- POV General -

While the group that remained near the shore realized something disturbing, Hestia and Edward accompanied by Loki and Azeil had already left, disappearing through the trees. The sun would be setting in an hour and the surroundings had to be explored in case of potential danger. The two pirates had also brought along some hunting gear, as food was scarce and they had to be more careful anyway.

The sun's rays disappeared as they moved forward in silence, their ears pricked up to detect the slightest noise in the surroundings. Everything was however very quiet as if no life was present, locking up little by little the two in a gloomy atmosphere. Thanks to Hestia, who was used to hunting, they managed not to get lost but it was still very difficult, even for her.

Everything looked the same and yet everything was different, the trees were columns rising to the sky and the plants were made of huge leaves. It was not hard to see that this place was different from anything they had ever seen, but did they know how different ? Locked in this stifling atmosphere, the two friends and the two tigers continued to move forward in search of any sign of life.

In front of them was a tree similar to the others but much larger, with a trunk so wide that not even 10 men could go around it with their arms. Despite the growing darkness, Hestia could smell a peculiar odor coming from its roots. They were huge, emerging from the earth like giant sand worms, powerful and as big as hundreds of sea snakes.

"One second."

The young woman had spoken these words as she looked up at the root in front of her, too big to see out the other side. These two pirates were like two ants in front of this gigantic forest whose elements were of a size defying their logic. Crouching slightly, Hestia suddenly propelled herself as high as she could to get above the root, intrigued by the smell.

However, it was so huge that one jump was not enough, forcing the Captain to pull out her hunting knife and stick it firmly into the wood. Suspended in the void holding on to her knife with her right hand, she only had a few meters left before reaching the top. Swinging her body, Hestia used her strength more than her agility to do a 180° and press her right foot on the handle to jump again.

Finally landing at the top of the root, the young blonde woman crouched again to observe the bark which was a very different shade. She used her five senses and her sense of smell did not deceive her, understanding very quickly that she was this particular smell emanating from this tree. Jumping into the void again, Hestia grabbed her knife as she passed to slow her fall creating a huge gash as she went down.

"So ?"

"Feline urine. There is definitely at least one large predator in the area which would explain the abnormal absence of herbivorous animals. We must be in its territory so be very careful and double your vigilance."

This particular and strong smell that had been felt for a while belonged to a feline type of beast although many things were strange. Hestia was sure of it, there was indeed an animal roaming around but never yet she had been confronted with this situation. No noise, no animal, almost no trace as if all living beings had evaporated at the same time, leaving a gloomy, immense and empty forest.

The disturbed young woman, however, continued to advance, always followed by Edward with a compass just in case, Loki and Azeil. They still hadn't found a source of water or food and yet in just a few minutes, the darkness would completely invade them. The sun was already no longer visible, the huge trees hiding its rays leaving only the dim red light from the south to illuminate them.

"Fuck the night is going to fall."

"Shall we continue ?"

Yet as the shadows danced ever more menacingly locking them gently in their icy embrace, they had no choice. The red haired pirate had asked the question but knew the answer perfectly well and more importantly, his friend. Edward could feel the irritation rising in his Captain but also knew that the excitement was only growing...he knew because he was living it too.

"Yes, if we don't know what is potentially driving all these beasts away, who knows what could happen to us overnight. The marking looked like it was only a few hours old, but what's most amazing is that it covered a huge area. Also...did you see how big those trees are ?"

"Mmmh. This environment is special, who knows what the animals here look like."

"I want to know what's going on..."

It was a risky gamble but despite the night falling, the young woman, driven by her strong hunting instincts was determined to find the thing. At the moment when she had pronounced these words, it was suddenly Loki and Azeil who started to react, sniffing with spirit the ground a few meters away. Without a word, Hestia moved forward before crouching down where they had stopped while her friend surveyed the surroundings.

On the ground, the grass had been turned over, the earth was even almost wet and even if it was hard to determine, there had been some recent traffic. A little further, some branches had been broken and on one of the leaves composing a fern, there was finally a clue: blood. Grabbing the leaf, the young woman sniffed it first before touching the stain with her finger and bringing it to her mouth to lick the red liquid that was there.

"It's still fresh..."

