This forest is giving me the creeps. Roharu said it was more like the dungeon as far as enemies go, but I swear this pce has to be worse, even with the miasma gone. Something howls in the distance, followed by another, deeper howl that shakes the ground. I do not like that sound of that. Sounds like there are more than two. We may have a bigger party this time, but there are more of us that cannot fight than not. There’s something eerie about the color pate of this forest. I bme the howls and the critters scurrying by us. If I didn’t know this pce was overrun with dangerous monsters, then this pce would be pretty, but since I know, I can’t stop jumping at every howl or caw.

  “Rex,” Roharu says, looking forward and not at me. His hold tightens before easing up some. Yazir continues to hold on to him with her arms around his neck. She doesn’t look scared.

  Great, so I’m the only one being a chicken about this. Still, if demons and ogres don’t travel to this area, then a human like me would for sure have a hard time. Roharu has never made me feel as though I am less than anyone else, but a small part of me feels awful that if shit goes down, I’m not nearly as strong as the others.

  “I’m the embodiment of rexed.”

  His lips twitch. “Sure, you are. We will travel for a while longer until we find an area suitable for the night.” He gnces at me. “All will be well. There are more of us to take shifts in case of any attacks.” He gnces away and stares at Zika’s back. “I have a destination in mind. My birthpce.”

  His birthpce?

  “Are your parents....” I trail off, not wanting to say dead, but it’s pretty obvious that’s what I’m asking. He doesn’t talk about them and if no one travels through these nds, then it’s safe to assume that the beasts may have killed them or the environment became so inhospitable that they all fled.

  “No, but we can rebuild the vilge. It may be inconvenient for you since we can no longer procure extra supplies from the capital, but we can make do with the resources around us. Though I am curious, Zika, what it is you hope to accomplish by traveling with us?”

  Zika gnces over his shoulder. “Your mate cleansed the area like a saintess.” He smirks with one fang showing. “And you think I’m not curious as to what else is going on?” He turns his head and whispers something in Edith’s ear before addressing us. “I wasn’t kidding about the darkness rising. That affects all of us. I happen to enjoy living.”

  Roharu grunts. A non-answer to everyone else, but I decipher his grunt and hold it close to my heart.

  “And should the capital fall, I would rather be pced on the right side of history.”

  Is he saying being with us is going to lead to revolution? I frown. My stomach tightens from unease. The howls are getting closer. Louder. Roharu’s ears twitch, so I know he hears it too.

  “They are not close,” he says. “It is a warning for us and any other beast to stay away.” His ears twitch again. “Most likely a couple preparing for the winter.”

  “And when you say they?”

  “A venomawolf, a small beast that only comes to my knees at full grown. They tend to hunt alone, but a mated pair will hunt together. They can be tamed to assist a vilge, but that is only if you can get past their bite. Best not to get bitten by them. The poison may not kill you, but you will be indisposed for quite some time.”

  The way he expins these not-small beasts is soothing. My eyelids grow heavy. I could fall asleep in his arms right now. An influx of peace washes over me as though I’ve taken something to take the edge off, but that can’t be right.

  I narrow my eyes. “Are you doing something to me?” He has to be. My mind tells me I should be freaking out right now, but my body is so rexed it’s hard to come up with an appropriate response. The beasts he describes are not small. Roharu isn’t a small male by any means.

  “Not yet,” he says with a promise.

  “Roharu.”

  “Hm?” His eyes meet mine. “Vixen, you are just tired. I told you to do it in moderation. If I had the ability to keep you calm, I would have used it the first day we met instead of...” He smiles as if that is a fond memory.

  “You are not smiling about knocking me out.”

  “He did what?” Chloe asks.

  I blink. My muscles tense. When did she get next to us? Has she always been there? Yazir shifts and trembles.

  Oh boy.

  “Megan? Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know. Did you sneak up on us?” I fsh a quick smile at Yazir, which I hope is reassuring.

  Chloe frowns. She looks at me as if I need help. “No, I walked up when I heard he knocked you out. What’s that about?”

  “Oh, it was the first day we met. There was a bunch of undead walking around and I was freaking out, so Roharu had the bright idea to knock me out.”

  “You were going to draw attention to us because you were hyperventiting. If I could go back, then I would have simply kissed you until you forgot about the dangers.”

  Chloe rolls her eyes. “Don’t know why I even bothered.” She heads back over to Katsuro, who has his hand perched over his whip.

  I turn my head back around and settle against Roharu. At least someone else is taking this forest seriously. I wonder what Katsuro hears that I cannot. Roharu must hear the other beasts too, but he’s the picture definition of calm.

  “She doesn’t make noise,” Yazir whispers. “It’s scary.”

  “Good thing she is on our side,” Roharu replies. “You could learn to mask your steps. It is not difficult to do, but surprising a human can do so. Would you like me to teach you?”

  He and Yazir converse while I watch Zika and Edith. My body still feels loose. I hate to admit Roharu is right, but I overdid it with getting rid of the miasma.

