Werewolf Hierarchy

Ethan's POV It was noisy in the forest: the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet, the thud-thud of my heart, the buzz of the hunters' drones cutting through the air. Their searchlights wavered between the trees and grew brighter every second. Move on, Jason! I hissed and looked around. My younger brother was having difficulty keeping pace and breathing in little gasps. He held his side as pain might divide him in twain. "I'm trying!" he wheezed and stumbled at an open root. I pulled up sufficiently to seize his arm and jerk him up. The instant I touched him, a twinge of guilty feeling came over me. His face was white, his dark hair was stuck to his forehead with perspiration, and his eyes--those big frightened eyes--would keep darting this way and that as though someone of the hunters was going to leap out of the shadows and attack him. We must not, I said, more decidedly this time. They are intimate. Jason nodded, but I could tell it in his stance--he was at his limit, and the hunters were aware of it. Their machines were heard in the distance with a mechanical growl echoing through the forest. I saw one of them, which had a sleek, metallic frame and reflected moonlight as it moved through the trees. It was nearly human, yet the blue lines that glowed down its arms and legs told it was something different altogether. Cybernetic hunters. Government lapdogs that were supposed to follow and arrest individuals such as us, those who did not belong. Ethan, they are coming! Jason was crying, and this brought me out of my thoughts. I clenched my teeth and looked over the ground before me. The wood was thick, yet ahead was a sharp rise that might delay them. Just get over the ridge, and we would be all right. "There," I said, pointing towards the darkness, “the hunters won’t be able to reach us." Jason nodded, but he was moving more slowly. He fell again, and this time, he did not rise immediately. "Jason!" I knelt by his side and caught him by the shoulders. Cmon, you can do it. Only a short way more." I cannot, he whispered, and the tears came down his face. I can not, Ethan. I am too sleepy." A step--slow and heavy--gave me a thrill. I looked around, my breath caught. They were gaining on them. Jason's POV My muscles all over my body were sore. My lungs were burning like they were full of fire, and my legs were as though they had turned into lead. Ethan spoke sharply and urgently, but it was as though he was shouting across a canyon. I am not able to. I again murmured and shook my head. Ethan grabbed me up, his hold on me desperate. Yes, you can. We must go on!" I wanted to trust him, to keep going through the hurt, but my body did not comply. The forest about us blurred, and the trees melted into shadows that swayed and stretched out to me. Then I heard the low buzz of the hunter's drones, the sound of which sent a chill down my spine. Now it was everywhere, a swarm bearing down on him. Ethan! My voice quavered, and he did not relinquish me. We are not quitting, he growled. His resolution was terrible, and I could read in his eyes that he was frightened. He did not speak with that much confidence. A beam of light pierced the trees, putting us in the spotlight. My stomach sank. They have found us, Ethan said, in a whisper scarcely above a whisper. Robot Hunter’s POV Target acquired. My HUD showed two numbers: Subject 02 and Subject 07. Their faces danced on the screen, young and untutored yet undoubtedly something special. The order was clear: capture them at all costs. The taller one, Ethan, strode determinedly, his body tensed and ready to fight. Jason, the younger one, was failing. Weakness. It would make this easier. The other units were already going to the positions, their movements coordinated and precise. The forest provided some cover, but it wouldn't be enough. They couldn't outrun us. "Proceed with tranquilization," I said, my voice echoing among the other hunters. Ethan’s POV The first dart passed over my head and stuck with a soft thump onto a tree trunk. "Move!" I shouted, grabbing Jason's arm and pulling him forward. The incline was just ahead. If we could get there in time, we might be able to dodge their line of sight. But Jason slipped again, and his foot stumbled on a root. I was able to grab him before he hit the ground, but it was too late. The drones were closer this time. Their lights were dancing in the trees, and they were throwing weird shadows that stretched toward us. I turned to face them, my heart pounding. I wouldn't let them take us back, not without a fight. "Jason, run!" I yelled and drove him toward the slope. He paused, his eyes staring in panic. What about you? "Just go!" I turned, looking desperately around for something to use as a weapon. I noticed a fallen branch that was thick and sturdy enough to swing. I snatched it and held it hard enough that my knuckles turned white. The first hunter stepped out of the shadows, its glowing eyes aimed at me. It was inhumanly fast, and its metallic, shiny legs glittered in the moonlight. I tried to swing the branch as hard as possible, hitting it in the head. The shock shot up my arms, but the hunter barely flinched. Its head turned to me, and I had a twinge of fright. It lifted its arm before I could do anything. Hiss,--and then-- I was struck first by the dart. I felt the sting, the cold burn of the needle sinking into my skin. My world went tilt, turn, and then blackness.