Evening Hunt [Abel, Open]

[#PS129B "CAIN"]

How Do You Sleep At Night?

♠ Cain started at the Remnant's lifeless body a moment longer, the already mutated shape marred with bullet holes and claw marks, just to make sure that it was no longer breathing. Indeed, the thing stayed perfectly still, no sign of life left. Satisfied, the black leopard let out a purr-like growl, before shifting back to his human form.

♠ He quickly grabbed and put back on the clothes he'd lost during the transformation to his feline shape, along with the gun he'd been attacking with prior to shifting. Now wasn't the time to let down his guard - though, where there was one Remnant, there'd surely be others, and he couldn't forget the reason why he was here. He clenched his fists. He had to find and take down Abel before he could leave this terrifying place and head back down into the safety of Arcis. The lake he was near was one of the few areas near the tunnel he'd emerged from that he hadn't searched yet, but he heard this area had high amounts of Remnant activity.

♠ He stopped as he approached the nearby natural pool, the watery surface barely visible through the mist and vines surrounding the area. It was beautiful, the young New Child just stopping and staring at it for a while. As hellish as this place was, it was equally stunning. He looked up at the cloudy sky again, the first few stars beginning to twinkle. ...To think, so many people lived and died without ever once looking up and seeing something besides the roof of a building or tunnel.

♠ It was getting dark, too. That was also pretty amazing, really. At first, the entire landscape had been alight, as if he was inside of a well lit building, but as time passed, everything, including the sky, darkened. Day and night really looked different. In Arcis', the only noticeable difference was perhaps a very small shift in the lighting of the streetlights. Amazing or not, though, it was a hindrance. How could he hope to find his target if he couldn't see? He needed to start covering ground quickly.

♠ Cain kept close to the overgrown grass as he moved forward around the lake's perimeter, his movements remaining somewhat cat-like despite the way that he was in his human form now. He kept his eyes open as he did, glancing around and straining to see through the darkening atmosphere and thick fog, in search of Remnants, a New Child named Abel, or anything else of interest or danger.

[PS113C "ABEL"]

Gun shots. He'd have paid more attention the loud, distinct noises, but Abel had more pressing matters to attend to. The Remnant that had crawled out of the water was reptilian like, with a long fearsome jaw with many sharp teeth. He had been staring it down, and it was doing the same.

It must not have been used to seeing a humanoid figure standing completely upright, the Remnant was weary of this new creature, trying to decide if it was predator or prey.

Abel had been standing unmoving, staring at the creature with a calm but grim expression, on his face. He did not want to kill it, but he would if he had to. That was when the gunshots went off in the distance. He couldn't see their origin through all the mist from the lake, but he had looked in the direction anyway.

So had the Remnant, out of fear or curiosity, Abel did not know. When Abel noticed this, he sprang into action, but so did the Remnant. They charged at each other, but it would seem that this day Abel would be the superior beast. He planted his left foot firmly into the ground, and raised his long leg up. bringing his knee close to his face and his foot high above his head.

As soon as the Remnant charged into his range, he brought his heel down with incredible speed and force. The creature opened its massive jaw, but did so two slowly. The size of the jaw made it powerful when closing on its prey, but unwieldy to open, much like the crocodiles and alligators of the past.

His heel dug into the top of it's snout, slamming its jaw shut and pinning the creature to the ground. It's tiny legs desperately clawed at the floor and its tail flailed wildly. Able kicked off the ground with his left, and drove his weight further onto its snout. As he did, he pivoted on that leg, and moved into a position where he could bring his left leg around in a swift kick to its side. The second kick was so powerful the beast was sent sliding a few feet away.

Able lost his footing because of this, but managed to catch his balance and landed on his feet. The Remnant rolled on it's back during its slide and couldn't seem to right itself. Abel rushed towards it and delivered a second kick, although he felt a bit guilty doing so.

It went rolling further away, but this time landed right side up. It quickly scurried away with a few broken bones and bruised hide. It had learned that Abel was no easy meal.

Abel was thankful that he hadn't needed to kill it, but contemplated chasing after it. After all... it was meat, and he hadn't had fresh meat in a few days, but he decided his last kill was enough to stave him over for a few days more, he didn't really need more.

