Within only a few breaths, nearly everyone had gathered near the center of the clearing. The transformation happened with astonishing speed. This clearly wasn't the first time the settlement had faced danger.
One older hunter stepped beside the man who first noticed Lin Mu. "What is it?"
The hunter continued sniffing the air. "I don't know yet."
"Is it a beast?" another person asked.
The hunter slowly shook his head. "No."
He inhaled again. "It smells human."
Confused expressions immediately spread across the gathered prisoners.
"You can smell a human?" A younger man frowned.
The hunter nodded confidently. "It's definitely human."
Several people exchanged uneasy glances.
Another woman spoke.
"They aren't masking their scent?" Her confusion sounded genuine. "How can someone wander through the forest without masking themselves? The beasts would find them immediately. And the insects would swarm them before they reached the river."
