The forest was quiet now, the chaos of the night fading into the soft rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of birds welcoming the dawn. Kael led the way, his boots crunching against the damp undergrowth as he kept his eyes scanning for danger. Ember padded silently beside him, her fiery tails swaying like lanterns in the morning light. Umbra trotted close behind, his small shadowy form nearly blending into the forest floor.
The weight of what had happened hung heavily in Kael's mind. The Serpent Guard wasn't just a group of thugs; they were notorious for their ruthless efficiency and deep pockets. If they had been in the area, it meant someone had hired them—and that someone likely wanted more than just Umbra.
Kael sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Why would they even be here? The village doesn't have anything of value. And Umbra… he's powerful, but they couldn't have known about him, could they?"
"They're hunters," Ember said flatly. "They probably sensed the arcane energy when Umbra lost control. Beasts like him don't exactly go unnoticed."
Umbra's ears twitched at her words, but he said nothing, his gaze fixed ahead.
Kael glanced back at the cub. "You said you were cursed," he began. "Do you know who did it? Or why?"
Umbra hesitated, his glowing blue eyes dimming slightly. "I… remember little of my time under the curse," he admitted. "It felt as though I were trapped in darkness, my mind consumed by rage. But there was a presence—something cold, calculating. It bound me to its will and sent me to destroy."
A shiver ran down Kael's spine. "A presence? Do you think it was a person?"
"Not just a person," Ember interjected. Her fiery eyes narrowed. "A mage. A powerful one. Only someone steeped in arcane knowledge could twist a beast like Umbra into a weapon."
Kael frowned, his thoughts racing. A mage powerful enough to curse an arcane beast—and cruel enough to use it as a tool of destruction? It wasn't a comforting thought.
"I guess that means we need to be careful," Kael said. He adjusted his satchel and pushed aside a low-hanging branch. "If they could do this to Umbra, there's no telling what else they're capable of."
Umbra's voice was quiet but firm. "You freed me, Kael. Whatever force did this, I won't stop until it is destroyed. And I will stand with you to see it done."
Kael's chest tightened at the cub's resolve. He gave a small nod. "Then we'll face it together."
The trio continued through the forest, the golden light of dawn giving way to the harsher brightness of mid-morning. As the hours passed, Kael's thoughts drifted to the village he had left behind. The people there had never accepted him, but they didn't deserve to suffer because of whatever danger had been drawn to him and Umbra.
"Ember," Kael said after a while, his voice low. "Do you think the village will be okay? After what happened last night?"
The fox flicked her ears. "If the Serpent Guard wanted the village, they would've attacked it directly. They were after Umbra, not the people. For now, they're probably safe."
"Probably," Kael muttered, not entirely reassured.
Suddenly, Umbra froze, his ears perking up. A low growl rumbled in his throat.
Kael stopped, his heart skipping a beat. "What is it?"
"Something's watching us," Umbra said, his voice a tense whisper.
Kael felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He scanned the dense forest, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow, but he saw nothing.
"Ember?" he asked, his voice tight.
The fox sniffed the air, her flames flaring slightly. "He's right. There's a presence nearby—arcane, but faint."
Kael's grip tightened on the strap of his satchel. "Is it dangerous?"
"Possibly," Ember replied. "But it's not moving toward us. It's… observing."
Kael swallowed hard. He didn't like the idea of being watched, especially not by something tied to the arcane. "Should we keep going?"
Umbra's growl softened, but his body remained tense. "We should stay alert. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem hostile—yet."
With that unsettling thought hanging in the air, they pressed on. The forest began to thin as they climbed a gentle slope, and soon they emerged onto a grassy hilltop overlooking the valley below.
Kael stopped to catch his breath, his gaze sweeping over the landscape. Rolling hills stretched out before him, dotted with patches of forest and the occasional cluster of cottages. In the distance, he could make out the spires of a small city rising against the horizon.
"That's Draycott," Ember said, nodding toward the city. "It's the closest settlement to the village."
Kael frowned. "Do you think we'll be safe there?"
"Safe enough," Ember replied. "The Serpent Guard operates in the wilds, not in cities. They'd draw too much attention."
Umbra padded up beside them, his blue eyes scanning the horizon. "If we're to find answers about the curse, a city may be our best option. Someone there might know of the mage who did this to me."
Kael nodded slowly. The idea of entering a city made him uneasy—he wasn't exactly used to bustling crowds or busy streets. But he knew they couldn't stay in the wilderness forever.
"Alright," he said, adjusting his satchel. "We'll head to Draycott. But we need to be careful. No drawing attention to ourselves."
Ember smirked. "You mean don't go shouting about how you tamed a shadow wolf in the middle of the market?"
Kael rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."
As they began their descent toward the valley, Kael couldn't shake the feeling that their journey was about to get a lot more complicated. The presence they had sensed in the forest still lingered at the edge of his thoughts, and the memory of the Serpent Guard's threat loomed like a storm cloud on the horizon.
But for the first time in a long while, Kael felt something other than fear: hope.
Whatever lay ahead, he wasn't facing it alone.