He walked over and picked up the empty canteens he had tied together. He had come here several times to admire the beauty, but also to collect water for survival and today was yet another venture to the dangerous beauty of the lake.

But he did not forget the gunshots. He didn't know what to do, should he go see if someone needed help? Should he run and hide? He decided he wanted to trust people and went towards the sound to help. The gunshots had happened some time ago, and had stopped. So he feared he might be too late. He walked calmly and cautiously, despite genuinely wanting to help who ever felt the need to use a gun.

It was a terrible thing to have to shoot a gun, because it meant your life was probably on the line. That's the way Abel looked at it anyway.

It was quite cold this time of year, so he had obtained a few extra outfits. He was wearing the dress shirt and slacks he took with him when he escaped. When he had to sneak past the defenses of the city, he had stolen a New Child Infantry Uniform, complete with some body armor, and wore that over his normal clothes. He also wore a black sweater and a long brown coat, with the sweater's hood pulled out from underneath the long coat and worn over his head. These clothes were ragged and scavenged from the wasteland. Basically he looked like a bum.

[#PS129B "CAIN"]

How Do You Sleep At Night?

♠ Cain continued slinking around the lake, getting increasingly tense as evening continued rolling in. If there was going to be a conflict, he wanted to be the first one to strike...but in the darkness of sundown and in the haze of the fog, it'd be easy for something or someone else to creep up on him. He hoped he was just being paranoid - being up here on the Surface had been messing with his head, but with Remnants roaming around, the danger was still very real. He'd almost covered the entire lakeside perimeter now, though...he was just about to consider trying to find shelter for the night when he thought he saw some faded movement through the fog.

♠ He instantly tensed, pulling out his gun before creeping a few steps closer, hoping to get a clearer image. Using his cat-like instincts, he kept his footsteps light, trying to remain silent.

♠ Managing to get a glimpse of the figure through the fog as he slowly approached, he quickly realized it was human in shape and wearing clothes - two things that made it unlikely to be a Remnant. ...Was it a human or another New Child? The figure seemed to be carrying a canteen, and glancing around a bit as if he was looking for something.

♠ Between the multiple layers of clothes it seemed to be wearing and the low visibility conditions, it was hard to get a good look at the figure's features, but his eyes widened slightly as he caught a brief glimpse of its face. He ran through the description the Madam had given of his target in his head. ...Was that...him? Could he be that fortunate to have found him so quickly?

♠ He felt his fingers tighten around his gun, settling on the trigger, but he didn't press it. If that wasn't him - if it was another human or New Child roaming the Surface - he didn't want to cause them harm. He needed to find out if his suspicions were correct, first.

♠ Keeping the gun down, attempting to keep it partially hidden behind his trailing scarf, he suddenly stepped forward. With his other free hand, he grabbed his own canteen from his bag, walking up towards the water - that way he looked like he had his own reason for being here. He briefly wondered if this "Abel" would know that there was someone after him or not, but now wasn't the time for hesitation. "Hello there. Unusual to see another normal-looking face up here. May I ask what brings you to the Surface?" He asked, trying to act casual. He still had his hand on his gun, though, ready to pull it out at anytime.

[PS113C "ABEL"]

The fog and low light made things difficult for Abel to see as well. That's why he wasn't surprised when someone managed to walk by right behind him, with out him noticing. Well, he shouldn't have been surprised, but the truth was he was startled.

The sudden footsteps that seemed to appear out of no where, and the voice that called out to him made him jump slightly, but when he processed how non-threatening it was, he came to the conclusion that he wasn't in immediate danger.

He relaxed a bit and turned to the other person.

"Indeed, it is pretty rare. Why did I come here? That's a bit of a loaded question..." He responded, walking closer.

"I realized that... I knew so very little of the world... and to be honest I didn't like what I knew of it. So I left my home, to remedy both those things," He summed it up as quickly as possible. Since leaving his home, he had experienced and learned so much. Things as simple as the sky, and this lake... this fog, and so much more.

"So what brings you up here?" He thought to ask as he took off his socks, boots and coat. He waded into the water, and bent down and began filling his canteens with water as he waited for a response.

