Whom - A story without a name

Two Graves

After Beatrice's nearly prophetic speaking, they found a way to move on down the river with Lanky leaned against Starling and Beatrice kept on the high part of the bank. As the sun rose and helped to dry Lanky out he began to regain his strength. It seemed that it's warmth was healing him. Beatrice's eyes were constantly flitting along the tree line and up into the forest, looking for a threat. In the trees the Vagus lurked. She saw it between branches and slipping past trunks. She saw death everywhere. Every time the black figure appeared, Beatrice would start and flinch, her eyes going wide in fear. Toad had taken note of her strange behavior and he glanced up at the trees whenever she became more skittish. A nondescript creature stalked on the edge of the forest, but it didn't look like something to be too scared of.

"Beatrice," Toad said, startling her, "What do you keep looking at?" 

"Death," She whispered in response. Toad took a step away from her in concern and didn't ask her any more questions. For along time they just walked in aching silence, tired and pained from the already exhausting morning. By late morning Lanky was strong enough that he could walk without support from Starling. 

"Can we stop for a while?" Toad asked, as he was the smallest in the group and it was hard for him to keep up sometimes. 

"Not for long," Starling answered.

"Why not?" Toad questioned. 

"Because we need to cover as much ground as possible before the sunsets," She replied. Starling, Lanky, and Toad sat down on the sand but Beatrice remained standing, anxiously watching the forest. 

"Hey," Lanky said, "Why don't you go ahead and relax?"

She looked at him with her wide, crazed eyes. "Death is drawing near to us," She said hoarsely. Lanky looked at her and replied,

"There's nothing out here. Nothing at all,"

She shook her head furiously, "You don't understand. You don't see it, you don't feel it as I do," Her voice shook almost angrily, "You don't see that horror in the trees like I do," 

The three sitting on the sand stared back at her."You don't know my fear," Beatrice stared back at them, her eyes insane and scathing. She looked ragged.

The lonely cry burst forth from the forest again and Lanky looked up to see a black cat similar to the one that had attacked him before standing there. It looked younger, a bit smaller than the first. When it realized that it had been noticed it ducked back into the edge of the heavily shadowed forest. 

Beatrice stood frozen in front of the group, her ears pricked up, listening for any sound. She could see the Vagus hovering deeper in the forest a distance behind the black, snaky cat. The cat paced in the shadows, well aware of death's presence as the Vagus nuanced into the darkness. Lanky followed her gaze to where the cat lurked. Surely it wouldn't be dumb enough to come after them in such a large group. It looked back at him and pulled it's lips back in a snarling smile. Starling rose to her feet and returned the cat's glare, the scars in her muzzle made into deeper furrows by her aggravation. 

"What do you want?"She barked at the cat as it continued to pace and leer. 

"Only your time and company," He answered sarcastically, his slick, black fur gleaming in the dappled sunlight. Starling stared at him suspiciously with her teeth still barred. 

"Then come down," She said. The black cat stepped sleekly from the timber, his paws placed to the sand in a neatly planned manner. He stopped a couple feet away from them and sat down, his thin, black tail coiled pristinely around his legs. He spoke,