The moment Lilith showed up both of the men looked at her appearing to almost sense her presence. Surprisingly the man who was facing the vice-captain became stiff. The sight of her made his eyes wander such that they did not meet hers and he began rubbing his hands together while blowing on them as if he were cold. It was late in the night.

Jacob’s reaction was completely the opposite. His eyes met hers with intensity and they were still that same welcoming abyss as before but now they pressured her. Or attempted to. Her own crimson eyes rose to the challenge and though they refrained from glowing there was a clear defiance within them.

Even looming over her as he did the other soldier did nothing to break her perfectly straight spine despite the couple of feet he had on her. The hand near his weapon was not so much a threat as it was a joke only she could understand and while she studied his posture it was not because she thought it skilled so much as she thought his natural talent with balance was impressive.

Whether he knew that his intimidation had failed or was simply attempting to be courteous he knelt so he could once again look into her eyes. This time however they were not on the streets of Marinez. They were outside of the walls and the ground was far less clean.

Dirt and mud caked the armour from his knee to his toe and she assumed some mud had gone through the gaps in the joint at the knee to soak that which he wore underneath. It did not seem to bother him much. That same smile that had somehow returned to his face was still present as he began to speak.

“Don’t be too worried. We’re just having a discussion about how to proceed.” He said almost completely brushing past the information Lilith wanted to hear. It appeared she had to outright demand it should she wish to know.

“I assume this has something to do with the terrain ahead. Is the forest particularly dangerous perhaps?” She asked in reply. The man behind the vice-captain visible winced as she used that information but Jacob only strained his smile slightly. She would have still figured it out from his expression regardless but she supposed it was nice to see him try.

Even in spite of what she just said he smiled at her and replied “You might get hurt in there and we promised to protect you. I won’t take you in there.” His tone was firm and resolute but he was essentially ignoring her at this point.

That last comment clearly was not for her and it was as if he did not believe she had a say in the matter of her own safety. She would very much like to teach him otherwise. Unfortunately endangering the knights runs counter to her mission given that she is here to essentially recruit them. She listened to the forest just to check but she was correct in assuming the creatures inside were too dangerous for the knights. All the heartbeats were more impactful than the badger.

Truth be told she had been unsatisfied with the expedition so far. The knights were entirely too cautious which is perhaps a sign of competence. Nevertheless any small attempts on her part to direct the knights or give advice had been interrupted or ignored.

They simply had no need for her assistance when the only injury they sustained had been a surprise attack from one of the larger predators in the area. The forest however contained a number of dangers that she was fairly certain they would not be capable of fending off on their own. Of course this comes with the significant risk that they would be hurt in the process.

She stands there for a few moments seemingly thinking over his words. Then she suddenly starts walking. Her footsteps are elegant and poised despite the mud but most importantly confident. She does not respond to the vice-captain’s statement and so he asks.

“Where are you going?” His voice becomes deep but wandering. She can likely sense the small undercurrent of rebuke but cares not. She is walking towards the forest and though there is some distance until she gets there the fact that she had not answered his statement makes his ever smiling face scrunch up in annoyance.

He walks after her and catches up swiftly despite her steps never stopping. He looks into her eyes but she does not look at him instead focussing on the forest ahead of her. He moves in front and crosses his arms looking down at her with a finally displeased frown.

“I told you I’m not taking you into the forest.” He repeats as if that means anything to her. This time however she has nothing to gain from allowing him to still believe her a weak, spoiled and overconfident child. She continues walking as if he does not exist right until she comes face to face with him and finally she replies.

“I do not require your permission nor your assistance.” Then she continues walking forward. He only frowns deeper but remains where he stands intending to block her way and stop this childish tantrum.

Only to be pushed aside by a light hand on his waist so hard that he stumbles before regaining his footing and staring at her with widened eyes. She pays little attention to this and before he can get over his shock she is standing in front of the forest entrance a small smile displayed on her face for all the knights to see before she steps inside.

Claire sighs as she sees this but she too starts walking into the forest. She looks up at the sky and notes that the sky is turning light blue. If they stay in the forest for too long then they may have to fly home lest she become ash. Nevertheless she has to follow Lilith and so she does.

They do not look back to know whether the knights are following them and instead the pair gaze at their surroundings. Lilith examines each of the trees, picks up soil in her hand and rummages through it while Claire takes a deep breath through her nose. This comes out through her mouth in a sigh while Lilith is still examining a nearby rock for the bugs underneath.