Spitting out the rest of what little blood she had in her mouth, she turned to the young man who nodded while twirling his spear in his hands. He didn't need to speak to show that he was ready, no matter what they encountered in the forest at nightfall. Nodding her head in turn, the Captain squinted her eyes staring at the bushes across the street before whispering this time to point the direction.

"Over there."

Going deeper and deeper through the trees, the two friends followed the trail they had just found despite the darkening night and the increasingly poor visibility. Soon, Edward stopped to make two torches with bits of wood, cloth and grease that he had brought along in advance. A few minutes later, they were finally plunged into darkness with only the fire as a source of light.

Their heartbeat had unconsciously quickened, the sound of the crackling flames beside them not covering their heavy breathing. It was the first time that the sense of danger was so present and the darkness so suffocating and disturbing. Even Hestia, who had already hunted many times during the night, felt chills run through her as some memories surfaced.

This feeling of being alone in the world in a hostile universe, unknown by a devouring night, this feeling...she knew it better than anyone. Danger could come from anywhere, deprived of their sight and their landmarks, the two pirates were easy prey and they knew it. Yet they did not give up, despite the heavy stress and the cold sweat they continued to advance as silently as possible.

The wind became more and more biting and the sound of the cracking of the bark louder or maybe it was only the fruit of their imagination trapped in the atmosphere. The traces of blood and broken branches continued and were even easier to follow meter after meter. The deeper they went into the woods, the heavier their steps seemed, as if there was no way back, but one thing was certain...they were getting closer.

Almost in complete darkness, Hestia and Edward finally entered a rather open area, forming a small clearing. The trees around it seemed to encircle it, the earth sinking a little below to form a natural well. They were at the edge just above it, but no matter how low they lowered the torches, the night leaving no light prevented them from seeing further than a few feet.

"Tch it's too dark but I recognize that smell. It's..."

"The smell of blood."

Edward had cut off his friend who was not reacting, far too preoccupied with this new place that gave off a different atmosphere. Her gray-green eyes were more piercing than ever and all her senses were on full alert as their blood began to boil. The young man next to her felt the same, his body also began to shake with excitement despite the intoxicating and natural fear that both were experiencing.

What was this place ? Why was the smell of blood so strong ? Many questions were running through their minds but it was not by staying still that they would find the answers. Without further ado, the two of them began to descend into the small cavity, sliding down the slope made of earth that would seem hard to climb back up. They had to hurry, the time was counted and every minute was precious in spite of the past sunset.

"Tch, even down there we can't see much. We've had some dark nights, but this one..."

As the two pirates finally descended, the Captain couldn't help but grumble about the visibility they had very limited. Even with the torches they had, it was very difficult to see more than a few meters which was anything but practical. Even at the bottom, it was impossible to see their feet, so much so that they had the impression of walking in a dark pit with the smell of death becoming more and more present.

"We should go up and around. This place...I'm not feeling it at all, not to mention those white trunks we have to jump to get across."

Edward, still with a rope around his shoulder, his axe at his belt, a torch in his right hand and his spear in his left, had spoken softly but in a deep voice. That unsettling feeling he felt only grew as he scanned his light at his feet. The young man still couldn't determine where the smell of blood was coming from or where he was but his instincts weren't wrong and made him uneasy at that moment.

He was standing on what seemed to be white trunks this time of normal size which did not fail to intrigue him but there was more important. In the dark, the cold and in a hostile area, being in an unfamiliar environment could be deadly. Hestia agreed with her friend and as she answered to confirm his words, she was cut off by two very distinct noises. 

"I think so too. Loki, Azeil ! Come for..."

*crack* - *splash*

Her right foot had gone through one of the white structures they were on and one of her knives had fallen from her belt dropping into liquid. Grumbling at this, the beautiful young woman crouched again with her torch to pull her boot out of the hole and find her weapon. But, as Edward noticed that neither Loki nor Azeil had come down and even disappeared, she, for her part, froze…unable to move.

"No. Those aren't white trunks...Edward..."

"What is it ?"

"..."

"Hestia"

Hestia's voice had become deep and in an instant the young man immediately understood that something was very strange. In an instant he had moved into a fighting stance, clutching his spear tightly in his hand to ward off any eventuality given the situation. She had not even answered his question, there crouched, motionless and it was only after a long second that finally her cold voice sounded again.

"These are bones."

