A pale veil of mist still clung to the forest floor when Viqce's eyes fluttered open. The morning was damp and unnaturally quiet, not in a peaceful way, but in the kind that scraped against her instincts like a claw on stone. Her camping bed crinkled beneath her as she sat up, ears twitching.
"…Nyan?"
She blinked, rubbing sleep from her eyes with the back of her gloved hand. The Crescent Lantern, with its etched stars and crescent moon design, still flickered quietly beside the embers of the campfire, casting faint halos of light across the mist-laced ground. The tents stood exactly where they had been the night before, stakes firm, fabric undisturbed, flaps closed as if untouched. Plates from last night's meal had been washed and stacked with military precision, gleaming faintly in the firelight. It was a scene of eerie calm, almost staged in its perfection. Nothing had been stolen. Nothing was broken. No signs of a scuffle or attack. The camp was completely intact.
But the children were gone.
Not a single voice. Not even Fahleena's usual morning monologue. No crunch of Sakura digging through her snack bags. No half-asleep mumbling from Kyle. Just silence. The kind that raised the hairs on the back of Viqce's neck.
She shot up, instincts flaring, her body moving before her thoughts could catch up. Her ears twitched, tail stiff with alertness. She sniffed the air, deeply, once. Twice. Again. Her nose wrinkled in frustration. There should have been something, sweat, mana residue, cooking oil, anything.
But there was nothing.
No scent trails. No lingering footprints. It was like they'd vanished into thin mist.
"Oh nyan... this is bad."
There were twelve elf children when they made camp, and now not even a sock or stray hair remained. Her sharp gaze swept the area once more before she reached into her inner instinct.
No time for delay.
"Full Beast Form: Release."
A cyclone of black mist erupted around her body, curling upward like a small hurricane. The swirling fog lashed at the trees and stirred the embers of the campfire into a scatter of sparks. Dead leaves lifted into the air and danced like startled moths. The shadows deepened, folding in on themselves, engulfing her entirely.
Then, as suddenly as it began, the mist faded, revealing a towering seven-foot bipedal feline beast cloaked in her familiar ranger garb, now resized to match her transformed form. Her body was covered in dense, pitch-black fur, sleek and gleaming with tension and power. The once-delicate features of her human face were now replaced by the sharp, angular head of a great black panther like, except the ears were larger than any panther's, long and expressive, twitching at every sound like sensitive radar dishes. They fanned outward slightly, emphasizing her beastfolk lineage with an almost mythical presence.
Golden eyes blazed beneath her brow, slitted and alert, radiating the focused intensity of a predator locked onto its quarry. Her limbs had grown, muscle packed into sinewy grace, every inch of her built for speed and strength. Though monstrous in size, there was no awkwardness, only control, precision, and quiet ferocity. Her mouth remained closed, fangs just barely visible behind her lips, her expression set in grim determination. This was Viqce in Full Beast Form: a perfect synthesis of beast and scout, born for the hunt.
Senses sharpened, Viqce sniffed again.
There. A faint, fading trail.
She leapt.
The wind whistled sharply through the mist as she launched herself from tree to tree, her massive black form slicing through the air like a living shadow. Leaves trembled in her wake, branches bowed under her momentum, yet not a single twig cracked beneath her weight. Viqce's full beast form, though towering and muscular, moved with a fluid elegance that defied its size. Each leap was a blur, a controlled explosion of power that sent her soaring effortlessly from branch to branch. Her paws landed silently, her claws retracting mid-movement to avoid scarring the bark. She became part of the forest, a ghost darting through the canopy, chasing scents invisible to the ordinary eye.
Her ears twitched with every sound. Her golden eyes scanned below in bursts. Every tree she passed blurred into the next until, there.
Beneath a wide-canopied tree, hidden partially in the fog's embrace, lay Gabyola. She was curled gracefully on her side, arms folded beneath her head, silver hair spilling like moonlight over a patch of moss. Her breathing was slow and steady, her expression tranquil. She looked as though she had simply dozed off during a walk, completely unaware that the world had shifted while she slept.
Viqce landed with a crunch of leaves. "Oi, up, nyan."
Gabyola's eyes fluttered open. She blinked at the looming shadow above her, and froze. Her breath caught as she registered the immense black feline figure towering over her, fur shimmering faintly in the mistlight. For a moment, her refined composure cracked, instincts flaring in alarm before recognition set in.
"Oh...!"
Viqce held up a clawed hand in peace. "It's me."
Recognition dawned as Gabyola's eyes dropped to Viqce's resized ranger garb. "Viqce…?"
Viqce gave a toothy feline grin. "Beast Form. Faster this way. Come on."
