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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Breakstone" data-source="post: 854980" data-attributes="member: 481">Chapter 7 RuskinRuskin pulled an arrow from his quiver with deft, mud-caked fingers, and silently slid it into place on his bow. It had taken him weeks to perfect the weapon, but finally the aim was true. Now he could finish the chase, and kill the beast.Movements quick yet subtle, Ruskin parted the branches of the bush to peer at his hidden prey. Suddenly, his keen ears picked up the sounds of footsteps and heavy armor. His hunt would be spoiled.“Damn!”“What?”“Nothing, Keith. I’m just deciding a name for my horse,” Arudan patted his horse’s deep brown neck as he cycled through ancient elven names in his head. “Ah, I know what to call you! From now on, you shall be Thranoberry! Can you say ‘Thranoberry,’ Keith?”But Keith had stopped.“There’s something in the bushes,” he whispered. “I think we’re being spied upon.”Arudan fell silent, and Uel motioned for Joshua to ready his spear. Keith tip-toed towards one of the bushes on the side of the road, bringing his hands forward to part the thick leaves--exposing a black-faced feline with fierce yellow eyes and a thousand needle teeth.Keith cried out in pain as a claw tore across his face, pushing away more of the bush to reveal a long muscle-bound body cloaked in dark twilight fur, featuring six wiry legs and two wicked, barbed tentacles stemming from its shoulders. As the beast moved, it left a trail of fading images in the air that hid its true location.Arudan leapt off his mount, pulled loose his rapier, and leapt towards the monstrous feline, thrusting the tip of his sword precisely into the beast’s neck- only to find with dismay he had hit a false image. Joshua hurled a spear, which missed the cat by a few feet and clattered onto the dusty road. Uel charged through the bushes, deftly avoiding brambles and roots in ways only one native to the forests know of, and sliced low with his scimitar, but the feline dodged forward.Summoning his courage, Keith hefted his mace, twirling it overhead and slamming it into the side of the beast cat’s face. A growl rumbled deep in the feline’s throat as it crouched back then sprung towards Keith, digging into the flesh of his neck with pointed teeth and deadly strength. As Keith fell back, an arrow flew through the air, piercing the twilight hide of the cat.Uel struck again, but the hellish predator had ducked low, leaving ghostly images of itself floating above. Arudan focused and stabbed the beast in the leg as an arrow tore across its back.The feline rose, growling from its blood-splattered maw, and assessed the situation. Five-to-one odds set fire to its fight-or-flight instincts, and monstrous cat knew it had to choose.Another arrow sunk into its collarbone, and the feline turned to leap over Uel and sprint off into the hills.Uel called upon nature’s blessings to heal Keith’s wounds, while Arudan turned to find the archer who had saved them all. After searching back and forth for this brave warrior, Arudan’s gaze finally settled upon the mud-caked halfling crouched on the road, nonchalantly splashing mud from hand to hand. “Hi! I’m Ruskin!”</blockquote>

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