Fern tendrils laced with dewdrops brushed against his clothes, leaving tiny little spots on on the fabric. Soft moss underfoot lightened the sounds of his steps, leaving him keenly aware to the ominous sounds around him.

The fire cracked and sizzled in his palm now. A light haze had settled across the great forest this night, leaving visibility low and Credo tense. He could be attacked from any angle at this point. He kept cautious and pressed on.

The haze began to thicken into a dense fog, his fire wilting in response. He glanced down at it and flexed his hand, the flame reigniting into a strong orange glow. He was on edge, nervous and aware of his surroundings. Despite being deep in the woods, the last thing he wanted to do was run into one of the forest marauders that frequent places like these, where they could find people alone and have them disappear without a trace.

The moss became slippery, water droplets sticking to the soft green fuzz and posing a hazard, in addition to the strangely smooth mud. His boots struggled for traction as he had to focus on keeping his flame going, keeping from slipping, and staying aware, all at the same time.

He wondered what would happen if he ran into one of the marauders. And, with a tinge of emotion he couldn't exactly pinpoint, he also wondered if he'd run into somebody he knew.

That somebody that he almost wanted to run into was Kagu.

Kagu had a looming presence, despite behind quite lanky, and iridescent grey feathers. He towered over nearly everybody, and as a result, almost never had violence inflicted upon him. It was mostly his drunken band of marauders he had paired up with, picking fights with him and subsequently getting pummeled into the ground. Beating them to death wasn't a tragedy for Kagu, however. Being a necromancer has its perks, including bringing your crew back to life at any moment, which is why they joined him in the first place.

He wondered what his old marauding partner Kagu would do in this situation. The fog was dense and stuck to his lungs. His vision was whited out and his flame desperately reached for oxygen. His steps were hurried but careful, the ground thick with dew and threatening to fall away at any moment.

His weakness was water, and he had to remember that. The endless grey ahead only rendered him powerless. Distant animal sounds had chills running up his spine and he suddenly felt as if he was cornered.

A low grumbling noise sounded from his right and he whirled around, trying to spot anything and everything he could, to no avail. The growl rattled his spine and he froze, hearing footsteps in the blanket of fog.

He half wanted to, half didn't want to, but he did it anyways. He raised his palm up and focused his energy on it, the struggling flame forced to grow into a brilliant inferno.

His heart dropped. Unflinching, Like a horrifying statue, in a stalking pose was an Elaptrid.

The greyish-brown skin that adorned it was made every bit worse by the lack of ears, strong, square jaw, and trail of drool dripping off of its impressive canines. It moved with cold calculation, eyes glinting like sharp flint stone, deciding what it was to do with this being in its territory.

Credo glanced around, sweat rolling down his forehead. He fought to control his breaths as he heard the low rumbling growl of the Elaptrid. The fog was no help as his eyes skittered with no clear exit in sight.

He didn't have time to think. Suddenly, as silent as the night, the creature pounced.

Long scythe-like claws tore into his clothes, dangerously close to his skin. He shrieked and a plume of fire arose from underneath the beast, but it was undeterred. Gnashing teeth cut close to his neck, his fire doing nothing in the way of the Elaptrid's tough leathery hide.

He let out a distressed cry, suddenly aware of the injuries dotting his body. Dark, nearly black blood welled out of a bite wound on his arm and he tore away, kicking the creature's belly and screaming at it, his fire proving to be too weak, even towards something as simple as this.

He rolled on the wet mossy ground, ferns reaching and becoming coated in his blood. With a final kick to the snout the Elaptrid stood back for a moment, shaking its head and pawing at its nose.

That was enough time for Credo. He staggered to his feet and dashed off, tripping over gnarled roots, limping, leaving droplets behind him. He tensed as he heard a bellowing roar, the ground shaking. Footsteps followed him at an amazing pace and he neglected to look back, closing his eyes and sinking into a conscious ball of numbness.

He didn't know how long he had run. All he knew is when he finally let his guard down, it was night. The glow flies had come out, blinking canary yellow and dimly lighting the way in front of him. He allowed himself to continue on with a limp, the gashes in his leg still unattended to. The sky above glittered with innocent stars and he took a moment to survey his surroundings, almost wishing he could find the treeline so he could escape the forest. He shook his head. The forest was so vast that it was nearly impossible for him to find a way out in the next few days.

A felled tree near a stump was the perfect place for him to set up a camp, he decided. He dared not to venture further until daylight broke. The tree formed a shelter merely with a roof of dead leaves, set above a somewhat-roomy dip in the earth that would fit him perfectly. He winced as he attempted to take his bag off, his fingers brushing over an almost fresh wound.

He set a tarp over the leaves and entrance, crawling in and shutting the flap. The grass was soon warm and dry inside. He had enough room to sit up, and he took advantage of this, removing his coat and checking on his upper-body injuries.

The damage that he could see so far wasn't as bad as he thought, but it absolutely wasn't great. Red teeth marks and gashes torn by claws dotted his skin. He finally took a roll of bandages and crudely secured them in place over the most severe ones. He didn't have enough for all of them, nor did he bother with the injuries below his waist.

He held up his coat, inspecting it. He was disappointed to see the extent of the damage to it, noting ripped seams and tears, as well as small blackish stains. Kagu had it made specially fireproof for him, and he felt guilty. The air was chilly, even with the small fire he has built, so he put the coat back on.

Time wasn't a concern of his. He laid hid head down, drawing his knees up to his chest, and let out a deep sigh, letting he eyes flutter closed. His weight pressed some of his wounds to the ground, but he was getting used to it. All he decided to hope for tomorrow morning was a reason to get out of this damn rut.