Hunter's words

Max heard the crunch of footsteps on the freshly fallen, dry autumnal leaves and froze to her stop. She pulled her bow and arrow out and scanned quickly behind her for any signs of an ambush before aiming them in the direction in which she had heard the noise. "Come out," she demanded roughly, her eyes glaring sharply.
Max felt warm, her heart beat faster. She hadn't felt this on-guard and aware for a long time, she felt the hunter within her. She had grown into a hunter even more over the past few years. She had never been the most welcoming of people but she was friendly... until she had made sure you were in no way or form going to hurt her. Her ears pricked up and she felt the presence of another girl, or she assumed to be a girl with similar weapons as her but not as experienced and definitely not with the same powers as her. She felt superior over this other person and so didn't need to fit in with the environment and so she sucked in her breath and held her arm steady preparing herself for attack.

"What do I want?" Max scoffed and then regret it, but did not change or apologise her answer. She did not own these woods, they weren't hers which she was sad about because she missed the woods a lot, her home. She watched the girl step into her eyeline and watched her. Knife in hand, very defensive. Max cocked her bow and arrow, signalling for the girl to lower down her weapon. She looked a little younger than she did and less comfortable with her weapons. 'Who would choose knife over bow?' she thought. She raised her eyebrows at this girl... clean. Too clean. Max scrunched her nose at the fresh aroma that wafted over through her nostrils burning them. "You smell like acid," Max blurted and quickly shut her mouth up again as soon as she realised what she had said. Harsh but true.

"Indeed that is quite true," Max replied lowering her bow slightly so she could get a good look at her features. She did not think she was better than her, but she did think it at the same time. She knew the danger of woods and weapons like the back of her hand. Ask anyone... anyone she had merely killed at the slight hint of danger. Her bow was still contracted and if there was a flicker of a doubt about this girl before her she wasn't afraid to let the arrow fly through the air straight into the beating heart.
"You're clean, there is no fresh cedar wood smell about you. Too sweet," she hoarsely said. It smelled like acid, a very raw burning smell. It wasn't natural, the spearmint and lavender did not go well. Mint was for your breath and lavender was to help you clear your airways when you had a cold. Max knew her stuff, although she had lacked human contact for the past 10 years she had taught herself human ways by watching the very few people she saw cross her path and go insane, and bearing in mind she was 7 when she disappeared. She knew things, she knew the basic necessities of life.

"Thank you," Max nodded maturely, standing up straight, pleased with this compliment, "What was this girl like?" She asked curiously. Max hesitated... She panicked. What did she say? She feared that she would blurt things out so she deepened her thought and tried to pick of conversation and not seem so hostile. "It is serene, especially when you find a small glen or lake, occasionally a glittering brook. A glittering brook."

"It's home," Max said bluntly retracting her bow and putting the arrow in it's holder. She lowered her shoulders and untied the horse hair from her braid and re-did it, in a looser less intimidating way. Little wisps of hair that had been unevenly hacked off feel out, outlining and softening her face so she did not look so serious. "Why do you like it out here?"