“I can hear you breathing.”

Adam’s breath caught and the hunter jerked his head in his direction. Fuck. The hunter was bluffing and Adam had fallen for it. The hunter moved forward then and Adam broke into a run. 

So, a different tactic now, one Adam was good at. One that he excelled at.

He sprinted like mad toward the direction of point B, completely focusing on the path ahead. Once he got his speed up he could dart between the trees, which inched him further and further ahead of the hunter – once the hunter got far enough Adam knew he would have to stop for a breath, but he couldn’t manage that until he lost sight of the other male, and judging by how fast Number Four was tearing after him, Adam knew he would be pushing his limits unless he came across a miracle.

Very quickly, it became apparent that this wasn’t going to be easy for Adam.

He couldn’t get into his normal headspace with Number Four on his tail, the hunter’s heavy footsteps only two steps behind Adam’s own at all times. Adam might have gotten a bit of a gain when he darted about, but never enough to shake the hunter off. The larger male was determined and skilled and it was all very unnerving.

At the sight of a low hanging branch Adam thought he could trip the other up, be the hunter seemed to hear when Adam suddenly jumped over it and did so as well, keep their distance infuriatingly short. 

When Adam felt the hunter’s glove clad fingertips graze his elbow he really began to panic, which he knew meant that he was on borrowed time now. Adam could feel his legs begin to cramp, the burning in his lungs reaching unbearable levels. If he didn’t break in a moment or two to breathe he would get too light-headed, which means he would pass out and wake up with a shiny new accessory on his wrist and a master who he would be stuck with for the rest of his life – for the rest of his kids' lives and so forth until his own personal family line died out, his children all sold off to be fucking pets for Zerric.

And the thought of that, all too real now, made Adam panic. And then he knew he was truly screwed-

Something caught Adam’s eye.

Oh. Sweet lord in heaven.

A HOLE!!!!

Adam nearly howled with laughter, excited at the sight of the hole in the ground nearing as he turned to line up with it, his body working purely on instinct as his mind spun round and round the fact that there was, in fact, a good possibility he could lose this time. As he neared it he put in all his energy, running like a maniac. When he was just out of arm’s length the hunter snarled and began really going for it, running with everything he had.

Abruptly Adam rolled and the hunter tripped in his effort to stop and pivot on his heel, losing his footing enough to warrant a step back – right onto nothing. He threw his arms out and windmilled for a flash before he tumbled down into the hole.

Adam gasped in a breath, coughing as panted in air and crawled over to see just how deep the hole was. If it wasn’t too deep, Adam might only have a minute before the hunter recovered, but upon seeing it was plenty deep, Adam collapsed onto the ground and laid there with his hand over his frantically beating heart.

Adam took a moment to catch his breath as he heard the hunter cursing, making noises like he was trying to get out. When Adam could sit up, he looked down into the hole to watch the hunter struggle to try and climb out. Luckily, Number Four couldn’t find purchase on the side of the pit. When Adam was sure he wasn’t going anywhere he let out a long breath and crawled over to lean against the tree right at the side of the hole to laugh down at the hunter. 

“Give it up, man. You. Are. Stuck!” The hunter visibly bristled at this and Adam laughed some more and crouched down to take a beat and appreciate how handsome the hunter was. The larger man was pissed, but even now he was striking. Great bone structure, high cheekbones, plush lips, fabulous build with hard muscles and agile limbs. If the hunter was just a normal dude on the colony, Adam would for sure be charmed.

But the hunter wasn’t a normal dude. He was a hunter. And Adam was the prey.

Who won.

Again.

Adam chuckled darkly to himself then. “I suppose since this is the last time we’ll meet, I better introduce myself – you know, so you can put a name to the figure in your nightmares – or wildest dreams,” Adam said with a smirk, grinning when the hunter jerked his head back to look in Adam’s general direction with his odd white eyes. He was listening with a very intense sort of focus. “Most call me Adam, but you can call me 'unobtainable'!” Adam threw back his head and laughed as the hunter went back to his futile attempts to climb out-

“You!”

