Chapter 4: Skeptic at Work
Rowan sat at the rickety table in the inn's common room, the lantern's flicker
casting jagged shadows across his notes. The photos of the deer carcass and the
blurry camera footage stared back at him, a mess of evidence he couldn't quite
unravel. His shoulder throbbed under the bandage, a dull ache that reminded him
of the attack, but he shoved the unease down. He'd spent years cutting through
nonsense, ghostly sightings in the Highlands, wild tales from the Americas, and he
wasn't about to let Skyevale's spooky chatter change that. A predator, that's all it
was. Something he could track, measure, and explain.
He rubbed his eyes, the exhaustion from the past few days settling into his bones,
and decided to get moving. The forest held answers, and he wasn't going to find
them cooped up here. Grabbing his gear. Notebook, camera, and the tranquilizer
gun slung over his good shoulder, he stepped outside. The mist greeted him like
an old friend, damp and clinging, the air thick with the scent of wet earth and
pine. The village was quiet, too quiet, the cottages shuttered as if the people
inside were hiding from something.
He headed toward the forest edge, the muddy path squelching under his boots.
His plan was simple: map the attack sites, set more traps, and gather hard data to
shut down the nonsense about the Silent Moon and the pack. As he reached a
clearing where he'd found the deer, a group of villagers emerged from the trees,
Tam at the front, his gnarled cane tapping the ground, Mara beside him with her
shawl pulled tight, and a few others trailing behind. Their faces were set, eyes
narrowed with a mix of fear and anger.
"Ye shouldn't be out here," Tam said, his voice rough as gravel. "Ye're stirrin' up
trouble, meddlin' where ye don't belong."
Rowan stopped, adjusting the strap on his shoulder, and met Tam's gaze. "I'm
doing my job. There's a predator out here, and I'm going to figure out what it is.
No need for fairy tales about curses or packs."
Mara stepped forward, her voice sharp. "Ye think ye're smarter than us, do ye?
The Silent Moon doesn't care for your books and gadgets. It's taken folk before....
ripped 'em apart, left nothin' but blood."
The others muttered, their stares heavy with accusation. Rowan felt the tension
coil in his gut, but he stood his ground. "I've dealt with wild animals my whole
career. Show me proof of this... pack, and I'll listen. Until then, I'm sticking to
what I can see."
Tam's lips twitched, a bitter edge to it. "Proof's in the ground, lad, in the graves we
don't talk about. But ye won't find it with that gun. Ye'll only wake the alphas."
Rowan clenched his jaw, the scar on his shoulder itching under the bandage. "I'm
not here to wake anything. I'm here to solve this. If you've got something useful,
tell me. Otherwise, let me work."
The group exchanged glances, their distrust palpable. Mara crossed herself,
muttering a prayer, and the others turned away, their footsteps fading into the
mist. But the air felt charged, like the forest itself was holding its breath. Rowan
shook it off, setting up a new camera trap near the clearing, his hands steady
despite the unease creeping up his spine. He marked the spot in his notebook,
noting the claw marks he'd photographed earlier, and moved on to the next site.
By mid-afternoon, he'd placed three more traps, the repetitive task calming his
nerves. The forest was still, the usual bird calls muted, and the silence pressed
against his ears. He paused, wiping sweat from his brow, when a rustle in the
underbrush made him freeze. He swung the tranquilizer gun up, heart pounding,
but it was just a rabbit, darting away. Still, the feeling lingered....something was
watching.
Back at the inn, he spread his findings on the table, the photos and notes a chaotic
map of his day. Elara glanced over as she passed with a tray, her brow furrowing.
"You've been out there again," she said, her tone cautious. "The others aren't
happy."
"Let them grumble," Rowan replied, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm not here to tiptoe
around their superstitions. I need facts, not fear."
She set the tray down, her hands lingering on the edge. "Facts won't stop what's
coming. They've seen it before... outsiders who don't listen, who end up...
changed."
He looked up, catching the worry in her eyes, but brushed it off. "Changed how?
Into what? I'm not buying it until I see it myself."
Elara sighed, turning away. "You will. Just not the way you think."
The words stuck with him as he reviewed his data, the claw marks and footage
blurring together. His shoulder ached more now, a sharp sting that made him
wince. He peeled back the bandage, expecting to see the wound still raw, but the
skin was pink and healing, the scar jagged and faint. His breath hitched too fast,
too clean. He pressed a finger to it, and a jolt ran through him, like a memory he
couldn't place.
Night fell, and the inn grew quiet, the fire dying to embers. Rowan sat by the
window, staring into the mist, the red moon glowing faintly through the haze. A
low growl rolled through the darkness, closer than before, and his scar burned. He
gripped the gun, his pulse racing. The villagers' warnings echoed in his head,
mixing with Elara's cryptic caution. He wanted to dismiss it all, to cling to his
science, but the forest felt alive out there, calling him back.
He stood, pacing the room, the itch in his shoulder spreading. The footage
replayed in his mind the blur of fur, the amber eyes, and for a moment, he
wondered if he'd missed something. The tension with the villagers, their fear, it
wasn't just paranoia. It was real to them, and now it was seeping into him. He
rubbed his face, trying to shake the doubt, but the growl came again, deeper,
insistent.
Outside, the mist swirled, and a shadow moved, too quick to catch. Rowan's hand
tightened on the gun, his breath shallow. He'd come to Skyevale to debunk a
myth, but the myth was fighting back, and he wasn't sure how long he could hold
onto his skepticism. The scar pulsed, and a shiver ran through him, the line
between man and something else blurring in the red moonlight.