Before Gabyola could voice a single word of protest, Viqce effortlessly scooped her up in a flawless princess carry. The elegant archer let out a high-pitched, extremely unladylike "Hyeep!" that echoed through the trees like a startled squirrel. Her legs kicked reflexively, arms flailing for exactly half a second before she froze, eyes wide. Realizing the sheer absurdity of the situation, she stiffened like a mannequin, back straight, head held high, trying her utmost to reclaim even a shred of dignity while being toted through the forest like a flustered noblewoman's luggage.
They returned to the clearing in minutes.
Viqce dropped Gabyola beside the still-burning campfire. "Stay. I'll get the others."
She leapt again.
The next one she found was Fuhiken. He'd been moving cautiously through the mist, sword drawn in a classic defensive stance, posture textbook-perfect, like a knight patrolling a haunted mansion. His expression was stoic, his steps measured… until Viqce dropped from the canopy directly in front of him with the subtlety of a falling boulder.
Fuhiken flinched so hard he nearly stabbed a nearby fern. His sword wobbled in his grip, and for a split second, the eldest brother of the elf party looked like he was about to throw hands with a giant jungle cat. His eyes locked with Viqce's golden feline gaze, and his mouth opened slightly, not in a battle cry, but in a barely audible "whuh."
Behind her, Viqce's massive tail gave a casual flick, as if amused.
"Don't panic," she said. "It's me."
Fuhiken lowered his blade, sighing. "Understood… you look like a mini-raid boss."
"Thanks, nyan." She crouched. "Climb up. It's faster."
"No need, I can wa..!!!" He didn't finish. Viqce lifted him effortlessly into a princess carry. His face turned crimson. He stiffened instantly, ears glowing almost as red as Adiw's hair, clearly unprepared for the indignity of being cradled like a bridal maiden. A vein twitched near his temple as he struggled between chivalrous protest and the horrifying realization that resisting would only make it worse.
"Why do I get the feeling you're enjoying this?" he grumbled.
"Efficiency first, pride later."
And off she went again.
One by one, she retrieved them: Adiw, who had fallen asleep sprawled across a mossy log; Jessica, who had awoken atop a boulder and nearly slashed Viqce before realizing who she was; Yuuna, who had apparently been calmly taking notes the whole time beneath an ancient willow. Each was returned swiftly to camp, princess-carried regardless of height, complaints muffled by speed.
Orchid, of course, was enthusiastically gathering colorful mushrooms with a sparkle in her eyes.
"Nope," Viqce said simply, grabbing her by the waist and jumping away mid-sentence.
"But that one looked delicious...!!!"
"You'll cook us into a coma, nyan."
When the party began gathering back at the clearing, Fuhiken already had breakfast prepared. The rescued members sat around the fire again, half-confused, half-relieved.
"Where's Fahleena?" Jessica asked.
A sudden gust spiraled through the clearing like a herald's fanfare. Leaves danced in the air as a figure descended from the treetops, cloaked in shafts of light that pierced the morning mist.
She landed with theatrical precision, one knee to the earth, left hand pressed to the soil, right hand reaching toward the heavens like grasping the threads of fate.
"The Abyss of Isolation could not bind me," Fahleena proclaimed, voice ringing with grandeur. "Guided by starlight and destiny's echo, I have returned!"
Behind her, Viqce landed with a dull thud and an unimpressed stare.
"Another one retrieved, nyan."
---
The sound of heavy footfalls returned to the clearing. A pair of groans followed.
Viqce stomped out of the mist, still in her towering Full Beast Form. In her massive clawed hands dangled two familiar troublemakers, Kyle and Sinryo, slung over her shoulders like mismatched sacks of grain.
"I found them near the west ridge," she said flatly. "They weren't even looking for the camp. Just... poking things."
She threw both down onto the grass like sacks of flour.
"Ow...!!! You could be gentler," Kyle wheezed, blinking up at the sky.
"My bones feel inverted," Sinryo murmured, rolling over.
The rest of the party watched in silence as the two were dropped unceremoniously onto the grass. The warm scent of breakfast, thick soup laced with herbs and grilled root vegetables, lingered in the clearing, but no one reached for seconds. Fuhiken stood beside the magic stove, methodically stirring the pot, his gaze steady but unreadable. The soft bubbling of the broth was the only sound cutting through the dense mist.
Adiw leaned against a mossy log nearby, arms crossed, one boot tapping the ground in a slow, deliberate rhythm. His expression was neutral, but his narrowed eyes stayed locked on Kyle and Sinryo like a predator sizing up prey.
Jessica sat upright on a stone, one hand resting casually on her katana's hilt, the other curled loosely over her knee. Her ponytail swayed slightly with the breeze, but her posture radiated stillness, a kind of tension that warned of motion just beneath the surface.
The others, seated around the low-burning campfire, said nothing. Even Fahleena, usually the loudest voice in any room, remained quiet, twirling a strand of pink hair with practiced calm. Gigih clutched his spellbook a little tighter. Yetsan polished the tip of his lance absentmindedly, though his cleaning cloth remained frozen mid-wipe. Sinryo's beloved shiny pebble now felt far less comforting in his pocket.
