MHA: A Cat's Way

Ch 82 The Hunt

I prowl my hunting ground, chafing at the restrictions placed upon me, though I believe I hide it well. Not only am I forbidden from pursuing my prey once they leave the confines of my temporary demesne, but neither can I properly hunt them! Every time, they are whisked away before the hunt can properly conclude. The amalgamation of beasts wishes for them to gain strength, which I do not inherently oppose.

All the better to hunt in the future, bringing low those who believe themselves predators, only to discover in their final moments that they are naught but prey.

The offerings they leave behind are adequate, but an insufficient substitute for the spoils gained from a successful hunt, my claws rending their flesh from their bones, their blood flowing freely. My fangs ache for the glorious sensation that accompanies the sinking of my teeth into prey, their meat flavored by the fear and panic built up from their desperate bid for survival, only to be confronted by the inevitability of ending up as my meal all the same.

I hunger for a true hunt, but the prey I seek most is outside of the constraints I must abide by. They think themselves safe, that I will be unable to corner my prey. But I am patient, oh so patient. The most satisfactory of prey will not escape. It is inevitable that my claws shall find their target.

For a true hunter excels in identifying the perfect time to strike.

'~'

(3rd)

Screams echo across the maze before abruptly cutting off, one of two signs the remainder of the students have that the hunt has yet to end. The second, is the announcements. Though now that most of the competition has been eliminated they are sparse.

"Neito Monoma, eliminated. Reiko Yanagi, eliminated. Hanta Sero, eliminated."

But mixed with those fallen prey to the hunter, are those who've managed to escape.

"Itsuka Kendo, escaped. Pony Tsunotori, Mina Ashido, and Toru Hagakure, escaped."

The remaining students feel a variety of emotions, ranging from self-destructive overconfidence-

'~'

"We have reached the exit!" Iida shouts excitedly as he uses his quirk to speed ahead of his teammates, ignoring their warnings to stay together. But just before he can pass through the archway, Catia drops from above, her claws closing around the meat hanging from his neck. He doesn't even have time to scream before he's torn from the maze, a dissatisfied growl filling the silence he lives behind.

She glowers in the direction he came from, snarling at the sight of a frozen wall blocking off the route. She scales the walls of the maze, determined to hunt down the rest off the robotic boy's team.

Not long after she leaves, the ice shrinks, reduced to the size of an ice cube in the palm of a blank-faced girl's hand. She nods to the equally blank-faced boy next to her, and the two carefully make their way to the arch, closely followed by the Ectoplasm clone.

'~'

-to acceptance, tinged with the trust of the fallen.

'~'

Shoji wheezes as he stumbles forward, his bulk unsuited for tasks of speed. He can hear her, the hunter, as she closes in on them. He looks towards the archway and knows he won't be able to reach it in time. She's too close, too quick. He unwraps his arms from behind his back, revealing the trio he's been carrying this whole time. The Ectoplasm clone, his froggy classmate Asui, and the mochi-loving girl Uraraka.

He meets Asui's eyes, his message getting across clearly despite the lack of words. They'd discussed what to do if such a situation came up before, and they both agreed that it was only right. Carefully, Asui wraps her tongue around Uraraka and Ectoplasm's clone, being careful not to tighten it yet. If she does, the girl might figure out what they're doing.