Despite the fire, their eyes had become a little more accustomed to the darkness and when Hestia had paid more attention to what they were standing on, she had understood. They were not white trunks but bones as abnormally large as anything else here. Her foot had gone through one of them because of the pressure and it was now easier to make out their long shape...all this time, the two pirates were walking on bones.

In addition, the mystery surrounding that strong, putrid, recognizable smell was also solved. Looking around before he moved, Edward crouched down to see what was underneath the bones, thanks to the crevices that were everywhere. Where the Captain's knife had fallen, fresh and dried blood covered the actual floor of this large hole, rotting a little more with each passing hour.

Large puddles of red liquid lay below and at first glance seemed to cover the entire floor like a hidden purple river. If the sun had been able to reach this place, they would probably have been quicker to understand, but the ambient darkness was not in their favor. Why was this place so big ? What giant animal could its bones have come from ? But most of all...what was the creature that had killed it ?

"Captain...I think we're in..."

"Shh !"

They didn't have the answer to these questions, but just as the red-haired pirate thought he knew where they were, he was stopped by his Captain. She hadn't gone down to retrieve her knife and instead had suddenly risen, as if in panic. Hestia had raised her torch and for some reason was looking up into the trees above her, squinting to see as far as she could when suddenly...

"GROAAAAAAAAR !!!"

"WATCH OUT !!!"

As the young woman screamed, a loud, vibrating roar echoed from the tree tops, as if a beast had fallen from the sky. The next second, a huge mass of flesh leapt at them, emerging from the darkness of a branch and bringing death with it. Without thinking, the two pirates jumped as high as they could while the carpet of bones below them exploded from all sides at the powerful impact.

*BOOM*

Thousands of pieces of bone, big, small, thin, thick, blunt or sharp, flew as if a bomb had exploded in the middle of this hole. It had in fact been dug by the thing that had just appeared from nowhere, serving as both a food guard and a slaughterhouse. The noise had been powerful, the gust that had come with it too but jumping back to the center of the area had allowed the two pirates to limit the damage.

"Fucking bloody hell !!!"

"Hestia are you okay !?"

"Yeah !!"

The shock had been without a lie enormous, Hestia and Edward had not had time to see the creature that already blood was beading on their skin. But far from being destabilized, they straightened up to face this bigger than normal thing. They couldn't see very well but they could distinguish two wild yellow eyes staring at them. There were also huge, white fangs that glowed in the firelight.

"A jaguar."

"But I've never seen ones like that !"

After a few seconds, the body of a feline loomed in the dark, sharp claws, a long thin tail, and a frightening head. However, it had spines all over its body that looked harder than the rest of its limbs, pointing dangerously up to the sky. That was not all, the beast was huge, bigger than a bear and even bigger than any animal they had ever met since they were born.

At a glance it was easy to tell that this jaguar was deadly, tall, wild, at night and in an environment that it mastered. Hestia and Edward had returned to its territory and the master of the place didn't seem to want to let them leave alive. The two friends were motionless, their hearts beating even faster than usual, alone in front of such a monster that they never thought they would meet before a few hours.

A bestial and dangerous aura emanated from its thorny and hairy body and the natural energy that circulated through it was stronger because it was an animal. The two pirates felt this power enveloping them, making their bodies instinctively tremble. However, they did not let themselves be dominated and so it was their turn to have their hairline changed due to the activation of their gift and strength in order to survive.

"What have we gotten ourselves into again Captain ?"

The beautiful young woman did not answer, her piercing eyes plunged straight into those of the beast as a sign of the challenge she was throwing. She didn't answer but a smile appeared in the corner of her lips revealing one of her canines. Edward, who was still turned towards the creature, did not need to look at his friend to know that she was smiling, smiling as well.

Seconds passed, the three beings staring at each other as the tension mounted in the middle of the dark, gloomy and deadly forest. One of them was growling wildly and against all odds the other two had begun to snicker softly. Hestia and Edward were shaking from head to toe, the sound of their heartbeats ringing deafeningly in their ears, but they were giggling.

The two friends didn't know the outcome of the night but despite the natural fear they felt, excitement was getting the better of these fools. After all, for them, the promise of a once-in-a-lifetime fight, one to the death, was not something to be mourned but rather honored. An unknown giant beast stood before them and yet Hestia and Edward knew they would return victorious no matter what to their friends.