The Witching Hour. Most would assume by the name that it's a certain time of within our concept of a day, or that it's some type of gimmicky supernatural name to scare those who are easily fooled.

For those who are wiser, the Hour is a fear, a terror at those late night hours, hidden in the dark corners of your room, under your bed, creeping within the unknown-- only to disappear at morning's light.

For the Elite Hunting Society, it's their reality. The fear is there, only the feeling doesn't disappear when the sun comes to melt the shadows of night away. 

But it was their reality, and fear is simply an emotion based on the lack of knowledge about something, be it a person, place, thing or idea. With time, experience and training, eventually the fear fades form the late night terrors to the tiniest of hiccups, like when you startle yourself awake from a unknown dream, but immediately roll back over and fall back into slumber. 

               That doesn't mean the fear can't come back with avengence when the unthinkable happens.   

It started out as a normal Hour Run. Yifan was yelling at her to hurry up, while Areum attempted to pacify him, saying he needed to go easy on her. She may have made a comment under her breath about how he treated Tao, the youngest, better than all of them combined. He had heard, and he didn't like that one bit.

"Know your place, Caine." He growled, "I am your Captain."
She did know her place, and she certainly knew that the man was her Captain. However, that didn't stop her from making rude comments under her breath, or even to his face if the moment striked her. As she opened to talk back, Joonmyeon stopped her from continuing. 

"He'll report you to the Panel if you say anything else, Red." He reminded her quietly, causing her to stutter in her words. As much as she hated it, she knew the Guardian of her squad was right. And she certainly didn't need another strike against her. So, with great reluctance, Red held her tongue, but not without a glare of her own to match the one her Captain was giving her.
         "Get in line." He hissed, and Red had no choice but to obey, falling into her place next to Tao. She felt bad for snarking about him, after all he was the youngest of their squad and she's supposed to take care of him. Stealing a glance over at him as everyone else hurried to their positions, Red saw he was starting straight ahead, his lips in a thin line. Her heart sank a little. This was her fault. 
She elbowed him lightly, gaining his attention. His cold glare-like stare made her shiver. It wasn't even spared towards her, and that was a sure sign that the boy was upset with her.

Red wasn't one to be deterred though, and leaned over slightly. "I'm sorry. I got angry, but that doesn't mean I should've involved you." She whispered, low enough for only their ears. Tao managed a sigh.
"You say that everytime." Ouch. Red deserved that, she would admit. It definitely wasn't the first time she's involved Tao against Yifan and it probably wouldn't be the last. 

"And I mean it. Tao, you're my best friend, but you know how I get with Yifan, and I say things the absolute worst way possible. They are never towards you though." She was pleading at this point, but she didn't want him to think she ever harbored ill will towards him. It wasn't by his choice that Yifan decided to favor him. Red blamed the younger's ability to be cute. The fact that he was a smooth talker didn't exactly hurt his cause either. Tao raised an eyebrow at her. Red blinked up at him. What?

"You're talking to yourself again. But thanks, I like to think of myself as a smooth talker as well." 

"Only to him," She gestured over at the Captain, who was currently in a semi heated discussion with Mia, their Second in Command. Something told her it was about Areum again. Mia had her favorites, and Yifan had his. "Are you ever that smooth. Don't get cocky."

"Just him?" Tao's mouth twitched and she smiled in response. Apology accepted, it seemed.

"Only him. Captain--"

"Yes, Delphi?" Yifan caught his title in conversation and immediately responded. Red pursed her lips, but kept quiet. Tao took over, using that special trait of his to his advantage once again. It wasn't a wonder how he got past Yifan so much and that 

"We were just wondering about the agenda for today's Hour Run, sir."

You could see the difference in the way Yifan responded to Tao. Red nudged the younger as discreetly as possible, looking over with a smug grin. It earned a playful glare from Tao, who tried to keep a smile under control. 

"We are on Trap check in the Northern Territory." Small groans of protest were heard amongst the young group. 

"That's the largest territory, it'll take all night!" Joonmyeon sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. Most groups hated Trap check, and theirs was no exception. Trap check wasn't exactly the most exciting job in world unless there was an actual Creature or Beast caught in the damn thing. Usually, they're smart enough to not get caught, making the Hour Run extremely tedious and not at all a good use of time. And when there was a Being caught in the Trap, you had to go through the procedure to kill it, and they were already fiesty and ready to fight by the time you get to them. It just all around wasn't the best job in the world for a Hunting squad. However, like most unpleasant things, it was a necessary evil and therefore they had to do it.

