FFF

He was running late.  And at age 80, retired, w no real responsibilities, w basically nothing to do, it boggled his mind how he still managed to be late.  Despite being rushed, he moved w a grace and stealth that defied his age.  If anyone had been sitting along his path w their eyes closed, they would never have heard his passing.  He was still that good.  For years, his life had depended on it.  Growing up, having to provide for the family after his father died, he learned the necessity of tracking his game quietly.  Then came the war.  A friend bragged about his skill w hunting.  Next thing he knew, he was volunteered to recon behind enemy lines.  Being silent used to mean a good hunt, then it meant staying alive.  He thought he'd put that behind him after the war, but then the Sheriff came asking for his help to track a killer in the badlands.  He knew when he saddled his horse that day that he'd be tracking men for the rest of his life.  He hadn't been wrong.  Fifty years w the law; he'd hunted and caught more killers than anyone could recall.  But he could recall them, every single one, especially the ones he'd killed.  Being quiet then meant his staying alive and maybe stopping a killer from ever killing again.  But now, today, being quiet and moving w stealth was not about staying alive.  It just meant he'd get to smile again.  If only for a little while.

 

She knew about Hunter.  He was a legend.  And the legend had even saved her life once.  It was about ten years ago, she'd have been eleven at the time.  She'd gotten mad at her older brother.  He wouldn't take her exploring w him and his friends; so she went off exploring on her own.  She'd found a dried up well which she imagined to be a mine shaft full of hidden treasure.  She stood on the platform trying to see any treasures left below.  The wood was long since rotten and not able to support her - a scream, a fall, she was trapped . . . and no one knew where she was.  It was her brother who noticed her missing ran to find Hunter.  Hunter had only just retired to the place nearby.  Her brother begged for his help, saying she wouldn't have stayed out past dark.  Neighbors were already gathering, but Hunter went alone w just her brother.  He soon found her.  Her brother climbed down a rope to help her get out and Hunter carried her all the way home.  They had been her hero's ever since.

 

She knew he was out there.  The past year, she vistied taking him treats weekly and made certain to mention that she bathed regularly in the cement pond when everyone was gone.  She didn't have to see him to know that he was out there.  He had been sad, but started to seem much happier afterwards.