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They ran through trees, over roots and between bands of fading gold light which managed to slip through the canopy.

This time, they ran deeper into the forest than they had before.

The trees grew taller and closer together, their branches knitting overhead until the last traces of dusk disappeared into darkness. The familiar scent of prey faded. The ground beneath Fae's paws felt different. She realised, with a faint flicker of unease, that she had never come this far, and that she couldn't sense the others. Later, she would only blame the events of the day for her distraction.

Where am I?

At first, she thought the change in the air was only her imagination, but then she heard it.

A melody.

It drifted through the trees, soft and winding, almost mournful. It did not belong to birds or wind, or any instrument she recognised. It seemed to rise and fall like a living thing, weaving through the forest as though it had always been there, waiting for her.

Her fur stood up along her spine.

The sound unsettled her, yet it drew her forward. There was something achingly beautiful about it, something that made her chest feel tight with a longing she did not fully understand.

Without meaning to, she slowed. The music filled her senses, muting everything else.

She followed it, her paws simply carrying her forward, one silent step after another, deeper into the trees. The forest opened abruptly into a small clearing.

Moonlight spilled down, illuminating the grass at her feet. At the far edge of the clearing was a shadow.

It was not cast by trees; it was not the ordinary dark of night.

It was a wall of darkness, rising straight from the earth, dense and impenetrable, stretching out to both sides beyond what she could see. The music came from within it.

Fae's wolf stood at the edge of the clearing, staring.

The sound seemed clearer now, more insistent. It threaded itself into her thoughts, wrapping around them gently.

"Come closer."

"Just a little closer."

Her body moved before her mind caught up. She stepped forward cautiously, her head low, ears pricked. The darkness seemed to ripple faintly, as though something vast seemed to wake just beyond its surface.

She did not know she meant to approach it until she was already halfway across the clearing.

She thought she saw movement within the wall—something pale and elongated, withdrawing the moment she tried to focus on it.

Another step, then something barrelled into her. The impact knocked her off her paws and sent her rolling through the grass. A snarl exploded above her, white teeth flashing in the dim light.

Kenji.

He stood between her and the darkness now, his fox form bristling, his teeth fully bared. The playful intelligence she knew was gone, and in its place was rage.

Fae scrambled to her feet, shaking herself and growled back. The music swelled again, filling her head, urging her to come closer.

She tried to step around him.

He blocked her immediately.

She moved to the other side, and he cut her off again, growling low in his throat.

Confusion flared. Why was he stopping her? The music was not threatening; it was calling.

She lunged past him.