Dar Arrow

For everyone who has followed this story so far you have my thanks, and I am extremely grateful for the feedback. There were some very valid complaints about chapter four. I wrote the first three chapters so that they could stand on their own if need be. I was not sure how my writing would be received and there's nothing I hate more than having a series left hanging. Because I left it where I felt it could be wrapped up and stand on its own I did not develop enough of the backstory for Ren and Erillia for me to jump straight ahead.

I rushed chapter four and I rehashed some things because I wasn't sure how to get the information needed into the story without doing a bit of rehash. On reading it several times I agree that the sex was rushed, and there is no excuse for that. The interactions that were shown do play a major role down the line and there was a reason for what happened to happen but I did not develop the story as well, and for that I apologize to my readers. I have done my best to take my time with this chapter and get the story back to the level that it was with the first submission.

That being said there is an undercurrent I am working to build that may not entirely make sense until the story reaches its conclusion. It is the common thread that runs through all of the stories, but it is not obvious. I intend for this story to be at least 10 chapters long so we are just now midway through the story. There will be some things that do not make sense for another chapter or two and at which the reader has to guess. As I've said I expect that there will be parts of this that are more acceptable to some people than to others. I ask that you bear with me as I firmly believe the end result will be worth it.

Anja I cannot thank you enough for your editing work. This story would not be what it is without you.

Sincerely ~ Dark Terra.

Nam mea iam leaena

*****

Erillia woke with a start. The bed beside her was still warm, but Ren wasn't there anymore. She lay for a moment luxuriating in a glow of satisfaction that still clung to her body and soul. For the first time she could remember since her father died she was actually looking forward to facing a new day. She shuddered as she contemplated the implications of that feeling. If Ren could make her feel this way after only a few days together she wasn't sure she wanted to think about what would happen after a full month together.

She'd depended on being keyed up and expecting the worst out of life since she started killing for hire. If she lost her dim outlook on life what would it do to her focus and her ability to get her target and get out safely? She'd lived the last five years of her life with the feeling that dying would almost be a relief. If she suddenly had something to live for beyond her base desire to keep breathing would she hesitate when she couldn't afford to?

She shivered as the cold set in. They'd gone to bed around eight last night if she was guessing correctly, and unless she'd lost her ability to judge time in the last couple days, it was just after four in the morning now. She stretched and was surprised to find she wasn't sore. After everything they'd done she'd expected to have a few aches and pains, but surprisingly she felt better than she normally did on waking. She hadn't really planned on getting up quite this early, but she had told him before dawn.

She rolled out of bed sniffing lightly and smiled to herself. Marines... They loved their coffee. Some of them on tour in Terra's sector would occasionally come to the outskirts for a cup. The shops in the upper class areas of town specialized in flavored coffee, cappuccinos, and all manner of unique twists, but for a good old fashioned cup of straight coffee it was tough to beat the shops in the outskirts. Some had even learned to grow coffee in controlled settings so their beans were fresh when ground, rather than vacuum packed and shipped across the stars. Usually that made them cheaper as well, which the Marines appreciated.

Other girls hung around the military men when they came to town, which wasn't often, but she'd always stayed away. She bent and retrieved her shirt from the floor where she'd dropped it the night before. She pulled it over her head, and picked up her pants. As she bent and pulled them on she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up and smiled to herself.

"Staring is rude you know," she said as she straightened and pulled her pants up over her hips. She turned to find Ren leaning against the door way with a cup steaming in each hand. She raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I don't really do coffee," she murmured as he held a mug out to her.

"Today you do," he chuckled. She glanced quizzically at him but took the cup.

"I thought you were only going to boss me around in the bedroom." His laughed startled her, and she looked at him quizzically.

"I guess I did kind of say that didn't I... let me rephrase that. I'll only top you in the bedroom. Right now I'm something much much worse than your Dom. You said we needed to get an early start and you're right, but I'd wager we have an hour or so before we need to grab that bath and roll out. Just in case someone manages to come across us or they do decide to run thermal scans we're going to start your urban training. We'll work theory, memorization, and things like that in the morning and work combat at night before we go to bed. No little one, in the bedroom you never need to fear me as your Dom, but right now I'm your drill sergeant and you should be very afraid."

"Using combat as foreplay?" She chuckled as he did his best to hold a glare without cracking a smile. "I may like it rough Ren, but a full on sparing match with you isn't what I'd normally go for to get me warmed up." He shook his head though, and she frowned.

"We'll play when we have time little one, but you've had quite the work out the last two days. Considering you've had no sexual experiences since you were raped it's remarkable that you've handled what we've done as well as you did. You said yourself that you were getting a bit sore last night so for today we won't be having sex, or at least not any full blown intercourse. We might play around a little bit with oral or our hands but you need to recover and you need to be trained."

She scowled at that. A week ago she'd probably have killed anyone who suggested that she'd ever choose sex over hunting or training. Now though she didn't relish the idea of wasting a single day of the month she had with Ren. As if reading her thoughts Ren reached out and wrapped his left arm around her.

