Rise of The Fallen (unedited Version) (COMPLETED)

Chapter 16

-Elazar-

I've been searching for hours. Night has fallen and despite having several hunters out searching the forest, no one has found anything. I've searched all along the river where he should have been fishing but I found no tracks. No signs of a struggle, no signs of any scraps left behind from hunting.

There was nothing.

Did paku's brother even come out this way? Perhaps he went downstream instead? But what would've made him change direction...

There's no reason for him to have left or gone elsewhere, especially considering he has a newborn kit. Abandoning your mate or kit is unthinkable, there's no way he would have just simply left the tribe grounds without a good reason and without telling his family.

So where is he?

Stopping in my search I noticed something interesting on the ground and crouched down to get a better look.

It was those strange tracks again. The same ones I found the day before while hunting for venshal. They were far from the area I had found them in last time and they seemed much fresher.

I lightly grazed my fingers over the strangely shaped prints and my eyes followed the trail before me. They were rounded like hooves but created a strange pattern unlike anything I've ever seen on any creature before. My curiosity over the strange marks got the best of me as I redirected my focus from searching for my missing tribes mate.

Looking around the forest I didn't find anything else that seemed out of place or that would reveal whatever these tracks came from. There was no noise to indicate anything was nearby, just the sounds of the many forest critters chattering about freely, there was no movement from anything prowling about in the moonlit shrubs, everything was still. And no smells beside that of mud and-

My nose twitched and my body tensed as I sniffed the air.

Blood.

My stomach sank and I could feel uncertainty taking over as I quickly located the direction the scent came from and rushed through the trees. I hardly even realized I had been following the trail of strange prints until they seemed to become more frantic and sloppy, indicating whatever they belonged to was running.

Ducking and leveling through the ferns and branches of the path ahead I could smell the iron stench of blood getting thicker the closer I got and I internally started to worry that something bad had happened to paku's brother.

The scent of blood was strong. Too strong.

As I approached the exact source of the stench I slowed my pace and my eyes trailed along the ground seeing the paw prints of a devil-cat overlapping the strange tracks from before. I walked forward swatting the branches of small ferns and bushes out of my way before stopping in my tracks completely.

A few feet ahead of me was a dark figure lying on the ground, unmoving. Cautiously I stepped forward, clutching my spear, ready to strike.

I recognized the dark splotchy furr and the rigid form of a devil cat but the creature seemed to be unresponsive to my approach and was laying atop of some kind of dark mass

Stepping closer my eyes adjusted to the darkened area and I could faintly make out the man-like figure beneath the beast.

My tail twitched and I rushed forward, dropping my spear to my side before shoving the feline's body aside to get a better look.

Practically freezing on the spot I stared in horror at the small female dressed in rags who lay bloody and unconscious on the ground. My mind reeled as I recognized the small figure, wearing her strange clothing, and her long dark hair. It's the same female from before but how- why is she out here?!