Adam stiffened at the deep voice behind him and carefully stood to turn and see a familiar figure standing several yards away with a furious look on his face, half-obscured by the blue markings under his eyes and chin. Number Four stilled in his pit and Adam pushed off the tree to stand a little straighter. A beat passed between us before Adam gave the newcomer a critical look. 

He recognized that face. 

Adam licked his dry lips and resist the urge to laugh nervously. “Number Two?”

“It’s Ala-na!” Number Two, and it was Number Two, roared furiously.

Adam’s mouth dropped open – he couldn’t believe it! “Jesus, Number Two-“

“Ala-na!”

“-it’s been two years since I’ve seen you! Fancy seeing you here!” Adam looked down to Number Four to see him putting in maximum effort to get out of his ditch, though it was obvious it wouldn’t work. “Number Four, this is Number Two, the second hunter I evaded. I dropped his ass in a ditch too, so you two can relate.” He offered Number Two a smile, and even though the other hunter couldn’t see it, Adam’s words obviously brought back bad memories because he looked pissed.

Adam figured this would probably be a good time to take his leave – with no other runners around, it was likely he’d be trying to evade Number Two for the rest of the run, and with the hunter clearly in a shit mood, it wouldn’t be a good time for Adam if he caught up. The hunter didn’t look like the kind of guy that would laugh this off with him later over a drink and a snuggle.

Adam quietly turned around to make a hasty escape and saw none other than the very memorable face of Number One coming down the pathway with a tight look. Number One stilled, sniffed the air, and then looked in Adam’s direction with a dumbstruck look.

“Number One!?” Adam said in a high voice that had his first hunter’s eyebrows shooting right up, his shoulder stiffening. 

Number one looked about two percent as shocked as Adam felt. What were the chances that two of his past hunters had not only not found other trophies yet, but had ended up in the same spot as him?!

Adam laughed nervously and looked up into the trees. “Is Number Three here somewhere, y-you tricky fucker!” He laughed higher and began to carefully walk backward around the pit where Number Four was digging into the walls to try and find something to grab onto and help him up and out. If Number Three was here he was fucked, figuratively and literally speaking, because defeating Number Three had been pure dumb luck and that particular hunter had been sporting a boner the entire third race.

Suddenly Adam heard Number Two snarl and the hunter moved forward toward him, hissing Adam’s name between his teeth and saying something about making him remember his. Adam jumped back and twisted to dart around the ditch, a hair out of reach from Number Two’s outstretched fingers. Adam kept moving, circling the ditch with the hopes that the hunter was going to make the same mistake twice, and luckily, he did. Number Two stayed too close to the edge and the wet soil gave under his weight, he tried to recover but fell in.

Adam didn’t get a moment to breathe – Number One came at him with an excited look and Adam stumbled out of his reach and nearly fell into the hole himself, only avoiding it by grabbing onto a tree and using it to pull himself around it. He saw Number Four punch Number Two and knock him on his ass, them jumping to use his slumped form to give himself a leg up – he grabbed the top of the ditch and began to pull himself out. 

Number One swiped for Adam and caught his leg and Adam screamed an ear-piercing “FUCK!”, but before Number One could drag him over to him and his feral grin and wide eyes, stick that bracelet on him and make Adam Mr. Number One’s Pretty Bitch, Number Four was on him and the two were fighting on the ground. They were both far too close for comfort.

Adam jumped to his feel and bolted. He ran like the devil was on his heels. He tasted blood on his tongue, he ran so fast. There’s a sensation you get where you’re running, a sort of high, but what he was feeling now was on a whole different level. It was like a was floating, but he couldn’t enjoy it because all he could think of was fuck me there are three hunters back there and if I trip I’m fucked! Fuck! FUCK!! FUUUUUCCCK!

Adam wasn’t even sure when he saw point B that it was that, but at the unamused looks of the guards, their scowls and crossed arms, he knew it was the right place and burst through the gates with his arms above his head, screaming.

He collapsed on the ground and proceeded to vomit, coughing hard enough that he might have aspirated some into his lung.

What just happened – he wasn’t sure. 

In fact, the only thing he knew for sure was that this was going to be one wild story for the pub once he got back home.