Queen Of Monsters

Soon, they all set off for the forest.

The sun was now up in the sky and there was not a single speck of cloud. Ru Naya was glad that the weather was clear as it had rained just a few days ago. Unfortunately, the rain meant that the footprints and the lingering scents would have vanished, making it harder for them to hunt anything without any trails.

She held hands with Yan Lin as they left the security of Bon Sicini behind. The distance between the forest and the border wasn't a huge one as there was only a small strip of barren land that demarcated the forest and the imperial city. The hunters had to cross this final stretch of land to enter the first lines of the trees that marked the beginning of the forest. The tall trees were knitted close together, forming an ominous barrier that wanted to keep its secrets confined inside. Ru Naya marvelled quietly, to see trees tall enough to block the skies was a sight to behold.

They continued walking when Yan Lin finally spotted a small path that disappeared inside the forest. It had been created by a hunter a long time ago and now was exclusively used as the entrance by people heading inwards. He stopped on front of the path and the others stopped as well. He surveyed the group, before speaking, "Everyone, this is the entrance to the forest. Once we go in, it will be hard to exit. So make sure you have everything you need for this two day trip, and if you want to back out then do it right now. We'll stay around the edges this time, as i've heard rumours that some big group from the city entered earlier today, so we don't want to run into them. However, don't let the idea of staying near the border lull you into a false sense of security. The forest is dangerous no matter what and we will be faced with terrifying things. So stay sharp and stay safe."

"Yes sir!" Everyone exclaimed. Though Yan Lin had stressed about the dangers, the hunters still felt safe. They had two of the most skilled hunters present with them this time, so they would surely be able to deal with anything that the wicked forest throws at them.

"One more thing," He reminded as he passed the first line of the trees, "remember to stay in pairs. No matter how strong you are, being alone here will definitely get you killed."

With that somber command, all of them entered the forest.

Ru Naya gasped, no matter how many times she had been in the forest it still managed to awe her. The path sn.a.k.e.d through the huge trees whose branches were larger than some of the houses in Bon Sicini. The soaring trees blocked the sky and it was hard to discern whether it was night or day. Some of the ancient trunks had symbols carved in them, which gave the forest an eerie and an unearthly glow. No one knew how these symbols were made, but it was common knowledge that they had been created by the stray witches. These runes acted as guiding trees for hunters, as certain symbols only appeared at various depths inside the forest. Thus, they were used to judge the distance from the edge and helped the hunters navigate the dark woodlands.

However, it was a deadly gamble as they couldn't always be trusted. The witches were known to carve the symbols to lure innocent humans deeper into the maw of the jungle, and lead them to their cruel deaths.

Ru Naya studied her surroundings carefully, her eyes were sharp and her ears alert. She noticed that the wet ground had fresh impressions of footprints in them. She hoped that those were from the rumoured group that Yan Lin had mentioned earlier.

Once they were surrounded by the trees, the haunting sounds began. Few animals in the forest howled loudly while some of the birds overhead in the trees keened. Occasionally, rustling sounds could be heard from the bushes near the path that would halt if the group stopped walking as well. It was hard to pinpoint where the cacophony of the sounds originated from cause the forest was so lush and dense. The trees created a wall around them and it wasn't easy to see the surroundings, only foreboding darkness awaited them in every direction. The group walked forwards carefully. Each one of them was experienced enough to know that one small misstep could cause their early deaths. They had no doubts that they were being watched by some creature just waiting for them to lower their defences before pouncing on them; to think that the witches lived deep in this dangerous woodlands reminded the group just how powerful they were.

"Where are we going exactly?" Zan Mei finally broke the oppressive silence.

Yan Lin answered her quietly, "To the camping grounds near the edge. Ru Naya and I had discovered it when we had come here to hunt a few months ago."

Ru Naya nodded as she stepped off a root carefully. Yan Lin and her had been hunting together when they had come across the slightly elevated land that was devoid of any trees. The location was adequately hidden from the predators, and its elevation meant that they would be able to spot any witch or animal if it approached them. However, the thing that made the grounds so perfect was that it was situated near a small lake. Therefore not only they had a water source for refilling their bottles, but also a place to wash off any strong scent from their bodies.

They reached there by midday, much to everyone's relief. They had safely made it to their camping grounds so it meant that they could take a break and rest a bit. Some of the men, along with Yan Lin, volunteered to set up tents while the others stepped forward to gather wood to start a fire. The wood was damp, so it took a few tries to start the fire, but once the sparks caught on, a fire ignited that blazed brilliantly. Zan Mei boiled some water quickly and a few others began to distribute the utensils for eating.

Ru Naya stared at the fire forlornly as she reached forward to warm her palms; because the fire would act as a beacon for their location, it would have to be extinguished once the night fell, therefore any cooking of food or warming of the palms had to be done before that.

"Everyone!" Yan Lin finally announced, "tents have been set up so chose your own."

The hunters gathered to claim theirs and Ru Naya along with Zan Mei chose the one nearest to the fire. Even though it made more sense to share a tent with Yan Lin, Ru Naya partnered up with Zan Mei because she was the only other girl there.

"Ouch, I'm going to be lonely," Yan Lin feigned being hurt by Ru Naya's decision.

"You could share the tent with me, pretty boy," One of the hunters who helped to set up the tents winked at him suggestively.

"Just make sure that you won't be too loud at night," Ru Naya grinned and Zan Mei quipped as well, "yeah and don't expend too much energy cause Yan Lin needs his beauty sleep as well!"

The others roared at their antics and began teasing Yan Lin even more. Ru Naya smiled at the close knit group of theirs.

---

Yan Lin decided to sleep alone. He claimed that as the leader of their group he had certain perks like having his own tent. The tent was situated beside Ru Naya and Zan Mei's, much to Zan Mei's dismay.

"It means I can't discuss any secrets!" She complained.

"Hey, we'll have plenty of chances," Ru Naya replied sympathetically, "let's pair up for the hunt. Then we'll have all the time to talk."

"But isn't Yan Lin going to be mad that I am stealing his girlfriend away?"

Ru Naya shook her head, "Not everyone will be in pairs and might decide to hunt together, in that case Yan Lin would have to lead them as the group leader."

"Now let's decide, who will go hunting today and who will go tomorrow."

Ru Naya had been right about the pairings: while one or two men were open to teaming up with each other, the other hunters opted to go as one large group. Thus naturally, Yan Lin had to accompany and lead them.

"Zan Mei and I'll go today," Ru Naya announced loudly.

Yan Lin nodded, "It is settled then. Meet us at the camp before sunset, else we will begin to search for you the second the night falls. Remember, don't stray off the path."

"We won't," the girls promised, and they got up excitedly because they were finally going hunting! Ru Naya couldn't wait to explore the forest and hoped to hunt some dangerous animals and make this trip truly worthwhile.