They stayed on the trail for a while, heading deeper into the forest. During the day the forest was fairly active and quite safe, especially if you were traveling with a group. The various daytime creatures typically remained out of the way of passing visitors, only making their presence known by the sounds they made in an attempt to call others of their species. Shilo had been in the forest on numerous occasions with her father, collecting berries and leaves from certain trees for their potions or medicine. They made sure to source sparingly, knowing the value this forest had on their entire town.

At night things were different. Creatures Shilo never saw were out scurrying around the forest floor. The sounds were much louder, night critters chirping in the night while moon birds fluttered in an attempt to catch them. It was a new world Shilo was not accustomed to. Her father came into the forest at night in an effort to harvest dark flowers and plants that only bloomed in the moonlight and night air, but she never accompanied him.

And now she wished that she did.

Eventually they strayed from the path, Lux leading the way. Well, not quite. It was actually his pet leading the way, crawling in front of them leaving a tiny path of his own. Shilo wasn’t so certain about following a creature, but Lux seemed satisfied. Still, she was starting to get a little disoriented. Where were they going…?

The critter came to a halt, his tongue lashing out quickly one or two times before changing direction, their new path heading uphill. The walk was getting tiring, and Shilo was just about ready to head back. Suddenly their path stopped once again, the creature bumping into a wall and letting out a tiny squeak.

But there was no wall. No visible wall at least.

“Great. All this way and we’re stuck at a boundary.” Shilo groaned, gathering her hair up to the top of her head in an attempt to cool off. This night stroll was exhausting. “I don’t know any spells to break it.”

“Hey, this halfing knows a thing or two about breaking barriers. I got this.”

He knelt down, grabbing a pouch from his pocket. He pulled the string and began pouring blue sand along the barrier in place. Shilo watched, wondering just what he had up his sleeve. Lux placed his hand before the line, whistling to his pet.

“Start scorching, Tops.”

The creature stood at one end of the line, opening his mouth and letting out a small blast of blue and gold flames. The sand caught fire, sparking and whisling in the night. Suddenly a small crack began to form in the barrier, the fire and smoke bringing it into view. With a quick tail whip, Tops busted the barrier open, leaving an opening large enough for them to fit through. Lux smiled and crawled through first, showing that it was safe. Standing up on the other side, he motioned for the others to follow.

“It’s not gonna last long. So I’d hurry if I were you!” 

He always had tricks up his sleeve...