The Wolf vs The Dark Moon

Fenris sighed, not for the first time that day, and signaled for his men to stop marching. As they gratefully set down their equipment and began to rest, Fenris took in the area. He tried to find something important he could analyze, any clue that Silva had been in the area. Unfortunately, he failed.

In the weeks since his last encounter with Silva, General Sicarious had all but forbidden Fenris from returning to Lunari, or even descending the mountain for that matter. For some inexplicable reason, King Orion was still obsessed with hunting Silva down and executing him, and Sicarious was blindly obeying his order, much to Fenris's chagrin.

Don't they realize that this is exactly what Silva wants? Fenris thought to himself, He wants us to tire ourselves out looking for him in vain, until he can slip past the blockade and go to Lunari, where he will probably never be found again? Indeed, even with all the men and precautions that Fenris had put into place, Silva had one very important advantage. Time.

"Sir?" spoke a voice from behind Fenris.

"Yes, what is it private?" Fenris replied as he knelt down to examine the soil.

"Well, some of the men were talking, and we all had the same question."

"Which is?" Asked Fenris, only half listening.

"Well, we were wondering why these advance recon missions were necessary. With the blockade in place, there is no way Darkmoon can descend these mountains without running into our men."

Fenris dropped the soil he had been examining and stood up, facing the soldier.

"I don't suppose anyone has told you any stories of my past with Darkmoon?"

"No sir, only that you had fought in the past, and that you knew all his methods, which is why you were put in charge of this hunt."

"Well soldier, that is correct to an extent. Silva Darkmoon is a deadly assassin, skilled in combat and hunting down foes, but he wasn't always that way." Fenris paused before continuing, reluctant to reveal his past with Silva. Well, they're gonna find out sooner or later, might as well hear it from me. "He served on what is now called the Lunarian Wolves, our elite covert ops force. He was one of the best too. We fought, yes, but together. Anyway, one of our missions was during our last war with Solaria, in a situation similar to this. We were sent deep into enemy territory to recon, and ended up getting surrounded by a small army that had been advancing to a battle with our forces. Luckily, we managed to hide in the desert. Silva, ingenious little devil, managed to sneak into their blockade and kill a man who happened to look like him, with longer hair. He slipped past their lines, bluffing his way past the makeshift checkpoints, and warned the Lunarian army, which prompted a dual sided attack."

The soldier seemed a bit more understanding. "They relied on the checkpoint to stop you, but Darkmoon got by. And you think he'll be able to pull the same trick twice?"

"Actually, I don't. There are men now that joined after that war, and that little ruse wasn't well known anyway. However, he doesn't need to. Silva can move like a ghost in darkness, I've seen it in action. There just one little thing that betrays him. Even the most skilled sneak in the world can't walk through a snowbank without leaving footsteps."

"Nor can you in sand, which must be why he used the disguise in Solaria. So we got him. He can't slip past our blockade without leaving a trail."

"Well then, could you tell me why we haven't found him yet?" Fenris was slightly annoyed this man wasn't understanding the reality of the situation.

"Uh..... Because....... I don't know."

"Silva has been moving with the animals in the area, either staying on the rocks or moving where there have already been disturbances in the snow. But, there has been less and less snow, hasn't there?"

"Right, because it's summer."

"Exactly, and Lunarian summers are cool and wet, but there isn't that much snowfall. Which means that in a few days, all the snow will melt-"

"And Darkmoon will be able to slip right past us!" Finally! So this is why my men never seem to do anything, if he's any example.

"Exactly, it's a race against time, to find Silva Darkmoon before he manages to slip away. If he gets out of this mountain range, we will never find him."

With that, Fenris turned and walked away, signaling the order to advance again. In the distance, half melted snow fell off an overhang nearby. In the glare, he wasn't sure, but he thought he caught a glimpse of a dark figure moving on it, right withing view of their resting place.....

Silva watched the column of soldiers advance through the mountains. Their path was littered with snow that hadn't quite melted yet, much to Silva's advantage. In a few days, the remaining snow would finally vanish and he could get back to his beloved city. Beloved city, he thought, but not beloved ruler.

King Orion had certainly gone overboard this time, sparing the much needed men to search for Silva. The war with Solaria was getting worse and worse, and the line had been pushed back into Lunarian territory. For the first time in centuries, Lunaria had been breached. He heard all this from the soldiers, as he usually snuck close enough to their camps at night to listen in on the latest news and rumors, much like his outings at the tavern.

It pained Silva to think of Lunaria overtaken. Solaria was advancing because Lunaria didn't have enough men fighting, but any reinforcement from the other front would keep Solaria in place, yet Heraclia would break through. Silva was being pursued by hundreds of men, men that should be fighting Solarian firewarriors, not chasing a ghost around the mountains. Several times over the past months, Silva had thought of turning himself in. Instead, he had resolved to wait until the snowmelt, then go back into Lunari and make his return known. Hopefully that would teach King Orion his lesson and the men would go back to their rightful posts. Hell, he might even go to the front himself, considering how much fun he had last time.

But that was all in the future. As he sat there watching the men march by, Silva caught a glimpse of Fenris, and he was sure Fenris saw him as well. He didn't look good. It had been nearly four months since the hunt had began, and Silva was closer to slipping away then ever before, but something about Fenris made Silva reconsider his plan.

Fenris had become skinny, he looked half starved in his armor. Though he was trying his best to look strong for his men, Silva could see the fatigue and strain marks around his eyes. Fenris wasn't giving up the hunt easily, though he must have realized how folly it was. Why is he trying so hard? He of all people should know he'll never find me. Fenris had a similar way of thinking, and Silva had no doubt in his mind that he knew this was just Orion's way of exacting revenge for making a fool of him.

Silva thought about it for a moment, then it hit him. Fenris must be looking for him for personal reasons. After all, last time they saw each other, Silva had murdered his entire team and nearly killed him as well. Fenris was no doubt wondering why he had been spared. That was the reason why he was trying so had.

Silva turned his gaze longingly to the direction of Lunari. In five days time, he could get past the barricade and return. Actually, he could probably do it now if he really needed too. But Fenris wouldn't stop searching, and would probably end up killing himself in the process. Once Fenris got determined, he stopped caring for himself until he had met the goal in mind.

Silva stood up and slipped away to his hiding spot for the day, and awaited nightfall. Tonight was the night. He would settle things once and for all.