Eyeless treks deeper into the forest, following the trail of blood staining the snow.
The silence feels wrong. Too thick, too deliberate. Even the wind seems hesitant to move through the trees.
Every few steps, he carves a mark into the bark.A hunter's habit, ensuring he can find his way back. The steel of his dagger glints briefly before vanishing into the dark again.
The forest feels ancient here. Watching.
As he presses on, deep scratches catch his eye, gouged into the trunks, far higher than any bear could reach.
Something massive lives nearby.
He crouches near a half-buried set of footprints. They're almost human… but far too large. The weight shifts strangely on the toes, as if the creature walks tip-toed.
The strides are uneven. Limping.
"Seems like the beast passed through here," Eyeless mutters."It's wounded. Maybe the last hunters managed to land a hit…"
He straightens and continues down the trail, the forest narrowing around him like a throat.
At last, the trees open into a clearing. Moonlight spills across a frozen river, a small wooden bridge stretching over it.
The wind finally moves again, softly, almost like a whisper.
***
A middle-aged man monitors a red dot moving across a digital forest map.
He leans forward as it stops.
The only active marker in that region: Eyeless.
The Guildmaster enters the room, accompanied by a pale-faced scientist. They watch in silence.
The man offers the Guildmaster a cup of coffee.He accepts but doesn't drink. The cup sits on the table, steam curling upward before fading.
On the large monitor, recovered drone footage flickers. The Wendigo moves through the forest, fast, fluid, almost a shadow given form.
The scientist adjusts his glasses."By comparing the frames… it's following him," he mutters.
The Guildmaster's expression hardens.
The scientist hesitates before adding, "If it remembers… that, it might not be fully gone."
"Then pray it doesn't," replies the Guildmaster.
***
The tracks stop near the water.
Eyeless kneels, scanning the ground, then looks around.
A cavern hides near the bridge, veiled behind thick bushes.
The temperature drops. The air grows still. Bones litter the entrance.
He sets up a tracker in the surrounding rubble before stepping inside.
It might not be the wisest decision, but curiosity outweighs caution.
A torn piece of clothing catches his eye, clinging to a dismembered corpse. Beneath a fold, something glints faintly.
Another Guild insignia.
"So this is where you live," Eyeless mutters under his breath.
As he rises, a distant crow caws, sharp, echoing through the frozen woods.
An omen.
Inside, the air hums faintly. It gets colder with every step.
His breath fogs before his face.
He sweeps his flashlight across the walls.
Messages, written in blood. Jagged. Desperate.
"help me"
"it sees through us"
"run"
A faint sound behind him — snow shifting.
Eyeless turns around.
Nothing.
***
The beast follows the human.
It senses his fear, buried beneath that mask of calm and confidence.
It almost forms a thought.
It tries harder.
He is different. What does different mean?
Flashes.
Memories again.
The creature is held by the wrists against a cold brick wall.
Its feet can't reach the ground.
Screams.
Are they its?
More blue uniforms.
Weird tags. It recognizes them.
The people who hunted it wore the same.
Fire.
It remembers the heat.
It remembers words.
"You will never feel the cold again."
Reality returns.
It grabs a dead tree; splinters bury into its blackened flesh.
Silence.
It watches Eyeless step into the cavern. From above, motionless.
Moonlight grazes its face.
Deformed. Elongated.
Sharp features.
A body of bone and frost.
***
Eyeless exits the den.
He moves through the forest, following the marks he carved earlier.
The beast doesn't follow.
When he's far enough, he calls the Guildmaster.
"Eyeless here. Reporting in."
"I've been tracking your movement," the Guildmaster replies. His voice is calm, but weighted. "Glad you made it out alive. Proceed."
"The village's gone. Nothing left but ruins and corpses. Found tracks heading north. I located the creature's lair and planted a tracker."
"Did you engage?"
"Negative. It's moving. Watching."
A pause. Only static hums through the line.
The Guildmaster takes a slow sip of coffee before speaking again.
"Understood. Maintain distance. I want updates every six hours."
"Yes, sir."
"And Eyeless…"
"Yeah?"
"If the beast remembers you… run. We can't afford to lose you. The mission's on hold until further notice."
"Understood."
The line cuts with a faint click.
Eyeless lowers his hand, eyes fixed on the treeline.
Something shifts between the pines. Slow. Menacing.
The wind finally moves again.
He exhales. The sun will rise soon. He needs sleep.
If sleep will come at all.