Short Story - Shadow Hunter

I went back and pulled this one out from my archives. First writing prompt ever.

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Prompt: In any other mission, she would have been grateful for the natural cover, but tonight it made her uneasy. If she could hide, so could her enemies.

She waited several tense minutes, straining her ears to hear the slightest sound that might give away her enemies. She knew they were out there and it wouldn’t do to stumble into them. 

Each moment passed like an eternity before her, but no sounds disturbed the darkness around her. Quietly as she could, she rose from her crouched position behind the brush making sure to keep her bow free of the branches and leaves. 

Like a wraith Corin slipped through the trees, pausing every few minutes to listen. Only moving forward when she was sure she was still alone. Each step brought her closer to her goal and further from safety. 

When she accepted this mission she knew that it would be dangerous. But in her line of work, every mission was dangerous. She was a weapon for hire, trained since she was a child in stealth, weapons, infiltration, and deception, all of which she needed to utilize tonight if she was going to succeed.

Just ahead Corin heard the babble of a small stream, slowly getting louder as she cautiously stole across the forest floor. When she reached the stream she hesitated only a moment before hopping across half sunken stones to the other side. 

As soon as she slipped behind a cluster of trees she heard the forest go silent. The crickets stopped chirping, and the sounds of small creatures disappeared, as if the entire forest held its breath. 

Then she heard it. The sound of metal clinking against metal. She froze at the sound, trying to identify where it came from. She heard it again a little louder up ahead to her right. The sound was still faint, but she held her bow in front of her and quietly pulled an arrow from her quiver. Earlier in the day she had taken the time to stuff her quiver with cotton to avoid the sound of her arrows knocking against one another. With familiar ease she knocked the arrow. Even without drawing back she was ready to kill in an instant. In less than a second she could have the arrow whistling through the air for the kill.