Birdsong filled the morning air, a chorus of unfamiliar melodies echoing through the forest. Nocturna stirred but didn't open her eyes, exhaustion still weighing her down. The ground beneath her is firm but not entirely uncomfortable, the scent of pine and dirt, refreshing. After having only woken up to cold walls of confinement for decades. She let herself drift, listening to the bird's rhythmic calls, a faint smile ghosting across her lips.
Then-silence.
The absence of sound hit her like a splash of cold water. Nocturna's eyes snapped open her body tensing. The birds had stopped, no gradually no fading into morning hush-just gone, all at once. A warning. Something was nearby. Slowing her breathing, muscles coiling under her skin as she strained to listen. The forest around her held its breath, waiting. And so did she.
Nocturna stayed perfectly still, breath shallow listening. The silence stretched, heavy and unnatural. Then a rustling in the undergrowth, own and deliberate. Something was moving closer. Her pulse quickened. It wasn't small. A low snarl vibrated through the air, deep and primal. The sound alone sent chills through her stirring an instinct she hadn't felt since being a small child. Run.
And that what she did. Ignoring the pain in her sore legs having no other choice unsure if whatever creature it was followed. She made a move to turn her head and glance behind her but before she could another sound broke through just ahead. Voices.
"Eastward-it's moving fast. Close in now before it-"
The voice cut off as she came forward, and suddenly she was face-to-face to face with them. A group of 3 figures emerged from the foliage, weapons raised. The glint of metal with something embedded in them gleamed in the sunlight. Nocturia barely had time to react before one of them shouted.
"Hold! There it is!"
The moment stretched, tense and sharp as their weapons remained on her. As quickly as they raised them, hesitation flickered across their faces. Confusion was instant. She wasn't what they had been expecting.
Recognizing their dark bronze skin, curling ram-like horns, and thick ridged brows. Nocturia knew they were of the Dravern race. Stocky but powerful, with incredible grip strength. Their horns are not just for show-they use them in battle. The Dravern warriors study her with a deep frown. Their thick arms still tense from holding their weapons. Their different shades of molten gold eyes locked on hers, assessing.
"You're not the beast," the one in the middle speaks first setting the end of his spear against the ground. He wears a short brown leather jacket, arm guards, a faint green scarf around his neck and layered boots. "What are you doing out here?"
Nocturna gaze doesn't falter as her mind races feeling the weight of their stares. The way their hands hovered near their withdrawn weapons not fully convinced she wasn't a threat. The younger Dravarn with shorter horns and a sharp glare, narrowed his eyes. "You aren't from town. We'd know if some like you was passing through." His tone is edged with suspicion. His fitted sleeves leather vest over a long sleeve dark shirt swayed as a breeze went by. His pants are stitched with extra padding along the thighs and knees. His fingerless gloved hand gripped momentarily at his side as he asks. "So where the hell did you come from?"
Before she even had a chance to reply the leader-older, his horns thicker than the others-grunted. "And why now? A beast is in the hunt and you show up out of nowhere." The unspoken accusation hung heavy between them. Nocturna had no answer she could safely give. Forcing herself to stay calm her expression carefully neutral. If she told them the truth-thay she had come through a portal after years of confinement-they would never believe her. She had tried before. No one ever could
So she lied.
"I was passing through," she said smoothly. "I had no way of knowing there's a beast in the area." The younger one scuffed his eyes ranking over her. "Passing through? Dressed like that?" His gaze lingered on her thin sliver dress and lone fragile slipper, unsuitable for any real travel. Nocturia pulled her hand behind her as the other two also looked her over, keeping the gold bands around her wrists out if sight. "
"You're alone. No supplies and no weapon." The middle aged Dravern chimed in, "That doesn't sound like someone just 'passing through." Nocturna inhaled sharply, keeping her voice steady. "I was with a group but got separated once the beast attacked." The elders eyes flickered with something unreadable placing his hands on his wide belt with a sheathed hunting knife and a small pouches. His fur lined leather cloak over a reinforced tunic showed his rank and experience. His bracers and boots are also reinforced with metal plates. "From where?"
