When she stepped out of the quarries' locker room, Rachel looked more appealing than Amanda had ever seen her before.

Time in the sun and her exertions in the practice hunts and at Stone's estate had shaped Rachel into a bronzed vision of feminine fitness. There was definition in her arms that hadn't been there before and there seemed to be power in her thighs and calves that took her legs well beyond nice.

She was wearing the traditional deerskin halter, good running shoes, a wrist watch, a knife (not standard lodge-issue), and a very peculiar decoration about her neck.

The decoration gave Amanda pause. It appeared to be some sort of talisman, but it might have been just a joke. A wooden plaque, about three by five inches in size, dangled from a thick synthetic braid. On the plaque was pasted a picture of a cartoon rabbit's foot.

Good lord, Amanda thought, she can't even bear to wear a real rabbit's foot. Rachel just might be too gentle for this world.

From Rachel's point of view, Amanda was as splendidly intimidating and gorgeous as when the two of them had first met. Amanda wore denim shorts, practical woodland shoes and stockings, and a khaki shirt tied neatly under her breasts exposing her midriff. Strapped to the huntress's right hip was the same knife that Amanda had planned to use to kill and field dress Rachel years ago. On her left hip she carried a small kit bag, which, Rachel guessed, contained ties for binding and a razor for shaving her prey. A bow and quiver containing six arrows leaned against Greta's desk.

Both women smiled at the sight of each other.

"Very good to see you, Rachel," Amanda said warmly.

"Likewise," said Rachel.

"May I?" Amanda put out her hand to stroke Rachel's taut abdomen. Having received a nod, Amanda gently squeezed Rachel's lats. "Very good muscle tone. Very tasty, I'm sure."

"May I?" Rachel also put out her hand. A somewhat surprised Amanda nodded and Rachel stroked the smooth skin of the amazon's bare midriff. "Smooth and silky. Pleasant to the touch."

It was a new experience for Amanda, being appraised by her quarry. It was a bit of a thrill.

The two opponents continued to stroke and admire each other, radiating lust, neither wanting to be the first to break contact and, perhaps, appear unnerved.

Greta decided to break the standoff. "If the hound and rabbit don't break it up, I may have to charge these onlookers a viewing fee. Or perhaps you would like them to stuff tips into your cleavage." She referred to the small crowd that had gathered in lobby of the lodge to witness the meeting between the most famous people-hunter in the world and the woman who had chosen to challenge her.

The two women withdrew their hands but continued to stare into each other's eyes, trying to read the true emotions behind the poses they were affecting.

"It's time for Rachel to get started," Greta reminded them, handing Rachel a small backpack containing high energy rations and a water bottle.

"Well, I'm sure I'll be seeing you again, soon enough," Amanda said with assurance.

"It's quite likely that I'll see you first," Rachel said with equal assurance and then offered a handshake. "Good luck, Amanda."

Amanda was surprised but didn't let it show as she accepted the handshake and said, "Good luck to you, too. Rachel."

"Thanks." Rachel turned, not too abruptly, and headed for the door.

Amanda was puzzled as she watched her quarry's smooth, fleshy rump disappear from view. She shook her head as she turned toward the lounge to wait for her own starting time.

Good luck? Amanda's quarry never wished her good luck!

Once again, Rachel had turned out to be a first of a kind.

Amanda reflected as she sat down at a table and waited for the waitress to bring her an orange juice. She had often wished her quarry good luck, or at least she had said the words. It seemed polite, the sporting thing to do. But for the quarry to return the blessing would have been tantamount to a death wish.

Could it be that Rachel was somehow demented? Or was she just very, very confident?

Amanda eyed the other lounge patrons. Nobody seemed willing to approach her. She wasn't being shunned. It was more like no one was willing to intrude on her privacy.

No problem, Amanda said to herself. I'm not feeling very chatty.

It's lonely at the top. Amanda had learned the truth of that aphorism, and today she found that to be a real convenience. She really didn't want anyone coming up and asking inane questions concerning her plans for Rachel after she caught her. Amanda had very little patience with her fellow hunters and she tended to respond to them with cute quips or quotes. She didn't do that in conversations with Rachel and she didn't want to do it in conversations concerning Rachel.

