Chapter 28 The Knights that became Hunters

It had been over a month since the Curfew had been enforced. Ten days following the Curfew, a battalion of Knight had arrived in Cordon. They were all skeptical about the existence of the monster, and quite unhappy to be sent so far from home, but upon seeing the evidence, they had taken it far more seriously.

Rassa never pushed his luck. The rotations of the Knights guarding the town changed every few nights, and Rassa would always spend that night memorising the pattern instead of hunting. Would he have been able to sneak past them given the opportunity? It was likely, but now that his parents were actively hiding his nature, he knew that if he were captured, they would be implicated as well.

The Hunting party was even more erratic. They had built temporary camps in Greenvale, and had even gone so far as to communicate with the Elves regarding this development. The Elves, surprisingly, were already aware of the monster's presence. Their connection with the forest had allowed them to see the impact that the monster had made on the life of the forest. Whilst they had been keeping an eye on it, they did not see it as a cause for concern quite yet, as it behaved just as a large predator would. It only took what it needed. It wasn't greedy or lustful. It simply ate, and returned the bodies of those it killed to the ground. As such, the Elves were not that concerned, especially since it had been around for so long, and had only stuck close to Cordon.

It was this that gave the Knights insight to one very important clue.

The Monster might very well be living in the village, not in the forest.

When this was brought up at a village meeting, there were many denials of such a claim. The village had seen no new individuals come into the town to live permanently since Phillip & Anna's arrival over a decade before. And no one who claimed temporary residence had stayed for longer than six months. It was quite the conundrum, and so, the Knights had no choice but to continue their hunting raids at night.

The Hunting raids were random and often chaotic. Rassa had had a few close calls whilst he hunted his own prey. Once, when he'd been finishing off a snack, and another time when he'd slipped on a tree branch in his haste and made more noise than he wanted. He'd thought it impossible to lose his balance considering how aware he was of his body constantly, but all it took was for him to lose focus in favour of stress and suddenly he'd been clumsy for the first time in three years. It had irked him, and he'd berated himself all the way home.

Thanks to his small blunders, the hunters had been able to ascertain that the monster was fast and highly agile. And, to make matters worse, they'd put watchers in the trees.

With the amount of obstacles climbing, Rassa wondered if it would be better if he did stop for a few days. Perhaps lay a set of indications that he had left the area. But he didn't think he was skilled enough, and hence decided that perhaps he should expand the area he hunted in, so as to throw off the Hunters who thought their net was growing smaller.

Amongst all this sneaking and planning, Rassa couldn't help but think his earlier statement of coming out of the shadows was ironic. He'd seen the knights and their various contraptions, the cage they'd built to contain him. They weren't just looking for a monster to kill. They were looking for a monster to take as a prize. Their benefactor, whoever he was, had a vested interest in the outcome of this hunt.

Much to Rassa's increasing disgust, he spent the better part of three months dodging knights and hunters alike until finally he decided he could take it no longer. He wanted peace again. Peace and quiet to enjoy his nights rather than spending them dodging every man and his dog that wanted a peice of him.

After much thought, Rassa didn't go out. He stayed home and waited.

After 3 nights, the Hunters realised the lack of the monster's presence, and Reports from the Elves, who were being surprisingly cooperative, confirmed it.

After 5 nights, Rassa's hunger started to become more urgent. He could tolerate it, but there were some, such as Falla and Jane, who asked him if he was feeling alright.

"Just a little tired," Rassa had brushed them off quickly so as not to draw attention to himself.

After 7 nights, the battalion were becoming convinced the monster had moved on, but with no way to confirm where it'd moved on to, they wouldn't leave, and patrols were kept up.

Rassa was aching with his hunger by this stage. It had become difficult for him to move as he had before, and hence had feigned a flu despite it being the beginning of Summer. He was brought to the Doctor's Office and his parents visited him frequently. But by day 10, Rassa was too hungry and sore to notice the suspicious looks of the Doctor.

So during the morning, when Rassa was doing his best to sleep away the aches to no avail, the Doctor left his house and ventured to where the Knight Captain of the Battalion, an older man named Jameson, had made his camp.

"Doctor, what brings you here today?" asked Jameson.

"Well, Captain...I have a request, one that may help us uncover the identity of our monster," the Doctor stated.

Jameson looked up at the Doctor in surprise, then his expression turned serious.

"By all means, make youre request".

So the Doctor delved into the story of Rassa's strange disease that had turned him pale and impacted on his eyesight nearly three and a half years before, and finally, he spoke of how Rassa was currently in his offices with a 'flu' that had no real flu symptoms apart from aches and pains. After the story, the Doctor made his request.

Seeing that the story had more indicators and clues in it than any others, Jameson agreed.