"I'll make you a deal little one," he murmured. "I can see you're not exactly thrilled with the idea, but I need you to trust me on this. However, the amount of time we need to spend training is directly related to how fast you pick this up. You make enough progress and we won't need to spend as much time on this. So we go out and hunt for three days. We should be able to pick up enough meat to last us for a week, and if you're as good as I think you are we'll be able to scale back the training by the time we get back and just focus on combat. That will leave us plenty of time to play. So what do you say, three days of hell for a week's worth of fun, is it a deal?"

As much as she hated to admit it he was right. If they had to abandon the cabin and return to town it would be difficult to train combat skills. Better to do it now while they could, and it was only for three days. Still, if she was going to do this she was going to get a concession from him as well.

"Deal, on one condition," she grumbled.

"What condition?"

"You're essentially not going to be my... what did you call it... Dom?" He nodded in affirmation, and she took the opportunity to take a deep breath and order her thoughts. "Right, so you're not going to be my Dom for basically the next three days if not longer. Well, I've got a counter offer then. Since I'm giving up three days of our deal, albeit in part due to my need to accustom myself to having sex again, I want to extend our deal." He eyed her cautiously, and pursed his lips.

"What did you have in mind three days for three days?" he asked after a minutes thought. She shook her head.

"No. I'm thinking that I'm going to need a fair amount of training, and that most basic training stints last for a month or better and then the advanced training that you had probably another month or two. I'm basically at the level that you would be coming to the end of basic training and I've got real world experience so I'm thinking I could use another month of time with you as a full time teacher or drill sergeant... whatever you want to call yourself. I'm suggesting we double to agreement. Sixty days spent in training or in bed as you see fit."

Ren gritted his teeth, but carefully controlled his expression as he considered his options. If he agreed to that without reservation he'd be lying to her, he knew that without a doubt. He'd be lucky to get another fortnight with her, but did it really matter? If he just accepted her terms he'd be the only one who knew he had lied. Still, it didn't sit right with him to take the trust she was offering and deliberately deceive her from the start. He'd agreed to the thirty days because he might be able to see that through but sixty was out of the question.

On the other hand if he told her the truth now she'd turn on him, not that he could blame her. If she was who he suspected she was then she'd hate him if he told her the whole truth. On the one hand it would be easier if he just went his way now, but after everything that had happened he didn't believe she'd be left alone anymore. She was going to need all the luck and skill possible, and her deciding she hated him now... well it wouldn't be in her best interest.

He gave himself a mental shake. He could pretend to be the white hat all he wanted, but he couldn't fool himself. He knew what was coming and selfish as it was he wanted to prolong the inevitable as long as possible. There was so much blood on his hands and so many sins in his past that he could never wash himself clean. He'd done things that he'd never be able to expunge from his memory, and she'd never be able to overlook. No, he wasn't destined to have this peace last, but he could do everything in his power to save her.

Besides if she knew what was coming she'd never agree to let him do what needed to be done. She'd hate him for a while, but he hoped that the memories he'd give her between now and then would eventually shine through. If he couldn't have peace then just maybe he could help erase the pain of her past so that she could find her peace. To do that though there was blood that would have to be shed, and she'd never let him do it. She'd demand they find another way, and, god help him, he didn't think he'd be able to see it through despite her.

The truth was out then, but so was lying to her. He worried his lip with his teeth for a second, and then sighed. She was too smart for any diversion he might try, and she wasn't going to take being put off on this. Which really only left him with one option.

"Erillia we don't know what's coming for us," he sighed. It was a half-truth. He had a pretty damn good idea what was coming, but he didn't know who they'd send. He could live with this level of deception, and it was enough of the truth that she would believe it. "There's a chance we might have to split up for safety before those two months are up. I'll tell you what little one, I can promise you this. You're stuck with me until you kick me out or we're forced to separate because we're being hunted. Sixty days or sixty years, I'll stay with you until you don't want me to or something rips me from your side. Will you accept that?"

Erillia sucked in a startled gasp, and he cursed himself for a sudden bloom of shock and hope on her face. He'd overextended on that. Even hinting at being with her for years, god what was he thinking! He bit his lip, and tried to think of a way to soften her expectations. On the other hand... if it were up to him he'd be quite content to live like this for years. He'd gone too far, but it was what was in his heart. Maybe it would soften the blow for her when the hammer fell, and just maybe she'd actually believe him that is wasn't how he wanted things to go.

"You've got yourself a deal Sir," she said as she grinned. He swallowed the lump that grew in his throat and nodded. He turned to his pack and pulled out a projector. Sticking it to the wall he aimed it at the floor and flicked the switch.

"Right rookie. The first thing we're going to work on is recognizing how the urban landscape can be used to your advantage. You're already pretty good at this since you selected one of the best ambush spots. That being said you also need to recognize how the area can work against you. If you know where they're likely to try and intercept you then you're much less likely to walk into an ambush." The projector image stabilized, and he gestured to the map it displayed on the floor. "Find me the choke points, the probable police routes, the places where it would be easiest to slip in and out of the city, and the areas where it would be most likely that there would be abandoned or empty buildings."

