Once they entered the deeper parts of the woods, the mood shifted.
The earlier chatter slowly died down, replaced by focus and alertness. What remained were only occasional whispers… and long stretches of silence.
They advanced slowly through the foliage, stalking through the undergrowth as they searched for prey.
Teclos was at the front of their formation.
His eyes scanned the terrain while his senses stretched far beyond what either of the other two could perceive.
A few times, he caught traces of small beasts at the edge of his perception, but they posed no real challenge, so he ignored them and kept moving.
After a short while, he spoke.
Whispering.
"There is nothing large within two hundred meters," he said, not even turning back. "A few small creatures… rabbits, a fox farther east. No real threats."
Ralph and Gillard exchanged a glance.
"…Wait, you can sense that far?" Ralph muttered.
Teclos didn't answer.
Instead, he simply vanished.
Not completely, of course.