[#PS129B "CAIN"]

How Do You Sleep At Night?

♠ Keeping a watch on the figure out of the corner of his eye, Cain noticed that he seemed a bit startled at first, but then seemed to relax again fairly quickly. Good. The New Child struggled not to smile. That must mean that his non-threatening act was working. He'd learned to be manipulative from his master - her "business" required it. He walked up towards the water's surface, taking water into the canteen as he dipped it in to the cold surface.

♠ He listened to his answer as the man walked closer. It did make sense, at least. After emerging from Arcis, Cain himself realized how little he'd really known about the world, himself. Arcis had seemed so huge to him. Before he'd come up here, he never would've even been able to imagine how big the world really was. He'd been exploring for hours now, and even still, it seemed to stretch on endlessly in every direction, with the huge, open expanse of the sky above.

♠ But it wasn't really the answer to that question he needed. "I was just curious. That sounds like a noble reason." He added, having noticed his earlier reaction to the question. "I came up here on orders from my master - she wants me to fetch something from the Surface." He explained vaguely before continuing.

"You're a fellow New Child, right?" He asked as he pulled the canteen back up. That was certainly the most likely case - he doubted most humans could survive up here, in all likelyhood they'd either be killed or mutated quickly. "Do you have a name to go by?" He asked, trying to manage as friendly of smile as he could as he stood back up and turned towards the other figure.

[PS113C "ABEL"]

"Oh? How rude of me, I didn't introduce myself..." Abel responded absentmindedly. Of course, he didn't pay any mind to the fact that this stranger hadn't introduced himself.

"I am a New Child, and I call myself Abel," He said with a pleasant smile, as he finished filling his canteens. He began to cap them closed. He had no idea of the consequences that might follow, this simple pleasantry.

"So what can I call you?" He wondered, still blissfully unaware.

He seriously doubted anyone was sent after him. After all, he was just one of three New Children. He was hardly afforded any attention before, and hadn't really done much aside from talk to a lot of people. More than his own nativity, he simply wanted to trust in this other person and believe he could make friends with him. After all, if he didn't at least believe it, then how could it ever come to be? Though despite his hopes, many of the people he came into contact would never become his friends.

[#PS129B "CAIN"]

How Do You Sleep At Night?

♠ The stranger still didn't seem alarmed, appearing none the wiser to how tensely Cain was awaiting his answer.

♠ Abel.

♠ No matter how much he'd been hoping, he still hadn't expected the answer that finally left the man's mouth. For a moment, he didn't say anything, almost dropping the canteen he'd just filled as he felt an odd rush of first disbelief, followed by a mixture of anxious excitement. He'd found him! The person he'd been created to hunt. The person he'd spent almost all of the first four months of his life looking for! His control of his careful, casual act slipped slightly in his shock, but he quickly tried to regain his composure - he didn't know whether his surprise and emotions had shown on his face or not.

♠ "Cain." He answered simply, an odd, wild grin coming over his face and warping it into something completely different than the expression that the New Child usually wore. Would this 'Abel' recognize his own title as threatening? Just in case, he didn't wait a second longer to react, pulling out the gun he'd been trying to conceal as he spoke and quickly pointing it in the other New Child's direction.

♠ "It's nice to finally meet you, Abel." Cain's grin only widened, while his eyes darkened at the same time, the unnatural medley creating an odd mix of features. Letting the canteen he'd been carrying fall to the ground with a wet thud, he grabbed the gun with both hands now in an attempt to steady his slightly shaky grip. "Madam Gray told me so much about you."

[PS113C "ABEL"]

Abel did not miss noticing the other New Child's subtle reaction to his name. He began to fear the worst, and those fears were realized in the next few moments when the other New Child introduced himself as Cain and pulled a gun on him.

Abel was indeed surprised, and fearful, but more than anything else he was sad.

However, despite that, he kept smiling. It was a forced smile, that his sorrow stricken eyes betrayed.

He stayed silent for a few moments after Cain stopped talking. He stared past the gun Cain was holding, and straight into the eyes.