"I know," Yifan sighed, "And although we're supposed to stay together, it might be a good idea to split up and take our radios with us." 

"How could that possibly be classified as a good idea?" Mia shot back. Being Second in Command gave her the ability to challenge the Captain's orders or plans. It was something Mia lived for and something that Yifan absolutely despised. 

Yifan glared. "It's a lot of land to cover and traps to check, but if we split up it's only seven to check for each."
The idea was extremely tempting, but Mia was still set on playing Devil's Adovcate on Yifan. 

"What if one of us gets attacked? Red got a nasty run in with that Harpy last week; we were even there and look what happened."As Mia spoke, her hands immediately flew to her neck, tracing the still puckered skin that was clear work of a Harpies claws. She grimanced. It definitely wasn't an experience she'd like to go through again.

"If she had worn her choker like she was supposed to, it probably could've been avoided." Their Captain stated, his irritation growing more and more apparent as more people questioned him. He glared over at Red as he spoke, and she didn't hesitate to glare back. It wasn't her fault she didn't have her choker.

"I would've remembered if a certain Captain hadn't been literally throwing me out the door because I wasn't fast enough--" 

       "Caine, I'm warning you." Yifan raised a threatening hand, but Red remained undeterred.

"No, you need to understand that just because you're the Captain doesn't give you the goddamn right to put others lives on the line just because you think we need a sche--"
His hand came clean across her face, the sound echoing and the print beginning to redden and welt on her cheek. 

"I warned you, Delphi. Now, we're going to split up, check our respective traps, and we will be back here before 0300 hours. Have I made myself clear?" Yifan was still seething, ready to strike again to whoever questioned him next. Red kept her head down.

"Good. Your assigned traps will be located in your radios, so don't forget them. Head out and May the Hour be on your side." With that, he left, Areum following close after looking pale and adjusting her hijab before closing the door behind her.
Red's head was still down, but she felt Tao's calloused hand tilting her chin up to inspect the damage. Joonmyeon and Mia were still there as well. 

"He got you good this time, didn't he?" Tao asked quietly, eyeing the red mark on her face. She managed a shrug. "Had it coming."

"No!" Mia immediately shrieked, waving her hands around. "A Captain should never physically harm his squad members, even in anger or if they disrespect you!" Joonmyeon stepped forward to get a closer look. "It looks like it'll swell for a bit before I can do anything to help. Do we need to stay back so I can treat it for you?" Red smiled a little. She was thankful that her team members were so helpful towards her, but she should've known her place and known that she would've gotten hit. It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last.

"I'll be fine. Let's get out of here, those traps aren't going to check themselves, and 0300 hours isn't that far off. Don't need to get him even more worked up, right?" Before anyone could protest, she got up, slung her gun in its holster, and disappeared through the door. 

And she ran. Contrary to her squad's hesitance, Red was actually quite glad to have some alone time. It got her away from Yifan, away from her duties as a Delphi, everything. She could just take her anger out on the poor Beings that either crossed her path or were stuck in the Traps she was in charge of. Checking her radio, she set off in the direction of the first Trap, her left hand already itching to pull a trigger to let off some much needed steam.

To say Red was irritated was an understatement. The last trap she had checked contained a Harpy, and now their metallic blue blood was stained all over her weapons, her hair, her clothes. Harpy blood was a to get out, and it was her week to do laundry too. It had just been an all around bad Hour Run, and all Red wanted to do was curl up in her bed and sleep through their day off tomorrow. Counting off the traps on her radio screen, she sighed in relief when there was only one trap left on her list, and plenty of time to spare on to get back before 0300 hours, despite getting a later start. 

She checked the trap's location, making her way there. It was a secluded area surrounded by trees, and Red was more or less hopeful that there was nothing caught in it so she could just turn around and head back. 

Unfortunately, luck was not on her side. Whimpering and metal clanking could be heard from a couple hundred feet from the Trap's general direction. Whatever it was, it was big enough to move around within the Trap, and it was a loud one. She hated that, the thing might call out for help and more of its species might come to help and then it'd be a huge mess. She held her breath and crouched low as she approached the Trap's station. Her best bet was hiding behind a tree to peek and see what exactly she'd be dealing with. 

Red's heart accelerated. It was fear, she knew. It didn't get to her as strongly as it did her first time out in the field, but whenever she had to scope out her enemy, it always kicked her a little, like a small voice in the back of her head reminding her of the consequences. One wrong move and she could lose a limb. Or worse, her life. Breathing deeply through her nose, she peeked over to catch sight of the Creature she'd have to deal with. Immediately she slammed her back against the tree, her heart rate picking up once more.