The atmosphere had shifted, still, cold, and sharp with unspoken accusation. Like a bowstring drawn, waiting for one wrong twitch to snap.
Viqce dusted off her claws. "Still no sign of Sakura. Her trail cuts off completely. That's not normal."
Fuhiken's brows furrowed. "You're saying something erased her scent?"
Viqce nodded. "More like... sealed it. Like the forest pushed her away. Hidden."
Yuuna, already taking notes, tapped her chin with her wand. "So something triggered the forest's defense mechanism."
There was a short pause. Then all eyes turned toward the two groaning forms on the ground.
Kyle sat up slowly. "What?" he asked, eyes darting nervously. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Sinryo looked around and then froze. "...Wait."
Fuhiken stepped forward, arms folded. "You two. Tell me clearly: did you do anything suspicious when we entered the forest? Before camp?"
"Suspicious?" Kyle blinked. "Nope. Nothing at all. I just walked and..."
Jessica interrupted with a sharp edge to her voice. "No picking things up?"
Kyle's mouth opened. Then closed. He glanced at Sinryo. Sinryo glanced back. Panic began to form in the air as both boys tried to find an excuse, any excuse, but came up empty.
Adiw raised a brow. "You're sweating."
"I'm always sweaty," Kyle said too quickly.
Viqce's tail flicked. "Forest rules, nyan. Do not kill residents. Do not pick anything without permission."
Fuhiken narrowed his eyes. "You were both unusually quiet when we first set up camp."
Sinryo wilted under the scrutiny. "Okay, okay!" he squeaked. "It was before the camp! When we entered the forest!"
Kyle groaned. "We weren't even inside the main zone yet. Just... slightly across the boundary..."
"And?" Fuhiken pressed.
Kyle reached into his pocket with the resignation of a man on trial. From within, he slowly drew out a smooth, palm-sized stone carved by nature into the rough shape of a unicorn. Its surface was pale gray, worn to a gentle sheen, with soft moss clinging along its base like a natural saddle. Tiny grooves suggested a mane and a spiraled bump where the horn should be. It looked oddly majestic for a forest rock.
Sinryo, reluctantly, dug into his bag. After rummaging through a pouch of snack wrappers and spare buttons, he produced a star-shaped pebble no bigger than a coin. Its surface shimmered faintly with silver and blue, catching the light in delicate glints that danced like tiny constellations. The edges were rounded smooth, but the five points were distinct, each one catching the sunlight like a mirror. It sparkled so prettily, it might have been mistaken for a fallen star.
Viqce stepped forward and took both with one clawed hand, lifting them like cursed objects.
"The unicorn rock... and a coin-shaped shimmer stone," she muttered.
Jessica folded her arms. "You picked up unknown magical items from an ancient mist forest, before knowing the rules."
"I thought it was decoration," Kyle mumbled. "It looked... cool."
Sinryo drooped. "It was shiny... I can't resist shiny..."
Fuhiken pinched the bridge of his nose. "You broke a rule before even hearing it. And now Sakura is missing, possibly because of it."
Kyle's head shot up. "Wait... this is because of us?"
"The forest reacts to intruders who violate its rules," Viqce said, lowering her voice. "Sometimes by scattering them. Sometimes by making one vanish entirely."
"Oh no. No no no." Kyle paled.
"We cursed ourselves...!" Sinryo's ears drooped.
Yuuna scribbled a note: Possible cause-and-effect link: unauthorized item collection: magical displacement response.
Fuhiken sighed and looked to Viqce. "Can you still track her now?"
"I'll try again," she said. "Now that these two are caught and the items are out of their hands... maybe the forest will ease its grip."
She took one last look at the items in her clawed hand, trinkets that had seemed harmless, even whimsical, yet carried enough consequence to disrupt the will of the forest itself. With a flick of her wrist, Viqce tucked the unicorn-shaped rock and star-like pebble into a small leather pouch at her waist. The pouch clicked shut with a soft snap, and she adjusted the strap as she turned toward the trees. In one smooth, powerful motion, she bent her legs and launched upward, vanishing into the canopy with a rustle of leaves and a flick of her tail.
The clearing was silent for a few seconds. Not even the campfire crackled.
Then Adiw muttered, "This is why we can't have nice things."
Kyle groaned. "I didn't think a rock would cause this much drama."
Jessica deadpanned, "Maybe next time you'll think before pocketing rare unicorns."
Yuuna looked up. "Technically, they're not rare. Unicorn-shaped erosion stones appear frequently in ley-saturated..."
"Not helping," Kyle grumbled.
Fuhiken exhaled. "When this is over, you're writing an apology letter. In calligraphy."
"Please just don't tell Gabyola." Kyle slumped.
"She already knows," Jessica said.
From behind the girls' tent, Gabyola's elegant sigh could be heard. "Oh Kyle..."
---