Tracking the Killers

"Chu, why do I have to keep sharing my jerky with this wolf. How come he doesn't bother you guys?"

Ming complained as the wolf beside him scarfed down another piece of dried meat from his hands.

"Stop feeding the wolf and hurry up, I can barely spot Lucy when she disappears over the hills."

Chu replied as he jogged away.

Ming could only groan as he followed. They had been jogging over the grasslands for about two hours. The only time they stopped was when Chu signaled them so as to use his compass and map to scribble something. Each of them wore their battle gear and bore a strapped crossbow on their backs.

On their sides they carried a small canvas sack loaded with medicine, food, and water. Since this was a tracking mission, the group was prepared for spending a night out in the plains. The evening wained after they first made the discovery early in the morning.

"Chu I was thinking, why don't we start riding these wolves? I think you would look so awesome riding on them. I could always join you as your lackey on another one."

Chu burst out in some uncontrolled coughing.

He had to admit Ming possessed a keen eye for things totally unnecessary. The wolves now matched him shoulder to shoulder in height. He admitted the same thought crossed his mind, but he still contemplated how to broach the suggestion with the little girl.

He decided to test the waters in the future by using this idiot. Whatever happened, the fallout would eventually land on Ming. Serves him right for trying to butter him up here.

He was just about to coax Ming into approaching Dyna with a suggestion, when he saw a hand signal. They dropped to a crouch and remained silent until they crawled up to Lucy.

"The trail goes over the next ridge, but it now has the smell of blood mixed into it. That blood scent is becoming more and more pungent."

Lucy spoke in a whisper.

The three of them had hunted together the most. Lucy's interpretation could only mean one thing if the scent of blood became stronger.

Chu nodded in reply while grabbing his crossbow. He signaled the two to do the same as he then used his hands to indicate their planned movement. Sound traveled well over the grasslands as he well knew from his hunting experiences. This developed hand signal hence worked very good between the three.

The group of children crawled slowly across the little undulation to glimpse the situation on the other side. Even though Lucy could tell if there were enemies nearby, Chu preferred not taking chances. In this case his fears became unfounded. There was no bandit to greet them over the hill. Just more sorrow.

Strips of clothing ripped and scattered around the shallow valley. In different places and different positions lay three women. All the women bore bruised skins, no clothing and on closer inspection, had their necks slit.

Lucy scouted the immediate area before Chu indicated them to move forward. It did not take long for Chu to identify the bodies. The mother and daughter pair was dumped on one side, while the other woman was a known helper at the farmer's inn.

Chu covered their bodies as best he could with the ripped clothing and then made his way up the little hill to sit down. This was one time he felt like smoking a cigarette.

If he still needed proof this was not a dream after all these years, this was it. There was no fairytale ending, no happy rescue. Since early morning he encountered brutal scenes of death. If he had not reacted in time, then maybe the baby would have joined her parents. He knew bandits laid out scenes to terrorize villagers, but this had to be too much.

This kind of thing instilled no terror in his heart, it only showed brutality that conformed to that of wild animals. Could mankind really sink so low so as to commit atrocities like this?

He remembered seeing things like this over the press, but back then it meant no concern to him. Only when it hit close to home could one truly understand. Facing these kind of horrors in this life required a change in mindset.

He seemed pitted against beast in human form.

Lucy came up and sat beside him. She had tears in her swollen eyes, not surprisingly since she and the young woman had a very amicable relationship.

"Big Sis is going to be so sad."

She sniffed.

Chu patted her head. He knew the feelings of each of his new family members.

'That's right. A leader needs to lead in times like these. It was a far cry from loosing a deadline, or coaxing an enraged client. But the principle behind it...'

'Face, it all boils down to face.'

He coughed and rubbed his eyes as he stood up.

"Ming, help me make a ladder stretcher with some of these thicker shrubs. Lucy take some time and then scout the area again and familiarize yourself with the scents in the place. We have work to do."

Chu immediate plan was simple. As soon as they finished the crude construct he explained the rest.

"Ming take the wolf and head back to the Hoyle farm with the bodies. Mr Thomas and the others should still be there, let them bury the women next to their kin. Return and meet us here. Tell Elder secure the barn, we will be continuing to scout."

"Okay Chu, wait for my return."

Ming did not hesitate or complain, he took off with the instructions. The wolf obeyed the call like a trained sheepdog. Chu gave the wolf some simple commands like find Mr Thomas, return on the trail, hoping for the best.

If not he would have to let Lucy accompany Ming. He did not want to tire both of them out unless absolutely necessary. Fortunately the wolf seemed to understand them. A short time later, the strange pair left for the Hoyle farm.

