The Hunt is On (Viper & Riggles)

[Viper 9000]

Mozeen shakes her head. "Most wolves power comes from the strength of their pack. Without numbers to back them, they are just another beast with claws and teeth." Mozeen replied, skillfully skinning and gutting one of the rabbits before spitting it over the growing fire. "There are wolves everywhere, you just have to know where to look. Some of them are better at hiding then others." Allowing silence to lapse through the cave for a moment, the expectant minotaur tossed Marmin a knife and one of her rabbits. "Mozeen."  

[Viper 9000]

"I suppose you are right, I should have never got my brother to come here with me." Taking the knife Marmin began to slowly skin and then gutting the rabbit. Thanks to him living on his own in the Forrest he learned a trick or two.
Marmin then got the rabbit and began spitting it over the fire in silence.  

[Viper 9000]

"Stories often overlook what happens to the hero after their quest is complete. Despite its appeal, the lone wolf rarely lasts long." Mozeen says, using a handful of spices and herbs from the pouch to season her rabbit meat. Although bovine in appearance, minotaurs remained a race of omnivores.  

[Viper 9000]

"You got that right miss." Marmin spoke looking into the fire. Minutes passed as Marmin sat staring into the fire before removing his now cooked rabbit. Marmin stood up before saying "Thanks for the food." walking over to the entrance of the cave Marmin stood looking at the sky as it turned to night. Talking quietly "I will make him pay for what he did to you brother. I promise."

Marmin began to eat his cooked rabbit the minotaur kindly gave him. While eating Marmin sat down enjoying the night sky as the moons gaze upon him.  

[Viper 9000]

"Don't think you'll be getting away with a free meal that easy. You're still my prisoner. Make yourself useful and get some bigger logs for more firewood, this cave gets cold at night." Mozeen says as she finished off her rabbit and began prepping another. Thankfully her pregnancy cravings were fairly lax as long as she ate a reasonable amount of food.  

[Viper 9000]

Marmin turned and looked at the minotaur. "I'm no ones prisoner. And by the looks of things you are in no shape to even fight." Marmin replied pointing to her inflated belly. "But since I'm a nice guy I will get those logs." Marmin said before leaving the cave to get the logs. As the minutes go by Marmin is making a nice pile of big logs for the fire, before returning to the cave. "That should be enough logs for the night."  

[Viper 9000]

"You better hope so, cave floor is bound to be cold and you humans don't have a much fur." Mozeen commented. Having finished her meal of rabbit while the Marmin was away, the pregnant minotaur now relaxed atop her makeshift bed sharpening a deadly looking pair of spears. "Tomorrow we'll go to where you were attacked and see if theres a trail to pick up or anything to salvage."  

[Viper 9000]

"Who says I'm staying in this form for the night? I'm gonna shift to keep me warm." Marmin said with a chuckle "But finding the trail wont be hard I can probably pick up the scent." Marmin said starting to take off his clothes ready to shift to his wolf form. Shifting into his wolf form Marmin's inner beast was free once more. The wolf was a dark black color with bright yellow eyes.

The wolf then walked closer to the fire before doing a complete 360 rotation, surveying the cave before curling up by the fire to sleep.  

[Viper 9000]

"Handy trick to have." The minotaur says, removing her bulkier pieces of armor and putting away her weaponry before wrapping herself in her bear pelt and likewise going to sleep.

Long since used to the sounds of the night, the pregnant minotaur slept soundlessly, the campfire and their body heat keeping the cave at a comfortable temperature most the night.  

[Viper 9000]

Waking up early in the morning the wolf exited the cave, walking down to the close by river. Leaning in close to the water the wolf began to drink, once finishing drinking the wolf shifted back to its human form. Locking the beast back within Marmin he began to wash his face, using the water from the river.

Marmin finished washing his face and he sat staring at his reflection in the water, before getting up and returning to the cave. Upon entering the cave Marmin spoke "Rise and shine miss."  

[Viper 9000]

"You might not know it but pregnant females do enjoy the comfort of their beds..." The minotaur stated from within the comfort of her bear pelt. A couple minutes of silence passed. "Fine, fine... I'm getting up." Tossing aside her cover, the motherly minotaur sniffed the air. "Why does it smell like wet dog all a sudden? Oh... never mind." She added, now taking note of Marmin's wet hair.

Stirring the campfire back to life, Mozeen prepared a light stew for breakfast using handfuls of stolen vegetables and leftover rabbit.  

[Viper 9000]

"I will pretend I never heard you say that." Marmin said referring to her saying "Wet dog" Before walking over to his clothes putting them back on.
"We've got a long day ahead, and who knows if we can even find or catch up to these people. But you need to make sure you are prepared for anything, and in your the condition you might wanna take it easy." Marmin stated as he sat down in next to the minotaur.  

[Viper 9000]

"I'm pregnant, not crippled. Besides I'm more than capable of handling things, after all I captured and carried you back here by myself." She replied, playfully swatting at him with the wooden spoon she wielded.

With the stew finished and their bellies full, Mozeen began redressing herself in her leather armor. However she soon discovered a minor hiccup. Either her last two meals were far more filling than she thought or she'd experienced a growth spurt in the night. "Suck it in..." Taking a deep breath as she tried to click the buckle in place. The action barely affected her girth. "Damn it..." She muttered, tossing aside the piece of armor. "Fine then, my belly could use some air anyway..." Strapping her spears and quiver over her shoulder, Mozeen grabbed her shortbow.

"Ready when you are."  

[Viper 9000]

"That's only because I let you." Marmin said giving a smile before standing up ready to leave. "I will find the tracks by scent and then we will follow them." Marmin stated as he shifted into his wolf form. After a hour of carefully dodging the traps the minotaur set up, the two picked up the hunter's tracks.

The wolf began to sniff making sure he had the right tracks and began to follow them. Another hour passed before the two came into a small clearing marked with a small pile of ashes (an old camp site).  

[Viper 9000]

"Looks like a human encampment..." Mozeen comments as she salvages a large piece of canvas from what she assumed used to be a tent. Taking a long swig from her waterskin, she looked over the camp for anything that might lead her in the direction of her mate's killer.