“Why are you still investigating mistress? Did we not travel through this forest for several weeks already?” Claire asked staring confused as Lilith looked underneath the rock she was lifting and watched the bugs with interest as they crawled around it or fell off.

“I am simply monitoring changes to the environment and evaluating the area with fresh eyes. I have little else to do while I wait so I found this was the most optimal means of spending the time I have. As well as the least likely to reveal secrets I would not like the knights to be privy to.” Lilith replied as she put the rock back down and walked over to another tree bringing a branch closer to her face.

“The trees aren’t any different mistress and while the plant life is daylillies instead of daisies that is simply a matter of salt from the nearby sea.” Claire replied as she glanced over the plants herself. She smiled nostalgically at a tree with particularly low branches but was interrupted by footsteps.

Turning around the two were greeted by a group of knights marching in lockstep, eyes darting across the surroundings and immediately locking onto them as soon as they were within their limited scope of sight. “Located.” One of the knights shouted and indicated their direction with his head. The other knights followed his gaze and some sighed in relief while others put on their ‘very annoyed’ faces.

They approached slowly with each collective step carefully prodded with a sword beforehand to make certain they were not awakening a slumbering beast or triggering the trap of a snake. Once their immediate front had been cleared they stepped forward and continued the process.

From Lilith’s viewpoint this was rather comical but she understood the caution and respected them for it even if she personally knew their ‘investigation’ was pointless. It was not the most efficient method of detecting traps in a forest however as she had found better in a book from her shelf but she memorised it nonetheless if only to know that the knights used it.

The first to approach them was obviously Vice-captain Jacob and his face was no longer constantly filled with that ever welcoming smile. Claire sighed in relief as she saw his frown. Lilith looked at her with curiosity and she just waved her hand in a ‘later’ gesture.

“What were you girls thinking?!” His whispered reprimand echoed through every shadow and canopy in the forest they could see. It hounded them from every corner in an echo albeit a fairly diminished one. The airy quality taken on by the words only made the quiet judgement ring louder to all of those present and some of the knights winced.

Of course Lilith cared little for the judgement of others. “My honest thoughts are not relevant to the situation at hand and so I shall not relay them. What I shall relay however is I am very interested in the monsters this forest produced that cause you some measure of trouble.” She answered.

“That’s enough. This is no longer a matter of patience but for your own safety we need to leave.” He walked over to Lilith. Every stride was solid even on the rocky and slightly muddy terrain of the forest. His feet barely sunk, simply gliding across the ground despite the power used to send them forward every step.

Then as soon as only a few steps distance separated him from her his footsteps stopped making a sound. An arm reached forward heading underneath her own and she knew what he was attempting. She calculated the precise moment where he would be most off balance.

She made certain her body did not move during the intervening time and waited for the moment to arrive. He seemed to frown a moment before it happened. His arm hooked under her own but her arm wrapped around his head and squeezed lightly causing him to choke before she used his remaining inertia to make the man throw himself forwards.

Sticking her foot out along the way she attempted to trip him but it only made him stumble as he regained his balance shortly thereafter. He whirled back around his eyes locked onto hers and slightly wider than they previously were.

He opened his mouth to question her but she realised they would have some guests before she could answer his questions. So she forestalled them lest the answer be unsatisfactory. “I may answer your questions later. It appears we have company.” She told him and turned to look amongst the trees. Dubiously he followed her gaze but saw nothing.

He was about to turn his head away from the trees when a shadow was cast on the ground. His eyes narrowed and his hand went to the hilt of his sword. He did not recognise the shadow itself however it looked like a beast in the shape of a man.

By now it was close enough for Lilith to smell more than it’s blood and If she did not have perfect control, the instinctual reaction to the smell would have been to wrinkle her nose. Even as it was she felt like doing so regardless just to show how unpleasant this was. Even the wolves she had killed before entering Marinez had a forested and earthy scent to them. This was just plain, wet dog.

The creature’s heartbeat grew excited as it spotted them but not frantic. It beat in a steady rhythm like a drum of war. It had clearly failed to spot Lilith among the crowd however because the moment it met her eyes from the treetops it froze and the heartbeat became significantly faster.

She recognised it immediately of course. This specimen’s eyes were glowing blue rather than gold and it’s fur was the colour of wood mixed with a dash of red. Blood had splashed it in a haphazard pattern that looked almost like the rakes of a claw with it’s jaw particularly doused in the drained life of other creatures, old and sour. It was one of her brother's muts.