Chu began his assessment of the scene. He still felt woozy with an upset stomach, but with the women gone it became slightly easier to focus.

The grasslands remained soft from the previous storm. Here where obvious debauchery had taken place, the footprints made a mess on the green carpet. Lucy returned to join him as he slowly walked around in the now fading light.

"Ten. I see at least ten of those scum here."

This deduction came under months of training under Mr Thomas and not from watching criminal TV shows.

"I think you maybe close. I cannot tell as yet, since the smell looks jumbled up like a twisted rainbow. With training I will get better at separating scent trails that go in only one direction."

Lucy muttered.

Chu did not mind, after all she worked hard and had already achieved the impossible. Further increasing her ability like that would only serve to make him cry in envy. Imagine the skill to lock on and track a person through a busy city market. If he wielded that kind of power in his past life...

At least at this moment she did not have to untangle one scent from that visible twisted rope. She just had to follow the entire rope itself. Out in the open grasslands a group of stinky bandits left a glaring trail for her.

Ming returned blowing from running the entire distance. Chu let him and the wolf take a rest before they restarted their journey. The older boy had thoughtfully brought a pouch restocked with water and dried food. Under the rising moon and starlit sky they held a discussion.

"Elder said don't do anything rash. Find the bandits and come home. The garrison will do the rest."

Ming panted out.

Chu nodded in agreement. He felt rage after all he witnessed today, but not enough to cloud his judgment. He did not reach this far in life for his head to end up on a spike along the road.

"Let's keep walking until it gets dark. We have a wolf and Lucy with us for guidance. Last time I checked the map, we should also be close to the road leading to Karst."

Chu spoke as they readied themselves to continue. This brief rest helped calm both their mind and body.

They moved in silence as the moon began its ascent in the night sky. For some time they walked, mostly in silence. Suddenly in the moonlight Lucy slowly raised her hands. She then pointed to a place in the distance. As if to offer support the wolf issued a low growl, while its coat hairs bristled.

"There is a group nearby, the smell is the same."

Chu understood her as they readied themselves and sneaked forward.

The group crawled on their belly to a suitable vantage point overlooking the road. Suffice to say even the wolf joined them in this act. Probably something it picked up from its master.

Chu's sense of direction was proven true. They had walked to the southeast and hence bumped into the road leading to Karst. At the side of this lonely road five men sat around a fire chatting and laughing boisterously.

Travelers on the road might think they met fellow wanders and hence join them for the night. Such naive thoughts would only lead to certain death. Even if some guards on patrol stopped to investigate, they also might not suspect them. Travelers on a road though infrequent could not all be bandits.

Especially when the real danger lurked out of sight.

"What do we do? There is another group hidden over the other hill."

Lucy whispered. She frowned before continuing

"It's the bandit group, but some of the smells are different from before, There is also a scent that heads out along the roadway, while another mixes in with new smells as it moves to the south."

The directions she pointed led to Karst and roads to the other villages while another led across the grassland.

"Looks like the group did some merging and mixing around here. Seems like the bandit group is much bigger than we anticipated."

He replied while thinking.

Chu calculated his luck. If they attacked with the crossbows they might take out three until needing to reload. A second attack leaves at least four men, but those odds would work only if they landed fatal shots under the darkness. He didn't think they reached that sort of perfection at the moment.

He turned his head and looked at the shadows of Lucy and the wolf at his side. A plan thereafter began to form in his mind.

Three children and a dog might count as easy picking for about ten bandits. But factor in a large wolf, a souped up bionic-type girl and two trained boys instead to that equation. He only needed to think up the perfect plan. He signaled the others to make a tactical retreat.

"Can you kill them or at least wound them? It might be different because the're still people."

Chu reiterated.

In the moonlight he looked on their faces.

"I can do it Chu, these heartless bastards deserve to die."

"So can I, Farmer Hoyle was going to sell me a filly next year Chu. A filly! I would have looked so awesome riding my own horse."

The question was really for him to confirm his own determination. Being reminded of the atrocities he witnessed helped strengthen his resolve. These men acted like beast, hence they deserved to die. He focused on the words kill or be killed in his mind.

The biggest danger he faced came from the long range weapons. The bandits who possessed the bows and arrows. Undoubtedly one or more of them in the shadows had armed themselves in this fashion. The group by the fire obviously acted as the bait.

Why should the shark bite the bait when he could swallow the fisherman.

His plan was simple.

Ambush the ambushers.

"Listen up then, here's the plan."