Claire understood that she was not a knight. Let alone being called a knight or a fighter, she was already considered a rebel without doing anything .
The bird-shaped monster flew down at her, accompanied with the sound of the wind rustling. Claire ran to avoid the bird's attack and hid behind another large tree.
Ethan, who had just uttered those pearls of wisdom, saw an opportunity to strike. With a swift movement he jumped forward and stabbed his sword into the monster's body.
The bird screamed long in pain before finally weakening and losing consciousness.
Claire tried her best to keep silent, her breath gasping. She couldn't believe her eyes, everything happened so fast. Her chest rose and fell quickly, her body trembling after her reckless action.
The monster was still lying on the ground, no longer moving, but before Claire could feel relieved, the creature let out a final screech that shook the earth.
The screech sounded more terrifying than the previous one, as if it was not just a dying scream of a powerful monster, but a call—its last message to something bigger, more terrifying.
Ethan drew his sword with careful movements, his expression's tense, full of alertness.
"I think we are safe for now," Ethan said, taking a deep breath, his tiredness can be felt from his tone.
He didn't turn to comfort Claire, his eyes still staring at the dark forest around them.
"Yet its screech seems to signal something."
Claire felt her blood stop flowing for a moment. She could feel the change in weather to be even colder. Ah, it was already evening, the cold feeling pierced her bones.
She looked around into the darkness of the forest that suddenly felt so quiet. There was no sound of wind, no sound of animals. It was as if all nature fell eerily silent, waiting for something to happen.
"Maybe it's calling their kind?"
Claire remembered from the novels she often read, if one finds themselves trapped in the forest, the way to let people know our whereabouts is by forming smoke, a signal to our kind that we are there. And like the monster that Ethan had just defeated, the monster let out a terrible screech to call its friends.
The atmosphere in the forest was getting more and more tense, everything seemed to stop. The air that was previously cold now carried a sharp, rotten smell, tickling the nose and suffocating the breath.
From a distance, a rustling sound was heard, like a broken twig. Followed by the sound of heavy footsteps slowly getting closer.
Claire couldn't see where the sound was coming from, but she could feel it. A creature that was much larger and even stronger than the monster that had just been defeated was approaching.
"We need to leave now!" Realizing the imminent danger, Ethan quickly walked towards Claire and grabbed her hand.
As his hand grabbed Claire's hand tightly, she held it back, the warmth of Ethan's grip slightly reducing the fear that was coursing through her body.
What if she got lost alone in this forbidden forest? Would she have been eaten by that bird-shaped monster? Or maybe get mangled by that skeletal monster?
The answer was most likely yes.
The two of them started running, faster than before, through the forest that seemed to close in around them. The pain from her sprained leg was not too noticeable to the white-haired girl, maybe it was because her increased adrenaline made her whole body's pain disappear in an instant.
The low-hanging tree branches and dense bushes made each step more difficult, but they had no choice but to keep going.
Claire could barely feel her legs moving, the pain and exhaustion had numbed her, but the sound of the creature chasing them forced her body not to stop.
Behind them, the rumbling sound grew louder. Claire could feel the ground shaking beneath her feet. Every vibration felt like an imminent threat, and every step they took felt more desperate.
'When will this end!' Claire thought.
The air grew hotter, carrying a sharper stench. Claire knew they couldn't run much longer. Her body was already on the verge of complete exhaustion.
As they continued running, Ethan suddenly pulled Claire aside, toward a steeper hillside.
"Huk—!?"
"Hide!" he said, his tone urgent.
Large rocks scattered across the hillside, ahead of them a small cave that was barely visible in the shadows of the evening. Ethan quickly led Claire into the cave, hiding them in the darkness.
She gasped for breath as the two of them entered the narrow cave. The air inside felt colder, but at least they were protected from danger for the time being. The cave was only big enough for them to sit in, but the walls felt rough and cold against Claire's back.
"Will we be okay?" She whispered in a low voice.
Ethan didn't answer right away. He looked out of the cave, pressing his ears to the wall of the cave, listening for something Claire couldn't hear. His face was still tense, his eyes full of caution.
"For now, yes." He answered in the same low voice. "But we aren't completely safe yet."
Ethan's breathing was heavy and irregular. Nevertheless, he remained alert, gripping his sword tightly, as if preparing for anything that might come.
Claire closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm herself. But the relief was short-lived. Fear soon returned.
From the darkness outside the cave, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed, accompanied by deep groans. The creatures emerged, moving like dark, frightening shadows, their bodies resembling dogs but much larger and more dangerous. Their eyes glowed red, piercing the darkness as they sniffed the ground, searching for traces of their prey.
Claire held her breath, her body pressed tightly against the cold stone wall, barely moving. Her heart was beating so fast, as if it would burst from her chest.
The fear that froze her body made each second feel longer. Beside her, Ethan kept his silence, but the tension was clear from the way he gripped his sword even tighter.
The creatures stopped right in front of the cave. Their red eyes darted around, as if sensing Claire and Ethan's presence, sniffing the air aggressively.
Claire closed her eyes, hoping they wouldn't be found. Every breath was painful, every second adding to the suffocating tension.
As one of the creatures approached, its steps shaking the ground, Claire held her breath. But suddenly, the large creature slowly moved away for no reason as if something more had caught its attention.
Ethan took a deep breath, but his eyes remained sharp, watching the creatures until they were completely out of sight.
"We can't stay like this," He mumbled in a low voice.