"The signs point towards deeper into the forest. From what I can tell, these footprints have been here for a day or two. Not humanoid that's for sure."

The young man stood back up as he brushes off the dirt that caked his fingers, leaving them only slightly darkened.

"We should be careful of any traps that could have been set by the elves."

Aria nodded in response as she made her way behind Leon.

"Do you have any ideas what we're tracking?"

"Likely some orcs, or a group of Killikis."

"Killikis?"

"Hooved beasts that are usually docile. They move in herds and can be found in forest clearings, Strange though. Killikis usually avoid moving in dense wooded areas so why would their tracks be found here?"

"You think something forced them to move?"

"I'm thinking that whatever made a group of 200-500 pound beasts move from their preference to clear open areas to a more dense habitat, then yes, there's a chance that there's a major upset in the ecosystem"

"What's the plan then? We follow these tracks or we try to find out what made them run?"

"Yeah sure. Let's go find whatever is making a herd of Kilikis who are over 300 pounds, on average, and present ourselves on a silver platter. Of course we follow the damn tracks."

Leon and Aria make their way through the forest by following the tracks all the way to the edge of a forest clearing. Not quite circular in size but close enough to see that it was quite odd.

Aria was the first to spot a herd of kilikis in a huddle as they all congregated into one spot. She pointed them out and noted that they looked quite odd for being 300 pound hoofed beasts. These Kilikis were all quite thin as if they had not been able to eat for weeks.

Hearing the rustling of bushes, Aria glanced back to see Leon coming out into the clearing. He looked around and found the herd that she was talking about. What Leon saw however was a different story than to what Aria had told him. 

These Kilikis weren't starved at all but rather they are in quite good condition. They were indeed huddled together but with the males facing outward and the calfs and female kiliki inside the huddle. 

They were clearing being protective of their herd. But from what exactly? 

Leon had been feeling an odd premonition, almost as if his blood had been warning him that if they go any further than they are now, thier lives would be in danger. He attempted to stopp Aria from going any closer towards the herd but he was a moment too late. 

She had been noticed by something menacing. A presence that should not have been able to exist. What they saw was a humanoid figure but it was oddly, distorted. 

The figure looked like it had a wide brimmed hat that had the texture of bark. It's body with it's freakishly long arms and it's spindly long fingers which curled at it's fingertips. It's skin was a dark clammy grey with eyes that were replaced with jutting branches that seemed like roots. But what was most noticible was the wide, eternal smile that spread across it's face reaching to the hinges of it's jaw. 

It seemed like a nightmare come to life as it thrust one of it's creepy arms into the ground towards us. It wasn't soon after that the ground began sprouting dead branches that followed our every movement, threatening to entangle and capture us. 

It saw us as it's enemy. It's prey. We need to run. Now.

Leon screamed at Aria to sprint back into the forest. Not questioning his judgement she took off with a surprising amount of speed as her body almost became a blur as Leon followed suit.

They ran for a minute. Two minutes, then three. Then when they've felt they had run far enough, they stopped to catch their breaths.

Aria, laying flat onto the ground while taking deep breaths, was the first to speak.

"What, in the living hells, was that?"

Leon, in a similar position replied with a fear he had never felt before.

"I don't know, and, I for one, don't want to find out. Guuaah. Lets get out of here before that nightmare shows up."

"Agreed"

The two rested for a few minutes to catch their breaths while the occasional bush rustling around them. Leon had noticed what had been happening.

"Don't move Aria"

"What? Why? Didn't we just say to get the hells out of here?"

A voice came from within the canopy of trees as several elves popped from the bushes, bows drawn and blades gleaming with the occasional sunlight filtered through the trees.

"You shouldn't have come here humans. We don't take kindly to outsiders in our forest."

The voice came from a elven man, handsome with his silvery blond hair tied back with two strands of hair braided on the left side of his scalp. He wore a vest that seemed to be laquered wood and hardened leather strapped and woven tightly together almost as if it was naturally made for him.

He drew his falchion as he walked within one and a half meters in front of Leon and Aria.

"You've seen the Blighted haven't you? And yet you lived?"

Leon and Aria looked to each other and simply nodded in acknowledgement.