Rachel was a serious subject and Amanda's feelings about her weren't the sort of thing she wanted to share indiscriminately.

Another aphorism Amanda had accepted was "You can't have your cake and eat it, too." This had never caused her any problems before and it didn't cause her problems today. She had chosen to kill and eat women with whom she could imagine having another sort of relationship and she had done so without regrets. She wouldn't have regretted killing Rachel after their first hunt. She could accept the loneliness that came with the truism concerning cake just as she accepted the loneliness entailed in the being at the pinnacle. Today, however, whereas the latter was convenient, the former was much less so.

Amanda was the best at what she did and that had earned her the admiration and respect of most her fellow hunters. She was also the object of envy and resentment from many of them. The envy was understandable and complimentary, in a way. The resentment was undeserved, but Amanda had broad shoulders and could bear it.

Since the Vicky affair, female hunters were reluctant to participate in group hunts with men. There may have been justice in what happened to Vicky, but it was vigilante justice without appeal - Vicky's fellow hunters (all males, except for Amanda) had simply chosen to eat her. What was to keep another group of male hunters from making the same decision with less justification? Their code of honor? The thought made most female hunters laugh and they would join a group hunt only if Amanda were a part of the party because they trusted Amanda to protect them from men like Richard, the principal advocate of roasting Vicky. Unwilling to place the blame on themselves, the male hunters placed blame for the estrangement on Amanda, who, though she had put the question of whether to eat Vicky to the hunting party, had not even cast a vote on the matter.

Amanda's popularity was minimal among another group of people who, at least in name, could have been considered her peers - her fellow actresses. Since the huge box office success of the horror-documentary-snuff flick in which Amanda had roasted her co-star Carol, third- and fourth-tier actresses often discovered upon reading their contracts that film-makers tried to sneak what was called a "Carol clause" into their contracts. The clause referred to a willingness "to participate in spontaneously improvised dramatizations of uncertain outcome." Many starlets resented Amanda for having participated in a venture that resulted in their having to always carefully read the fine print - something, of course, they should have been doing all along.

Whereas other celebrities could find satisfaction in the adoration of their fans, Amanda's fandom included some elements that she would cross a busy street to avoid - not out of fear, of course, but out of loathing. Death freaks offering themselves for slaughter. Ghouls who wanted to touch the hand that had ended so many lives or kiss the mouth that had engulfed the flesh of so many unwilling victims. Amanda felt that she would rather spend evening with a roundtable of her harshest critics than attend a meeting of an Amanda Blake Fan Club.

The movie with Carol had gained Amanda some fans that she detested outright. One California man who had stalked and killed a starlet said that he had been "inspired" to do so by Amanda. Well, Charles Manson had blamed the Beatles' music for his activities. Bloody-minded Yanks, Amanda thought, always wanting to pass the guilt on to some Brit. Of course, Amanda's film had been very different in theme from the lads' "White Album," but Amanda didn't hold herself responsible for the starlet's death. Amanda had read with interest the story of how the stalker himself had been killed by an American huntress named Marsha Dillon. Amanda wished that Rachel had thought to introduce the two sportswomen. Of course, she could have just come to the lodge on the day Marsha had been scheduled to hunt Rachel, but she didn't want to appear to be spying. Well, maybe someday.

And then, there were plenty of people who quite simply hated Amanda. Every person she had killed in a hunt had family and friends, not all of whom could be expected to view the demise of their loved one as simply a special kind of loss in a special kind of contest. Some were bound to view Amanda as morally indistinct from a murderer, never mind the fact that everything she did was perfectly legal. Philip, Rachel's opponent in her sixth practice hunt, was an extreme case, but at least he had openly expressed himself to Amanda. How many others were there who, at least to some degree, felt the same as he did but kept quiet about it?

What good would it do even to make a guess?

Popping up in the midst of all of this negativity was Rachel.

Rachel was very much like the first breath of fresh air after stepping out of a smokey room.

Amanda wasn't exactly sure why Rachel had proposed a second hunt. Her motivations didn't seem suicidal or malicious.

Rachel didn't want to die and she wasn't a danger freak. Amanda was certain of that.

