Reflections of Mist

Camouflage

Something was definitely following Emilia.
That, she was sure of.
No idea what it was, no idea where it was, no idea how much of a threat it was, but something was definitely following her.

She needed eyes in the back of her head to have even a hope of tracking it, and then probably something more than a flick knife to take it out.

And that was assuming there was only one.

Still, Emilia felt she had the advantage. This place had been her playground, she knew almost every nook and cranny. And in this place, there was a lot of those...

There.

Movement.

Right there.

Just above the  stairwell.

She couldn't quite see it, whatever it was colour blended to the surroundings like a chameleon, but she could just make out the ripple of movement across the paisley wallpaper.

And... It was gone.

She'd blinked, and it was gone.

Fingers tightening around the knife, she scanned the room with hunters eyes, trained in the dense forests where she roamed. If she could hunt there, she could hunt here.

Noise.

The sound of movement.

But from where, she couldn't work out.

She didn't have to. The answer was provided seconds later.

The creature leapt from it's cover, leaping at her from behind, knife-like claws extending from it's dark hands, it's face twisted behind a large, fanged maw.

She turned to soon, missing her swing with her blade, instead falling backwards on her heel with an undignified thud!

It bore down on her, all teeth and claws, ready to rip, to tear, to kill...

Emilia growled low in her throat, eyes swirling as she prepared to shift...

Something exploded inches from her face, gushing smoke between them, forcing her and her attacker away from each other as acrid smoke clogged her lungs, making her cough.
Sparks danced before her eyes, disorienting her.

A girls voice chimed from somewhere nearby.

"Oi, Rigsy! You got her too, you moron!"