(A few minutes later)
The woman's words dissolved into ragged sobs, but none of them moved closer. The fire crackled between them like a fragile barrier, its warmth unable to chase away the cold crawling into their bones.
Then—out in the trees—a faint snap of wood.
Every head turned. Sana's eyes narrowed, scanning the dark, but whatever was out there didn't press closer. The sound faded, replaced by a deep, uncanny quiet.
Kaede's hand tightened, ready for a fight that didn't come.
And then—
The night shifted.
Somewhere far from the fire, beyond the first line of trees, shapes moved low to the ground, slipping between roots and stones with unsettling coordination. Human-sized silhouettes, their limbs too long, their shoulders hunched forward in unnatural rolls.
A troop of macaques—dozens of them—picked their way through the undergrowth, their matted fur swaying with each silent step. The air around them was restless, their breathing sharp and quick.
At their front, an alpha male's broad face twitched as he pressed his nose to the earth. He drew in a deep inhale, the wet sound of it audible even over the creak of swaying branches.
The scent clung to the soil. Sweat. Fear. Salt.
The alpha's lips peeled back in a slow, deliberate snarl, showing teeth far too long for comfort.
He chattered low in his throat, a signal. The troop spread, fanning through the dark, each one dipping to sniff leaves, stones, and bark—following the trail as if it were painted in blood.
The scent led them deeper into the forest, toward the faint orange pulse of firelight far ahead.
None of them rushed. There was no need.
They had her trail.
They always caught what they hunted.
The damp earth crushed under their weight as they trailed two distinct scents: one of a helpless woman, and the other of their faster scout that had long since been following her when they let her escape.
—
The leaves whispered. The fire crackled.
"Something isn't right here!" Sana's voice was sharp, her senses picking up a sudden rush of movement ahead. She shut her eyes, trying to feel everything around her.
A sudden throb—like a spike driven through her skull—and for an instant she saw them.
Fifteen humanoid figures, charging toward them —
Her eyes snapped open. To her right, another shape crouched in partial cover, so close she should have sensed it long ago.
What? How did it get this close without us noticing?
No. We did notice…
Her gaze dropped to its hands—a bundle of long, dried stems, half-lit and smoking at the tips. A creeping haze coiled upward from them. She darted a look around the camp. At some point, a fog of smoke had thickened around them.
"Run!" she yelled, clamping a hand over her mouth and nose. "We've been drugged!" It was the only explanation for why they'd ignored so many red flags. "We're about to be ambushed!"
Takara's head snapped up at the claim. Her eyes darted around—nothing. Just an empty bush. But when she saw Sana whirl in panic and bolt into the trees, she didn't hesitate.
Kaede, move it!" she barked, turning to follow. She knew better than to doubt Sana in this twisted labyrinth of a forest, where losing sight of someone once could leave you stranded for weeks—and Sana, for better or worse, had a strange instinct for anything that walked.
They'd dodged wolves, snakes, and all manner of predators thanks to her sixth sense. Ignoring it now wouldn't just be foolish—it would be suicide.
Kaede hesitated for only a heartbeat, torn between staying with the stranger and following her companions. Takara was already vanishing into the dark.
The sobbing girl's eyes went wide as she realized they were leaving her behind. "Don't leave me!" she gasped, stumbling forward.
Kaede swore under her breath, grabbed the girl by the arm, and pulled her up. "Run."
The small group plunged into the woods, the firelight dying behind them—leaving only the rustle of their feet and the pounding in their ears.
The forest swallowed them whole. Branches clawed at their faces, and roots snagged their boots. The night air felt heavier here, damp and pressing against their lungs.
Sana didn't slow. Her bare feet seemed to know the path before her eyes did, weaving between thickets with the ease of someone born to the dark.
But Kaede… Kaede could feel her breath growing shallow. Her chest tightened, each inhale pulling more of that cloying, smoky sweetness into her lungs. Her legs felt heavier. Slower.
Behind her, the girl wheezed in short, panicked bursts, nearly tripping every few steps.
"Faster," Takara hissed, glancing back. "They're coming—"
A shadow darted through the trees to their left. Then another on the right. Shapes—low and hunched—keeping pace without a sound but the faint scrape of claws on bark.