Amanda was almost, but not quite, as certain that Rachel didn't want to kill her, although the image of Rachel walking around in her tanned hide gave Amanda a certain feeling not quite like anything else she had felt before.

The idea of Rachel lusting after her body in that rather odd and intimate way, well, Amanda thought, it is nice to be wanted. Actually, it was a interesting fantasy - her own skin wrapped about the body of a woman that she... had some feelings for. Her skin would be so close to Rachel that it would almost be as if they were one person. Would Rachel really enjoy that?

Amanda hoped so.

But, no, Rachel had not been out to harm her when the proposal was made. Well, probably not.

Most likely, Amanda figured, Rachel wanted to use the occasion of the proposal to sound off a bit, to read Amanda out a little, to state what she found objectionable about hunters and hunting. If one accepted Rachel's premises, one had to concede that she made some valid points.

Of course, Amanda didn't accept all of the premises. When hunting for food, a hunter's life is almost never in danger. True, a wild boar or a rampaging moose could do a job on a hunter, but mostly hunters were only in danger when they were hunting for trophies - the "big game" hunters who were mostly a thing of the past. When a hunter went after other predators - tigers, wolves, lions - then she could expect to be in danger.

But Amanda didn't hunt for trophies; she hunted for food.

Well, that was mostly true. She also hunted for sport.

And the quarry that she enjoyed hunting the most - Alanna, Sajida, and Rachel herself - they had a trophy-like quality about them. The fact that they had character and spirit and skill - that was a part what made them so desirable. Other quarry - Carol, Susan, and Karen - they were likeable enough as women, but as quarry they were food. Amanda would kill them and eat them, but she didn't consider it much of an accomplishment.

Amanda did like a sense of accomplishment.

And so, maybe she was after trophies as well as food.

And one thing that made a trophy a trophy was that there was risk involved in winning it. And it was true enough that Amanda had never felt herself to be in physical danger from her quarry. So, Rachel might have a point.

Or not.

Maybe someday, a woman would come along who was as big and strong and as fast and as skilled in combat as Amanda. Maybe Amanda would meet her equal someday.

Oh, the thrill of taking down a woman like that! What a pleasure it would be to eat her!

And if things went the other way - well, there would be a thrill there, too.

But it wasn't likely to happen.

Unless someday she killed a woman who had a sister or lover or simply a friend who wanted revenge and had the ability to extract it.

Something to think about.

In the meantime, there was Rachel.

Besides speaking her mind on the subject of hunting, it seemed that Rachel had been after something else. What was that?

Maybe all Rachel wanted to do was to open a dialog, show Amanda that she wanted to find a way for the two of them to relate to each other.

Amanda had made Rachel offers and she had rejected them. Couldn't really blame her, considering how she felt about people hunting. Possibly, Rachel had made her offer just to show that her rejection didn't mean she had closed the door completely.

And maybe, also, Rachel wanted to find out how badly Amanda wanted her. Was Rachel testing the waters? Would she be disappointed if Amanda wasn't interested in hunting her?

As they sat across from each other while the proposal was under consideration, Amanda sensed a thought along those lines from Rachel.

It was at that point that Amanda decided to call Rachel on what she figured was a bluff.

Amanda had barely been able to keep from laughing at Rachel's attempt to cover her shock and sudden burst of fear upon hearing Amanda's acceptance of the challenge.

No need to torture Rachel, though. Offer her an easy way out - stipulate that either of them could back out at any time.

And negotiate a little. See if Rachel was willing to give up something - say, half of her possible range. This would be a chance to find out how far Rachel would go to make her point.

And it would also be a chance to do something else - let Rachel know that Amanda trusted her.

Rachel had paid the huntress a tremendous compliment when she shown that she regarded her as honorable enough to simply turn herself in at the end of an unsuccessful day. Amanda was sure that Rachel was too smart to trust any other hunter that much.

So, offering to trust Rachel not to cross a chalk line was a way of returning the compliment.

There might be many ways in which Amanda was undoubtedly superior to Rachel, but in the most important way, they were absolutely equal - they were honorable women who respected each other.

Amanda had to admit that she was surprised that Rachel had not backed out of the hunt, so surprised that she herself had considered saying, "Look Rachel, we don't have to do this for blood. In fact, I really don't want to. I admire your courage for sticking with it, but, really, I would rather not do this."

