The sun was beginning to set, thus coloring the sky with shades of yellows, oranges and pinks. Shadows loomed ever larger and more menacing across the forest. Night was quickly winning the battle, and the onslaught left no tree, rock or forest dweller unscratched. A lone Ranger followed a trail that was taking him deep into the woods.

His strides were firm, secure. He moved with the agility gained by years of training deep within the Concordia Forest. Many humans would have felt dismayed, perhaps even overwhelmed in that situation. In fact, the forest all around him certainly brimmed with a menacing aura, like a huge wave that was moments from clashing against a coastal mountain. The air hummed with that unseen energy, like when you step into a deep cave and hear only a vibrating silence. And it is precisely that silence that scares most people. It is not darkness creeping from behind dank trees, but the ominous sound of nothingness from a place that should be beaming with life. A stern silence had set in, a moment when day-time dwellers are just starting to fall asleep and night-crawlers are beginning to stir.

Far from feeling assaulted by such presence, Seichiro felt at ease. It was a moment in time when you could completely detach from your surroundings and find inner equilibrium. Unfortunately, the Ranger was not there for a leisure stroll. His movements were aimed towards a purpose: to finally catch his prey.

You would expect that a group of seven or eight horse riders striding down a narrow, forest-marred trail would find their movements reduced to a snail pace. Seichiro found evidence of that in the tracks left by the animals as they ascended up the trail. It was a dangerous move, an ill-fated gambit. Horses were not made for that. Their long-spanning legs were best suited for open spaces, preferably flat. One wrong step and they were risking to end up with an animal with a broken leg.

The riders were not getting it easy too. Seichiro saw signs of torn twitches and branches, a couple blood-smeared. It was a trailed made up by and suited for walking, not riding. His prey had opted to continue on horse knowing this pretty well, and that added more layers to the mystery.

Up ahead the trail made a turn to the left and continued winding up the slope. Seichiro was about to press on but something made him stop. His instinct were calling to him, urging him to place close attention to what lay ahead. Pressed against the slope over the trail laid an unusual mound. It had trees and foliage all over it. At first glance it looked just like another batch of the forest. But upon closer inspection the edges were square-like and flat. It looked unnatural, but only if you knew what you were looking for. The Ranger immediately realized what it was and what it was being used for.

He crouched and waited. One, two, three, twenty heartbeats. He was ready to jump into action at a moment notice. But nothing happened. Had they not seen him? Hardly. The lookout provided enough vision over good part of the trail. Someone looking down might have a hard time differentiating or counting possible intruders, but he will most definitely have enough time to detect unusual movement and thus act and prepare accordingly.

Wondering what was going on, the Ranger moved out of the trail and into the woods as fast as he could. It was a dangerous move. He was risking getting lost or end up straight into a clearing with enemies waiting. But Seichiro knew that he could orient himself within the miasma of darkness and wilderness. He zigzagged between tress and boulders in the direction he believed the slope was. He eventually found the rocky wall and started climbing.

The stone was wet and weathered. It was hard to find good footing, especially since he wanted to make as less noise as possible. He spent more time that what he would have liked crawling up to the edge of the lookout, but eventually his hands pressed against the moss-packed logs set one upon the other.

He waited. No sound. No chatter, no movements. It was strange. The Ranger ventured to peek over the edge and found an empty camp. There were signs of recent activity all over the place. Footprints everywhere, cooking pots and utensils sprawled on the ground, an improvised hut with straw and twig beds.

Seichiro jumped into the camp and looked around. There was no one. He pondered briefly and then an idea came slamming into his head. They are leaving. They got what they were looking for, and now they are leaving. No point in remaining here. So, are they going to try a mountain pass?

The Ranger wondered if such a pass existed on this part of the mountain range. A trail for ill-advised adventurers on foot? Sure. But not for packed animals and horses. They would need to discard them entirely to even consider attempting such a thing, especially since night was fast approaching. If so, then what was the point of not discarding them earlier?

He was wasting time. Seichiro guessed that he will find more of these along the trail up ahead, perhaps he had even missed a few on his way here. But he believed he will find them empty too. Clicking his tongue, Seichiro made his way back to the trail and continued pressing on.