Trail of Shadows

Prologue

Deep in the wetlands, past the old, dilapidated ruins and within the gnarled old cypresses, two figures creep silently after their prey. The leader's long, blue-green hair and slender, branch-like horns blend into the shifting moonlight among the trees, his pale yellow eyes searching for the slightest sign of his prey's trail. The forest is easy for him to read, being a tree-spirit himself. Signs a human tracker may have missed stand out clearly to him, each broken branch and scraped root caught by his keen eyes, the trees' whispers leading him after the being that disturbed them.

His companion, younger and slightly shorter than he, crouches just behind him, his dog-like tail wagging slightly in anticipation. His furred legs blend easily into the background, his small claws keeping grip on the slick earth. His green eyes glitter in the moonlight as he looks to the blue-haired man.

"Are we close, Yu Lei?" he asks in a low whisper. Yu Lei nods, keeping his eyes on the faint trail.

"These tracks are only a few minutes old, and he was moving quickly," he says, gesturing to skid marks in the muddy ground. Hand prints and a large rough patch show where their quarry had fallen, likely moving too quickly for the slick soil. "See how there's only a little water in the deepest parts? There hasn't been enough time for them to fill fully." He looks up the trail, the moonlight making his pale eyes almost white under its glow. His eyes narrow as he spots something along the bark of the tree closest to the muddy tracks.

The bark of the cypress is marred by four deep ruts, like thick, clawed fingers had dug into it. Yu Lei traces them with his fingers, a faint frown on his face.

His companion pads up to the tree, sniffing at the markings. His eyes widen a fraction. "A boar demon," he says quietly, glancing over at Yu Lei. "I thought they had gone extinct?"

Yu Lei shakes his head. "They are rare, but a few clans still remain." He gives his companion a firm look. "We need to be careful, Kipp. We don't want him getting a drop on us; boar demons are strong, even low-tier ones."

Kipp nods at his warning, looking back at the marks in the tree. Something about them is setting off little alarm bells in his mind. He glances over at his companion. Yu Lei doesn't seem bothered, though the tree spirit rarely lets his emotions come to the surface. Kipp dismisses the feeling. Yu Lei's a much more experienced tracker than he is; if he's not worried, it's not anything to get worked up over.

They continue on for a few minutes before the young man speaks up again.

"Could a ship land on the coast here?" Yu Lei glances over at him, humming thoughtfully.

"A full-sized ship would be too large to get close, but if there was a smaller boat...."

"It could get close enough to bring someone from the coast?"

Yu Lei nods, frowning slightly. "We need to move faster. If there is a ship, he could escape." He looks over at the Inu, his gaze softening. "Good thinking, Kipp."

Kipp smiles, his tail wagging at the praise. They pick up the pace, Yu Lei keeping his eye on the winding trail ahead of them. Kipp keeps his senses open to their surroundings, making sure the area is clear of dangers. A flock of spoonbills look up as they go by, letting out low warning calls. The hoot of an owl echoes through the night as they pass a thick copse of trees.

The trees thin, opening into a small clearing. The grass here is long, nearly waist-high, and it sways gently in the steady breeze. The boar demon's trail passes through the clearing, leaving a wide depression in the grass.

On the far side, a strip of color flutters from a low branch. Yu Lei and Kipp share a glance as they spot it. "Stay here," Yu Lei says. Kipp nods, his eyes scanning the surrounding trees. Their gnarled trunks stand firmly in the low water to the right of the clearing, knobbly knees poking haphazardly through the barely-rippling surface.