‘What a fool she is to make camp alone.’

The man, his face lost in the cowl of his cloak, silently watched the young woman sleep soundly in her bedroll. Leaves rustled around the mysterious figure as he was joined by two others, similarly hooded and cloaked.

“When will we ‘announce’ our presence?” A voice, plainly that of a woman, quietly inquired. Although not seen, the smirk on her lips was evident.

The watcher replied, equally hushed, “We must wait until she finds the Void Pulse. As soon as she lays her hands on it, she will be ours.” A lone fang glinted dangerously as the full moon slid from behind cloud cover.

“We will wait then.” Another voice, male, added decisively.

****

After traveling all day and receiving little rest, Kaze was hurried in her decision of a campsite. However, surrounded by trees and sheltered by a rock outcropping, she figured it would not be easily discovered. The young woman would rather have not made camp alone, although, given the circumstances, it didn’t seem as if she would have a companion for quite some time. Sighing, Kaze set to work. As she laboured, she went through the events following her early morning departure.

The half angel, half soulless told no one of her journey, managing to sneak out of town while darkness still held everything in its grasp. Although she hated leaving her friends behind, she felt it was necessary lest they insist on accompanying her. If they were meant to come on this foretold journey, it surely would’ve happened.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Kaze lay in her bedroll watching the flames of her cooking fire flirt with the air. As she turned her gaze toward the sky, the young woman realized with a start that it was cloudy. It seemed to have happened without her noticing. Kaze scolded herself for not paying close enough attention, at the same time reminding herself that lack thereof could get her killed.

Closing her eyes and sighing, Kaze drifted off into sleep induced by arduous travel.