That name Gray, he had thought that it was behind him already. Now that he thought about it, it was only a matter of time before his past caught up with him. Somehow he had just come to the conclusion that she wouldn't care if he left, or that even if she did, she would never find him.

That was just wishful thinking, and that was all over now.

"Cain... a pleasure to meet you... my brother," Was what he finally said. He tried to think of what he could say. What would be the best way to beg for his life? To convince Cain not to shoot, to not follow his orders? Maybe he could have convinced Cain to leave Eleanor and go with him, but how could he even begin to broach the subject.

In the end, he couldn't think of anything. So he said what he usually said after exchanging names, in his usual cheery tone. However, this time he was saying it to his younger brother, who he was meeting for the very first time. No matter what happens next, at least he could be happy that the first thing that he said to his brother, was something pleasant.

[#PS129B "CAIN"]

How Do You Sleep At Night?

♠ As he pulled out the gun, a quick mixture of surprise and fear came into Abel's expression, but then it was another emotion...something that looked like sadness, that overtook his gaze. The man stared not at the weapon pointed in his direction, but right at his eyes, meeting them in a way that Cain had never seen before from an enemy. Then again...this was really the first time he'd been in a serious conflict with anyone but a Remnant. He wasn't totally sure what to expect, but he did know that he couldn't fail now. Not after coming all the way up here and having had the luck to find him!

♠ "Cain... a pleasure to meet you... my brother."

♠ ...Brother? Cain gritted his teeth tensely, his words taking him be surprise and somehow making him feel even more anxious. He was holding up a gun and all the man did was greet him kindly. Didn't run. Didn't fight back. What was this?

♠ Cain gave his head a flustered shake. "Is that all? Aren't you going to run? Are you going to fight? Aren't you going to do something?" He had no idea why the way the other New Child was acting was bothering him so much, but it was, giving him an odd ache in his chest. It felt different...he realized, fighting someone who wasn't attacking back. But this was... It was what he'd been born to do!

♠ "Why?" He demanded, his eyes still wild and cold. "Why did you leave the Madam? Because of you...I was..." His voice trailed off. He'd been created as a tool - something for her to use to enact her revenge, and she treated him as such. There was some part of him that naively believed that his life would've been different if she had never had the secondary motive to his creation. That was why he wanted to do more than just capture his foe. His grip tightened on his gun again, his palms sweaty. He had his own vengeance that he desired, himself.

♠ "I was made to hunt you down, and I won't hesitate now!" He declared, all at once pulling the trigger. His hands were unsteady, throwing off his aim a bit, but he felt a cold rush, a mixture of dread and adrenaline, work it's way through his body as the bullet fired.

[PS113C "ABEL"]

The truth was, Abel had been preparing himself to be shot at. His legs were tensed, and his feet had been dug into a firm place in the soft sand. However, he simply did not react fast enough. The act of pulling the trigger, was so minuscule, and the bullet came rushing out so quickly right after, that there simply was no reacting to it.

It was the first time he had been shot at, so it was obvious that he would be so unprepared for it.

Thankfully, it seemed that Cain's aim was not true. Before Abel knew it, the cannon Cain was holding had roared, and the bullet that was fired had flown past and was long gone. It had grazed his left arm near the shoulder, as it went by. It was so quick, he didn't even feel it as it happened, but in the moments to follow, an intense pain screamed out to him.

It was so vivid and extreme, that it caused his knees to buckle. He was still on his feet, but his usually upright posture had crumbled into a crouching position. The water came up around his thighs in this position, but he ended up stumbling a few steps into deeper water. The pain was visibly expressed on his face as he reached for his wound with his right arm. He gripped the wound instinctively, as if that would make it hurt less.

Still, he did no stop smiling. He was determined to keep smiling, no matter what. After all, he had just met his brother. This was a glorious day.

"Eh heh... you're kind. To worry about me," He said referring to the first questions he was asking.

"What were you going to say...?" He called out after only a slight moment.

"What happened to you? Because of me...?" He didn't believe that explaining his own situation would accomplish much, and yet at the same time he was so interested in hearing Cain's. He believed that it was another story, different from his. If he could only obtain this story, then would greatly expand his own horizons. Acting with only your own story as your only source of knowledge was bound to lead to mistakes and failure. He needed to understand the world in order to change it.

