A scraping.

It was claws against metal. It grated on its listener’s ears. It was one of the most horrifying noises you could ever hope to hear.

But the scraping couldn’t compare to the howl.

The howling was piercing, and it shook the whole forest to its core. Few things could spook Detective Raye Vallace, her profession was one in demand of a hellish poker-face, but this, this noise. Raye couldn’t stand it. So she ran, trying to block out the sound, thinking that if she could just focus on the crunching of leaves beneath her feet she’d be alright, if only she could make it back to her tent.

She did not, of course, make it back to her tent.

This plan was thwarted by a head of lime-green hair streaking past her into the forest, looking as unafraid and desperate as hair could look. Suddenly Raye forgot about the noise, forgot about the howling.

“What the fuck are you doing?!”

No response.

“You idiot, did you not hear that?!”

Again, no response. The head grew smaller in the distance.

In all of her foolish pride, Raye felt stupid as she pelted after the girl. She wanted to leave, to run away, but this kid couldn’t be more than just out of high school, and there was no way she was leaving a child behind due to her own fear of what was in the forest. That was a form of guilt she couldn’t handle. But a small part of her allowed herself to be angry as she shook the person’s small shoulders.

“Why the hell are you out here? We need to leave!”

The scraping was deafening now, but Raye held her ground. The person before her turned around and gave her a bloodied (?) grin that could stop traffic if she wanted it to. Despite her small stature, Raye could tell that she was older than she looked. The girl had eyes you could swim in, and a smirk that said you’d drown. Tiny pale scars were scattered across her face, they decorated her cheeks and lips in such a way that made you wonder how she’d gotten them. It made you want to know her.

“I asked if you’d heard the noise?”

Raye shook herself out of her thoughts. Stupid. “What the- of course I fucking heard it! I came out here to get you, we need to leave!”

Suddenly the girl’s face went icy. “Absolutely not. I need to get to where that noise is coming from.” The girl forced Raye’s hands off her, casting one last glance over her shoulder. “I thought you of all people might understand that, you’re a detective for crying out loud.” And then she was pulling away before Raye could question her, towing a blue backpack over her arms and sprinting off into the forest.

Of course the one cute girl Raye had met on this trip had to be a sociopath.

The scraping was even louder now, and the howl followed it soon after. Why did it howl like that? Like it was wounded? Suddenly an acidic stench rose to Raye’s nose, forcing her to choke as she ran to catch up to the girl. She’d lost her in the commotion, and she had to constantly push foliage out of the way, despite the stinging in her eyes. The forest was getting thicker, and fast.

Suddenly there was a scream that sent shivers down Raye’s spine. That was not a creature. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Images of what might have happened to the girl shot through her head. Another scream. She needed to hurry. Finally, Raye pushed one last branch out of her face, but she was surprised to see the girl on the ground, with only a few branch-induced cuts on her. Then Raye looked up.

It looked like a star had landed on the ground. A bright light that seemed to be made up of only space, as if nothing was casting it. Another wounded howl tore itself from its throat, not like it had one. Raye had to force the girl back from running at it, as she screamed. Her words however only registered after she’d thrown detective Vallace onto the dirt.

“Somebody is in that fucking light!”

But by the time that the girl had begun once again running towards the light, it disappeared, and the sounds along with it. It seemed to take a part of the forest, as all the pine needles were blown off their trees.

All that it left was the body of Mira Edyth Vadej.