The morning fog clung stubbornly to the edges of Iguro Forest, dampening every sound except for the faint crunch of boots and the occasional creak of bowstring.
James adjusted the strap of his satchel, feeling the comforting weight of his spellbook against his hip. Ilyanna walked ahead, silent but alert, her bow in hand and an arrow resting lightly against the string. Olivia followed behind, a watchful presence.
"Tree Hounds like to hunt near the roots of the older trees," Olivia said quietly, her voice barely louder than the whisper of the wind. "They blend into the bark until they move. Don't rely on your eyes alone—listen for the creak."
James frowned. "Creak?"
"They're alive, but they're still wood. When they shift their limbs, the bark rubs against itself. Sounds like a branch swaying in a storm."
Ilyanna's eyes flicked toward a nearby trunk. "Like that?"
The faint sound came again—a strained, woody groan. James tensed, raising his staff.
Then it lunged.
A blur of twisted bark and jagged wooden teeth burst from the roots of the tree. Its "fur" was a mat of moss and splintered branches, its eyes glowing faintly green. The Tree Hound landed between James and Ilyanna, snapping at the archer with a sound like splintering timber.
Ilyanna dodged sideways and loosed her arrow in one smooth motion. The shaft buried itself in the hound's flank, but it didn't even slow.
James reacted quickly, raising his staff. "Ignite!"
A spark leapt from his palm, catching on the arrow's shaft. The hound snarled as the fire began to spread along its bark. It thrashed violently, trying to smother the flames against the ground.
Another creak came from the left.
"Second one!" Olivia called sharply.
James barely turned in time to see the second Tree Hound leap toward him. He thrust out his hand. "Mana Shield!"
A translucent barrier flared to life just as the hound slammed into it, the impact rattling his bones. Cracks spiderwebbed across the magical surface before the hound dropped back, circling like a predator sizing up prey.
Ilyanna repositioned herself, drawing another arrow. "I'll keep the burning one busy. James, take the other!"
Easier said than done. The unburned hound darted in sudden, jerking movements, never approaching in a straight line. James muttered under his breath, weaving the incantation for Magic Missiles. Three glowing darts shot forward, slamming into the hound's legs. Bark splintered, but it kept moving.
The burning hound howled, a horrible, wooden wail, and charged at Ilyanna. She rolled to the side, loosing another arrow into its shoulder. It stumbled but didn't fall.
"Fire, James!" she shouted.
James glanced between the two creatures. His Mana Shield was fading, and his reserves were already dipping. But if they didn't take one down fast, they'd be overwhelmed.
He tightened his grip on the staff. "Ignite!"
The second hound caught fire at the joint of its leg, the flames racing up its wooden frame. It snarled and lunged for him again, forcing him to backpedal into a thick root.
Olivia's voice cut through the chaos. "Control your distance! Don't let them pin you!"
James forced himself to breathe, focusing on the hound's movement. Each time it lunged, it overextended, leaving its leg exposed for a half-second. He waited for the next attack, then swung his staff low, slamming the hardened wood into the burning joint.
The hound collapsed onto one side, its movements jerky and strained. The fire spread rapidly now, consuming its mossy hide until it stilled completely, collapsing into a heap of smoking bark.
Ilyanna, meanwhile, had maneuvered the first hound toward a fallen log. She vaulted over it, forcing the hound to leap after her. As it landed, she shot an arrow directly into its open maw.
The creature convulsed, then collapsed with a final creak, smoke rising from its split jaw.
Silence returned to the forest—broken only by James's ragged breathing.
Olivia stepped forward, surveying the remains. "Not bad," she said. "You both hesitated too much at the start, but you adapted quickly. That hesitation will kill you against real monsters."
James wiped sweat from his forehead. "These weren't real monsters?"
Olivia's eyes flicked toward the deeper forest. "They were. But they weren't organized. You'll find goblins are far worse—they work together."
Ilyanna knelt by the nearest hound, inspecting its remains. "Bark's too charred to sell much of it, but we can use some of the moss. It's medicinal."
James raised an eyebrow. "Medicinal? From something that tried to bite my head off?"
"Not everything deadly stays that way," she replied flatly. "Sometimes, it's just about preparation."
Olivia nodded in agreement. "And speaking of preparation, we're not done. Tree Hounds usually roam in threes."
James groaned. "You couldn't have told us that before we fought two?"
"You'd have been too distracted watching the trees instead of fighting the ones in front of you," Olivia said, already scanning the area.
The third creak came from behind them.
This one was larger—its frame thicker, its teeth longer, its bark darker as if it had absorbed years of rot. It didn't leap immediately. It prowled forward, green eyes fixed on James like a wolf deciding the best way to take down a deer.
Ilyanna whispered, "That's the alpha."
James felt the prickle of cold sweat along his back. "Fantastic."
They spread out, trying to flank it. Olivia stayed behind them this time, letting the two younger adventurers take point.
The hound finally charged—straight for James.
He raised his staff, but instead of blocking, he shouted, "Gust!" A sudden burst of wind threw the hound's leap off-course, sending it crashing into a tree trunk. Ilyanna loosed an arrow into its side, but it only lodged halfway into the thick bark.
It whirled on her, snapping viciously. She rolled aside, drawing another arrow, but the alpha was fast—too fast.
James's instincts screamed. "Hey! Over here!"
The hound spun toward him just in time to catch another Ignite directly to its chest. The flames caught on the moss faster than before, and the creature thrashed violently, slamming itself against the ground to put the fire out.
Ilyanna seized the opening. She leapt onto a root, balanced for a heartbeat, and fired an arrow directly into the creature's eye.
It went still.
The forest returned to silence once more.
Olivia finally stepped forward, a faint smile playing at her lips. "Now that," she said, "was a real fight."
James and Ilyanna exchanged a look—part relief, part pride. They weren't ready for the goblins yet. But today, they'd proven they could at least stand against the bark and bite of the wild.