Hunter's War (Legend of the Wild Hunter Book 4) by Garry Spoor Page B

for valrik. That, and they made so much noise trumping through the forest. It’s not valrik who have been following us, it’s a gulrik,” She said, running out into the woods.
    “Wait, you can’t go out there alone,” he called out to her, but she already disappeared into the darkness.
     
    He knew he should report to Sergeant Wargner and tell him what just happened. Tell him the Hunter went off into the woods alone. Unfortunately, the Sergeant made it quite clear she was the Corporal’s responsibility. Tullner had no other choice but to go after her.
    He followed Kile into the darkness of the forest, leaving the noises of the other soldiers, and the light of the campfire, behind him. The shadows didn’t actually creep in on him. It was more like they crashed down upon him. It was almost like being struck blind as he stumbled his way forward until his eyes adjusted to the night. The deeper he went, the more quite the world became and the only sounds were those of his own amplified foot falls. Where did the girl get off to so quickly, and how did she do it so quietly, was beyond him.
    There was no use running since he didn’t know where he was going and the trees were already closing in on him, swallowing any path he was likely to follow. He wasn’t even sure if he would be able to find his way back to camp. A sound off to his right caught his attention and his hand instinctively went to his sword. He never got a chance to draw it. Something struck him from behind, forcing him face first, into the tall grass.
    “Stay down and be quiet,” she whispered in his ear when she removed her hand from his mouth.
    She didn’t wait for him to respond, or to even see if he was all right. She quietly moved through the grass ahead of him, stopping by the base of a large tree. Crouching, she raised her nose to the wind. If he didn’t know better, he would have sworn she was sniffing the air, like one of his hunting dogs. She quickly turned in his direction, and although she wasn’t looking at him, he could see her eyes. They were the color of gold and her pupils were but narrow black slits, like those of a wild cat.
    At that moment, Tullner wanted nothing more than to run back to camp and beyond. The fields of home were looking more and more inviting. He had seen his share of strange things and wanted nothing more to do with them.
    Kile sprang away from the tree, moving farther away from where Tullner believed the camp was located. Against his better judgment, he followed her. She was his responsibility and his orders were to keep her from harm, but he was starting to wonder who was supposed to keep her from harming him.
    She stopped suddenly and motioned for him to do the same. He was grateful to see her eyes were back to normal, although, he was starting to doubt there was anything normal about this girl.
    “There,” she whispered.
    Tullner crept up beside her and looked in the direction she was pointing. It took him a moment to see what it was she wanted him to see. His first thought was that of a thin child, standing in the forest. It was about three, possibly four, feet tall, with long, thin arms that hung down at its side. Its skin was the color of river mud, and its head was narrow with yellow eyes that reflected what little light there was in the forest. It moved without a sound as if wasn’t actually there and was only a vision his mind was using to drive him mad.
    “What is it?” he asked.
    “Gulrik,” she replied. “Kin to the valrik, but smaller… and more psychotic.”
    “Is that what’s been following us?”
    “One of them, at least. There should be more.”
    “I don’t see any more, I think he’s alone,” Tullner replied, scanning the forest.
    “Don’t bet on it.”
    “I think we can take him,” he said and started to get to his feet.
    “Are you mad?” she hissed, pulling him back down. “We should get back to camp and inform your Sergeant Wargner.”
    “He won’t believe you without