That's why he fought against every instinct that told him to run, or to hide, or to fight back, and instead he desperately asked this question with his sad smile.

[#PS129B "CAIN"]

How Do You Sleep At Night?

♠ Everything happened in an instant after he pulled the trigger, a moment passing before Cain realized that Abel was still standing. He was partially crouched down now, though, a few wet splashes sounding as he stumbled a few steps back and gripped his left arm. He could see the wound there, now, but the New Child grimaced slightly. He'd missed. He'd meant for the bullet to strike the other man in the head, but his aim had been too shaky, hitting lower and too far off to the side. He'd thought it would all finally end with the sounding of that gunshot, but the conflict wasn't over.

♠ He only felt the unsteadiness in his hands increase - it'd taken an unexpected amount of determination to conjure up the will to fire that shot, and now he would have to do it again if he was going to walk away with his task accomplished. His own breathing became a bit unsteady, his whole body tense with stress. This was the first time he'd shot his weapon at anything but a Remnant - it gave him a strange, unpleasant feeling.

♠ He just looked away as Abel started speaking again, bitting his bottom lip. In reality, what he was worried about was his own conscious - fighting someone who wasn't fighting back or attempting to flee was introducing him to a new emotion, one he hadn't yet come across in his short four months of life - guilt. But the New Child lacked the wisdom to realize this. He just knew that he wanted the man to strike back, to threaten him, to do something that would take away the heavy feeling in his stomach. It was as if he felt that seeing the man take action against him in return would give him permission to pull the trigger again.

♠ He looked back up once more, his hold on his weapon momentarily faltering, as the other man asked him a question. What had happened to him...?

♠ "Because of you..." His gaze briefly wandered back downwards. "Because of you, I was created for someone else's revenge. Someone else's hatred. She never cared for me. I was just weapon that she designed. A rock that she collected so that she could throw it." He started, referring to Madam Gray, the woman who had originally ordered the creation of both of the New Children. He didn't even realize his own naivety. There were exceptions, but by and large most New Children were created as tools, including his master's others. Even if he hadn't been designed as a hunter, he would've simply been a tool for her 'business', but that was something that his young mind couldn't accept. He didn't want to see the situation that most of his kind were doomed to. Instead, he wanted someone to blame his own misery on. And a way to create false hope for himself - once his mission was accomplished, once he won her approval, he wanted to believe that he'd become something more than a weapon in his master's eyes and have a new life opened to him. He was nothing more than a fool.

♠ "So I've decided that I want this revenge, as well." He sloshed through the water, coming a few steps closer. He never took his still shaky grip off the gun, but he just glared down at the other New Child for a few moments. "But...why?" He repeated, his voice also slightly unsteady. "What made you leave her?" He couldn't understand. As much as he was dissatisfied with the way his master viewed and treated him, he genuinely wanted to please her and win her pride - he didn't understand why someone would flee from their own master.

[PS113C "ABEL"]

Even though it was just a graze, the pain was intense. Still Abel fought through it all and it was worth it to come to an understanding. With what little was said, he realized that his brother was not some mindless monster... but instead, a person. He suffered his own pain, and he struggled for his own happiness just like all others.

Just knowing this lifted a great burden off of Abel's heart.

Additionally, he had added yet another story to his collection. Some New Children carved out a place for themselves with in the confines of their servitude. However, in Abel's mind, these Children needed saving just as much as any other, they simply did not know it yet.

Suddenly the pain caught up to him and he fell down to one knee grimacing more so. The blood he was losing, stained the waters around him.

"Why did I leave?" He struggled to answer, and couldn't maintain the smile he so desperately wanted to maintain. Still, he would answer the question. He felt like Cain deserved to hear.

"At first... I thought I was her newest lover... but she got bored me, just like she did all the others. I became just another product for her business," He paused trying to collect himself. They were not pleasant memories, and he was not in the best condition to revisit them.

"I realized then, that she never loved me either... I was just a shinny new toy for her to play with until she became sick of me," He continued.

"I couldn't live like that..." He paused a second time. This time he collected his strength and stood to look Cain in the eyes before continuing, "...when I realized that I did not have to live like that..."

