[POV: Thalos]
Thalos had decided to rest before entering the wolflands, because he wasn't mentally prepared to deal with other shifters yet.
The forest was quiet that night.
He stirred in his bedroll, then sat upright with a frown. The fire had burned low, casting weak amber light over the snowy clearing, but the uncomfortable feeling slithering up his spine had nothing to do with cold.
He looked toward the trees and called internally to his wolf with uncertainty, "Vaelen?"
I feel it too, the wolf murmured, his voice cautious. Something's watching us… intently.
Thalos rose and fastened his cloak, quietly stepping away from the firelight. The sensation guided him like an invisible tether, pulling him through a narrow thicket to a clearing lined in silver moonlight.
When he narrowed his eyes, he spotted a figure not too far from them… but it wasn't a normal shape.
