Hiding in the shadows, I quieted my breathing and strained my ears. I was being hunted. They were out there in the dark, searching for me. Adrenalin pumped through my veins, my heart pounded in my ears. If they found me, I was done. Game over.
One crept through the grass, eyes scanning the area. I could see him, but he hadn’t seen me. I silently drew a knife and padded towards him.
    A flash in his eyes, he had seen me. Acting on instinct alone, I threw the knife. It flew through the air and hit his chest. He fell to the ground, no longer a threat. I stole from the shadows and picked up his sword and my knife, rearming myself. There was only one now, but she was tough. It wouldn’t be as easy as this one was. Slipping back into the night, I left to hunt the hunter.
    We saw each other at the same time. There would be no ambush, no quick encounter. This would be a fight based on skill alone. I adopted a fighting stance, holding my sword in a tight grip. She stood in a casual stance, her two swords dragging behind her. To the untrained eye, she appeared a novice. But I could see the precision of her foot placement, the tensing of her arms. She was skilled beyond belief.
    Without warning, she charged. There was no war cry, only cold, calculated silence. She swung her right sword at me, forcing me to block and leaving me open to her left blade. I dodged to the ground, narrowly avoiding a hit. I drew my dagger and threw it at her, hoping to get a lucky shot. Unfortunately, she dodged out of the way.
    I charged at her before she had time to recover. I pounded at her double blade defense, looking for an opening. There was no hole in her defense, but the pressure of my attack forced her farther and farther back. I got confident, I got sloppy. I thought I had the edge, and focused all my attention on the offense, leaving nothing to defense. She took advantage of my mistake and swung in counter attack, stabbing my stomach.
    “You killed me,” I said, shocked.
    “I win,” she replied, dropping out of her stance.
    “Can I have my sword back?” Richard asked, walking out of the backyard. I sighed and handed him the wooden blade.
    “It was close, next time you won’t get so lucky,” I said, grinning at my duel-wielding friend.
    “Bring it on!” she joked, adopting her stance once more.
    “Tomorrow night,” I laughed, “Let’s go get some food now.”