hawk. He told me to train it to become a lethal killer, and I did, but I loved that bird. He broke it's neck and told me I was supposed to train it, not befriend it." She paused, her gaze in the trees. "I don't know how to be nice. Or thankful. Or anything but what I am. I can't apologize for being me; I won't."

Being pulled back into the real world by the smell of hot food, Alexandre accepted the bowl and cup with gratitude in the back of his mind, though his face was mostly melancholy. It wasn't that he was angry with her, or sad, or happy. It was simply a way to protect himself from being hurt or confused any further. Taking his items back to the table, he sat down at the opposite end and spooned some heaping amounts and listened to her tail.

When she finished, Lex looked into his bowl, at the bits of deer meat still lingering in the broth. Swishing them around with his spoon, his eyes suddenly lifted, as if something had suddenly occurred to him. He stood and made his way to the pantry, where he fished around until locating a loaf of bread. It was not the freshist bit of baked yeast but it would still be good enough to eat. Returning to the table, Lex broke it in half and shared it with Liliya.

"You shouldn't. But I can. I am sorry that you sacrificed everything for my sake. I wish you had just taken me back. I'm sorry that I have caused you so much grief." He sighed heavily and returned to his chair. Alexandre took a long draw of brandy, then spoke again. "If you turned me in... fulfilled on the contract, would they take you back?"

"Perhaps," Liliya shrugged, drowning her drink in one gulp. Pouring herself another, she continued. "But I'm not going to do that. It was not your fault alone that this happened, and that mad doctor will not have you. Whether I am hunting or not when I make a promise I keep it. They can deny me, but they can not undo what I have done or said. When you kill your mad doctor I will face my father.." She scoffed, with a sarcastic grin on her face. "I will take my punishment and move on."

Liliya stood, finishing her drink, before again pouring another. Despite how hungry she was she could not bring herself to eat, and instead moved to the kitchen to clean up the mess she had made with the food. On her third drink with an empty stomach, already the alcohol was starting to make her head spin.

"Well... at least you have your strength back," Alexandre murmured, loud enough for Liliya to hear. He wasn't trying to hide his comment, just to mean it as a passing thought. He watched her stir around her soup till the steam no longer rose from the bowl. She continued to drink, and, having not eaten anything, it was clear that she was already intoxicated. "Perhaps you should sit down," he suggested, hoping she would take his advise and not fall flat on her face. A drunk hunter was no good to him.

Finally Alexandre was on his feet, clearing his place and grabbing the bottle before she could take the rest of it for herself. He gestured for her to sit near the fire so she'd keep warm, though he doubted that body heat was very high on her list of priorities. Lex sat himself down in a chair a few feet away, pointed toward the blazing hearth. "You really should be resting. After all you've been through."

Liliya stood in the kitchen, staring at her reflection in the brandy. Her crimson locks hung in slight waves down the sides of her face, her bright green eyes staring back at her almost mockingly. An image of what she used to be formed in her head: a stealthy lithe woman, hair always pulled into a tight braid, hidden beneath a hood, a mask hiding all but her eyes. What was she now? Nothing. With a cry of rage, the ex-Huntress hurled her glass at the wall, shattering on impact.

Being a hunter was all that she knew how to do. She didn't know how to be a normal woman, a wife, a lover. Liliya knew one thing, and one thing only: how to hunt. No one would hire a woman, no matter how good she was. Tears of anger, frustration, filled her eyes, and without thinking she grabbed a knife, pulling her waist length hair to the nape of her neck, followed by the blade. Her hair was a symbol of her femininity, and she wanted to get rid of it.

"Stop!" Alexandre's voice boomed inside the tiny cottage. His eyes, wide with alarm, we're locked on Liliya and her blade. He could see the desperation in her eyes, the anger and the frustration. He could tell she had been wounded by the words of her father, and the situation under which she had been placed. "Don't.... just... don't." Lex had to think quickly, for letting her make another rash decision certainly would not help their predicament.

