“Thank you for the ride,” I tossed over my shoulder as I followed Ren down the hill, our boots crunching through the thick snow.
At the base of the hill, the forest waited, looking charming and innocent with its dusting of white. But then, it's not the trees that could kill you. Sunlight and snow made for dazzling conditions, even in the thickest parts of the forest. With many trees bare and the birds gone for the winter, it felt bleak. At least the branches overhead were wide enough to have caught some of the snow, thinning the ground cover. Still, we left tracks, and my feet were soon feeling the cold through my leather boots and thick socks. But ours weren't the only tracks in the snow.
With his stare on the ground, Ren followed a set of paw prints, instinctively ducking beneath low-hanging branches, knowing exactly what clearance his impressive eight-point antlers needed. With it being winter, he didn't have to worry about vines or even much greenery below, but I knew he would have done fine even at the height of summer. Shanba are born of the forest. They know it better than anyone.
Raltven are born of another type of forest. Still, I managed to use my skills out there, following Ren silently. After a few minutes of tracking, Ren cast me an approving look.
At last, he stopped, pointed, and said, “She's in there.”
“She?” I peered past him, into the dark opening of a cave.
“I believe it's a female. Her prints are smaller than a male's but heavy. She may be pregnant.”
“Then I'm glad we're not here to kill her.”
“We're not?”
“You weren't told?”
“No. I was just hired to find a mueyaru.”
“I don't think I'm allowed to tell you why we're here, but I can assure you that I won't hurt the beast unless I'm forced to defend myself.”
Ren nodded, his expression sliding into relief. “Then I wish you luck.”
“Thanks.” I pulled off my cloak, set it on the ground, then removed the pouch Juri had given me. Inside was only one thing—a pair of small scissors. “You're sure she's in there?” I glanced up at the sky through the skeletal canopy.
“Mueyaru are nocturnal. That's why it was important for us to track her during the day. She should be asleep.”
“Should be?”
Ren shrugged. “There are never any guarantees where animals are concerned.”
“Right.”
I crept forward and as I did, I slid into my shadowform. The forest suddenly felt inviting. I could have happily melded with the pattern of shadows cast by twisting branches. But the cave offered even more concealment. Once inside, I was completely invisible. Not even the sharpest of eyes could detect me. But this was an animal I was dealing with, and animals didn't rely on their sight alone.
I crept over rocks and debris, a musky scent growing thicker the further in I went. My eyes adjusted instantly to the dark, and I had no problem navigating the pitch-black. The darkness was where I felt the most comfortable, after all. Ten feet in, I found her—a mound of fur and claws. Ren was right; her belly was rounded, the pale fur there like a beacon to my enhanced vision. And that's where I had to make my snip. Right over her growing baby.
I eased forward. Slowly. So slowly. The beast was a giant cat with a line of horns down her back. Fearsome indeed, but asleep, she looked almost sweet, her paws kneading the air as if she were having splendid dreams. I was nearly there when she huffed and rolled over.
Fuck. Now I had to squeeze between her and the cave wall. Creeping again, an eternity passing, I kept my breathing slow and even, as I would on any job. The key to success was calm. Panic would get you caught. Or in this case, killed.
Finally, I was pressed up against the wall with her belly before me. I removed the scissors from the pouch, held the pouch open with one hand, and snipped a lock of belly fur with the other. The pale fur fell into the pouch. I snipped twice more. I didn't want to get back, only to be told I hadn't taken enough.
Mission accomplished, I slid away. I was five feet from the cave mouth when a bead of sweat dripped down my cheek. The mueyaru's breathing stopped. A growl rolled out of the dark behind me. I ran.
Bursting out of the cave, I shouted, “Run!”
Ren didn't bother with questions. He ran. With his skill and long legs, he was yards away by the time I scooped up my cloak. But I had an advantage he didn't; I was still in shadowform. The mueyaru could smell me, but she couldn't see me. All I had to do was mask my scent. Or maybe give her more than one trail to follow.
I wouldn't toss my cloak. It was too important. That left my tunic. But how to get it off as I ran? I opted for not. Instead, I pulled my dagger and sliced the front of my tunic. With the hole made, I sheathed my dagger, then tore a panel of fabric free. The mueyaru was just a few yards behind me when I leapt for a low-hanging branch. Not to gain purchase but to sling the scrap over it. Then I darted through the bushes.
I didn't dare look back to see if my ploy had worked, just kept running on the balls of my feet as silently as possible. The last thing I needed to do was give her something else to track me by. A few minutes later, I came to the bottom of the hill, and just as I dashed up it, the mueyaru came snarling out of the forest.
A dragon roar rent the air and stopped her in her tracks. The mueyaru had been protecting her home and her unborn cubs, but now she found the best way to do that was to retreat. With one last snarl, she spun about and fled back into the forest.
Panting, I fell to my knees in the snow and released my shadowform. Ren was standing behind Lord Juri's flank like a frightened child behind his mother's skirts, but he came out once the mueyaru was gone. His big eyes grew even larger when he saw the rent in my tunic.