She hesitates a half a second too long the younger one caught it immediately. "She's lying." Nocturna tensed. The hunters shifted, not raising their weapons again but not relaxing either. The leader studied her for a moment longer before exhaling heavily. "Doesn't matter." His tone is gruff but not unkind. "You can't stay out here. Whether you're telling the truth or not, if the beast finds you, you won't last." He glanced at the other two. "We're taking her back to town."
Nocturna stiffened debating on running but knew she stood no chance against the creature in the woods so she followed the Dravern men.
It had been hours since the four of them had begun walking. The youngest Dravern, a relentless hunter with shaggy sandy hair and sharp gold eyes, had bombarded her with questions from the moment they set off.
"Where exactly were you before we found you?"
Silence.
"How did you even get separated from your supposed group?"
Nocturna gave him a sidelong glance, but nothing more.
"Do you even know how to fight? Because you don't look like you'd last a second out here."
She sighed through her nose refusing to take the bait. Finally, the middle-aged one-broader than the rest, his dark red horns etched with faint carvings-grunted in irritation. "Taron. Enough." His voice was a low growl, one that left no room for argument. The younger one-Taron-rolled his eyes but fell silent, muttering something under his breath. Nocturna might have felt relief if not for the way the older Dravarn turned to glance at her next. "I'm Eirik," his said voice a bit softer than before. He jerked his head towards the elder if the group. The one who had led them through the forest with steady patience. "That's Vael."
Vael the elder build like stone-thick solid, unmoved. His horns are the largest, curling back before tapering into deadly points. His bronze skin was weathered, expression unreadable under the heavy furs lining his jacket. Nocturna gave a small nod in acknowledgment but didn't offer her own name. She caught the way Eiriks eyes narrowed slightly at that, but said nothing. For now.
As they walked Nocturna's let her gaze drift, taking in the world around her. The forest was unlike anything she had seen in years. Lush, vibrant, teeming with life. Towering trees stretched high into the sky, their bark shimmering faintly under the sunlight filtering through the thick canopy. Leaves in hues of deep indigo and emerald rustled softly in the breeze, carrying a scent of both fresh and wild. Bioluminescent vines coiled around trunks like veins of light, pulsing gently in rhythmic waves. Tiny, winged creatures flitted between branches, their translucent forms leaving trails of golden dust in their wake. It was beautiful-so achingly beautiful for that moment Nocturna forgot the exhaustion weighing down on her limbs, the uncertainty of what lay ahead.
Then, something caught her eye.
A cluster of crystals jutted from the forest floor, their jagged forms glistening under the dappled sunlight. They pulsed faintly, a soft inner glow shifting between hues of pale blue and violet. N slowed her steps, staring. Crystals like these did not exist in the world she once knew. They resembled the crystals embedded in the wristbands she wore, though the energy they emitted was only a faint echo in comparison. Picking up her pace to avoid drawing the attention of the other three, she continued on.
Then her stomach betrayed her.
A loud growl rose from Nocturna's stomach, breaking the silence. She stiffened, placing a hand over her empty belly as heat crept up her neck. She hadn't eaten since midday yesterday. "My apologies," she murmured. Taron snorted, barely containing a laugh. "Stars, that was loud." Eirik pressed his lips into a hard line, shoulders shaking slightly as if struggling not to join in. Vael however was far less amused. "Enough," the elder snapped, his voice cutting through Taron's amusement like a blade. "Unless you want to draw every predator within a mile to our location." Taron immediately sobered, gaze flickers around the trees.
A tense pause followed before Eirik exhaled through his nose. "We'll stop here for a short break. Relief flooded Nocturna's aching limbs. She wasted no time settling onto a medium-sized boulder, her legs trembling as she lo herself into it. A shadow loomed over her a moment later. She looked up to see Veal, holding out a rough hand. In his palm rested a slice of bread and dried meat. "You'll need your strength to make it the last stretch of the way," he said simply. For a moment, Nocturna hesitated. She wasn't used to kindness—especially not from strangers. But hunger won out.
She took the food with a quiet nod. "Thank you."