The twilight sun stretched the tree shadows long, as the birds and beasts returned to their nests. Night brought humidity and cold winds that erased the traces of buds on the bushes. Night was a breeding ground for danger and plots, where nocturnal predators and true monsters crept within the invisible darkness.
Two figures, one tall and one short, were striding through the forest, the taller one dressed in a simple puppet costume, the top of their hat covered with random leaves from frequent brushes with tree branches, and their eyes shimmering with a scaly light like two clumps of will-o'-the-wisps nestled within a weed helmet. The shorter one was relatively clean and tidy, the white beak mask on the black clothes being the only splash of color, which against the backdrop of the night, seemed to float in midair, very eerie.
Off in the distance, the howling of jackals and wild beasts drowned out the rustling of leather boots scraping through the grass.
