The forest was alive with the sounds of shifting trees and distant roars, but the oppressive silence that had settled in the aftermath of the hunter's departure was unnerving. Aric kept his grip on the dagger, his senses heightened as he walked cautiously through the dense underbrush. The air smelled of wet earth and decaying leaves, but underneath it, there was a sharp tang of something ancient—something dangerous.
His beast moved silently at his side, its keen instincts alert to every movement. The creature's large form towered above him, a silent guardian in the eerie stillness. Aric didn't speak; words seemed too fragile in the face of the unknown forces around them. The roar from earlier still echoed in his mind, reverberating through the very bones of the forest. Whatever it had been, it was close. And it was angry.
"Do you hear that?" Aric asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
The beast turned its head, ears pricked, as it focused on something in the distance. The low growl that rumbled from its throat was all the answer Aric needed. They weren't alone. The feeling of being watched—the oppressive weight of unseen eyes—grew heavier with every step.
"Stay close," Aric muttered, his hand tightening around the hilt of his dagger.
They moved deeper into the forest, the trees growing taller, their thick trunks twisting unnaturally as though they were alive. The air grew colder, the shadows darker. Aric's breath came out in short, visible puffs, despite the heat of the battle earlier still lingering in his veins. The atmosphere felt wrong, like they were being drawn into something far older and far darker than any forest had a right to be.
Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet trembled, a low vibration that seemed to echo from deep within the earth. The beast immediately tensed, its body shifting into a defensive stance, ready for action. Aric felt it too—the subtle rumble beneath his feet, the way the air itself seemed to twist and shimmer with unnatural energy.
"What i