  Frustrating.

  When will I get to the point where it won’t take everything out of me? Is it because I wasn’t specific about how much of the miasma should be purified? Or does that even matter? I need to get stronger. This pce is crawling with beasts, so that means there’s going to be a lot to pray against. I bite my bottom lip. Is that why Zika mentioned being on the right side of history? Does he think the eastern nds will rise or something because of me?

  No, that can’t be it. I’m not that strong. Sure, I can help subdue some beasts or get rid of poisons, but that’s only if everyone else is protecting me. I fear what might happen if we come across something a prayer can’t fix. Will I struggle like Edith and only feel some mild discomfort? Or will it take everything I have and leave me with nothing?

  Zika whispers something in Edith’s ear. She shrugs out of his embrace and gives him a shove. He pauses and then takes a step back.

  Why did he pretend like she could push him away? I still don’t know how to feel about her now that she’s with us and not at the temple. Edith is standoffish with Chloe and me, but is friendly with Roharu. As much as I want to chalk it up to trauma affecting us all differently, I just don’t believe that in my heart.

  Does she want Roharu? Or is this some weird mispced loyalty to him because he rescued her? But he only rescued her because of me. I swallow back the sigh and try to settle my mind. It doesn’t matter. Not really. Roharu is my mate, not Edith’s, and he’s pretty damn dismissive when she talks to him.

  “How much longer shall we walk?” Zika asks. His voice is like the rumble of thunder. Commanding. He gives off the vibe of being someone always in charge, and yet he relents to Roharu. Must be the trust they have built up over the years.

  Roharu looks skyward. “Another hour or two and then we will find a pce to settle in. If we keep on this path and at this pace, we should reach the vilge in about five days or so. A cave would be preferable since we lost our housing.”

  “Lost?” Zika ughs. “If that’s how you want to describe the past.”

  “It was far too rge to keep with us and you cannot be expected to fly us everywhere. Besides, I did not know the full state of the nds until we got here.”

  The howls are closer. I know what Roharu said, but I still feel like maybe we should be taking this more seriously. If those beasts are getting closer, then what else is lurking nearby? A red bird flies by with a worm as long as my arm in its beak. The temperature drops. It is getting ter, but I didn’t expect for the temperature to plunge so harshly.

  Zika stops.

  “Vixen,” Roharu says, “I am going to set you down. You are to stick close to me. Zika, you two are to fall back. I will lead the path.” He doesn’t wait for my confirmation, not that he needs it. There is no one I would rather be next to than him. My legs wobble a bit, but I stay on my feet with Yazir in my arms. Her cws dig into my shoulder, and I wince.

  “Sorry!” she blurts out.

  “It’s okay. Just wrap your arms around my neck instead, but not super tight.” I crack a small smile. My insides are twisted in fear, but I have to be strong. I shiver from the cold. The air is frigid, and a dense fog surrounds us.

  Shit.

  I can’t make out Zika or Edith anymore. They were right there in front of us, but this fog is unnatural. Has to be. I just hope they were able to get behind us or beside us before the fog became too dense.

  “Everyone is to stick close,” Roharu yells. “Keep calm. This is nothing more than a scare tactic to separate us. Follow the sound of my voice.” He continues to talk everyone through this. His tail wraps around me, keeping me close to his side. I want to look back, but there’s no use. I can’t see what is in front of us, so I doubt I can see what is behind us.

  Someone screams.

  I tense. Did that come from behind or in front? I think it sounded like a woman screaming. Edith? I haven’t heard Chloe scream since our time in the dungeon, but that doesn’t mean much. Katsuro would be cussing if it was Chloe, so it can’t be her. One of the dies from the vilge?

  “Roharu, who was that? Or what was that?”

  A bst of wind hits me in the face, but it doesn’t dispel the fog. The wind is unforgiving. My eyes sting. Feels like I’m being suffocated with every icy bst.

  “Not one of ours,” he replies. He sounds far away, though I know he’s right next to me because his tail is wrapped around my waist. “Keep moving. We will be out of the fog soon. Do not stop. Do not dally.”

  I want to ask what happens if someone stops, but Yazir’s hold around my neck reminds me it’s not just adults in this party, so I keep my mouth shut. The wind doesn’t help. It comes and goes in waves. Yazir buries her head in the crook of my neck.

  “What causes this fog?”

  Roharu breaks off from the nonsensical words he was sprouting, trying to keep everyone listening to the sound of his voice. “A frightpest. They use the fog to warn would be predators away from their dens. They must have young nearby. It is the only time they care to go to these measures. Just continue to follow the sound of my voice and we will be fine.”

  There’s another scream. It chills me to the bone in a way the wind does not. My heart beats so fast, it may as well be in my ears.

  “EDITH!” Zika’s voice booms.

  Roharu sighs.

  Crap.

  AutumnBanks

  Thanks for reading! I pn to wrap this story up by the end of the year.