The red flare faded above the treetops
Avera's voice was calm, but edged with steel. "Eyes open. We move toward the perimeter."
The squad advanced in formation Kaelith at the front with a shield, Myla on the right flank with a blade, Selune slightly behind, her star fragment floating above like a soft beacon. Zera moved to Xion's left, her gauntlet of metal flexed.
The further they pushed into the trees, the heavier the air felt. Every sound was magnified, the low rustle of leaves, the distant click of unseen creatures.
They found the first guard near the perimeter line, sitting against a root, clutching his leg. His armor was shredded, jagged cuts tearing through the plating.
Avera knelt. "Report."
"It..it moved too fast," the guard stammered. "Just a flash… claws… eyes like.." He shuddered. "Didn't hear it leave. Just gone."
Selune's gaze lingered on the claw marks. "Too clean for an animal. Almost deliberate."
Myla's voice was barely above a whisper. "Not Echo Creatures."
Kaelith looked up. "Then what?"
Before anyone could answer, the forest snapped. A blur of black slammed into one of the far guards, dragging him into the foliage before he could scream. The trees shuddered as something darted away.
"Pursue!" Avera commanded.
They ran, boots hammering over roots and moss. The silver light from Selune's orb cleared the way. The thing they chased was impossibly fast, weaving through the jungle with inhuman agility.
Zera cursed under her breath. "It's leading us deeper."
"Keep on it!" Avera's voice cut through.
The chase broke into a small clearing and that's when they saw it.
A figure stood at the far edge, cloaked in black, half-hidden by vines. The shape was feminine, slender. A faint gleam of steel curved along her back.
She didn't run.
She stood there watching.
And then, almost lazily, she tilted her head toward Selune's hovering orb her gaze locking on it with a strange, sharp hunger.
The squad halted, breaths ragged. Avera's jaw tightened.
"What that a human?" Xion said, he was amazed, this creature moved like magic.
"well That.." Selune said softly, "was certainly not a beast."
"we have to be more vigilant from now on" said Avera in a serious tone.
The forest seemed quieter now, But Xion couldn't shake the feeling, out there in the mist, those same eyes were still watching.
Kaelith broke the silence. "We can't chase a ghost we must hold formation and proceed to Heartglade at first light."
Avera nodded. "Agreed. Tonight double the watch."
They returned to camp.
A little farther from them, a cloaked figure moved silently through the forest following them.
The campfire had long burned down to embers. Shadows stretched between the trees
Xion lay still in his tent, the sound of the squad's distant patrol fading behind him.
After a while, slowly Soft steps slid through the grass. Then the canvas shifted ever so slightly, as if brushed by a breeze.
a faint, wild musky breath filled the tent.
The figure crouched over him. The soft breath brushed his cheek, followed by a hushed murmur:
"…this smell… I know it… this is my... "
In an instant, Xion's eyes snapped open. He surged upward, twisting, and pinned the figure beneath him by instinct. The intruder gasped softly, caught.
Moonlight spilled through a gap in the tent, glinting off the curve of a mask. Xion's hand shot forward, tugging it free.
What he saw made his breath catch.
The face beneath was achingly beautiful delicate features framed by strands of crimson hair, eyes burning amber with a wild glimmer. From the crown of her head, two fox furred ears twitched, the same shade of deep red.
Xion blinked. "…What are you?"
Her ears twitched again, betraying her composure.
He reached without thinking, fingers brushing one of the ears. The fox-woman squirmed immediately, her breath hitching.
"D-Don't," she hissed, her voice soft but edged with desperation. "It's… sensitive…"
"Ah sorry," Xion muttered, pulling back. But the strangeness of the moment sharpened in his mind, and his grip tightened slightly on her wrists. "Then why sneak into my tent? Who are you?"
"I… I can't tell you," she said quickly, gaze darting away.
"Really?" Xion's smirk returned. With deliberate slowness, he brushed his fingers along her ear again.
She let out a soft, involuntary whine, twisting beneath him. "N-no… don't…"
He kept teasing, until she writhed helplessly, her composure breaking. Finally, she gasped: "S-stop! I'll tell… I'll tell!"
Xion stilled, leaning close, eyes narrowing. "I'm listening."
Her chest rose and fell, breath uneven. She bit her lip.
"The Shadow Organics…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "They sent me. My mission was to track… the Nine-Colored Deer. It carries a.. Something they want."
Xion's brows furrowed. "The Shadow Organics? That thing in the forest… was that you?"
Her eyes flicked to his, then away. "…Yes. But I wasn't meant to fight your squad. I was only warning. Until…" Her nose twitched faintly, almost embarrassed. "…Until I smelled you."
Xion's pulse quickened. "Me?"
She nodded, her ears twitching. "Your scent… it carries something impossible. Something I've only felt once before."
Xion held her gaze, caught between suspicion and curiosity. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
The fox girl hesitated. Her lips parted as if to speak, but a sudden sound outside Kaelith's heavy footsteps on patrol made her body tense like a bowstring.
Her amber eyes darted back to Xion's, fierce and pleading. "Please… don't tell them I was here."
The tent grew quiet, save for their breaths.