Veil Of The Wild

The vulture beasts charged, their claws extending toward Aiden and Elena. When their talons almost hit, a loud, guttural bellow tore through the air. The beasts recoiled, their gaze moving toward the dense bushes.

A shadow erupted—a being unlike any Aiden had ever seen. Half-man, half-leopard, with piercing blue eyes that shone even in the dimmest light. With incredible agility, it sprang onto one of the vulture creatures, ripping into it with its razor-sharp claws. The jungle rang out with the cries of combat as the vulture creatures shrieked in rage, turning their attention to the new enemy.

The battle was vicious. The leopard-man darted with unnatural swiftness, avoiding claws and striking back with forceful blows. Feathers and blood swirled through the air as the two forces met, a maelstrom of fur and wings.

"Elena, go!" Aiden snatched her wrist, dragging her through the dense underbrush.

They ran, tripping over roots and weaving around hanging branches. The cries of the battle grew distant behind them, and they didn't rest until their air was burned. At last, they collapsed under a giant tree, chests aching.

Elena gasped for breath. She pulled her arm into her chest as she sucked in air, wincing at the deep wound left by the vulture's talon that still dripped blood. Aiden ripped his hoodie, gently binding it around her wound to stem the bleeding.

"That should do for now," he said.

Elena's eyes went wide as she saw Aiden's back. Blood oozed from a deep cut where one of the things had kicked him.

"Aiden, your back…"

"I'll be okay," he said, though his voice was strained with pain.

They sat there for a bit in stunned silence.

"That. that was insane," Elena whispered finally. "I've never seen anything like this before."

Aiden shook his head. "Neither have I. The individuals—if you can even say that—here are like nothing from our reality."

Elena swallowed hard, glancing about the thick jungle. "Where do we go now? We have no clue how to find our way back."

Aiden massaged his temples, thinking. "I let books fall out of my bag when we ran last night, hoping we could use them to navigate back. If we go back over our route and locate them, we might have a chance."

A spark of hope appeared in Elena's eyes. "Then we have to begin searching."

They stood, their fatigue forgotten for the moment by their desire to survive. Advancing through the jungle slowly, they searched the ground. Minutes ticked into seeming hours before Elena came to an abrupt stop.

"I found one!" she exclaimed.

Aiden rushed over. A few feet in front of her, another book was on the ground. One by one, they tracked the trail, with every find rekindling their resolve.

Eventually, they arrived at the spot where the vulture creatures had attacked them the previous night. But something was different. A deep, painful groan echoed from the nearby bushes.

Aiden tensed. "Something's in there."

Elena hesitated, but Aiden carefully stepped forward, parting the leaves. His breath caught in his throat.

The leopard-man was slumped on the ground, critically injured. Its golden fur was clotted with blood, and it struggled for each breath.

In spite of its pain, its blue eyes blinked open to gaze at them in an enigmatic stare.

Aiden grabbed a bottle of water from his pack and went down beside the beast. He spilled the water on its injuries, rinsing some of the blood away.

"Thank you," Aiden whispered. "You saved us."

The beast didn't move, but it also didn't retreat.

Elena looked around uneasily. "Aiden, we should leave before something else comes looking for us."

Before they could escape, the leopard-man moved, its muscles flexing. Aiden stepped back nervously as the beast slowly rose. It loomed over them, its blue gaze locked on Aiden.

Aiden paused. "I just wanted to thank you."

The leopard-man said nothing but turned, limping into the jungle. Then it stopped and glanced back.

Aiden blinked. "Wait. do you know where we are?"

The creature lifted a clawed hand and motioned for them to follow.

Elena clutched Aiden's arm. "Are you seriously considering following it?"

Aiden let out a breath. "We don't have many choices."

They trailed it with careful footsteps through the thick jungle. It took them to a river eventually. The water was not anything they were familiar with—pitch black, viscous, and oddly reflective. The leopard-man pointed toward it, motioning for them to drink.

Aiden scowled. "That doesn't look safe."

The leopard-man cupped some water in its hands and drank. Then, it motioned again.

Elena shook her head. "I'm not drinking that. Everything here is weird enough as it is."

Aiden hesitated. But something about the leopard-man's gaze told him this wasn't a trick. Taking a deep breath, he cupped some of the water and drank.

The moment the liquid touched his tongue, a strange sensation ran through his body. His vision blurred, and suddenly, a rough, deep voice echoed in his mind.

"Now you can hear me."

Aiden's eyes opened wide. "You can speak?"

The leopard-man nodded. "This is magical water. It makes you understand our speech."

Aiden turned to Elena. "It's safe. It's. magical."

Elena hesitated but finally sipped some of the water. Her eyes went wide as she heard the same voice in her head.

The leopard-man watched them. "If you really want to learn about this place, you have to come with me."

Elena shot a suspicious look at Aiden. "Do we trust him?"

Aiden let out a breath. "We don't have a choice."

They stepped into the unknown, following the leopard-man carefully.