A cold shiver rushed up my spine as my skin decorated itself goosebumps. My snake like eyes widened; my pupils thinned, and they scanned through the surrounding trees breathing in every detail. Dark brown leaves melted to the damp earth below me, and the smell of mold and morning dew flooded my senses. I flexed my needle like fingers as if they were claws and held my dagger as if an extension of my own body. Turning my head sharply, I listened to the soft whispers and hums of the wind digging at my skin with a biting cold. Someone was here.

In an attempt to keep myself steady, I tightened my shaking limbs onto the ground as I prepared myself in a crouching position, Dagger pointed away from my figure. Taking in a sharp steady breath, I whistled twice, gripping the damp soil with my unoccupied hand. The now invisible figure whistled back, and even the trees cringed away from its voice. A cold, wet, rotting sound that seemed to have been dry for centuries. It wheezed and huffed, bending the branches of wildlife away in an attempt to get closer. It snapped twigs and ripped roots, inching closer from an angle I was unaware of. I felt my chest heave as my heart rate sored, glancing in every possible direction.

My legs, so weak from lack of use, shook beneath me as I continued to spin in circles. Baring my teeth in an attempt to disguise my fear, my mind raced back to base camp. So many of my friends, if that's the correct word to use, slept soundlessly unaware of our situation. We were told this woods was safe, empty of terrors, but lies seem to be most welcome here. I glanced back at the moon mocking me from above. Safe and sound, living peacefully, too. I wish to be like the moon one day. Away from our planet. Away from fear.

The cold nipped at my nose as I took in another shaky breath, the wheezing and groaning noises had stopped. The breaking limbs of innocent branches had not. It whistled once more. It cant be too old for it species, they are supposed to be quick learners. It seems the only thing it has learned was how to whistle, I never should have done so if it has already learned so quickly how to mimic our behavior. My eyes beamed through the dark, examining every tree, leaf, bark and weed. Nothing. Nothing except the sound of laughter. Laughter? What the hell? Why would base camp persist on making noises at this hour, even if the site had claimed to be safe in the first place. And then, as if I without a single thought, the rotting groaning beast began moving in that direction, away from me. Away from a promised meal, and towards stupidity.