Winter Wonderland

Monsters

Naiche

Naiche watched the sun disappear behind the mountains, his eyes adjusting to the lengthening shadows. His entire world had changed in the span of a day, though if he were being honest, it was changing from the moment he met Citali. With a shake of his head to dispel the introspection and focus his senses to the forest, he turned from the window and shrugged into the shoulder rig for his swords.

"Of course its nothing to worry about." Carbry murmured into the phone. "Meri is busy, but I'm sorry for leaving you alone so quickly."

The man on the other end of the phone sounded unconvinced, though he mumbled a reply.

"I love you too. And I will make sure Ryker is with me next time I call." Carbry sounded sincere in his chastisement, though when Naiche looked at him he was grinning.

Carbry hung up the phone and slipped it in into one of the pockets of his outfit. Having received a change of clothing from his employees, Carbry was now dressed more like them, though he had forgone the guns. Bullets shot quickly enough might slow the Wendigo down, but it would do nothing to kill the beast.

Naiche raised a curious brow. "You lied."

"I did not lie." Carbry snorted and smirked. "The two of us and the rest of my team are more than enough for a Wendigo."

"Never lost that confidence, did you? Though I noticed you didn't mention what we were hunting." Naiche smirked at Carbry's glare before he lead out into the forest. The two of them shifted through the woods like silent spirits, listening.

The surrounding teams of supernatural were silent, having decided against talking after dark, to avoid giving the Wendigo more to work with. Citali's cabin was a dark hulk, though a few lights glowed through the window shades. The security system had not yet activated, though from what Carbry told him, the outlying rooms of the cabin would have already been locked down.

Carbry stepped up beside him, and though they didn't touch, he could feel the warmth from his friend emanating in the air. The forest had gone silent, with only the creak of tree limbs in the wind and the soft sounds of snow slipping from overladen branches.

They waited in the forest as night truly descended amidst the unnatural silence, straining to hear any trace of the creature's approach. The wind change, bringing the Wendigo's scent from the front of the cabin and the sound of a young child crying in fear echoing through the trees.

Naiche and Carbry crept through the snow stealthily, though they heard the sound of some of the other supernaturals shifting. Heart rates picked up, presumably in response to the cries of the child which were getting louder and more distressed.

"Help, please... a monster is chasing me... please... can I come in? I'm lost..." The voice cried out shrilly, and even to Naiche's ears, it was indiscernible from that of an actual child.

Even knowing the Wendigo's abilities and how it hunted, even having seen and heard it before, he felt doubt creeping in. And he saw the pain in Carbry's expression, though they could not even call out to steady the younger, less experienced. Carbry and Naiche circled around the cabin, unnoticed even by the supernaturals that knew they were out there.

They settled in the woods with an unobstructed view of the front yard, and for a moment, there was nothing to see. Just the swaying of trees in the wind, the shadows of branches reaching out and shifting oddly in the movement.

"Please! I'm so scared and cold! Please help me!"

The plea was heart wrenching, and Naiche frowned at the shadows and the dark forms of the trees where the sounds were coming from. He let his eyes readjust, and even as he reached out to grab ahold of Carbry who was about to shift forward, one tree separated from the rest of the immobile giants.