The body of the creature Dio had killed let blood seep slowly into the ground. Its color was dark, thicker than the blood of wild animals he had seen in his old world. The smell was metallic… but also sharp, almost making the tip of his tongue taste bitter if he breathed it in too long.
He dragged the carcass a few steps away from the hiding place. Each scrape made a soft sound that forced Dio to hold his breath longer than he should. He covered the blood traces with soil and leaves, but the scent still spread.
The forest responded without a sound.
No wind.
No insects.
No birds taking flight in fear as they usually would.
Instead, the opposite: the forest seemed to be holding itself back, waiting for something Dio had yet to see.
He returned to the unconscious person, breathing heavily. The person lay with eyes tightly shut, a pale face, and the skin around the wound pulled tight. Their chest rose and fell slowly, but uneven. At times, their breath vanished for a moment before jolting back in.
Dio knelt, touching the ground near the wound.
Dry. Not a healthy dry.
Like soil that refused to absorb blood.
He examined the wound more closely.
A long tear, jagged, the edges of the skin looked shredded as if dragged. Faint tooth marks were visible along the sides of the wound. Small. Dense. Close together. The same bite pattern as the small creature he had killed earlier.
"If one creature like that is roaming," Dio thought,
"is there a pack?"
He didn't want to know the answer.
Not now.
Not when he still had to carry this person away.
Dio lowered his head again to make sure the victim's breathing remained—and it did, though growing shallower. Without help, this person wouldn't last long.
He looked around. The forest shifted a little every second. Light never truly reached the ground. The air felt thick, suppressing sound from every direction. The soil beneath Dio's boots seemed to shift slightly when he put his weight down, as if the roots below were moving slowly.
Not moving as in alive.
More like adjusting position… or avoiding something.
Dio tightened his grip on his sword and took a long breath.
He forced his body to stand.
He couldn't stay here.
---
The first step to lift the person felt like shouldering a boulder.
The second step made his shoulders ache.
He draped one of the person's arms over his own shoulder, gripped their waist with both hands, and pulled them up until the weight was more evenly spread.
His body trembled under the load.
His back tensed.
His collarbone throbbed.
But he remained standing.
Dio began taking small steps toward the narrow gap between the bushes. Every leaf brushed by the person's clothing made a sound—quiet, but in a forest this silent, it sounded like something that shouldn't be there.
Dio stopped for a moment, closing his eyes.
Then he heard it.
Faint at first.
Like something large scraping the ground with its weight.
Stopping.
Then moving again.
Not like the small creature before.
Not that fast.
Not that fluid.
Its movement had weight.
Not weight that shattered the earth like the giant creature from before, but heavy enough to send a thin tremor through the soil under Dio's feet.
Dio held his breath.
He listened again.
The sound came from the west—
the direction of the river.
The place Dio wanted to avoid.
He shifted the unconscious person higher on his shoulder and moved more slowly. He placed his feet down with the front first so the sound wouldn't be too loud. Every step felt like it needed to be counted in seconds.
The sound stopped.
The forest stopped with it.
Then… a low breath sounded.
Not near.
Not far.
But clear.
A long breath.
Deep.
Followed by a faint snort.
Dio froze.
The body on his shoulder nearly slipped, but he caught it again—quickly enough to rustle the dry leaves.
That small sound was enough.
The creature stopped breathing for a moment.
Dio felt his blood drop to his soles.
He held his breath until his lungs burned.
Then…
the creature moved again.
But this time differently.
Slower.
More directed.
It was sniffing.
Dio clearly heard air being drawn in from dozens of meters away.
The forest stayed still.
Even the air did not move.
Dio breathed so lightly when he realized:
The creature was searching for the source of the blood scent.
And the direction it was heading…
was where Dio stood.
---
With no time left, Dio dragged the person's body and forced himself through the bushes to the right. The shrubs were tall, their leaves coarse, and some thin branches scratched his face. He endured the sting, focusing only on not slipping.
The creature's sound changed.
Now faster.
Its breathing like air forced out of a massive chest.
The earth shook a little more.
It knew Dio was moving.
Dio quickened his steps, forcing a path between the foliage, pulling the person's body tighter to his chest so the weight wouldn't bounce. His chest burned from the effort. His fingertips went numb from gripping too hard.
Then he heard it—
Heavy steps.
Fast.
Closing in.
The creature had chosen its direction.
Dio didn't dare look back.
He kept moving, pushing himself deeper into the shrubs and large roots. The ground was uneven. Some places were slick, some snared his feet, some stones nearly sent him tumbling.
The creature's steps drew closer.
Truly close now.
Just a few meters behind him.
Too close to hide.
Too close to run.
Dio took one last breath before making a choice that might decide whether he lived through the day:
He turned his body to the right, passed a large root, and threw himself and the other person down a small moss-covered slope.
His body crashed into wet brush.
Leaves closed over them.
Air was trapped in his chest.
The creature stopped at the top of the slope.
Dio froze.
The creature's breathing filled the air.
Deep.
Heavy.
Stirring the leaves nearby.
He could feel the vibrations in the ground.
It sniffed once.
Twice.
Dio shut his eyes.
His hand gripped the sword so tightly his wrist hurt.
The creature sniffed again…
lower.
Closer to the ground.
Then its steps changed direction.
Not leaving.
Just moving along the slope…
to the other side.
Waiting.
Listening.
Dio held his breath longer than he was capable of.
His chest began to burn.
His head pounded.
The creature stopped.
Turned.
Dio couldn't see it, but he felt that gaze through instinct that needed no explanation.
Like a predator examining the ground where prey had stood.
Like something that knew its prey was near.
Yet not certain.
The creature's steps moved again—
slowly,
toward the direction of the animal blood.
It left.
For now.
Dio still didn't move.
Still held his breath.
Still waited for the sound to truly fade.
Only when silence once more settled over the forest did he open his eyes.
His hands shook.
His shoulders ached.
His entire body throbbed.
But the person he carried…
was still alive.
And that was enough to force him back to his feet.
Slowly, with what strength he had left.
He knew one thing now:
This forest did not only hold large creatures and small ones.
There was something in between.
Something that had territory.
Something that understood scent, sound, and tracks.
Something that hunted not because it was hungry…
But because that was its role in this world.
And Dio had drawn its attention.
He had to go farther.
Faster.
Deeper.
The fourth day had just become the longest day since he arrived in this world.
And the sun hadn't even reached its peak.