Liška

Voss sighed. If the artifact was in the forest, she wasn't about to find it anytime soon. It was a neverending night, it seemed, in this place that not even the light dared to touch. She wondered if this was a scheme by the guild to dispose of several hunters at once. It would be the easiest way to explain so many deaths in one hunt, sending them into this place. Her ears twitched - she wasn't going to die in this horrid place. Not when her plains awaited her return. Sanam remained intangible, a mere wisp beside her until needed. The kitsune wished she had the power to sustain his physical form indefinitely, but she had no idea what lay ahead and - no, that was a lie. She had a very good idea what lay ahead and didn't want to waste precious energy for her own comfort when her very life might depend on his presence soon. And so her pet remained merely a thought in her mind and an occasional whirl of mist beside her.

That damn kitsune moved faster than he had thought her capable of. Either that or he was getting slow in his old age. It was obvious she wasn't following, Astarot wasn't that paranoid just yet. But she would interfere in his hunt and that was unacceptable. He slowed his pace and began to backtrack, slowly but surely, towards the little annoyance that would soon be removed.

"Someone's coming." Her head turned toward the imperceptible noise, a sound she was only able to hear thanks to her wind magic. There was a glow and she hit the ground, rolling to the side just in time to avoid a fireball the engulfed the spot she was on. Her eyes widened and she dared raise her head, only to get her ears singed by another spell. Yelping, she scooted backward ungracefully and cast a spell of her own, the wind shielding her from any further attack. Voss' attacked remained in the shadows and she swore - did she need Sanam? No, not yet, best to save him for a last resort.
"Get up, you little kitsune, and die fighting!" a voice growled. She froze, the voice instilling in her a deep primal fear. It was instinctual and cost her precious moments, during which Astarot pounced, knocking her on her back as he straddled her waist, a black dagger held to her throat.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she managed, her demand coming out as a squeak when she saw the color of his eyes. A Dragon, here. No one ever saw Dragons anymore and she got to be killed by one. She supposed she should be honored.
"You're after the artifact," he said, his voice a rough growl. "Which means you're competition. As such, I have to kill you to make my life that much easier."
"I can't just leave?" Voss swallowed nervously, the tip of the dagger piercing her skin. "I'm hardly a threat. I didn't have a choice."
Astarot paused, glaring down at her. "What does that mean?" he snarled.
"If I didn't take this mission, the guild would revoke my license," she replied. "They told anyone who didn't want to take it the same thing. There are plenty of hunters out here like you -" He snorted and she paused. "Who are out here because they want to be," she amended. "But there are plenty that are here under duress. We lose our licenses, we lose our livelihood. I think they're trying to get us all killed."
He made a noise in the back of his throat, pondering this new information. He seldom talked to other creatures, let alone other hunters, and had no way to tell if what she was saying was the truth or not. He stared down at her again after a moment and was surprised when she met his gaze this time. "Aren't you scared?" he asked.
"Of course. But I'm not lying, we were forced here and I want to know what this artifact is that our lives are all worth it," she told him. "Otherwise I'd be back in my plains."
"Your plains?" he repeated scornfully, but blinked when she growled.
"Yes, my plains."
Astarot looked back at the trees, the beginnings of a frown starting to appear. Only an old kitsune with plenty of power could have their own lands. And while she didn't appear to be a child, she didn't give off such a strong aura that he even noticed it. There was something going on and he didn't like being tricked. The dragon reluctantly rose, stepping over her and watching as she pushed herself to her feet.
"So I can live?"
"That's not for me to say. I won't kill you, however," he agreed. "My name is Astarot."
"Voss," she said curtly, in no mood to be friendly. "Are you going to go back in the shadows and kill someone else?" she demanded, when he merely stood there.
"You seem to know more about the guild's actions lately than I do. I haven't kept in touch with them and it seems that may have been a mistake on my part," he admitted grimly. "I intend to find out what this artifact is. And I plan to kill anyone who gets in my way."
"But..."
"You're hardly going to get in my way." He snorted again, as if amused she thought she could pose a challenge to him. Her ears flattened against her head in anger, a gesture he ignored. "But you are going to come with me. You'll serve as useful bait in case this thing requires a sacrifice of some sort."
Voss' jaw dropped and she glared at him. "What the hell makes you think I'm going to do as you say?" she began, but stopped when the tip of the dagger reappeared at her throat. She hadn't even seen him move this time and she barely breathed. A long moment passed before he slowly withdrew the deadly weapon, staring at her blankly.
"That's why."