Camouflage

Kari stumbled over the overgrown roots, slipping in the storm-soaked loam, scraping her shoulder as she brushed against the bark of a tree. She squinted in the moonlight, her breathing harsh as she searched.

Muttered curses sounded behind her, a large animal thrashing through the brush, and the slim girl dove into the deep mud under the old oak, caking it over her face and clothes, then lay still. Kari held her breath against the pounding of her heart. The footsteps neared, slowing, then stopped. The knife edge glinted, as he shifted grips, only inches away. She held her breath, eyes wide.

"Don't fret, girl," he murmured, his voice a dark caress. "I'll find you."

His boots slid in the sucking earth, and their gazes locked as his foot stopped against her hip. His lips thinned in obsidian smile.