The stupid pink dong-shaped warning panel hovered in my vision while the forest tried its hardest to become a nightmare around us.
The massive silhouette did not charge us. It just stood there, pulling slow, deliberate breaths that rattled the wet leaves nearby. It felt intelligent immediately. It was not a mindless beast acting on hunger.
It was studying us the same way an experienced hunter studies something they had just cornered.
Astra's fingers gripped my sleeve tight enough to cut off the circulation in my arm. She was completely rigid. Her usual quiet intensity was gone, replaced by actual fear that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
"That should not be here," Astra whispered. Her voice lacked any of its ancient weight.
The entity began to circle slowly through the mist. Our group shifted to match it without a single word spoken. Celeste stepped slightly ahead, heat already rising from her palms to push the damp cold away.
