Chapter 3
3:
Hiking has always been one of Jim's greatest loves. Even when he was still young, his father would take him to the Canadian mountains to appreciate the scenery. Sometimes they hunt some game, a rabbit or a deer. There were some instances of bears, but he never really liked hunting them. That was until his claws protruded out of his hand and released felt a rage so powerful he cannot even remember clearly what happened during that fateful day. When he woke up, he was already in the middle of the woods with dried blood splattered on his hands. All he remembered was his first name, some snippets of past memories, and blurred but overwhelmingly familiar faces. Naked except for the undergarments he had, surprisingly Jim never felt the cold. He discovered his other abilities only a few days later, when he was attacked by a polar bear. His eyesight and hearing drastically improved; he can already see the smallest objects and the hear the slightest sounds. The bone-like appendages that stuck out of his knuckles were effective in cutting down anything in his path. Using these abilities, he survived the frigid winters and the dangerous forest of the mountain.
It has been a long time since he last saw another person. Most of the time, it's a hiker or a hunter or someone just lost in the woods. Hell, it could be anyone, and it depends on the person whether Jim would cut him or her to pieces or be left alone in the woods. James never expected for the next human being he'll ever see will be a blond boy pulled by flying hammer across the sky. At first, he thought it was a shooting star of some kind. When stared again, his overly sensitive ears and cat-like eyesight registered a small blond boy screaming for his life.
Jim never believed in aliens. Sure, as far as he could remember they caught his attention when he was a child; what kind of kid who would not be fascinated by other worlds aside from ours? But the kid was certainly looked like a human, not the monsters every one else envisioned. His curiosity got a hold of him. He wanted to know what was happening.
He followed the blond boy's trajectory through the snowy woods, and he landed a good few miles from Jim's makeshift cabin. It was gentle landing and Jim knew the kid was unharmed. Jim's instinct was telling him the he was not harmful, and by his scent clearly he is human. James wanted to approach, but another blond man was already there first. A bigger blond man, wearing a really tight sort of clothing, which reminded him of the standard ballet dress. Jim thought they were effeminate when men wore them, but the man he was observing now wore the garment with finesse and undeniable masculinity. How he knew anything about a ballet dress, he doesn't -or maybe never will- know.
The bigger blond was perfectly hidden from view, albeit closer than Jim's position. He knew the forest like the back of his hand, circled around the snowy wood for hundreds of times yet he never knew there was another another person inhabiting the area. James immediately assessed both of the men to see if they were a threat or not. The smaller blond man was of no danger, but the hammer was in question. The bigger one however, was a sure threat and probably would engage in a fight if confronted. It appears that the boy doesn't know the existence of the other man, as picked up the hammer and started to walk. The bigger man followed quietly.
Well, this is interesting. However, Jim has questions in his mind and he wants answers. What are they doing here? Who are they?
For now, it is the safest option to follow carefully, to know the full situation. He decided to increase his distance from the two blonds, but still he trained his eyes on them.
After two hours of nonstop walking, he could faintly hear the faltering breath of the boy. The bigger blondie however, did not even looked tired. His breathing was still even, and his steps still strong, and looking unbothered by the cold. A warrior, Jim was sure of it. Highly dangerous. But why was he following the boy? And why was Jim following them both?
Before he could even muse to himself about the answers, the boy collapsed to the snowy ground. His instinct told him to run and get the boy to safety, but the Blondie beat him up to it. He carried the smaller person like he weighed nothing, but Jim noticed the hammer was still dangling on the boy's hands, like it didn't want to let go. And the man did not even touch the hammer, although he also noticed the man was glaring at the hammer intently.
Jim was reduced to following again the bigger man's footsteps as they both treaded the snowy mountains. There were times the man looked back, assessing the area, but Jim was sure he was not caught. Ten years of living here in the mountains has improved his hiding skills.
Yes, this is going to be interesting indeed.