The Hunt

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She was mostly in it for the money.
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mollycactus
mollycactus
2,237 Followers

The moment she felt the sting of the dart in the back of her thigh, Leela thought, "Oh shit!" She immediately plucked it out, tossed it aside and kept running in a zigzag pattern, trying to be a tougher target. But those new ultra-safe game darts were very sophisticated, and efficient. Upon impact, they quickly injected the tranquilizer. Around the impact spot, they also splatted a colored indelible dye whose color identified the hunter. She hoped she'd removed it quickly enough, but only time would tell. She detected the soft hissing puff of the air rifle again, and was almost certain she'd heard the whiz of another dart cleave the air near her, but gratefully felt no sting.

Finally finishing the crossing of the meadow, she streaked into the relative safety of the dense forest once again. She'd known it might be foolish to spend even a second out in the open, but she'd seen no evidence of any other place she could ford that river. She did manage to snatch a handful of water to partially quench her thirst. She'd been on the run for hours, and was parched, and beginning to feel the fatigue of her efforts. Her muscles were protesting and beginning to shake intermittently. Knowing that the hunter would be pursuing along the vector she'd been using as she entered the trees, she changed course, arcing in a path that would double back, not to the meadow, but into the dense undergrowth on this side of the river.

She tried to move silently, controlling her breathing, and disturbing the plants as little as possible, since a good hunter could also be a good tracker. Of course, when she'd sized up the men before the hunt started, they'd failed to impress her as professional hunters. It was more likely that they were paying handsomely just for the thrill of the chase. She figured that a skilled hunter would have tracked and bagged her in the first hour or so. She was congratulating herself on her abilities, when to her horror she realized that the fatigue she was feeling in her muscles was unnatural, and it was spreading. The tranquilizer dart! It must have injected not enough to drop her quickly, but just enough to do the deed. Running would soon be out of the question. She'd have to try hiding.

Altering her course through the woods, she thought, "Come on muscles... please! Just a few more minutes! I need to find a place." Getting dirty and filthy, she scrambled through the undergrowth's bushes, leaves and mud. Fallen leaves and spores from disturbed plants stuck to the sweat on her now grimy body. Luckily she happened upon a large log, hollowed out by decay. She could look all the way through it, so she could tell no critters occupied it. Carefully backing into the opening, she moved near what she felt was its center point before she slipped unconscious.

When consciousness returned, she found herself back at the camp, bound. Her position was humiliating, since she was kneeling, her back against a sturdy pole in the ground, her arms tied to a crossbar in the pole. Ropes also encircled her torso above and below her breasts to keep her upright. Finally, a leather strap went across her forehead, secured behind the pole, to keep her head up and still. She was still dressed as she'd been as the running prey, except her shoes and socks had been removed. The antidote for the tranquilizer had worked as advertised. Leela awoke clear-headed, and felt no ill effects, but she was tired.

One of the film crews was there, recording her awakening, and one guy held a bottle of water for her to drink. She sipped, rather than guzzled it, since drinking too fast might make her sick, and she didn't want something like that captured for the viewers' pleasure. From the contract she'd signed, she knew that a film crew had also been summoned to record the moment that her limp body was dragged ignominiously from that hollow log. When she'd finished drinking, Alan, the director, told her that now that she was finally caught, the hunters would get on with the next part of the procedure when they'd finished a light repast. Leela heard that with a little smidgen of pride, since it sounded like she'd lasted the longest of the three 'prey' women.

Since she had nothing to do but wait, she spent the time reflecting on how she'd come to be here, wondering if her decision had been a good one. "That ad I saw was so enticing," she thought. "It said something like 'casting call for upcoming reality show... monetary rewards... athleticism preferred' or words to that effect. And I figured all those years I spent doing various sports like the track team might finally pay off." In spite of her bindings, Leela grinned. "Pay off - what a wonderful phrase. I really needed the money. That was the main attraction. And when I heard the amounts discussed during the interview, I saw dollar signs swimming through my vision!"

One of the film crew checked her bindings, asking, "Everything all right?"

