Caeden walked slowly up the hidden path to the ruins near Old Fairehaven, hand resting at the blade on his hip as he balanced the bow on his back. The other set of fresh footprints along the path was not a good sign. The only people with the gall to come this deep into the forest at night were those like Caeden, on assignment with the Guild, or those searching for anything of value to pawn off in the city. 

Thieves and bandits, though, were the least of his worries. The rumors of a vicious beast roaming these woods was the reason for Caedens visit tonight. He'd been sent on reconnaissance, to gather as much information on the area and the beast as he could before they send in the big guns.

So far, there was no sign of a beast, only that of another person. The footprints in the mud following the path of crumbled stone ahead of Caeden. All the way to the standing structures of the old settlement.

Stone walls built in the shapes of houses, stairwells climbing up into the mountain, cutting deep caves throughout. Caeden had only been here once before, long ago with his childhood friends. Their carefree ignorance forgoing the warnings of this place to explore on their own. 

Caeden blinked to shake himself of the memories and back to the present. As quiet as a hunter is able, he walked the perimeter of the ruins, searching for signs of life. For both the person whose footprints led here and for the rumored beast lurking in the shadows. 

It wouldn't be hard to guess which one Caeden would prefer to find. 

It wasn't long at all before he saw the flicker of torchlight within the ruins. The warm glow illuminating the walls and stairwell ahead of him. But as he approached, the light appeared to be moving far too quickly to be that of a torch. Swing around that quickly, and the torch would inevitably go out. Caeden's brow furrowed at the oddness of it. But even in the odd, moving light, there was a shadowy shape of a person who seemed to be sitting on a broken wall. 

~~~

"Wisp! You're making it very hard to concentrate." Bennett blinked to focus his eyes as the floating flame that was his companion stopped flitting about. The light the creature gave off was very useful when he often neglects to bring a torch anywhere. 

As he continued to copy down the etchings he could see on the stone, Wisp darted out towards the wall. His orange light brings out more details of the design for Bennett to copy into his sketchbook.

"Thank you!" Wisp's light flared brilliantly at the gratitude. The little creature proud of doing a good job. Bennett smiled. 

He had seen quite a few ruins in the past year, but this place was the largest settlement he'd ever seen. There were many familiar markings on the stone that he'd found in other places, but none were like the design here. 

The design itself was large, set between two stairwells on either side climbing opposite each other. There was a large plaque in the middle inscribed with the markings of the language long forgotten. And surrounding the plaque were carvings and reliefs of people. 

Soon though, the abrupt sound of footprints behind him startled Wisp back into his hood, casting dark shadows around Bennett and the intruder. 

“What?” The person most likely startled with the light now mostly gone. “You,” Bennett turned toward the voice. “what are you doing here?” Even in the dim light, Bennett recognized the all-too-familiar garb of the Guildsmen and he stiffened, standing quickly while holding his sketchbook close to his chest. 

Wisp tumbled out of his hood with the movement, lighting the stairwells once again. The guildsman stepping back, nearly backwards down the steps with surprise. “What is that?!” He demanded. Bennett watched as his companion flit around the area energetically, the man leaning away from the creature as it got too close. Which entertained the little flame greatly, Wisp now flying even closer to the man as he dodged, The bow sliding off his shoulder with the movement and tumbling to the ground. 

“Wisp, stop it.” Bennett, now recovered from the initial shock of being found, scolded his spirited companion. Wisp circled the man once more before settling in the air by Bennett’s side, much to the appreciation of the guildsman.

The man shook his head, eying Wisp warily before his eyes returned to Bennett, who held his sketchbook tighter to his chest. “I-I know i’m not supposed to be here, I’ll leave.” Bennett looked down, turning to walk past the man and back down the stairs. But he was stopped. 

“Not so fast, it’s dangerous here, kid, I’m not letting you leave alone.” 

Bennett stopped, brow furrowing as he looked up at the man again. Dangerous? “What kind of danger that I can’t leave on my own?”

The man’s face turned even more serious, “The Beast kind.”

“Oh” Bennett’s eyes widened. 

~~~

Caeden and Bennett, the boy he’d found, walked quietly back through the ruins. Of all the people he’d expect to find, a boy and his strange flame-like companion certainly were not on the list. The little glowing creature called Wisp guided them back down the stairwell and well into the maze of crumbling walls before Bennett spoke, “You actually forgot a lantern, didn’t you?” He chuckled. 

“What?” Caeden was taken aback. 

“The reason you wanted to escort us back, you don’t have any light!” The young man’s face broke into a wide smile as he laughed. His volume increased with his mirth. 

“That- That’s not!”

“It is!”

“Be quiet!” The boy had indeed caught on, Caeden felt his face heat up with embarrassment, but his fear spiked as Bennett’s laughter echoed around them. “Shhhhh-” He covered his mouth and Bennett stopped laughing. “Listen,” Caeden told him. 

Where there once had been the sounds of birds and insects all around them in the night, now was silence. Caeden’s blood ran cold, and he saw Bennett’s eyes widen as he too realized what the silence meant. 

They continued back the way they came, quiet as they could be. Even Wisp’s light had dimmed only enough to allow them to see as they crept through the ruined city. Columns and walls around them like a labyrinth of stone and trees, through the silence.

The longer the silence lingered, the more on edge Caeden felt. Nature knows when to hide, and Caeden and Bennett had nowhere to. 

Which of them it was, Caeden didn’t know. But the snap of a twig underfoot was the first sound. The two of them stopping in their tracks.

Then the second sound was heard. A low rumble, a growl, deep and low and dangerous.