The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife after our encounter in the forest. That creature – it was like nothing any of us had ever seen. Whispers snaked through the elven ranks, some already convinced these were the beasts responsible for the commander's disappearance.
Alderon, ever the pragmatist, cut through the rising panic. "We can't jump to conclusions," he stated firmly, his voice a steady anchor in the swirling uncertainty. "We're still a considerable distance from where he vanished."
"Right, Captain," the nervous elf mumbled, shamefaced.
