Chapter 7 Tightening the Noose

Rowan's POV

That growl wasn't your garden-variety monster noise; it was a proper threat, low and mean, vibrating right through the ground. I moved almost without thinking, edging in front of Elaria. My inner wolf was ready to scrap, muscles all tensed up.

Stick close, I muttered, quiet basically only myself could hear.

Elaria didn't need a repeat. I could feel her close behind, breathing even despite the bad vibes pressing in. She was always ready, yeah, but somethin' about this felt different. This was more than just some random monsters looking for trouble – this felt like a setup.

The smell was off. Not just the regular dirt and pine smell of Nyxvale, but somethin' heavy, a bit rotten. There was more than monster wolves out here. Somethin' else creepy was hiding in the dark.

I flexed my fingers, claws popping out as the bushes rustled again. The dark in front of us seemed to wiggle, and then eyes appeared from the trees ahead. They caught slivers of moonlight like broken glass.

Not just random monsters, Elaria whispered. Look how they're lined up.

She was right. Random wandering monsters are usually chaotic and all over the place driven by guts. These things moved with a job in mind. Patient.

A quick move out of nowhere, then stillness. A test to see what we'd do. They were waiting for us to jump first.

My chest got tight. They're messin' with us.

I snarled, stepping forward, tension filling the air. I wasn't going to play along. They wanted a fight, I was happy to give it.

Before I could charge, Elaria grabbed my arm. Rowan, hold on.

She pointed at the ground. Symbols. Scratched in the dirt, giving off strange glowing light. My blood went cold. I knew them from old books I'd been studying.

This wasn't just a trap; it was some kind of ritual.

Before I could say anything, the ground shook. The symbols flared with dark light, and the forest around us turned from a little creepy into complete, utter chaos.

A wall of shadow came bursting from the trees, sweeping at us like it was alive. I could see shapes moving inside it - twisted figures swapping between solid form and smoke. Their eyes burned like hot coal, fixed on us with some kind of hungry look.

Elaria cursed quietly under her breath. We gotta move. Now!

But it was too late. The trap was go.

Something invisible hit me hard, knocking the wind out and sending me flying. My head smacked the ground, vision blurring as the night twisted into a mess of darkness and faraway screams.

Before I went out, I saw Elaria, her gold eyes burnin' like fire, standing firm.

Then, I heard nothing.

The pressure was really getting to me, making it hard to breathe straight. Elaria's warning kept running through my head. I forced myself to keep going. The whispers were louder now, like someone was trying to get close asking me to listen and follow.

My heart was beating like crazy as the trees started to break up and I saw a lake. It was so black it didn't reflect anything. The trees around it were so still like they were holding their breath. I could feel vibrations like a buzz in my bones, a pull I couldn't stop. This place felt like it was just waiting for me to arrive.

The whispers started to make full words, which made me incredibly uncomfortable.

Rowan.

I turned around fast, but nobody was there. The air felt old, like it was watching me. My gut told me to go, but I couldn't. I walked closer to the water's edge.

The surface of the lake rippled and my reflection changed. Only for a second, but I saw something else looking back. It had my same eyes but was like a wolf. It scared me so much i could feel it's hunger like it was in my chest.

The whispers got louder and more in a hurry.

Come closer.

All of a sudden the wind picked up sending leaves into the lake. A shape started to rise out of the water pulling my focus. A figure dressed in dark clothes, having a really strong sense of power coming off it.

I tried to yell, but I couldn't find my voice.

Then, it spoke.

You are not ready.

Something shoved me, sending me hitting the ground on my back. I gasped, trying to get my breath and pain shot through my spine. Scrambling back up, my heart was banging in my chest. The figure disappeared, but you can tell the lake was disturbed by something below.

I backed away quickly, feeling dizzy and confused. I had to get out of here. I turned to run-

And stopped.

Elaria was at the edge of the trees. She looked very anxious with her eyes filled with fear and anger.

What did you do?

A strong bite of wind swept through the trees, bringing a scent that seemed out of place. My wolf was getting anxious, his senses causing a bit of conflict, feeling out of control. I took a careful step forward, muscles tense and ready while I scanned the moving shadows cast by the trees.

Come on out, I growled, trying to sound serious despite my anxiety.

Silence.

Then, a whisper-so soft, I almost thought I was hearing things. It spoke my name. Coming seemingly out of the darkness.

I quickly turned around, gripping the hilt of my sword. The scent was getting stronger, turning into a metallic decayed smell completely unfitting to my own kind.

A rustling in the brush. Then-movement.

I didn't think twice. I dove forward. My sword sliced through the air just as a figure dodged to the side, faster than possible. A quick blur of motion. As I turned to follow, something gave me a hard hit in the back, sending me to the ground.

Pain flared through my ribs, but I twisted, knocking my attacker off just in time to roll back on my feet. My breath was short as I stared at the sight before me,

Eyes. Many sets of them are glowing like embers in the dark.

And then, as one, they stepped forward.

I was trapped!