The wind howled in the distance, stirring the forest's silence.
Most of the forest was shrouded in darkness. However, some part was lit with the light of the crescent moon above.
Following the trails of the moonlight filtering through the canopy of leaves, the scouting party advanced, their steps leaving a mark behind.
Cricket and some other nocturnal creatures sang in the darkness, creating an impression as if the forest was alive.
The group, however, advanced unbothered.
Suddenly, Valen's pace slowed down as he rolled his eyes over the surroundings.
Thran, who was following him from behind, signalled the others behind him as he sensed the sudden change.
"We're getting close…" Valen whispered.
Thran nodded before turning behind to inform others.
The group continued to advance under Valen's guidance.
Then, Valen slowed down once again. This time, it was near the edge of a ridge.
"We're here!"
With a slight change in his expression, Valen announced.
This time, his voice felt a little heavier than before. Thran noticed the change in his tone but decided to remain silent.
Before following his gaze, Thran stopped to look at Valen.
Even in this darkness, he found his eyes sparkle. Perhaps the glow was from the tears formed in his eyes. Thran couldn't be sure about it.
But he decided to ignore it.
Whether he was hurt or cried, he couldn't care less about his emotions.
He was just here to fulfil their mission. With that thought, he ignored Valen's expression filled with pain.
He didn't even bother to console him.
Instead, he followed where he was looking and found an outline of a village in the distance.
Though he could spot the outline of the village, there wasn't much to be seen. Most of the structures were charred and in ruins.
"This is the Elven village?" One of the wolf-kin muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief.
The rest of the wolf-kin couldn't bring themselves to believe their eyes either. This village looked more like an abandoned ruin than a village.
If it weren't for a few torches lighting in the distance, the group would have assumed it was an abandoned ruin.
The more Valen stared at his home, the more he felt his heart aching.
Before long, tears rolled down his face.
What used to be a thriving village was now reduced to ruin. How could he not shed tears when seeing such a miserable state of the place he grew up?
Just as a wave of sadness struck him, another wave of rage took hold of him.
He gnashed his teeth, tears still snaking down his face.
Though he was shedding tears, he wasn't sad. Instead, what he felt was intense rage— rage that threatened to devour the world as a whole.
Thran could see through his expression. He could see through the hatred and rage he harbored inside. He could tell that he was holding a storm inside.
Even so, Thran couldn't bring himself to sympathize with him.
"Let's continue to advance…" Thran ordered, ignoring the sufferings of Valen.
While Valen still couldn't shake this feeling, the others nodded before following Thran.
Now that they've reached here, Thran and the rest didn't require Valen's assistance. From here, they could carry out their mission on their own.
Even after they left, Valen continued to observe his village from the shadows.
Only after he convinced himself that he couldn't break down here did he start moving.
The group then advanced to the wolf-kin village.
However, Thran froze mid-step as he felt his ears twitching. His breath hitched.
"Wait," he whispered, barely louder than the wind. His calm voice carried weight, instantly halting the others.
The wolf-kin crouched low, their eyes darting between each other. Some reached for their weapons, though Thran raised a hand, signaling silence.
He rolled his eyes over, his sharp gaze scanning the shadows. Slowly, he leaned forward, peering through a gap in the underbrush. His golden eyes widened.
"It's not elves," he muttered, so soft it was almost lost in the breeze.
For once, he thought they had encountered elves since it was an elven village. But what he saw before shocked him.
Three figures prowled along the outskirts of the village. They were broad-shouldered, with manes catching glints of moonlight. Their feline tails flicked lazily, yet every step was precise—predatory. Leo-kin.
Thran ducked back quickly, his composure shaken. He didn't want to encounter them here. He wanted to observe their village from the shadows without encountering them.
His heart drummed faster than he'd like to admit. For him and all wolf-kin here, this was their first glimpse of the lion-blooded race.
The others leaned in eagerly, their eyes brimming with curiosity. One of the wolf-kin named Loid couldn't help himself from taking a peek.
Hence, he raised his head slightly to take a peek.
"Lions?" he mouthed in disbelief, his brows scrunching. "Why do they look like cats that swallowed a boulder?"
Though he might not have seen a lion before, he had seen cats. For some reason, he couldn't help but notice their appearance bearing a semblance to the cats.
One of the younger scouts stifled a laugh, quickly covering his muzzle. Another jabbed him in the ribs, muttering, "Shut it, unless you want to be dinner."
Still, the tension was unbearable. Their ears twitched at every sound, every scrape of claw against stone. Across the field, one of the Leo-kin warriors paused mid-patrol, his ears perking.
He sniffed the air, his mane rippling in the faint breeze.
Though their voices weren't loud, Thran couldn't help but furrow his brows.
"Shh! You morons, lie low if you don't want your heads chopped!" Thran growled as he warned them to keep a low profile.
Well, these people weren't exactly trained. Hence, he couldn't blame them for their behaviors either. But that didn't mean they could act recklessly during such an important mission.
Just as he was warning them, he saw one of the wolf-kin freeze.
Thran couldn't understand why he reacted that way. But the first doubt that crept into his heart when he saw him freeze was that they had been noticed.
Panicking, he turned behind to find the Leo-kin whispering something.
"... Do you smell something?"