Kaede's vision swam for a heartbeat. The world tilted, and she nearly pitched forward.
A branch ahead snapped like a bone breaking, and the forest erupted in motion.
Fifteen figures burst from the dark—macaques, their matted fur bristling, teeth bared in wet, breathless snarls. The alpha was among them, eyes catching the faint moonlight in a cold, pale glint. His nostrils flared, mouth twitching in a grin that wasn't human.
They moved as one, fanning out through the undergrowth, cutting off paths Kaede hadn't even realized were there.
"Left!" Sana barked, veering hard and shoving past a low bush—only to stop dead.
The forest ahead was thick with smoke, hanging low and swirling like a living thing. The stems. More of them.
Kaede's head swam harder. The edges of her vision turned black.
The troop closed in, their movements deliberate now. They weren't rushing. They didn't have to.
A sharp ping rang through Sana's skull—so sudden she flinched.
Her eyes darted up.
There, between the twisted boles of two ancient trees, a shadow rippled against the bark. And then it took shape—tall, draped in a blood-red kimono, sleeves trailing like torn banners. An oni mask stared back at her, white lacquer painted with cruel crimson curves. One pale arm rose, a single finger pointing down a narrow deer path half-hidden in the brush.
Sana's breath caught. The figure didn't move, didn't breathe.
"Who… are you?" She whispered, but her voice seemed to vanish before it reached the thing's ears. No one else in the group reacted—they didn't see her.
Kaede's shout snapped her back. "They're moving in!"
The macaques surged forward, no longer creeping but loping in sudden, vicious bursts. One leapt from a tree, claws flashing; Takara's fist met it mid-air, sending it sprawling with a shriek. Another barreled toward Kaede—she barely ducked in time, dragging the sobbing girl with her.
Sana's head pounded. The figure in red was still there, still pointing. The path was narrow and overgrown, but something deep in her gut told her it wasn't random.
"Follow me!" she barked, slicing at an advancing macaque's arm before shoving past the tangle of brush.
"Where—?" Takara started, but Sana cut her off.
"Just move!"
They broke through the undergrowth, the ghostly woman's crimson form flickering at the edges of Sana's sight like a lantern in fog. Behind them, the troop's snarls filled the air, heavy bodies slamming through the brush in pursuit.
The path twisted sharply, roots curling like coiled snakes underfoot. The girl in the oni mask stepped backward into the mist, always just ahead, always pointing forward—leading them deeper into the forest's dark throat.
The path narrowed, thorns clawing at their clothes as they sprinted. Breath tore in and out of their lungs, the drug's weight still clinging to their limbs.
The snarls behind them grew louder. Closer.
The sobbing girl stumbled at the rear, her bare feet slapping the earth in uneven rhythm. Sana risked a glance back—just in time to see a blur of matted fur burst from the treeline.
It hit the girl full force, driving her down into the dirt. Her scream was raw and animal as claws pinned her shoulders. Another macaque landed beside her, jaws closing around her forearm with a sickening crunch.
"Help me! Please!" she shrieked, eyes wide with terror.
None of them turned back.
Kaede's stomach twisted, but her legs only pumped harder. Takara's face was set, cold, and unflinching. Sana didn't even glance over her shoulder again. The forest swallowed the girl's screams, replacing them with the wet sounds of tearing flesh.
They ran.
And then—dead end.
The path ended in a wall of black rock, slick with moss and shadow. From the treeline ahead, shapes moved—macaques, half a dozen at least, their eyes glowing faintly in the dark as they fanned out to block the way.
Sana's heart slammed against her ribs. "No—"
The earth beneath them shuddered.
A deep, rumbling growl rolled up from the ground, vibrating through their boots.
With an explosion of soil and roots, a massive shape burst upward—towering, golden-brown fur matted with blood and bristling with arrows that jutted from its flanks. Thick golden cords dug into its flesh, crisscrossing its body like a cruel net, glowing faintly in the gloom.
The bear's eyes blazed—not with the dull panic of a wounded animal, but with a sharp, almost human fury. It threw back its head and roared, the sound shaking the air and scattering leaves like a storm wind.