The group continued making their way through the path. They knew someone was behind them and they were in danger. Hiding wasn't an option. The hunter also didn't even try to hide. Remy was looking back to check for more people, trying to asses the possibility of getting caught if they started running.
The wind blew towards the hunter like a warning about the approaching danger. The wind had no eyes or ears, but it definitely could hear and see everything. It had no mouth. Maybe it never talked, but it never lied.
After several moments, they noticed the slight increase of the hunter's walking pace. He was trying to close thr distance without the attempt getting noticed by the group.
"Keep moving," Remy told the others as quietly as they could.
The group starting walking slightly faster. It wasn't running yet, but they were quietly trying to get away. They tried to keep as quiet as possible. Remy led them to directions they didn't know themself. They made the desicions quickly and tried to find something that could get the hunter away.
It was clear Remy wasn't too good at giving directions. They were going towards the castle before Hazel nudged them to change the direction. Remy lifted the pace and led the group to the opposite direction. They weren't what people would usually expect from a leader. Their decisions were hesitant and they were prone to making mistakes on the small decisions.
The hunter started closing the distance faster than expected. His steps were trained to be fast and his high experience on chases was shining through. It wasn't reckless. More determined. He efficiently cuts the distance, tracking them down instead of chasing them blindly. It's clear he's dangerous, not just a random passby. He gets behind them quicker than they could ever.
The hunter grabbed Aurora's wrist before she could react. Remy froze for a moment, but then hesitantly jumped in, trying to pull back Aurora. It wasn't effective, since the hunter easily overpowered them. After that, Remy swung their fist, aiming for the hunter's head, but the effort was blocked by the simple lift of one hand.
Hazel was surprised Remy was fighting like that. They weren't usually the one who got violent first. It was the bravest display she had seen from them, and definitely proved their worth as a leader.
The hunter was about to punch Remy, but a sudden thump of something hitting the ground behind him attracted his attention, making his head snap to the direction of the sound. Hazel had thrown that rock. It gave Aurora enough time to slip out of the man's grip and run back to the others. Remy didn't give up, though. They stood infront of him defiantly.
Ocean was watching closely. Every move the hunter made seemed to make sense. It all connected like every time he had predicted something. He knew what he was going to do next, and that without any help, Remy would end up badly injured. He had it all lined up in his head. Before the hunter could swing again, he quickly whispered to Remy.
"Right hook, left hand punch to the stomach, then he pulls out a knife," he warned Remy.
Remy was confused, but when they noticed the right hook, which they managed to dodge, was the actual first move he made, they backed up. When they did, Hazel threw another rock at the hunter. This time with full force, aiming for the head. It hit.
The group scrambled and started running away from the probably concussed danger. Nobody looked back, nor knew how the rock affected the hunter. They had to get away before he could collect himself and capture or kill them. Soon they broke the line of sight.
"He's not following us. We won," Remy said proudly.
"It's not a victory if we're still in danger. If one found us, the others will too," Ocean mumbled.
Remy closed their mouth. Ocean was right. More hunters were on their way to find them. Maybe they had been tracked for longer. This was never over. This had just started.