Her chain of thought broken, Leela answered, "Yes. I'm fine. I hope we don't have to wait much longer." She had no idea if that interaction was recorded, but they were allowed to do so, of course. She went back to her thoughts. "So when I interviewed or auditioned, I learned that the reality show was going to be intended for 'mature adults' and would be a pay-per-view special. That's why the pay scale was so high for participants." She learned that it involved a hunt, and that, if selected, she be one of the 'prey' animals.

She'd balked at the idea of being hunted. It took a lot of convincing for her to believe the information about the new tranquilizer, and its antidote. Scientific reports were provided, and she was free to check their validity and accuracy in the comfort of her home. "I have to admit that I almost drooled when I heard the payment plan. We 'prey' were guaranteed $10,000 and could get another $5,000 for each hour we evaded the hunters. Since the hunt could only last a maximum of 9 hours, I knew it was possible to earn $45,000 more. And the clincher was a bonus of $100,000 if I didn't get caught at all." She sighed. "Well, I lost out on the $100,000 bonus, but there's still the rider clause of the contract to consider, to perhaps really cash in."

Before she focused on her feelings about accepting that final clause of the contract, she thought about how the day had started. She'd met the other two female participants, the taller brown-haired green-eyed Maddy, and the shorter blonde-haired Gloria who had brown eyes! Leela had never met a brown-eyed blonde before, and found the effect rather striking. Right away, she got to see their bodies, and they saw hers, because the three of them had to shower naked out in the open, while the hunters watched and the camera crews filmed. Some of the hunters' suggestive comments made them blush.

There were 4 hunters, increasing the tension between them, since with only 3 'prey' to hunt, one of them would go hungry, so to speak. As the hunters watched the women shower, Leela used that time to evaluate the hunters themselves. Two of them were gross, and appeared callous and uncouth. One was average everything - height, weight, coloring, and the last one looked at least slightly better. In her eyes, none of them were particularly attractive. She certainly had incentive to evade the whole pack of them, and started making her plans.

In addition to the director, and the only other woman present - Tracie, the producer, the 3 film crews and the hunters, there were also judges who would observe the proceedings and act as referees, enforcing the rules. The main judge announced, "For this hunt, the 'prey' will be given a 15 minute head start. They must remain inside the perimeter fence at all times, but there are over a thousand acres of woods, meadows and streams available."

Turning more toward the hunters and film crews, he stated, "The camera crews cannot follow, of course, since things will be moving too fast. The unencumbered judges can travel as they please, keeping abreast of the action as best they can. They're equipped with bodycams - the images might be choppy, but may be inserted into the final cut before this is shown. Such inserts might add to the excitement of the chase."

Holding up a finger to make sure he had their attention, he said, "Hunters, in the event you've caught one of the prey, you must signal the base with your GPS coordinates, and wait until a film crew arrives, so they can record the capture, binding, and retrieval. Does anyone have any questions?"

Since no one spoke up, the women, who'd dried off from their showers, were given flesh toned sports bras and spandex shorts, plus socks and sturdy shoes. From a distance, it would almost look like they were running naked, but the clothing would offer some support and protection. Minutes later, Leela, her heart pounding in her throat, waited for the signal to start. Adrenaline was coursing through her blood stream, and she shifted from one foot to the other, eager to explode into action.

The lead judge held up a stopwatch and called out, "Go!" When they started running, Gloria wisely scooped up some dirt and began rubbing it into her hair to dim the blonde color. As they reached the woods, leaving the clearing around the base camp, they angled apart, rather than staying in a noisy bunch.

"Thank goodness I'd worked out a preliminary strategy," Leela thought, squirming a little in her current bindings. After several strides into the dense, dark forest, she'd cut to a 90 degree angle from their original flight path, staying well concealed by the edge of the woods. Instead of running for the full 15 minutes, she dropped into concealment, and watched the hunters. At the 15 minute mark, the hunters and judges went charging off, following along the path the women had taken. They didn't use any stealth, perhaps figuring that a noisy pursuit would panic the women and make them do reckless things.