"I left," He finished, decisively. Afterward, his strength left him again, and he hung his head low, crouching down again. He stared at the red tinted water, with a bit of disbelief. Had he already bled that much?

Hopefully Cain would realize that he didn't have to stay either, but for Abel who had many long and lonely months to come to terms with things, it was still quite difficult to leave, and not just because he was chained in place. Leaving the only home he knew to fend for himself in an unknown world was the single most frightening thing he had ever had to do. It did not help that it was one of the very first things he had to choose and accomplish for himself.

The sheer fear of failing and having the crawl back to Eleanor in shame was almost enough to crush him. That among everything else, tested all of his resolve. But still, he had managed to move past the ordeal and now he would never again fear or hesitate any longer.

[#PS129B "CAIN"]

How Do You Sleep At Night?

♠ The man didn't answer right away, falling down to one knee with a splash. Crimson began to spill into and taint the crystalline surface of the lake, winding through it in odd patterns and lines like smoke trailing through the sky. Cain didn't know why, but he felt sick. Remnants still bled...why did this feel so different?

♠ The other New Child still forced an answer, though for the first time that he'd seen, that stubborn smile he'd been wearing finally left his face.

♠ Something felt cold inside of Cain as he listened to the man's words as best as he could. He'd asked the question, but there was a part of him that didn't want to hear what he was saying alongside the part of him that did. This man hadn't been born as a weapon like he had been thanks to him, but according to him he'd still been a tool, and something that their master had never truly cared for, either. His life hadn't really been any better. He didn't want to believe that. It would mean that he had no one to blame and no revenge to win. No.

♠ The New Child shook his head, trying not to make eye contact with his older kin, but their eyes still locked as the man managed to briefly stand back up, gazing directly at him. Cain was silent for a moment, his hands still shaking as he held on to the gun. His young mind struggled to process everything that was happening, everything that he was being told. ...Didn't have to live like that?

♠ "...But..." The man briefly took a step back, himself, as if bewildered by the statement. He was quiet for a moment. He opened his mouth, as if he was about to speak, but his tongue didn't manage to form any words. It terrified him, everything this other man was saying. He gave his head another shake before he finally found his voice, a familiar part of his mind trying hard to push out the doubts that were beginning to creep in. "...You're lying to me... You're lying to me, aren't you?" He accused, his voice raising. "You're trying to convince me that I don't have anything to lose by letting you go, but... If I win back master's pride, she'll..." She'd love him then, wouldn't she?

♠ He gave his head a third, and final, shake, before his body all at once shifted. Black fur came over his skin, his form growing larger and changing to a four-legged posture. The gun he'd been carrying was swallowed up by the water along with his clothes as his body lost its human shape, but the black leopard gave a loud, defiant hiss.

♠ The water came up higher against him now, making it somewhat difficult to manuver about on his four legs, but at least in this form he wouldn't be expected to speak - he now longer could. And the tears that had slowly started dampening his cheeks could now no longer appear. Instead, he just wanted to let the hunting instincts that came with his animal form take over. Somehow, though...he still felt an ache in the pit of his stomach - why? Why...? He didn't understand. Trying his best to ignore it, the black leopard gave another rumbling growl as he started circling his target with fangs barred, his fur wet and heavy.

[PS113C "ABEL"]

"Lying...?" was all Abel could respond at first. He backed away a step when he saw Cain begin to shift, but it was a futile step. He knew that now he would never be able to out run Cain. In his horse form, he probably could have out run him normally... but right now, his wounded arm would become a leg that he couldn't run on. Cain approached quickly, stopping just outside of comfortable reach.

"Don't you think... it would be... too sad, if I were lying to you now," He said shaking his head from left to right gently. He didn't take his eyes off the predator beast, as he shook his head. He simply could not afford to. He didn't know if Cain was still listening, but even if he was, he knew it wasn't a very convincing argument. Quite frankly it was a desperate and sad situation, whether he was lying or not.

But in Abel's eyes, the honesty he hoped the two shared was the one saving grace of their first encounter as brothers. Nothing about Cain made it seem like he was lying in particular. Abel needed to believe in the things Cain had said, just as much as Cain needed to believe Abel was lying.

