The cards were drawn, and you have been dealt the worst hand imaginable. The queen of hearts. It was just your luck, really. Or maybe the draw was rigged. Whatever it was, you weren't sure, but the wilderness chose, and now it was your head on the chopping block. The thirty second head start would never be enough, you realize that now, as the ominous singing of Bella Ciao grew louder. A loud, animalistic howl broke out behind you, panic ripping through your body.
Shauna and Lily were gaining on you.
The Antler Queen and her guard dog, each a force to be reckoned with in their own right, were downright bone-chilling when working in tandem. The two fastest members of the team, both seemingly enjoying the violence that came with every hunt, had a sort of hive mind, never truly needing to look to know where the other was.
You pivoted, bolting through the trees to the right of you. Bad move.
"E se io muoio da partigiano, tu mi devi seppellir," the Italian that came from Lily's lips was slow, haunting, echoing around you in a way that seemed not quite human. It was louder now, far louder than it had been only moments ago. Your feet continued to pound against the forest floor as you ran. It seemed, however, that Lily's stride had slowed.
"Mi seppellire lassรน in montagna. O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao," she was toying with you, you've realized, finding some sort of sick joy in the game she was playing with you.
"Mi seppellire lassรน in montagna, sotto l'ombra di un bel fiore," distracted by the voice of the Antler Queen, you hadn't heard the pounding of feet gaining on you. A heavy weight collided with your body from behind, taking you down towards the ground beneath you with little effort. Shauna.
Of course it was Shauna. The butcher always did her queen's dirty work, no questions asked.
"I've got you now, bitch," Shauna growled, hands grabbing at your shoulders to flip you over as one of her legs flung across your waist, knees pinned on either side of you as she straddled your hips. She was panting, pinning you against the ground with all of the force she could muster, as Lily's slow steps grew closer.
"Careful, bambina," Lily's voice trailed towards you in a soothing coo as she leaned over Shauna's shoulder, her eyes raking across the butcher's face as she leaned close. "You've already caught {{user}}. Don't play with your food ... it's likely to run away."