"I waited until they were deeper into the woods, and then took off on a risky ploy," Leela remembered, grinning because in hindsight she'd been successful. "My heart was in my throat as I loped across that clearing, praying no hunter was looking back over his shoulder. Gosh - I wonder if any of the film crews saw me doing that and managed to get it recorded? Anyway, reaching the side opposite the original direction, I entered the woods and began moving as fast as I could manage, remaining silent. I was shaking, wondering if I'd hear a hunter crashing into the trees right behind me... I would have been a sitting duck!"

Stepping in front of the pole that currently held her bound, a couple of film crew members decided to record an impromptu interview just then. "Congratulations on being the last one caught, Leela," the spokesperson began. "You must've covered a lot of territory. How far did you get?"

Leela shifted her pelvis a little to one side, hoping to alleviate a cramp forming in the back of that side. "I did move fast at first, wanting to place as much distance as possible behind me during the initial period. But then I had to shift to stealth. I crept slowly for a while, listening intently. At the faintest sound - the snap of a twig, the rustle of leaves - I froze, ears straining, trying to determine the direction and distance. I suppose most of them were the normal activities of squirrels, chipmunks, and birds. But I couldn't afford to take a chance. After a while, I'd move swiftly again for short bursts. I made it as far as the perimeter fence, which was both gratifying and dismaying. Gratifying because I knew I'd covered a lot of distance. But dismaying because then I had to decide whether to hunker down in place, hiding, or choose a new direction to move."

"We know you didn't stay there the entire time, based on where your capture occurred. So what did you decide?" he asked.

"It's difficult to tell time when you're being hunted," she admitted. "You get into the mindset of an animal, running for your life, if you're not careful. I was winded, and my heart was racing and I was panting hard. I was acutely aware of the acrid stench wafting from my sweating body. So I decided to rest, listen and observe for perhaps fifteen to twenty minutes. Then the tension got to be too great, so I mentally flipped a coin, and moved to the right, but also back into the woods at an angle. I didn't want some hunter to merely work his way along the periphery of the fence and pick me off." She paused, considering whether to add something. Finally, she spoke, "In hindsight, perhaps moving to the left would've been better. The direction I chose later brought me to a river. Crossing it, I had to break from cover and try to streak across a meadow to get back to tree cover. A hunter must've either been waiting there, or coincidentally happened to reach the spot at the same time I did."

"We interviewed him," the spokesperson said. "He actually said it was a combination of his tracking skills, and a great deal of luck that led him to that spot, where he decided to wait. He praised your ability at being smart and elusive, and admitted he'd panicked a little when you started running into the clear. Of his three darts, only one actually struck you. And then he stated he had a... what was it?... oh yes, a 'dickens of a job' finding where you'd hidden yourself before you collapsed. His tone was full of admiration."

"Which hunter was it?" Leela asked, prepared to be horrified at the answer.

"We're not allowed to disclose that," he answered. Then he glanced up. "But the mystery will soon be solved, because here he comes to claim his prize."

Leela held her breath, her eyes as far to the side as she could swivel them, trying to look over her shoulder toward the sound of his approaching footsteps. As he came into her line of sight, she saw, to her relief, that of the foursome, he was the slightly better than average looking one.

"Hello, Leela. My name is Rhen," he stated in a warm tone of voice. "You led me a merry chase. I'm honored to be your hunter."

The praise in his voice made Leela blush mildly. "I can't say that I'm happy that I was caught," she murmured honestly, thinking about the loss of that $100,000 bonus. Since his mannerism was decent, she decided it would be polite to add, "But if I had to be caught, I'm glad it was by you."

He seemed pleased by that response. "Now we have to move on to the next phase," he explained, untying the ropes that bound her arms to the cross piece. As she shook them gently, he busied himself removing the ropes from around her torso, and then the leather strap that was across her forehead. "It would be best if you don't struggle at this point," he advised her.

She whispered back, "Right now, my legs feel so cramped that I doubt I could do much with them anyway."

He grinned at that, displaying clean white teeth. "Then this next part will be easier." So saying, he helped her to lie flat, stretched out on her belly. Drawing her arms behind her back, he skillfully tied her wrists together... not too tightly, but her hands would certainly remain in the small of her back. Next, he tied her ankles together with a lark's head bar tie, with the rope securing her ankles, but with a wrapped column of rope between the ankles. Leela couldn't see what he was doing, or why he was doing it, but the film crew nicely captured closeups of the procedure, which she'd see later.

