"Are you asking to die?" Princess Carrie suddenly said, frowning as she stared intensely at Gavin.
The Second Prince of the Moon Valley Kingdom couldn't help but look away for a while, suddenly not knowing what to say to this princess again. It was as if Princess Carrie had two personalities inside her. One moment she was crying helplessly, the next moment she would glare at you as if you were the one who caused her demise. If Prince Gavin didn't grow up practically watching over this woman, he would already think she had loose screws in the head.
"It's just one of the tricks by the spirit of this mountain. I was informed they took different forms to scare travelers or whoever wishes to climb this mountain," Gavin explained to Carrie.
"Isn't this place the one where the Alpha King and Luna received their blessing from the Moon Goddess? How come ominous happenings still exist in this mountain?" Princess Carrie asked, slowly recovering from the illusion as she noticed her hair slowly turning back to its black color. Although her face didn't change much, Gavin also noticed her features were slowly turning back to their original look.
Aware that she was being stared at, Princess Carrie shot another glare toward Gavin. "Stop looking!"
Pulled from his reverie, Gavin casually answered, "It's just as that waiter said. There seems to be going on here lately. Though we still yet to know if it's indeed as the rumors say."
"So that creature, a Fate Stealer or something, it's also the cause of those illusions earlier?" Princess Carrie asked.
"It might be," Gavin answered as he looked around, eyes particularly looking for the barriers he had seen a while ago. A frown appeared on his face as he realized something was odd. The barriers were no longer around as if nothing unusual happened at all. However, the fog was still present and heavily scattered through the forest.
"What happened earlier... You must not speak about it to anyone no matter what. Do you understand?" the princess reminded.
Gavin promptly turned around, facing her with a serious expression on his face.
"W-What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Princess Carrie cautiously asked.
Gavin's eyes turned even more serious, full attention on the woman before him. "Nothing, I just want to check if it's really you."
All blood seemed to have gotten up to Princess Carrie's face as she exploded in anger, "It's me! It's the real me, okay! And how do I know if it's the real second prince I am looking at, too?!"
The second prince shook his head, a sigh escaping his lips as he started walking, eyes looking around for any possible unusual things yet again. "You don't have to check. You'll always know it's me anyway."
"How sure are you that I can identify you among those illusions?"
"Illusion or not, I'd like to think I will only be doing the same thing."
"And what is it?"
Gavin looked down, muttering his answer in a low voice, "Saving you, of course."
"What did you say?" Princess Carrie asked.
Gavin turned around and saw her lifting the ends of her skirt. It was only then both realized they had already been walking with no particular direction, the path becoming narrower with taller bushes.
Before Gavin could answer, a rustling sound nearby alarmed him. Motioning Princess Carrie to keep quiet, Gavin slowly reached the nearest bushes where the rustling sound came. If it was a spirit, he couldn't do anything but try to negotiate. If things turned awful, he would need to transform into a wolf to be able protect Princess Carrie. If it was a beast, however, he could use his sword and his skills in physical combat as they were taught and trained back in the academy.
"Brrrr~" a growling sound came with the rustling sound.
With a final gesture to Princess Carrie, Gavin cleared the bushes and there they found one unexpected guest: a gray fox.
It must be said that foxes in Moon Valley were rare. If werewolves made up 5% of the population, foxes on the other hand took below 1%. If people could make an estimate, it could be that there was only one fox in every one thousand werewolves. Some legends said that when a person saw a fox, a gray fox to be exact, it could lead that person to a discovery of something important in that person's life. This kind of magical creature was indeed extraordinary and too precious.
"A gray fox..." Even Princess Carrie couldn't help but feel mesmerized as she stared at the beautiful beast before them. She whispered to Gavin, "Should we follow him?"
Gavin analyzed the situation, coming up with a conclusion that they had already been separated from the group. Since it came to this point, they could keep walking and find the rest of the group. That, or they could follow this fox and see where it would bring them.
He glanced at Princess Carrie. There were no hints of fear in the woman's eyes. More than fear, she looked to be enthralled by the creature. Decided, he signaled the princess to stay close to him while following the fox.
As expected, the gray fox began to move, as if it wanted to be chased by the people that found him. Curiosity rose from both Gavin and Carrie as they followed the fox, keeping in mind that whatever they would discover, they couldn't be fazed. After their discovery as they planned, they would need to find the rest of the group. After all, the sun would be setting soon and it would be more dangerous to climb up the mountain.
Soon, they reached what looked like a huge oak tree with no leaves that could be found in its branches. Gavin stared at it as a few images flashed before his eyes but they were gone as fast as they came.
"What, do you feel unwell?" Princess Carrie asked, standing next to him.
Hearing the familiar voice, Gavin's erratic heartbeat began to slow down and back to its normal beat. "I'm okay. Where did the fox go?"
"Inside this tree," Princess Carrie said. "Isn't it his shelter though?"
The two checked the tree, noticing an entrance at the center in between its large, protruded roots. Peeking through the entrance, the two were left speechless as they saw what was inside.