10 Chapter Three - 2 || Soul Eater

"What?!" Essairyn nearly yelped as they had quickly arrived at their destination, and the nightstalker was only a few meters away.

Upon their arrival, the nightstalker turned slightly towards the duo, and Essairyn came face-to-face with the beast as it gazed at her with dark, starlit eyes.

Suddenly, she was hit with an overwhelming sense of urgency to retreat that clashed with the mystic wonder she felt staring into those eyes. The feeling lasted but a moment as the beast turned downwards at the earthen mound where the solh'vunds had gathered around.

It was a solh'vund den. In the curve of the den's mouth, a mother and her pups laid. Sprawled out on her side, she looked frail with her eyes closed and her pups milling weakly about her belly.

The solh'vund that had approached Essairyn earlier stepped out from the pack onto the mound and was accompanied by another. The two sat stoically next to the mother's head, and she parted her weary, emerald eyes. She lifted them towards the sitting leader and the other solh'vund, and they exchanged silent farewells before her eyes listlessly closed again.

As if on cue, the nightstalker bent its head down to the mother and blinked with eyes that mirrored the night sky. Stardust filled their depths, and its mouth gaped open to reveal a maelstrom of starlit darkness. As if magnetic, specks of light arose from the mother's body and spiraled inside the gaping mouth. The warm, silvern starlight, the fragments of her body, eddied into the depths of the demon and disappeared among the twinkling stars.

Closing its mouth, the nightstalker squinted its eyes at the pups and then inhaled and blew a stream of soft myrtle light upon them. As the light hit the pups, they squirmed and began mewling. After the nightstalker closed its mouth and the last rays reached them, they wriggled their faces in an attempt to open their eyes.

Transfixed by the entire scene, Essairyn hardly realized it was over until the solh'vund beside the pack leader broke its vigil and padded over to the pups.

Their eyes were now open, and they took in the curious sight of their pack surrounding them as well as a monstrous demon, a human, and a spirit fox. Uneasy at the sight of their onlookers, the pups nuzzled into the lowered face of the larger solh'vund for protection. After a few seconds of consoling, the pups relaxed.

The leader then got up, looked at the nightstalker, and gave a nod. Upon that gesture, the beast demon rose to its full height, giving Essairyn a sidelong glance before it melted into the woods.

Right after, the crowd of solh'vunds departed, and a few remained to comfort the pups. Leaving the mound, the pack leader approached Essairyn and Akari who were still on the floating circle.

Directing the words at Essairyn, the leader stated more than asked, "What brings you to the Spirit and Demon Forest? You are not familiar with our customs."

Startled by the sudden words that she understood, Essairyn faltered, "I-I understand you?" before resigning herself to the notion that most of the animals here could probably speak with humans.

"I actually just arrived here. I'm a traveller from Earth. My name's Essairyn. And this is Akari, a spirit I met and am traveling with," she replied, gesturing at the fox who was perched on her shoulder.

The leader held a steadfast gaze as he introduced himself, "Errol. Leader of the solh'vunds of the Spirit-Demon Forest." He tipped his head at the den before adding, "She was one of the best hunters. Her mate and her sisters are with her litter that the night guardian has healed."

"Night guardian? You mean the nightstalker?" Essairyn queried.

"Yes, we call them night guardians. They can be fearsome creatures, but they protect the Spirit-Demon Forest as we do. They are unlike other nightstalkers.." he paused before continuing.

"They take souls, but only to keep the balance and health of the forest. Strengthening weak bodies is a special ability of theirs. In this case, the strength of her soul was used to fortify her litter's weak bodies. She had insisted on carrying them even though she knew she'd be at risk since her first miscarriage…"

Errol's face was still stoic, but Essairyn noticed a small gloom lingering in his eyes. As she pondered this for a moment, he spoke up again.

"I welcome you to this forest and world. However, heed your companion. In her past life she has destroyed many homes, spirits and demons alike. Even to this day her deeds ring throughout our history."

Akari's eyes glinted at his remark, and Essairyn looked at her from the corner of her eyes.

"I would leave it your kind to remember such events from long ago.." Akari voiced with a trace of disdain.

"Of course, the solh'vunds were one of the first spirits to have existed," Errol coolly replied.

"Then do you plan to inform the spirits and demons of my return?" Akari raised her eyebrow tuft.

"It's not in my interest to partake in gossip. Besides, you're hardly a threat in that state."

Akari looked as if she was going to shoot back at Errol, but she couldn't find the right words to disprove him and instead just turned away and gave a grudging humph. Essairyn smirked at the cute reaction and addressed Errol.

"Thanks for the advice, but I think I'll take my chances on her."

Akari jerked her head at Essairyn and met the girl's mirthful eyes before turning away with a slightly embarrassed scowl. The unordinary duo's exchange prompted a shade of a smile on the solh'vund's face.

"I must join my brethren in the hunt," Errol imparted as he turned to leave, "Make sure to find a safe place to spend the night. Demons lurk in the dark.."

And with those words, he disappeared into the gloom.

"Tch," Akari clicked her tongue, "What an uptight guy."

Essairyn laughed at the fox before saying, "Let's go back to the treehouse. It probably is best that we don't linger out here too long."

Akari sighed her agreement, and they flew below the canopy back to the ancient tree.

But before they travelled very far, a murky figure manifested itself from behind the trees. Essairyn knew exactly what it was, and slight trepidation rose in her throat. She watched the figure become clearer as they moved closer.

It was the nightstalker.