Two things had stopped Amanda from backing out. One was that she didn't want Rachel to feel that she wasn't appreciated or desired.

The other thing was that, in fact, it wouldn't have been totally honest to deny an interest in a blood hunt. In some part of her, yes, Amanda did, indeed, still want to eat Rachel. It might not be her controlling motivation, but the desire was there and might always be, no matter what they came to mean to each other.

Amanda wasn't sure what she would do when she caught Rachel.

Her first hunt with Rachel had been so perfect. Rachel had been so perfect.

As a potential food, Rachel's body had been an excellent example of girl meat at its finest: trim with excellent muscle tone and possessing just the right amount of fat to add flavor and juice.

As running quarry, Rachel had been clever and determined and willing to take risks. She had provided the kind of hunt that made Amanda wish that the hunting ground was larger and the hunts could last longer.

But once Amanda had captured her, that was when Rachel become a truly memorable delight

There were many special things Amanda remembered. The exciting, almost electric tingle of fear that Amanda felt when she laid her hand on the Rachel's shoulder. And the quickness and self-assurance with which Rache had covered that fear. Rache's acceptance of Amanda's offer to be her first and only female lover. Her curiosity about what it felt like to be gutted, her desire to experience and understand her death. The way she took advantage of one last chance to save herself, making a grab for Amanda's knife while having her filet shaved. Her desire to share one final sexual high with her captor even as she was about to be slain.

And, perhaps most endearing of all: Rache's semi-mystical understanding that, after death, she would become one with the huntress, a union in which the phrase "til death do us part" had no meaning.

Amanda had had other good hunts, captured and eaten other quarry with charming characteristics, but Rachel had put everything together in one package.

Amanda had shared similar moments with other women. Others had died with a smile on their faces after a day of adventure and pleasure. Others had had a chance to experience Amanda in the intense relationship that existed between quarry and hunter.

Other women had learned that death at the hands of Amanda could be something other than a fearsome, agonizing, painful experience.

Other women had known Amanda in what might have been her best aspect, a role that could be called "The Piper at the Gates of Dusk."

Only Rachel, however, could sit across a dinner table from Amanda or lie next to her in bed and relive the experience, recall the fine ultimate thrill and passionate closeness that they both had felt. Only Rachel could look into Amanda's eyes and smile and remember what they had been to each other.

Rachel knew Amanda as no other living women did or was likely to in the future.

Amanda had never expected to have a Rachel in her life.

Would she really want to lose her?

Whatever decision Amanda might make, first Rachel had to be caught.

That was definitely doable. Highly probable even.

Of course, it was at least possible that things could go the other way.

Not only had Rachel not backed out of the hunt - today Rachel actually seemed eager for the hunt. It seemed that she was "jazzed," as some athletes expressed it.

Why was Rachel jazzed about the hunt?

What would the day bring?

Amanda was confident about the outcome of the hunt, but deliberately kept herself from becoming overly so. She had Rachel's scent, on every level, as well as she had ever had that of any quarry. There shouldn't be any problem finding her.

Rachel was clever. She had actually succeeded in knocking Amanda on her ass, just about the only quarry ever to do so. Rachel had done that with clever trap, a branch that sprang out and whacked her in the lunch box. If that branch had had a sharp stick attached to it... Well, Amanda would have seen that, probably.

Stay alert. Watch for anything. The grounds keepers had assured Amanda that no permanent changes had been made to the hunting ground. Whatever Rachel could do, she would only have a few hours to do it in. A tiger pit could be dug in those hours, but not a very deep one, and certainly not more than one could be dug.

Concealment would be Rachel's best strategy, but Amanda knew she had ways of reaching out for Rachel that went beyond the senses sight and sound and smell. Those ways had worked before; they would probably work again.

Amanda looked around the lounge. About a dozen people there. Nobody meeting her gaze.

None of these people was rooting for Amanda, though they would probably all buy tickets for the banquet that had been tentatively scheduled for the following weekend, pending the outcome of the hunt. None of them were wishing her good luck.

Rachel had done that, though.

Why?

Would she need it?

Amanda looked at her watch. Time to go.