Titus stood alert on the edge of camp, looking out into the trees beyond. The forest was oppressively dark, lit only by occasional rays of purple or orange moonlight that slipped through cracks in the multistoried canopy. Towering trunks appeared like black monoliths between the rays, and a myriad of skittering critters and chirping crickets echoed from all around, occasionally punctuated by distant hoots or howls.
He snapped his head to the left at an unfamiliar sound. It sounded not unlike a dog's howl, but quicker and repetitive like a sequence of chirps from a bird. His skin grew bumps and a shiver overcame him as he realized it sounded almost like a human imitating animals.
He shifted in place and his armor clinked quietly. The noises stopped. He scanned the dark woods nervously, but saw nothing. He took a step back and the noises returned, this time reminiscent of a hyena's laugh.
"Eli!" he hissed over his shoulder, trying to keep his eyes on the forest, "Eli! Wake up!"
He bent down and picked up a rock, stealing a glance over his shoulder to toss it at Eli's bedroll before snapping his attention back to the forest. He heard Eli grunt, then stir to action. Seconds later Eli was by his side, staff in hand.
"What is it?" Eli asked, now scanning the forest with him. The sounds had stopped.
"There's something weird out there," Titus whispered wearily.
Eli glanced at Titus with concern, "we should wake Vic, she'll see more than we can."
A branch cracked nearby. Eli's hand shot up to still Titus, then slowly moved to his staff as he brought it to his shoulder and took aim in the direction of the sound. They stood motionless and silent for several moments, but no movement or sounds followed.
Eli nodded behind him over his shoulder, then slowly crept backwards with his staff at the ready. Titus followed suit, and the pair slowly slinked back into camp. The fire was merely smoldering embers, and the others slept soundly. Metal clanked as one of the traps slammed shut. Eli spun around and the runes on his staff lit up red, but the trap was empty. A snare trap snapped through leaves as it triggered, Titus conjured three shimmering, humming spears of light in the air above camp and the laughing started again.
Autumn snored quietly by the fire, while Iris sat up straight and shielded her eyes from the glow of the spears. Glimmer stirred and stretched, then climbed to her feet and took her place beside Eli, following his gaze and staring intently into the darkness. Victoria was already on her feet, veins pulsing around her eyes as a grey film overtook them. She scanned their surroundings with a frown.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"I can't see it," she said, even as the laughing continued.
"Fuck," Eli whispered.
"It's playing with us," Titus said angrily.
Iris screamed and blipped away. The second snare trap activated. Autumn woke in an furious panic as a hairy hand around her foot dragged her from camp and into the brush. Glimmer whirled around and screeched as she leapt into the brush in pursuit.
"Autumn!" Eli shouted, sprinting after Glimmer.
Titus and Victoria followed, chasing the sounds of cracking branches and Autumn's yells.
"Let go you fucking creep!" she shouted, grasping desperately and fruitlessly for rocks to transmute into a weapon.
Iris whirled around in the darkness until she caught a glimpse of Titus's light spears trailing behind him. She blipped after them, tripping in the darkness but staying on her feet.
Sleeping birds woke and scattered as Eli fired a blast from his staff. It exploded against the trunk of a tree as a spear of light shot past and hit another. The beast weaved between them, dragging Autumn over the rough terrain at terrifying speed. She twisted onto her stomach and grabbed hold of a large rock as they passed, it broke free from the dirt and did little to slow her attacker but she held onto it like a lifeline all the same.
Even as her abdomen scraped across something sharp, she transmuted the rock into a small hatchet. She twisted around and hurled the hatchet at the hulking silhouette that dragged her. It landed with a dull thunk, and the beast whined like an injured dog. Its grip faltered, and she yanked back her foot to break free. The beast left her behind and continued sprinting through the trees.
Two spears of light whizzed past her, momentarily lighting the forest in a white glow followed by a bolt from Eli's staff that replaced it with a deep red hue, then the darkness returned. Glimmer leapt over her and chased after the beast. She heard her friends approach and surround her before she could see them. She grabbed a hand that reached out to hoist her on her feet, recognizing Titus by his stature.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
"Yeah," she winced as she spoke, "nothing serious."
Eli whistled after Glimmer, then lit the runes on his staff to illuminate his friends in an eerie red glow.
"Are we all here?" he asked, then spun around in a panic, "where's Iris?"
"Here!" she said from behind Eli, in the direction he had just been looking.
Glimmer sprinted back to them and slid to a stop, turning to restlessly stare in the direction of the escaping beast.
"Everyone stay close," he ordered, "Vic, lead us back to camp."
"There's a blood trail," Titus said, crouching down to inspect a dark puddle in the dirt.
"Leave it for morning," Eli said, "we need to regroup."
Titus didn't argue, and they all followed Victoria back to camp with weary eyes on their surroundings. They returned to a mess, embers were scattered across the ground and their bedrolls had been ripped and torn. Autumn's cooking spit was knocked over and bent out of shape. The traps they'd set were now piled near the center of camp, disassembled in a heap.
"There's more than one," Titus said gravely, "and they're sending us a message."
Autumn and Iris pushed the coals back into the fire pit and started up the fire again while Titus, Eli and Victoria discussed strategy. They settled on finishing out the night and going after the trail at first light. They kept the fire lit for the rest of the night and slept in pairs atop torn bedrolls, keeping a triple watch until morning. Occasional laughing could be heard in the distance throughout the night.