Aurora's pov
"Is he coming to kill us all?" a woman cried.
"Has someone provoked him?" another cried.
"Shouldn't we leave the village?"
Matthew held up a hand, stopping them all. "We don't know his intentions. But we know his nature."
The elders shared a look, one filled with the kind of dread born from old memories.
Elder Mara's voice dropped low. "Long ago, before many of us were born, the Beast came looking for something. Or rather someone. And when he did not find what he sought..."
She inhaled shakily.
"...he left the bodies of hunters at our border. As a message."
Mama's hand flew to her mouth. Milo whimpered, still clutching onto the sleeves of my cloak.
I felt something-
a strange, electric prickling along my skin, like invisible threads tightening around me.
"You must all remain indoors tonight," Rowan said. "No one leaves their home after nightfall until we understand what he's after."
A voice from the back shouted, "What if he comes into the village?"
The elders fell silent.
No one had an answer.
Papa pulled me close, voice strained. "This is why we stay careful."
I barely heard him because the prickling sensation along my arms had sharpened, focused.
Like something in the forest was looking for me.
And the wind whispered again-soft, hungry, ancient.
"Something is coming," one of the elders murmured. "I can feel it in my bones."
I could feel it too.
But unlike them...
it didn't feel like death.
It felt like destiny.
______________________________________________________
The meeting ended in chaos.
People began to disperse, their voices lingered in the air—low, uneasy murmurs that clung to my skin like a chill I couldn't shake. Torches flickered along the wooden posts, their flames dancing wildly in the wind, casting long, distorted shadows across the cobblestone ground.
I wrapped my arms around myself as we left the square, trailing behind my parents. They walked ahead, their shoulders tense, their voices barely above a whisper as they spoke to each other. I couldn't make out their words, only the urgency in them.
"Do you think the Beast is real?" Milo's voice piped up beside me, small but curious.
I glanced down at him, forcing a smile despite the unease curling in my chest. "Of course not," I said softly, brushing a strand of his dark hair away from his forehead. "It's just stories to keep people from wandering too far."
"But what if it's not?" he pressed, his wide eyes reflecting the torchlight. "What if it's in the woods watching us and waiting for us to make a move first?"
A strange shiver ran down my spine.
"Then we stay away," I replied, a little too quickly. "And don't interfere with it unless it tries to harm us."
The wind suddenly picked up, rustling through the trees at the edge of the village.
"Milo?" I said, turning slightly, my voice distracted. "Did you—"
My heart skipped.
"Milo?"
I turned fully this time, expecting to see him at my side, maybe crouched to pick up a stone or distracted by something along the path like he always does.
But he wasn't there. The space beside me was empty.
A sudden, sharp panic gripped my chest.
"Milo?" My voice came out louder now, edged with fear. I spun around, scanning the path behind us. Villagers were still making their way home, but none of them were him.
My parents hadn't noticed. They kept walking ahead, still caught in their hushed conversation.
My pulse began to race.
"Milo!" I called again, my voice breaking slightly.
Then I saw him. A small figure darting away from the path, running straight toward the forest.
"No—Milo!" I shouted, my heart slamming painfully against my ribs.
He didn't stop. He didn't even look back.
Fear surged through me, cold and overwhelming.
Without thinking, I ran.
"Milo, wait!" My feet pounded against the dirt path as I chased after him, the sounds of the village fading behind me. "Don't go in there!"
The closer I got to the forest, the colder the air became. The trees of Blackpine rose like towering shadows, their branches twisting together to block out the sky. The faint glow of the torches behind me disappeared, swallowed by the darkness ahead.
"Milo!" I screamed, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
I could still see him just barely, his small form slipping between the trees.
I stumbled to a stop at the edge, my chest heaving as I stared into the darkness. Every story I had ever heard, every warning, every whispered fear—it all came crashing down on me at once.
My gaze flickered deeper into the forest, my fear tangling with something else—something I couldn't explain.
Something pulled me forward.
"Milo…" I whispered, my voice shaking.
I took a step and another and before I could stop mysel I crossed into the Blackpine Forest.
______________________________________________________
The air turned colder, thick and suffocating, like I had crossed into something forbidden. The sounds of the village were gone, replaced by an eerie silence that pressed in on my ears.
"Milo?" My voice came out small, uncertain.
No answer.
I wrapped my arms around myself as I moved deeper into the trees, my steps were hesitant but driven by panic. The ground beneath my feet was uneven, roots twisted like claws through the earth. Branches scraped against my arms as I pushed forward, ignoring the sting.
"Milo, this isn't funny!" I called again, my voice trembled.
Still no response.
My heart pounded louder with every step.
Then I heard a faint sound, like a rustle.
"Milo?" I turned sharply toward it, hope flaring in my chest.
Through the thick shadows, I saw him.
He stood a few feet ahead, his small figure still, his back to me.
Relief crashed over me so suddenly my knees nearly gave out.
"Milo!" I rushed forward, grabbing his shoulders and spinning him around. "What are you doing? You scared me to—"
My words died in my throat when I heard a low growl.
I froze.
The sound was deep. Vibrating and Inhuman.
Slowly, my grip on Milo tightened as my heart began to race.
"D-did you hear that?" I whispered.
Milo didn't answer.
Another growl cut through the air and it sounded closer this time.
My breath hitched.
Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run.
But I couldn't move.
The shadows between the trees shifted.
And then It stepped into the faint light of the Blood Moon.