Queen Of Monsters

"Ru Naya, wake up!" A voice whispered beside her excitedly.

"Hmm?" Ru Naya yawned as she opened her eyes. She blinked till her eyes adjusted and focused on Yan Lin sitting beside her bed.

"Yan Lin, why are you here?" She asked him in confusion as she sat up and faced him.

Since it was so dark in the forest, it was hard to discern what time of the day it actually was. So even though the outside was shadowy and dim, it was possible that it was already midday and Ru Naya had overslept.

Still, she felt so tired like she had only been sleeping for a few short hours.

Then Yan Lin got up from her bed, his eyes shining, "We were woken up by some weird but pretty distinct sounds. Ru Naya, I think it was a lyren bird!"

Now Ru Naya was wide awake at Yan Lin's statement. She stared at him, waiting for him to admit that it was a joke, cause it was almost impossible for a lyren bird to be so near the edge. Lyren birds were one of the forest animal species that dwelled near the inner edge of the jungle. The enormous birds were known for their deadly talons, sharp sense of smell, and piercing cries. The rare creatures had only been hunted a few times despite many efforts to catch it. So if their group managed to bring one back then they could earn a lot of gold for it.

"I'll come along as well!" Ru Naya said eagerly. She almost stood up but Yan Lin put his strong hands on her shoulders and pushed her down.

"No. Remember, today is not your hunting day so Zan Mei and you will stay behind. I just wanted to let you know that we will be leaving now. Zan Mei is still outside and guarding the camp, so you can go back to sleep."

Ru Naya pouted. As if she could go back to sleep now! a lyren bird had shown up, and she was expected to forget about hunting it and go back inside her sleeping bag. Who in their right mind could possibly fall asleep?

However, Yan Lin glared at her until she finally acquiesced. She knew that he was speaking as the group leader rather than her boyfriend. So she couldn't go against his command even if she wanted to badly go hunting with him.

"I don't want you to worry over me or the others. Take rest, we'll be back soon." With that, Yan Lin quickly kissed her before leaving the tent.

Ru Naya watched till his silhouette disappeared and sighed. A lyren bird was a vicious one and the only way to escape it was to get rid of one's scent. It was hard to ditch it once it had caught on the scent of its prey, and so it would have been better if Yan Lin had more manpower hunting the bird. But, she also knew that the camp couldn't be left unattended since all of their belongings were stored here and someone had to guard it.

Hope you bring that bird back, she thought to herself tiredly and laid back down again. Though the news was extremely exciting, it didn't stop the tiredness from settling deep inside her bones. Once she heard the noises of the group fade away from the camp after Zan Mei wished them good luck, she went back to sleep again.

---

When Ru Naya looked up at the sky she could barely make out daylight since the sky was mostly blocked by the leaves. The only other light source in the camping grounds was from the fire that was burning brightly.

Zan Mei must have started it soon after the dawn break, Ru Naya thought as she studied the empty camping ground.

The vacant grounds looked more derelict and unfriendlier with most of its occupants missing, causing Ru Naya to feel a bit unnerved. There was just something about the atmosphere that didn't seem right. It was too desolate and too quiet, and a silent forest was a bad omen.

It meant that the animals were keeping quiet because they had sensed that there was a threat nearby, and they didn't want to alert the predator of their location.

Ru Naya wished that the men would be back already. Though she knew that it was expected that they hadn't yet returned because they were still trying to catch the dangerous bird. Hunters with decades of experience had become food for this fierce species so it was imperative that they were cautious while trying to catch the bird, so it could very well take the entire day.

Regardless, Ru Naya believed that her group could do it. The hunters were experienced and Yan Lin was the one leading them. To have that much manpower and skills at their disposal meant that it was just a matter of time before the bird was trapped by them.

The question, will whatever danger that was lurking nearby wait till the group came back?

She eyed the fire and tried to calm herself down. The forest dwelling creatures were denizens of the darkness, so they didn't like light as they weren't used to it. Thus, the fire not only acted as a light source for the humans but it also helped to keep the danger at the bay.

Besides, they were at the edge. Even if there was an animal targeting them, Ru Naya was pretty sure she and Zan Mei could take it on.

The lake had a small embankment that was surrounded by trees and plants. The surface of the lake was deathly still and it looked like a mirror to another world. Since it was morning, some sun rays had managed to slither in from the gaps in the branches of the trees, and they faintly illuminated the surroundings, thus making the scenery look even more gorgeous than it already was. Ru Naya bent before the lake and dipped her hands in the cool water, the ripples broke the still silence of the surface and Ru Naya watched them grow larger before they finally receded again.

She washed her face, savouring the cool feel on her skin. The water dripped down her rosy cheeks, and she dried her face quickly. Once she was done, she refilled her water bottle and then got up to head back to the camp.

However, the foreboding aura got stronger the closer she got to the camp. She was throughly freaked out now, and since she didn't want to be alone, she ran back to the camping grounds. She truly expected the camp to be shredded and destroyed, but once she was back she saw that nothing was out of the place. The tents were still in their original position, the dirty utensils were still piled up near the campfire, the ground didn't have any foot impressions that looked out of place. It was the same camp as it had been last night and today morning when Yan Lin had left, yet looking at the scene in front of her made Ru Naya's blood turn cold.

Her blood became colder and colder till she felt her body freeze. The camp was empty but the fire burning meant that someone had been here. Someone who had lit the fire and went about their day.

Someone like Zan Mei.

"Zan Mei?" Ru Naya called out loudly.

There was no reply.

She called out Zan Mei's name again and again but there was no answer. She could feel desperation set in her bones as she scrambled around and searched for her. She hoped that Zan Mei had merely fallen asleep in some tent and that is why wasn't replying to her. But Zan Mei wouldn't be so careless as to not wake Ru Naya up before taking a nap.

Even as Ru Naya tore around the camp looking for Zan Mei, in her heart she knew something bad had already happened.

Ru Naya quivered as she stood in the camp, dumbfounded. This was the worst case scenario and she didn't know what to do. Yan Lin and the others were gone hunting and she was the only one left. Should she wait here for them before looking for Zan Mei?

That was ridiculous, if Zan Mei had left, it wouldn't have been on her own accord. In this perilous forest, every second meant that she was closer to death. Ru Naya didn't know when the group would return and it could very well be nightfall by the time they were back. By that time Zan Mei could be seriously hurt, or worse, she could be dead.

On the other hand, she goes searching for her. Ru Naya would be risking her life and the security of the camp but none of them mattered as much as her best friend. Ru Naya wouldn't be able to stay here still anyways, and she had to do everything she could to find Zan Mei.

Or else, she would never be able to forgive herself.

So Ru Naya quickly scrawled some words in the mud to say that she was gone. With that, she got up and hurriedly left to search for her missing friend.