The voice of one of the judges could be heard, announcing, "Now the hunters will hang their 'kills' to skin the carcass." The words themselves didn't frighten Leela, since she knew what that meant and it wasn't anything harmful. Still, as her hunter hoisted her up over his broad shoulder, her legs held by his chest and her torso and head draped over his back, she was embarrassed by her position, knowing it was being filmed. She swiveled her head and saw that the trio of posts and crossbars were positioned so that none of the prey could see any of the others while they were tied there, probably to add to a feeling of isolation. She wondered how long the first woman had been tied there, waiting for the other two to be hunted down and captured.

Suddenly other hands were on her legs and hips and she was lifted, upside down, off the hunter's shoulder. When enough bodies got out of the way she looked along her body toward her feet to watch as people maneuvered the rope bar tie between her ankles over a blunted hook that was attached to a sturdy wooden frame. She was left hanging upside down with her hands still tied behind her back, and her head perhaps a foot off the ground. Looking from side to side, the wooden frame blocked her view, but she was pretty certain that the other two women were dangling in a similar fashion from their hooks.

Once the cameras were properly positioned, this ritualistic 'skinning of the prey' could commence. There were shrieks of dismay from the other women as their hunters began their work. But Leela only had (upside-down) eyes for Rhen as he stepped close to her. Kneeling down, he gave her a grin and a wink, and then reached out to her sports bra. Taking his time, and obviously enjoying it, he used trauma scissors to snip across one shoulder strap, and then the other. The tight, clingy fabric still encased Leela's breasts.

Placing his left hand at the center of her chest, he slipped the end of the scissors under the material near her right armpit. He snipped through the bra along the right side of her dangling torso. The cloth parted easily and snapped free across her back, but her breasts remained covered due to his hand placement. Putting the scissors on the ground, he grasped the flap of bra material and teased the camera and viewers with tiny glimpses of the side and undercurve of her right breast, letting Leela's anticipation build. She knew what was coming. Still, the suddenness of her tits springing into view as he finally whisked away what was left of the bra made her shriek with surprise. And her shriek and the jerk of her torso made her tits bounce and sway enticingly.

Once her squirming settled, Rhen ran his warm hands softly over her newly exposed flesh as he stood up. From her upside-down perspective, Leela couldn't help but stare up at his crotch as he now towered over her. Her lips curved into a fetching grin as she noticed the slight tenting of his pants material in that area. But her attention was quickly drawn to her left as Rhen stepped in that direction, pulled out the waistband of her shorts, inserted the scissors and began snipping up toward her knee. In seconds, her left thigh was bare.

Moving over to her right side, he repeated his actions and the severed piece of clothing ended up merely draped over her pussy and ass crack. With scant ceremony, Rhen grasped the tattered garment, pulled it free and tossed it aside. Leela's face was already red from hanging upside down, so her flush of embarrassment could only be discerned as it spread upward from her neck to the upper part of her chest. Fully naked, she felt exposed, helpless, and, truth be told, somewhat aroused. After all, the man standing next to her was gazing at her body with a look of sensuous appreciation.

The other women must've also been 'skinned' by this point, because the main judge announced, "Hunters, time to clean those carcasses. Their actions during the chase have rendered them rather filthy." Leela couldn't protest that statement. Her body was crusted with salt from her dried up sweat. Dirt and plant material was clinging to her legs, tummy and back.

Hoses were brought out, and Rhen seemed to take perverse pleasure in sluicing cold water over Leela's body from her feet to her head. The initial shock of that spray hitting her elicited a brief scream, but then she had to close her mouth as water cascaded downward from her legs and feet. She also had to tilt her head and emit undignified snorts to dislodge the water running into her inverted nose. After he'd drenched her front and back, Rhen turned off the hose and picked up a sponge. With a bucket that thankfully held warmer water, he began giving Leela a sponge bath, still working from her feet downward. Sponging her with one hand, his other hand had to brace her, grasping her naked flesh warmly, and sometimes intimately.

mollycactus
mollycactus
2,237 Followers