Wendy's POV
The wind shifts when darkness reaches its deepest hour. Silver rides on the air tonight.
I wake instantly. Our campfire has faded to glowing coals, but my vision cuts through the blackness like a blade. Every detail stands sharp and clear.
The woodland has gone silent. Even the insects have stilled.
Something ancient prowls beyond the treeline, older than simple bloodlust.
We have company.
I slip upright without disturbing a single leaf. The darkness bends around me, responding to my will, whispering secrets only I can hear. My fingers find the hilt of my dagger, though I carry it more for Javier's peace of mind than necessity.
Javier tosses restlessly beside the dying fire. Dreams plague him again. Sometimes he speaks during these episodes, fragments of words and names that sound like desperate prayers. I never disturb his sleep. Whatever visions haunt him belong to a world I cannot enter.
Wood splinters somewhere in the night.
