He knew he was in the city, he knew he was being followed, and he knew he would have to find him before he laid a hand upon those in the order. He was walking along the banks of the river and thinking to himself, when he saw them.
He stood, pushing her into the water, he could see her flailing around and trying to get breath just as he looked up and spotted him. He brought her out of the water. Cynraede gripped a tight fist, walking across the shallow pond to them. Yilgtig pulled Rannie up, tossing her back unto the dirt, laughing as he opened his arms as if ready for embrace.
"The prodigal son returns to me yet again. Come hunter, the Rat and I were just talking of you."
He kicked the shaking woman that lay on the ground, still gasping for her breath. Cynraede drew his short sword, as he knelt and made sure she was okay, only giving him a slight nod. Yilgtig smiled and stepped back, drawing the two wickedly curved swords that were common place in his native land.
He stood and tested the weight of his short sword with a simple twirl. Smiling as Yilgtig tensed at once, lunging forward with his curved blades just barely missing his head, turning to his side and catching him up his back with the blade. Cynraede felt the fire in him, burning hotter than a thousand dwarven furnaces. The two paused for a moment, Yilgtig feeling the burning cut that trailed from his hip to his shoulder.
"It is a shame, about your woman, your love. Did I ever tell you I was the one who prepared her brand? I still smell her burning flesh.. The scent of her skin and hair.. Tell me hunter, what do you see when you look at her?"
Yilgtig loosed a toothed grin as the hunter charged forward, his blade spinning as he dodged the curved swords that desperately tried to cut at him, one catching across his ribs, just above his stomach. Crimson seeped down, staining the brown robe that he wore. He couldn't help but stagger back, the blow taking its toll and knocking the breath from him. He watched as he turned and walked to the woman on the ground and muttering something under his breath.
He forced himself up, putting all his strength into his legs as he bolted towards the man who now stood over Rannie, tackling him over her and into the water where his furious assault with fist and elbow continued to pelt his head. His fists splashing water as they made contact, cracking and bleeding with each solid blow upon the mans bare face, but he did not expect what came next.
Yilgtig sat straight up, bearing his teeth and biting down hard upon his neck, wiggling and jerking his head left and right to try to tear deeper and deeper into his neck. Cynraede howled in pain, failing back as the man followed, bitting down harder as he yelled to rannie to toss his blade.
The young woman stood as best she could, frantically searching for his blade before spotting it in the muddied ground, taking it up and tossing it to the hunter in hopes he could catch it, only to find it mattered not. Yilgtig stood, kicking the hunters face into the water, holding his boot down firmly as he caught the sword, staring at the woman as he lowered the sword to the hunter with a laugh.
She didn't even hesitate as she charged him with nails as if they were claws, scratching and gouging in hopes of giving the hunter a chance to stand, hoping he would soon. Cynraede laid there, his lungs burning for air as he came up and gasped for breath, clawing at the sword as he stood, the only thing on his mind was Yilgtig, he would suffer as she did.
He raised a hand to slap the young woman, rearing his hand back as Cynraede swung his blade, catching his fingers to the second knuckle, watching as he dropped to his knees. Within the same movement, the hunter grabbed him by the hair of his head and tossed him into the water. He pressed his boot to the east-mans neck, watching him writhe as he turned to Rannie.
"GO! Get to Duramarth's house and wait for me there! Lock the door!"
Cynraede yelled, watching the woman run off. He turned his gaze back to Yilgtig who was still wriggling and struggling for breath. He leaned down, grabbing him by the hair of the head and dragging him from the water, letting him fall onto the ground and looking to him. He knelt down and jammed a knee hard into his sternum as he looked into the mans eyes.
"You will go, find your master. You will tell him to hide, to run until he finds the end of the world, it will not matter. There is not a place he can hide that I will not find him, so he better choose wisely because it will be the last place he visits. As for you, you are the messenger, therefor I will not kill you. Just imagine what your master will do to you, when you give him that message, and do not think I will not know if you do. Your words will suffice for now, but if I find you were late in giving the message. I will string upon a tree and flay you alive, write upon your hide and find another one of his lackies. You are no more a hunter of men, you are no more a menace to this world. You took my dreams, you caused her pain. I took your fingers. People will know you where ever you are, you will be damned to walk this earth until you die. Know this, and weep."
Cynraede stood, spitting on the grass beside him as he turned to make his way to arrowhaven, his neck spilling crimson upon his shoulder and tunic.
