After conducting their investigation, Sophia and Nick put their heads together, whispering into each other’s ears to make as little sound as possible. “Those have to be the tracks of some kind of beast, right?”

He frowned. “That’s what I was thinking. Big bastard, given the size of its feet and the space between each step. I tracked a variety of creatures back in the tutorial, but I’ve never seen anything like this. What do you think we should do?”

“We don’t have much choice other than to press on, hope for the best, and plan for the worst. For now, let’s keep following the stream for as long as possible. Walking along the cleared ground would get us out of here faster, but I don’t want to run into whatever left all those tracks.”

“Me either,” Nick nodded. “I’m even more worried about the burned trees than the sheer size of the beast. Whatever is out here must be able to create flame and control it with a high degree of precision. It was able to carve out a path for itself without burning the entire woodlands down in the process. The stream might offer some protection if we run into something that can hurl fireballs and none of our powers can counteract flames. Let’s keep going for now. If we run into anything nasty, you can use one of your wasps to distract it long enough for us to get away.

“Sounds good,” she stepped back and they resumed walking. Twenty minutes later, they came across a second flame-razed path, then a third shortly after. Nick didn’t like the look of them one bit. Whatever was out here, they were getting closer to its lair, crossing through the middle of its territory rather than skirting the border as he’d hoped.

On a brighter note, they were almost to the far side of the forest. Another ten minutes and they should make it to the ford and cross the river, hopefully without running into whatever had laid claim to the woodlands.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Not long after, the trees began to thin. Not because they had been burned away like elsewhere in the forest, but because the stream ended abruptly, transitioning into a modest lake surrounded by a large clearing. There were a few scorched trunks here and there, and several more of the burned corridors, but he didn’t see more of the strange tracks anywhere nearby.

Before leaving the concealment of the forest, they stopped to inspect the open space ahead. Here too, the beasts were scarce, although Nick saw more birds nesting in the trees than elsewhere in the woods. There were several fern-covered islands in the middle of the lake, including a big mound that was covered in some manner of rust red growth.

After waiting in silence for a good ten minutes, he decided that the coast was clear. Moving as quietly as they could, Sophia and Nick skirted the boundary of the clearing, heading for a break in the trees on the far side of the lake, through which he could see the river in the distance.

Despite the tension and unsettling surroundings, nothing dangerous revealed itself as they crossed the halfway point. Maybe we’ll make it through without a fight after all.

That was the moment when what Nick had thought was a small island opened its eyes. The great red mound grew even larger as it rose from the lake. A dozen birds that had been resting on top took to the air with a chorus of frightened squawks. Half of them made it away in time.

Before the rest could fly to safety, a great plume of flame shot forth from the waterline, so intense that Nick could feel the heat on his face from where he stood. The burning birds plummeted back down toward the surface of the lake.

Before they hit the water, the river king struck. A great leathery head snapped up with incredible speed, jaws closing around the incandescent avians in the blink of an eye. As the immense beast stopped to chew, it began sniffing at the air, malice clear in every crook of its posture.

“Nick. We need to get out of here.” He had already come to the same conclusion. By now, Nick had realized that what he had believed was an island was in fact the shell of the biggest beast he’d ever seen. He had hoped that they could retreat before it noticed them, but it was already too late.

At that very moment, angry red eyes that smoldered like fireplace embers turned to regard him with contempt, followed by a ferocious growl.