It was a Werebeing, more specifically a Wolf. The more common of the Werebeings, but definitely one of the most dangerous due to their keen sense of smell, hearing, and well, the ability to rip your limbs apart with their jaws. Red had never faced one on her own, she had always had a team, because with one Werebeing, there was a pack close behind. She only hoped that its pack hadn't closed in on the area yet. Looking over yet again, she assested the Wolf a bit further. It was definitely larger than her, but then again, most things and people were. However, it seemed smaller than most, and the leg looked seriously trapped and didn't look like it was going anywhere anytime soon.

'Might as well get it over with.' Red reasoned with herself, getting up and pressing her back to the tree again, readying her gun. She only had two bullets left, so she needed to be quick and precise. Never waste a bullet, that was one of the lessons taught in the Academy. Red exhaled through her nose again, chiding herself to just go and get it over with.

Once she had left her hiding place, heading out into the open, the Wolf had perked up, ears attentive and picking up her footsteps on the ground. The Creature turned to her, ears lowering and cowering away from her. She raised an eyebrow, finger still on the trigger and edging closer. Most Werebeings would've started to bear their teeth and howl for their pack-- it could be a tactic to get her off guard, sure, but Red was definitely curious as to why this Wolf hadn't done either of the usual tactics and was chosing to cower. She got closer, and the thing just kept cowering, no move to fight, not a sign to hint that it would attack her. She also noticed that the Wolf was significantly smaller than what she had originally thought. Then it came to her.

This Wolf was merely a baby, just barely entering maturity. No wonder it didn't call for its pack, it probably didn't even know how to howl properly yet. Red faltered for a moment, processing the fact. It looked up at her, ears pressed back, and Red felt her heart rate increase again. Its eyes... They weren't the normal dull eyes of a Creature. They were bright and dark blue, almost onyx in hue. They held knowledge, intelligent, but there was a prominent emotion, fear, present in its eyes. The Werebeing was scared of her. As well as it should be, the fact that it was just a pup really shook Red up. If it were a human, it'd be the same age as Mia's little brother, who was still in the Academy. She shouldn't be making the connection, but it was still happening and it put Red in a very compromising condition. 

"I... I can't do it." She breathed, and the Wolf's ears pricked up. A lone howl was heard in the distance. The Wolf's pack was coming. "You're just a baby, I can't... Oh my god, I could be prosecuted if someone were to find out if I don't kill you." She murmured to herself. The Werebeing watched her, its eyes following her every move.

"But... no one will know this one time. I can't kill a baby. I just can't-- but the Creed!" Red shook her head, and the Werebing let out a whine. "Oh, shut it, you, you aren't helping."

Another howl. Red didn't have a lot of time to make her decision. Either she killed it point blank and headed home, or let it go and run, hoping it wouldn't tear her apart once it was freed. 

"If I let you go," She reasoned, "You're just going to go back to your pack, right?" The pup just blinked at her, and she groaned. "Of course you can't understand me. You're just a Beast, an unintelligent part of this god forsaken realm. Okay, fine. Fine. I know I'm not going to be able to take on your pack, and if you so much as try to bite me I won't hestitate to place a bullet between your eyes. Got it?"

Another blink and three howls this time in the distance. They were closing in. She set to work, un hinging the Trap and nearly jumping back as the Wolf moved its leg and cracked its neck. Not a sign of aggression, but it could easily turn into one. Red's fingers were still on the trigger of her gun, eyeing the Beast as it looked over at her. It then did something she definitely didn't expect. 

It her, yipping softly, and turned to run off in the direction of the howls. Red stood there in shock, blinking as she processed what happened. A Werebeing... just her. A sign of affection. She quickly shook it off, it was a baby, she reasoned, it probably didn't know better. The back of her head nagged that it seemed more intelligent thatn just a normal Beast, but she chose to ignore it and continue back home. 0300 hours was closing in on her and she couldn't have Yifan getting mad at her.

The feeling of a tongue against her cheek lingered long after she had returned, showered, and settled into bed. An Unusual Hour it had been for her. There would be many more to come in her career, she reckoned, and let the feelign dissapiate as she fell to sleep.

Hey all, Dannie here! So, this is the first chapter of Hunter.
I wanted to make the power dynamic of Red's group clear, and sort of give an insight to how it works.
This story will contain violence and other sorts of content in later chapters, and they will be marked.
I hope ya'll will like this... so, uh, rate, subscribe, all that kind of things that authors usually request.
Thanks, and later!
~Dannie