The soil of the jungle felt slightly soft beneath his paws, but within that softness lay another layer… a layer only predators like him could truly understand.
With every step, the ground released a faint warmth — as if something alive, ancient… and deep, slumbered beneath.
There was a strange pattern in the air.
On one side lingered the scent of damp leaves, on the other, moss and water. But in between came a very faint, metallic smell. It wasn't the metallic tang of blood… it was more like a "beast's memory."
Beasts leave memories behind too — after roaming, fighting, dying, an invisible scent lingers in the air. This was one of those.
Feran raised his head, ears twitching. Somewhere in the distance, the jungle breathed in a slow rhythm.
It wasn't normal breeze — every few seconds, the leaves swayed in a single direction, as if some massive creature's slow breathing was moving the entire canopy.
His tail lowered, muscles tightening.
"This place… isn't just watching, it's listening too."
The ground's vibration was steady, but in between came an extra pulse. Like a heartbeat… woven into the air.
Feran knew this pulse didn't belong to any beast… it was the zone's own.
He scratched a small patch of dirt with his paw, testing the scent beneath. It wasn't fresh — old, yet unusually strong.
It meant something had passed here long ago… and had left its presence behind even now.
His instincts told him — whatever ruled the core of this zone… already knew intruders had arrived.
---
…and it already knew intruders had arrived.
Feran dipped his head slightly, swivelling his ears in different directions. Each side carried a different sound — the slow chirp of insects on one, the rustle of leaves on the other… but far behind, there was a sound that didn't belong in this jungle.
A faint "click" — like two stones knocking together with light force, but continuous, unnatural.
His body instinctively dropped into a crouch. Low stance, tail straight, weight on his front legs. He chose to prioritise one of his sharpest senses — smell.
A third scent now drifted through the air. First the damp moss, then the metallic beast memory… and now, the smell of burnt wood.
Burnt wood meant only one thing — fire magic or aura had once been used here.
Feran stepped forward slowly, claws lightly digging into the ground. Each step was so controlled that he could feel the texture of the soil between his toes.
In his mind, he drew a rough map — the origin of the scents, the source of the vibration, and the gap between them.
He stopped at a small patch. The ground here was softer, with a tangled mess of roots on one side.
He inhaled deeply — and instantly understood these roots weren't ordinary. Inside them lingered the scent of a beast that had likely died here thousands of years ago.
The scent, though ancient, still felt alive.
For a moment, Feran's heart beat faster — beasts' scents normally faded within months.
"That means the beast that was here… became part of the jungle."
From far away came a faint ground tremor. Very slow, yet steady. This vibration was different from the zone's heartbeat.
It was more like movement — as if a massive creature was circling in a path.
Shifting his weight, Feran crawled under a large root and emerged on the other side. The air here was thicker.
Within this dense air was a small hollow space — as if the roots had formed a natural den on their own.
Inside the hollow lay a small object… a bone fragment.
It wasn't the bone of a normal beast — it had a metallic gleam, as if something had fused within it.
Feran gently picked it up in his jaws, inhaling its scent.
For a second… everything faded away. The hum of the jungle, the insects' chirp, the rustle of leaves — all gone.
And in his mind, a vision flashed.
A massive silhouette… thousands of years old.
Eyes of deep amber, claws that could crack the earth, and a roar that could shake the entire zone at once.
This beast was no predator… it was a guardian. And it was still alive somewhere in this zone.
Feran quickly dropped the bone and shook his head. The vision faded, but his heartbeat stayed rapid.
"So this zone isn't just a trap… it's someone's territory."
---
He quickened his pace, but moved with greater caution.
Once, he caught movement to his left — a shadow-like figure that vanished behind a tree. He didn't give chase, knowing from instinct that it was just a lure.
Instead, he curved his path to approach the scent's source from an indirect angle.
Predators, he knew, always moved against the scent to hide their presence.
Now another layer entered the air — a faint herbal aroma, like crushed medicinal plants.
Feran knew some jungle predators used this trick to mask their scent.
Which meant whatever it was… was intelligent.
---
A few more steps brought him to the edge of a small ridge. Below lay an open clearing, at the centre of which was a shallow pool.
The water was perfectly still, but on its surface shimmered a faint blue sheen — the same one he'd seen earlier with Aarya.
Near the pool, he noticed something — a deep claw mark carved into the stone.
The size of it made his blood run cold — at least twice the size of his own claws.
And the shape… not like ordinary beast claws. More curved, more razor sharp.
He sniffed the air once — and knew instantly this was the sign of the guardian beast from his vision.
The most disturbing part was… the scent was fresh. Perhaps only hours old.
In his mind, Feran made a silent decision — he would only tell Aarya and the others after confirming if the guardian was still active.
Because if it was… the next trial would be far more dangerous than they expected.
---
Behind the pool, a narrow tunnel entrance lay partially covered by roots. Feran could have squeezed in, but he chose not to — not yet.
Instead, he left a scent marker on a nearby tree — a silent beast code only he or another high-level predator could understand.
It meant: "Beyond here… lies confrontation."
He returned to his trail at a controlled pace. He wouldn't stray too far from Aarya's group; moving alone in this zone was never safe.
Once again, the metallic and herbal blend drifted into the air. This meant the guardian beast was now… interested in his presence.
Feran fixed one thing in his mind — if the guardian attacked, he would draw its attention to himself first… even if it meant going deep into the zone's core.
And just as he thought that, a deep roar rumbled through the jungle.
It wasn't a challenge… it was a warning.
Narrowing his eyes, Feran growled in return. "I'm coming… let's see how big of a predator you really are."
And he vanished into the silent forest, leaving behind only a faint pawprint, half-hidden by moss.
To be continue.....