Ash used her Skinwalker ability and physiques natural senses to follow the trail of fear almost like a dog following a scent.
The main difference between her and a tracking or search dog was that she had not trained her senses enough to be able to distinguish one trace for another.
It was very difficult to tell if one trace of fear was stronger than others or if it belonged to a specific person.
It was difficult for her to block out other traces around her to focus on one place in particular.
The inexperience led to her following the first trace of fear she had come across as she stepped into the forest area by the road.
The trees above blocked out a lot of the moonlight shining from above so it was growing increasingly darker and more difficult to navigate carefully through the unfamiliar terrain.
It had been lucky that Ash had tried to learn a little about hunting before her transformation so she had not been completely unfamiliar with where she was.
The terrain around her was a little familiar so she did not feel as much hesitation towards entering and exploring it.
The main difference between then and the present was that she had gained the ability to see things she could not see at that time.
No matter where she went previously in the world, she remained ignorant of the possibility of there being spirits in those areas and having no effects over her without her knowing.
Once she had gained the ability to see spirits and into the world that most could not enter, Ash had truly entered into the true world that had been hidden away from the eyes of most of the population.
The previous minor protection she had from being unable to interact with and see that part of the world was taken away once she was able to see into it.
What had been done could not be taken back and her newfound ability could no longer be stripped away.
If she interacted with and kept her gaze on a spirit for long enough then they would soon find out that she was a part of their own world.
That would result in many different scenarios depending on the nature and personality of the spirit she came across.
The only spirits Ash had come across so far were just the usual tiny spirits which floating around in a small ball of light state and some slightly bigger spirits that had yet to take on a proper and more distinguishable form.
The more powerful and matured spirits had a much more solid form than the ghost-like forms of spirits she had come across so far.
Ash was busy walking through the outer part closer to the road a little deeper in when she had already passed by one of the tiny spirits that inhabited the forest.
She adjusted her cap pulling it down a little so that she could shield her eyes from letting it notice her eyes locking onto it fir a moment.
The event passed without any problems as she passed it and continued to adjust to the next couple of spirits she had come across all of a sudden within the dark forest. 'They are so creepy late at night..'
It was like she was experiencing some sort of horror movie in real life with actual ghosts that lingered around in the dark waiting to catch anyone by surprise.
There was always a large urge to jump in fright the moment the spirits appeared without any prior warning as they passed through different objects whether they came out from the trees, rocks or the ground.
They may have just had the forms of balls of light or a ghostly form but they were still quite spooky in the current environment.
It made Ash who had her feelings of fear amplified by the negative effects of the ritual have to suppress her emotions to avoid bringing more trouble to herself.
Suddenly screaming in the face of a spirit was the worst way to give away her ability to see and interact with them.
The fear she senses was slowly drawing closer and Ash was filled with anticipation but also dread as she moved closer.
Her footsteps slowed down some more and became much more controlled as each footstep became quiet.
Each movement that she made was carefully done with the full range of control she had over her body and by carefully avoiding anything that would draw attention to herself if she stepped on it.
Her form was hidden by one of the trees she had hidden behind as she looked around towards the location that was close by.
The fear coming from that area was very strong that it was enough to draw her all the way from the road towards it.
Her light blue eyes looked around for a moment but saw nothing but darkness until she noticed something strange about the ground near the rocky mountain walls.
It looked a lot like there had been some sort of collapse of large rocks that were piled up in front of the wall but there was something else that stood out underneath it all. 'Is that a dug out hole?'
It looked big enough for a single adult to climb into so long as their build was not too large or did not bring anything with them that would get in the way of their trying to squeeze through.
It would have been too difficult to notice at first due to the darkness surrounding the forest and even Ash may have missed it if she did not sense something or someone in that location.
There seemed to be something or someone beneath or behind the piled up rocks and possibly further inside or under the mountain area.
Ash was about to step forward to investigate further to check to see if the child was there but the moment she was about to step out, there was some movement. 'Huh?'
Her light blue eyes widened as they caught sight of what was emerging from within the burrowed hole.
Its form was more solid and darker than any spirit she had encountered so far.
The life energy radiating from its body was in a darker and chaotic state which showed that it was a corrupted spirit.
It had a pair of three clawed hands and feet with a bent over crooked back.
It had a long snout with sharp fangs which made it look like some kind of variation of a wolf or some other dangerous wild beast.
Ash felt a real threat and danger from the evil spirit upon seeing it so she ducked back behind the tree before she could be seen by it.
Its form looked around its surroundings for some time before retreating back into the hole which seemed to be where it resided or thought of as its home.