Kaela and Thorne stood back-to-back but with some distance between them. Their eyes fixed in opposite directions as they scanned the surrounding forest.
Both of them caught sight of movement of the silent, gliding shadows that shifted unnaturally between the trees. Their hands moved in unison, drawing weapons with quiet precision, their expressions calm but alert.
"They're surrounding us," Kaela murmured.
Thorne gave a short nod. "Yeah. Keep your eyes open."
Shapes flickered along the edges of the firelight, pacing the border of visibility like wolves testing a boundary. But there was no sound—no snap of twigs, no crunch of leaves. Just silence and motion.
"What are they?" Kaela whispered again, her voice calm despite the tension.
Thorne narrowed his eyes. "Dunno. Maybe some kind of wraith. But I'm not sure."
They made no move to wake Mark or Selene. Not yet. If these things were just watching, there was still a chance this didn't need to become a full confrontation.
