The forest was alive with a maddening stillness. Every step the group took seemed to echo, the air thick with tension. Branches creaked above them, and shadows danced menacingly under the pale moonlight.
Kail walked at the front, his knuckles white as they gripped his makeshift staff. Dial trailed behind with Elara, her small frame pressed tightly against him for comfort. Lian and a handful of other children followed in uneven clusters, their faces pale and streaked with grime.
"I'm telling you," Dial muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, "we're being led somewhere. It's too quiet, too… intentional."
"Led by what? The trees?" Kail shot back, his tone a mix of sarcasm and unease.
"Wouldn't rule it out."
Kail snorted, forcing a grin. "Well, when the trees start giving orders, let me know."
"Will do, smartass." Dial's voice faltered as a distant growl reverberated through the forest.
The group froze.
"What was that?" Lian whispered, clutching the jagged stick he'd fashioned into a spear.
"Probably nothing," Kail said, though his voice lacked conviction.
Another growl, deeper this time, rolled through the air like thunder. The underbrush ahead rustled violently, and the sound of snapping branches sent shivers down their spines.
"Stay behind me," Kail ordered, raising his staff. His heart hammered in his chest, but he forced himself to stay calm.
Then the first wolf appeared. Its eyes glowed like twin embers, its hulking frame nearly the size of a bear. Its fur was matted with dirt, and its lips curled back to reveal yellowed fangs.
"K-Kail…" Dial's voice trembled.
Before Kail could respond, more growls sounded—closer this time. Two more wolves slinked out of the shadows, their bodies rippling with lean, predatory muscle.
"Run," Kail said, his voice low and steady.
"What?"
"I said run!"
The wolves lunged as the group scattered in all directions. Kail barely managed to dodge the first wolf, his staff swinging wildly. The blow connected with its shoulder, but it barely flinched.
Screams erupted as chaos broke out. One of the wolves tore into a boy named Marek, its massive jaws clamping down on his leg as he tried to flee. He shrieked, clawing at the ground as the beast dragged him into the darkness.
"Marek!" Lian yelled, starting toward him, but Kail grabbed his arm.
"Don't! You can't save him!"
Another wolf leapt onto a girl named Sera, pinning her to the ground with its claws. She struggled and screamed, her cries piercing the night, but the wolf silenced her with a savage bite to the neck. Blood sprayed across the forest floor.
"Keep moving!" Dial shouted, pulling Elara along as she wailed, her tiny fists pounding against his chest.
Kail swung his staff at the nearest wolf, the wood cracking against its jaw. The beast yelped but retaliated instantly, its claws raking across his side. Pain flared through his body, but he gritted his teeth and stood his ground.
Two more children fell, their forms vanishing beneath the writhing, snarling mass of fur and teeth. Kail's chest tightened as he heard their dying screams, but he forced himself to focus. If he faltered, they'd all die.
The largest wolf turned its glowing eyes on him, its head tilting slightly as if amused. A guttural snarl escaped its throat, and it charged again.
Kail sidestepped at the last moment, driving the end of his staff into its ribs. A sickening crack echoed through the forest, and the wolf howled in pain, thrashing wildly.
Fueled by desperation, Kail didn't stop. He swung again and again, his strikes growing more erratic as adrenaline coursed through him. The staff splintered in his hands, but he kept going, his fists slamming into the wolf's head and body.
Blood sprayed across his face and arms, the metallic tang filling his nostrils. The wolf's snarls turned to whimpers as it collapsed under his relentless assault, its glowing eyes dimming.
Even as it lay motionless, Kail couldn't stop. His fists pounded into the lifeless body, the wet sound of flesh and bone breaking beneath his blows.
"Kail!" Dial's voice cut through the haze.
Kail froze, his chest heaving. His hands were slick with blood, his knuckles raw and throbbing. He looked down at the mangled corpse, barely recognizable as a wolf.
Around him, the survivors were few. Lian clutched his spear, his face pale and streaked with tears. Dial stood with Elara clinging to his leg, her sobs muffled against his tunic. The bodies of the others lay scattered among the trees, their broken forms barely visible in the moonlight.
"What… what did I… what just happened?" Kail whispered, his voice trembling.
Dial grabbed his arm, his grip firm. "We need to move. Now."
Kail nodded numbly, his eyes flicking to the survivors. They stared at him with a mix of awe and terror, their expressions haunted.
The forest seemed to close in around them, the air thick with the scent of blood and death. Every step felt heavier, every sound sharper. The world was no longer the same.
When they reached the twisted trees and the rising mist, no one spoke. The eerie fog coiled around their legs, leading them like an unseen hand.
The cave emerged from the shadows, its jagged maw yawning wide to swallow them whole.
"This is it," Dial said grimly.
"It looks alive," Lian murmured, his voice hollow.
Kail stepped forward, his body aching with every movement. He felt the pull again, the invisible force that had guided them here.
"We don't have a choice," he said, his voice hoarse. "We go in."
Without waiting for a response, he led the group into the darkness, the cave swallowing them whole.