The Light in the Dark ✓

Chapter 9.1 The Shadows

They moved out the same day, just before noon. At first, Iris felt somewhat awkward. No one was talking. Myrica was leading them through the thicket of the forest, her steps light as feathers. Arlo followed her closely, his heavy, loud strides total opposite of the woman's. He was carrying most of their equipment on his back, but he didn't seem to mind. He was cheerfully humming some melody under his nose. Iris followed behind him, and Jayden was closing their pack. His face was gloomy, and he kept glaring at her, but he didn't utter any snippy comments so far.

As time passed, the forest became thicker and wilder. The tree trunks were massive, their crowns obscuring the sky completely. The sounds changed too. It's been a while since they left the camp, and they haven't heard any human noises so far. The voices of the forest were overwhelming. Iris discovered she never listened to nature so vividly before. It's like they enter an entirely different world. The birds sang so relentlessly as if competing who could keep up the song longer. The wolves howled in the distance, and some other animals that she could not possibly identify were calling at each other.

Iris found it oddly calming. She no longer saw a dull grey sky that reminded her of what had become of the world. She could not see any miserable people struggling for survival. She wished she could stay here and enjoy this perfect serenity. She didn't even care about the silence of her companions. It wasn't heavy anymore.

Suddenly the loud screech of the bird of prey pierced the calmness, and Iris jumped in surprise as a shape fell from the sky with incredible speed aiming at Myrica. But before she could utter a warning, the woman just raised her arm, and the big bird landed gracefully on it.

'Greetings, old friend,' Myr said and stroked soft feathers on the animal's head. 'What news are you bringing today?'

The buzzard chirped something, and the woman nodded slowly.

'Is she...?' Iris asked, looking at the woman with awe.

'Yes, she is,' Jayden replied, stopping at her side. 'Shut up, and don't interrupt her.'

Iris wanted to talk back to him, but seeing the bird ruffling its feathers nervously, she kept her silence.

'Thank you for the warning, friend. Good hunting.' Myr raised her arm, and the bird shot up to the air once more.

'What a little birdy told you, Myr?' Arlo asked.

'We have to take caution from now on,' she replied, her tone serious. 'It spoke of an unusual activity of Shadows on the way ahead of us. There are not many, but still, we must be on our guard.'

'I'm always on my guard,' a big man said, puffing out his chest and patting an axe hanging at his belt.

'Good. Let us move. We still have a couple of hours before the darkness falls. We need to reach the safe camping spot.'

They started walking again. Iris felt her legs were tired already, but she was not going to complain. about the Shadows lurking ahead of them. After a long time of hesitation, she slowed down a bit to match her pace with Jayden.

'Hey Jayden, can I ask you a question?'

'If you must.' He shrugged, not looking at her.

'Have you fought Shadows before?'

'I have.'

Iris sighed at his sparse reply. 'Care to elaborate a bit? I've never even seen a Shadow, so I don't know how to chase them away....'

Now it was his turn to give a heavy sigh. He looked at her with annoyance. 'You're hopeless.'

'Quit insulting me and tell me what to do. You're supposed to teach me.'