That alone, wasn't enough to return his smile to him, however. He stared down Cain, praying against all odds, that somehow he would reconsider at the last second. Abel himself, remained bent over in pain. He was neither in the condition to fight, or flee. He was trapped. Prey for a predator. It seemed that he could do nothing but wait for Cain to attack, and keep praying of course.

But Abel was in fact prey for predators, and perhaps that was what would save him.

Suddenly a loud splash could be heard, as Remnant surfaced from with in the lake. It looked like a large fish that had grown legs and arms. It had many sharp teeth in its massive jaw. Its mouth looked large enough to fit a person's head into. It was probably planning to fit Abel's head in its mouth. Abel heard it just in time, as it lunged out of the lake towards him.

He ducked down, and forward, narrowly avoiding the jaws that were about to snap shut around his head. The sound of the jaw snapping shut, right behind his head set off his survival instincts. The Remnant's body came crashing down on his back.

With his good arm, he elbowed it hard in the gut, and at the same time he continued diving forward. When the Remnant was in the right position, he kicked one of his legs backwards as hard as he could.

His powerful leg launched the creature up over Abel, and forward slightly as well. It landed in between him and Cain, with a few broken ribs, and hopefully that would slow down any charge Cain would have made.

Abel's dive forward, had put his head under water and for a moment after his kick, he began to struggle. Thankfully, he remembered he was not in deep water and managed to stand up again, however his struggling had put him deeper into the lake and he could barely keep his chest above the water. He stood on his toes, as if he needed the extra inches, and his arms desperately searched for something to grab onto, but only met water. His arm still hurt severely, but he had to fight through the pain if he were going to make it out of this desperate situation.

[#PS129B "CAIN"]

How Do You Sleep At Night?

♠ Too sad... Too sad? The words kept on playing in Cain's mind as he kept circling his target, trying to devise the most efficient angle to pounce, and trying to get his body and mind ready to do so. At first, he'd been ecstatic at the thought that he'd found the person he'd been created to hunt down, but there was a dull sadness in the back of his mind now that he was desperately trying to keep down. Unable, and unwilling, to speak back, he showed no response save for a brief flick of his right ear, trying to numb himself from his foe's hard, almost painful stare.

♠ Not wanting to go out any deeper, the leopard stopped and dug his feet into the murky lake bottom, preparing to launch himself off of it and in the direction of the other New Child. It was as if he was fighting himself to do it, as if his body didn't quite want to cooperate, but his target was already injured... As long as he timed it and planned it correctly, one pounce was all it would take to end this.

♠ Then there was a loud splash. Another shape all at once launched out of the water, towards the direction of the other New Child. It only took Cain a moment to realize that it was an aquatic Remnant, its jaw gapping with sharp fangs. For a split second, he thought it would reach his target first, but then, in a flash of motion that he was hardly able to comprehend, it was sent flying away from him and in his direction, landing between them with a pained cry and a large splash. His heart jumping, the feline let out a started, frantic hiss, his focus completely thrown off as he instead launched himself backwards.

♠ When he finally recovered, it took him a moment to locate the other New Child again - he'd moved farther away, wading through a deeper stretch of the lake. Cain let out another frustrated his. He appeared to be struggling, his arms outstretching as if he was searching for something to grab on to, but at the place he'd moved to, the water would probably be over his head in his current form if he followed. For a moment, he considered shifting back to his human shape, but now he'd lost his gun somewhere below the surface, and didn't feel he could much in that form without it. Brilliant. By the time he found it again, he would likely loose sight of his target completely. He didn't want to stay still here, either - so far the Remnant hadn't resurfaced, but that didn't necessarily mean that it wasn't going to recover at some point.

♠ Not feeling like he had any other choice unless he wanted his target to get away, he frantically launched himself into the deeper waters, paddling his pawed feet to stay afloat as he swam after him. He wasn't a particularly graceful swimmer, panting slightly with the effort to move through the water quickly. He managed to let out another growl with fangs bared, not wanting to give up, but not being to currently touch the bottom put him at a huge disadvantage.