"What do you mean by that?" Kai asked. "Like you want to follow the trail?" Really?"
Briar gave a happy nod. "Why not?" This was crazy. Even for Kai. These footprints were probably only a few hours old.
"We'll get eaten by some crazy monster," Kai said pointing at Briar. "I thought you were the one saying we should be extra careful on this expedition."
Briar just laughed. "Yeah, I understand." He crouched lower, tracing the edge of the deep print with a finger. "But this is really cool." He looked up at Kai. "How about we just follow it for like one minute?"
Kai let out a deep breath. Briar was obviously going to pester him if he said no. "Okay fine," he replied. Briars expression instantly lit up. His eyes quickly drifted to the direction the footprints were facing. "But," added, "these go perpendicular to the wall, out into the deeper wilderness. Are you really sure?"
"I'm completely sure, Briar replied. He playfully hit Kai's shoulder.
They started forward, following the trail. The prints were spaced far apart, telling a story of long, heavy strides. They led deeper into the forest, away from the faint, comforting landmark of the village wall. The world grew greener and darker. The trees here were older, their trunks thick as huts, their branches interlocking high above to form a ceiling that let in only slivers of sunlight.
Kai's senses were on fire. He saw the flicker of every leaf, heard the hum of every insect. A fat, grey bird fluttered from a branch above them, and Kai jumped. Briar gave him a look, a mix of amusement and shared nerves, and put a finger to his lips.
They moved from the cover of one massive tree trunk to the next, pausing to listen before each short dash across an open patch of ferns. The tracks led them to the base of a incline, still covered in trees, moss and vines. The tracks did still continue up.
"Hold on," Kai said, grabbing Briar's arm. "I think we've gone long enough. It's been like a minute already." He gestured toward the way they came. "And I don't want to lose the way back."
Briar looked back and forth, with a conflicted expression, then turned to Kai and scratched his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He made a wistful glance at the top of the incline.
"Okay," Kai said while turning around. "We came from this way."
They started to make their way back, not going straight but curving around a bit, it was Briar's suggestion. Kai still felt a little jumpy, but also proud. They had seen something amazing, and now they were being smart about it. The trees here were still huge, but the ground felt a little less tangled. They kept trying to step quietly, crunching leaves under their feet with every step. It was still hard.
As they were walking, they heard a distant flap sound in the air. They crouched low, and looked up. it was a spectacle. There was a dragon with dark tan scales flying with immense speed. It swooped past them and they felt a dizzying gust of wind.
"No way," Briar muttered. "We probably could've even seen that from the village."
Kai shook his head, still staring at the spot where the dragon had been. "Nah. No chance." He looked around them, at the gaps in the trees, the less crowded sky overhead compared to the village. "Back in the village, the trees are packed in so tight, and they're so tall. The canopy's like a roof over everything. It blocks out most sunlight?" He gestured upwards. "Literally why our huts are always so dim."
He thought about his own small dwelling, how even at midday, only thin slices of light ever reached the ground inside the village walls. Maybe larger beams shined on main paths, but it was way less common. Outside, where they were now, the forest was still thick, but there were more breaks, more patches of open sky. This was probably dangerous, since the dragon could've definitely swooped them up if it saw them.
"We only ever hear the dragons usually," Kai continued, his voice a little lower now, remembering those distant roars and the rumbling in the sky. "It's not that weird to hear them." He paused, looking up again. "But seeing one? Actually seeing it with your own eyes like that? That's actually awesome."
They continued along their curved path, heading back towards where they thought the village wall was.
Suddenly, Briar jumped, letting out a little gasp. "Woah!" he whispered, pointing a shaky finger at a tree trunk. "God, that scared me."
Kai looked. A creature, like a squirrel, but with fur the color of a clear sky and six limbs, zipped up the tree in a flash. Its tail was bushy and blue and it was quite large.
Kai laughed. "What, scared of a little blue rat? It's like a walking sky."
Briar playfully swatted at him. "It scared me, I won't even lie."
Kai realized something. "Hey, what if we walk adjacent to where the village wall would be? I know we can't see it from here because of the thick bushes, but we could still keep finding cool things without going too deep. We'll be close to safety, but still see things we wouldn't normally. I know large predators don't live in this area."
Briar thought for a moment, then his grin returned. "Yeah, okay. That's a good idea. Still get to explore a bit more."
They adjusted their path, aiming to walk parallel to the hidden boundary, just far enough out to feel like an adventure. The trees around them started to get a bit thicker again, and the ground felt softer and damp under their feet. They kept trying to step quietly, crunching leaves under their feet with every step. It was still very hard to push through the underbrush.
Suddenly, a sound cut through the forest quiet. It wasn't loud, but it was weird. A low, grating scrape, like rough stone dragging on the ground, followed by a soft, heavy thud.
Kai froze. His heart started that drumming, loud in his ears.
Briar paused too, his head tilted. He listened, then slowly shook his head. "Probably just a fallen branch," Briar whispered, trying to sound sure. "Or maybe a rock rolling down that hill."
"Well that hill is somewhat far now."
A blur of green and brown exploded from the thick bushes beside them. Something hard and scaled slammed into his back, pushing him down into the damp earth. The air left his lungs in a rush. He heard a grunt beside him, and a thud as Briar went down too.
A heavy weight pressed onto Kai's back. He struggled, trying to push up, but a rough, clawed hand clamped down on his arm and neck, pinning him down. He twisted his head just enough to see what was pinning Briar down. A face was there. It wasn't human. Not even close.
It was green and rough, like tree bark, but covered in big, hard scales. It had two eyes with slit pupils. A snout twitched, showing rows of sharp, tiny teeth. This was the "Non-Humans" from the stories.
Kai could only assume there was a mirror image of that monster, pinning him down as well.
Fear stabbed through Kai. it all felt so sudden and unreal. They were caught by actual monsters. He would've never thought they'd be so close to the village.