A long moment lingered in the dense forest, the air thick with tension. Kieran had the woman firmly pinned against the damp earth, her hand forced open, the knife clattering to the ground. Surrounded by towering trees and the distant echo of wildlife, she defiantly claimed,
"No, way. Our tech is set up to stop any creatures from getting through this area," her voice a mix of fear and resolve, "the only way it could have grabbed you is if you weren't human so why don't you just stop ly—"
Her words were abruptly sliced by a sharp, almost ethereal whisper through the air. In a swift, unexpected motion, Kieran was thrown off. She rolled across the leaf-strewn ground, leaving a disturbing trail of blood behind her, before crashing into the rough bark of a nearby tree. The impact echoed through the otherwise silent woods.
