“Kaleb,” began Minx, “what's the matter? You all right?”
He extended a hand to silence her. For a time, only the pop of the fire, Mau's even breathing and the gurgling of the nearby spring could be heard. He approached Minx and Alla, urging them to sit, and ventured a few steps from the camp. “There's something here... A presence.”
Minx eyed her bow on the ground. “Oh?”
“I've picked up a scent,” continued the dragon shifter. He hiked a thumb at Alla. “It's a strange one... reminds me of her.”
“It smells like Alla?” Alla's peculiar scent, which had perplexed Kaleb for many days on the trail, was owed to her being half dragon and half Fae. Prior to meeting Alla, neither of them had ever encountered such a hybrid, and until just a moment ago, neither had dared suspect the existence of any others.
Mau awoke, ears twitching, and turned toward the fire. She stared past the tongues of bobbing flame, a growl welling in her chest. Someone's there.
A thin, dark form passed soundlessly through the trees from the direction of the spring. The visitor paused at the edge of the camp, obscured by the pre-dawn shadow and the folds of a long, black cloak.
“Who goes there?” demanded Kaleb, placing himself between the mysterious figure and the others in the camp.
The figure looked up to meet Kaleb's fiery gaze. Perhaps it was merely the shadows playing tricks, or the glow of the firelight lending his countenance something of the wicked, but the gaze that escaped from the edge of that black hood was every bit as arresting—and powerful—as the dragon shifter's. This stranger was handsome, with neat, angular features and an effusion of dark black braids hanging from his scalp. His skin, however, was a deep green. He arched a sturdy brow and studied the occupants of the camp closely.
Minx helped Alla back to the ground, and was about to pick up her bow, when the figure finally spoke. Something in his voice disarmed her, made her hesitate in reaching for it. The Fae huntress wasn't ordinarily one to yield to threats, but the power in this voice promised of an ability to follow-through on them.
“I wouldn't touch that bow if I were you,” uttered the visitor, hands at his sides. From beneath the edges of the cloak, one could make out the tips of his fingers. They were green, scaly and clawed, like Alla's. He took a step into the camp, the firelight throwing his shadow across the woods and further amplifying his intimidating aura.
“Who are you?” asked Kaleb. He neared the fire, moving stiffly as if in anticipation of an attack. Kaleb had always been careful in the face of unexpected threats, but Minx had never seen him act like this before. His movements were tentative, and though his voice boomed through the waning night, it lacked the confident oomph she'd come to expect.
Is... Is Kaleb scared? What's the matter? Minx stood behind him, trying to get a read on this strange visitor. It was true that this figure was odd-looking, and the aura he exuded was rather imposing. Even so, Kaleb was a fire dragon of the Pyra Clan. What did he have to fear? He needed only to don his dragon form to strike fear into the heart of this stranger. A few flaps of his wings or a single fireball would send the fiercest enemies running for the hills.
The hooded man did not concern himself with Minx or Kaleb, but instead looked to Alla. He extended a hand toward her and beckoned with a flick of his scaly fingers.
Alla, only hours ago at death's door, stood bolt upright, animated by a palpable terror. Her pale eyes widened at the sight of this stranger and her shoulders trembled.
“Come, Alla,” ordered the hooded man, beckoning once again.
The girl shook her head ferociously, but seemed unable to speak. The fear had stopped up her throat.
Kaleb bristled at the stranger's insistence. “All right, that's enough. Stay put and tell us who you are. Alla's with us. She doesn't have to go anywhere.”
Minx chimed in, standing at Kaleb's side. “We're only going to warn you this once. Don't come any closer.”
Heedless of their warnings, the hooded man strode silently into the camp, pausing on the other side of the fire to nonchalantly warm his clawed hands. “So, Alla, this is the kind of strange company you've chosen to keep, eh?” He shook his head. “You've fallen in with quite the bunch here. A Fae, a dragon and a pet cat. How nice. Now, it's time to bid your playmates a good night. We have places to go, you and I.”
Minx was about to launch a series of insults at the stranger, but fell short as someone tugged eagerly at her arm from behind.
It was Alla. The girl pulled both her and Kaleb away from the fire and stepped past them, as if to shield them from the visitor. “D-Don't go near him,” she whispered.
“Alla, what're you thinking?” asked Minx, trying to urge her back.
Despite her recent illness, the girl's strength proved considerable, however. She held her ground and continued ushering the duo away from the fire. “I mean it... stay away from him. Don't... Don't worry about me, OK?” Whatever strength she had lost over the course of her recovery had been topped off by the terror that now coursed through her.
“What is this?” asked the stranger with a toss of his scaly hand and a dark chuckle. “Don't tell me these are really friends of yours, Alla. These second-rate specimens are hardly worth your time.” He pointed at Mau, snickering. “And you're liable to catch fleas from that thing. Come away from there.”
Minx couldn't help exploding. She broke away from Alla's grasp and approached the stranger, fuming. He didn't appear armed, and wasn't large or muscular enough to pose much of a problem. “Second-rate, huh? Let's hope those fists of yours are as tough as your