She frowned as she looked at the map display. It was familiar, but she couldn't place it.

"This isn't Terra is it?" she asked glancing up. He just shook his head and smiled. She walked around the map, looking at the streets. It was similar to Terra, but it was hard to tell where things would be. For a moment she was lost, but then she glanced at the markings on the map. The factories in Terra were on the west and east sides of the city. Warehouses dominated the north and the factory workers lived on the south side. The upper class market district with its theaters and high end shops ringed the port that dominated the center of the city.

This city however wasn't laid out the same. From the looks of the streets this city had warehouses closest to the port with factories just a bit further out. There were a few shops dotted here and there near the port, but very little compared to Terra. She wasn't entirely sure, but from the looks of map and the locations of the police stations she'd hazard a guess that the upper class was closest to the wall of this town. There were more shops dotted around the exterior of the town than there were anywhere else, and the housing there appeared to be primarily high-rise towers.

"Here," she pointed to the area where the housing section met the factory section. "Those who can afford to will live as close to the upper class sections as possible. I'm not sure, but that seems to be this area here," she pointed to the outer swath of the city. "There would also be some abandoned warehouses around here," she pointed to the area where warehouses met factory district. "I'd have to guess that this city focuses on trade more than Terra does, and that's why there are so many warehouses around the port. They must be moving large quantities of goods, rather than the more expensive but smaller quantities of high-end goods that come through Terra."

"Good observation, now where are the obvious choke points and ambush locations," he smiled as she contemplated the map. She frowned and walked around perimeter of the map a few times before pointing to several narrow streets and dead ends. He nodded and chuckled. "You're good at this so far. Point out the where the police would be heaviest."

That part was too easy. She'd spend years learning how to avoid and predict the police. This map might be of a different city, but the similarities were glaringly obvious. She pointed without hesitation, and he nodded.

"I want you to look at the map really closely. Memorize it as best you can. We'll come back to this later, but for now it's time to do something else. Tell me when you're done with the map." He smiled and walked out of the room while she walked around the map taking in the details and committing them to memory. She was just about satisfied that she had it fixed in her head by the time he reappeared, a fresh cup of coffee in hand. She took a few more minutes to go over it though. If he'd said to memorize it odds were he had some plan for testing her over it, and she wanted to be ready.

Finally she looked up and nodded. He grinned and moved over to the projector, pressing a button to turn it off and taking it down. He went over to his bag and stored it. She smiled to herself as she admired his quick movements and the air of command that surrounded him. Much as she normally hated coffee she realized he was right, she was going to need the jumpstart for the day. So as he rummaged in his bag she sipped lightly at the cup in her hands.

It had cooled enough to be easily drinkable, and to her surprise the taste wasn't as off-putting as she remembered. He rummaged around in his pack to a bit, and then sat back on his heels. If she kept staring she was going to want to do things with him they didn't have time for.

"So are we done for the morning? Cause if so we need to hit the water and get washed up."

"You wish rookie. No we've only done part of it. That took what," he glanced outside at the slowly lightening sky, "a half hour maybe?" She glanced outside and nodded in agreement. That was surprising; she hadn't felt like they'd been at it that long. "Right," he muttered moving to stand. "So much for practical application and map work, let's see how you are at theory."

She nodded and he smiled moving to sit on the bed and stroking his chin. "People are the top of the food chain Erillia, or so we're told. The truth is a bit more complicated than that. Humans are their own food chain in a sense. You need to start thinking of them not as equals but as an entire system. You and I, we're some of the predators in this system, but what is the majority of a food chain?"

"Prey," she whispered softly as she watched him. He nodded, and his face turned hard.

"That's right, and prey fears its predators. You and I are only one side of that scale though. We're selective, and generally speaking we're after large game, but there are plenty of piss ant thugs out there who prey on anything in their path. Then there's the law. They prey on us, but because they are predators in their own way they still don't fit in with the general populace." She nodded, absorbing what he was saying.

"So you're saying I should look at the people in the city much like I would the animals out here?" It made sense. She had to admit there were a beauty and simplicity in that viewpoint. Moreover she could already see applications for her line of work. Prey animals were predictable because they followed their nature and their instincts. Understanding how they interacted with their environment was the first step in being able to track and hunt them effectively. You could avoid alarming them, or you could use their instincts to drive them into a trap.

"Think about what you've just said, and then take it a little deeper," he murmured. She glanced up at him questioningly. "If you're just about to shoot a deer, and suddenly there are no more birds singing or other sounds what do you do?" he said quietly, and she frowned.

"I check for a shadow lynx," she said softly, shuddering at the thought of the local big cats. They weren't imported from earth like the deer she hunted or many of the birds that flitted about in the trees. Terra, before it was colonized, had been home to herds of two enormous creatures that vaguely resembled the pictures and stories of animals once known as bison and elephants. However on Terra these creatures were reptilian. Their need to sunbath was a weakness the human settlers had ruthlessly exploited. It was their size though which had been their downfall as it had prompted the settlers to hunt them out of existence. Weighing in at almost sixteen tons and standing around twenty feet tall they could crush entire sections of a city with a careless step.