The jungle continues darkening around us.
“Can we stay here?” I ask. “I don’t want to walk in the dark. And I need a rest.”
“More rest?” Vyrathion says, exasperated. “Resting is all you ever do!”
“I can’t go on as fast as you can. Sorry.”
“Oh, very well,” he growls. Then he walks right into the jungle and vanishes in the thick greenery.
Damn.Did he decide to go on without me?
I stand there indecisively for a while. The jungle suddenly seems much closer, more threatening. The trees become difficult to see more than a short distance through, and the shadows beneath them deepen into pools of blackness and movement. The atmosphere changes with the light. Everything feels more dangerous.
The little Plood presses closer to my side. I can't really blame him. If I had someone to press into, I would absolutely be doing that, too. Say, a dragon of some description.
Then I hear something moving through the brush off to our left. The sound is heavy and deliberate.
A second noise comes from the opposite side. Then another.
The hairs rise on the back of my neck as I back into a thick tree trunk. "Yeah, this is not the time."
“The time for what?” says a smooth voice into my ear.
I squeal and jump with surprise. Two eyes are peering down on me from a dark face.
“Vyrathion! You scared me.”
“Thatscared you? But being alone in the jungle with only a dragon for company doesn’t? You are the strangest female ever to draw breath.”
I peer into the jungle. “Did you make those noises?”
Vyrathion sighs. “Oh my gold. Don’t tell me you have attracted more of these things? I was hoping they would choose someone else."
There’s another noise from the jungle, and I reach behind me to grab his hand. "Who?"
His hand is warm in mine, but he doesn’t squeeze. “Ah. Hmm. This is new.”
I half turn. “Oh, sorry.” I pull my hand out of his. “Who should choose someone else?”
“That thing there.” He points casually toward the darkness ahead. “And those.”
Three pairs of glowing eyes stare back at us from between the trees. A fourth pair appears moments later. The creatures remain motionless, watching.
My stomach drops. "Shit."
Vyrathion tilts his head to the side. "While I don’t approve of the word choice, I’m inclined to agree.”
The glowing eyes remain where they are. I count four sets at first, then realize there are more. Every time I focus on one patch of darkness, another pair appears somewhere else. They drift between the trees without sound, circling us.
The little Plood presses against my leg hard enough that I nearly lose my balance.
"What are they?" I ask quietly.
Vyrathion studies the jungle with mild interest. "Something with excellent instincts."
"Meaning?"
"They've noticed I'm here and haven't attacked. They must sense how dangerous that would be for them."