"You're hair is beautiful, Liliya. Please... don't cut it." Alexandre lowered his voice, trying to calm the fury he saw in her. For a moment his eyes went to the floor, specifically at the shards of glass that lay strewn about, still dripping with the liquid it once contained. "Your life isn't over. Whether you are a man or a woman, it does not matter. A true hunter considers the consequences of their actions, and makes decisions based on that. Just because you are a hunter, doesn't mean you have no right to choose. You are more than that."

Liliya sat frozen, her hand hovering, the blade trembling. She remained that way for a long moment before sighing and lowering the blade, once again letting her hair fall down around her face. "I'm not a hunter," Liliya spoke softly, her voice cracking. "I was never a true hunter. Oleksy was right," she chuckled dryly. "I was playing pretend."

With a sigh she began to pick up the shards of broken glass. It wasn't until then that she felt the full weight of her loss, and she didn't know what to do. Standing and throwing the glass in the wastebasket, she turned her attention out the window. She watched the shadows of the forest, her mind working to find a solution, and then it hit her. She promised Lex revenge on the doctor. Who knew how long it would take; Liliya didn't have to choose a new path for herself until her promise was complete. A smirk fell across her lips, her eyes narrowing. She was going to make Oleksy eat his words, she'd show him that she was the best damn hunter he'd ever seen.

"If that was you play pretend, I would not like to see what you are like when you are serious." The thought genuinely frightened the patchwork monster. It was only by luck alone that he had survived their fight. If she wasn't performing to the best of her abilities that night, he would be no match for her when she did. Lex did, however, feel better that she had at least put the knife down.

In his head, Lex began to go over everything. Why he had been so kind to the Huntress after all they had been through. He bad every right to leave her right then and there. Only, Lex did not have that right, no any other rights, really. He was a monster, and monsters had no rights. "If your father will not come back, perhaps we can stay the night here. Much more comfortable than a cave, anyway. I can keep the fire going here while you rest. Then, in the morning, you can decide what to do with a rested mind and fully belly."

Liliya turned her back to the window sizing up the monster man before her. She had renewed purpose. Both Oleksy and the mad doctor would feel her wrath. Who were they to doubt her abilities? Who were they to judge her? She moved through the kitchen towards the room in the back of the cabin, her long Crimson locks flowing behind her.

"In the morning we go after your doctor. I will be damned if I let that bastard win and take what is mine." She paused in the doorway of the room, her fingers gripping the frame tightly. Glancing at him over her shoulder, her eyes were hidden behind a veil of hair. "My father was wrong. I am a Hunter. Thank you for reminding me of that." With those words she disappeared into the room to rest.

"Take what's yours?" A raised eyebrow followed Lex's question. Was it that she thought of herself as somehow owning him now, or was it her pride and position that she referred to. Either way, it didn't matter, she was on board and that's what mattered. Lex sat near the fire, poking it with a poker to keep it stoked and fueled. After nodding to Liliya as she disappeared, Lex sighed and grabbed some more wood for the fire. It was going to be a long and quiet night, marking the necessity to keep the fireplace roaring. He didn't mind the cold so much, but Liliya was, among other things, a human, and needed warmth to survive.

There was no need to lay down either, for he did not need to sleep if he did not desire. Simply sitting in silence allowed him to meditate, bringing him the same benefits of sleep while allowing him to remain alert enough to detect danger, should any come along. He doubted that either Oleksy or her brother would risk coming back to the cabin, but there were plenty of other dangers that could.

Liliya sat on the bed in the room, pulling her boots off and lying them next to the bed. Leaning back on her hands she sighed, staring out the one window on the opposite side of the room. She stayed that way for about an hour, before she allowed herself to fall asleep.

She woke up at dawn the next morning, and got herself ready to leave. Liliya pulled her hair back into a tight braid that hung to her waist; usually she would drape a cloak over her shoulders to hide her femininity, but that morning she did not. Yanking her knee length boots on, she swung her bow over her shoulder, tucked hidden daggers in their places, and stepped out of the room.

Her gaze was as cold and empty as the day she met Lex, a Hunters trait she took on from her father. Though it was early in the day, she knew not to set out on their journey just yet, so she settled for a mumbled greeting to Lex before going for target practice outside.