Syl's head snapped up.
'...?'
It was subtle at first, a shift in the air, the faint scrape of bark somewhere deeper in the forest. Then came the unmistakable rhythm of many legs tearing through the underbrush.
'Something is coming.' She stiffened.
Her amber eyes darted to Akane, still curled by the fire's faint embers, tail wound tightly around herself. The Fox girl's breaths were slow and deep, completely lost to sleep.
"Wake up." Syl hissed.
Nothing.
"Wake up!" Syl repeated a bit louder.
Still.
"I told you to wake up!" Syl shouted, kicking her foot out toward the Fox girl. Akane stirred slightly, tail flicking, but her eyes didn't open.
"Akane. Wake up!" Syl growled louder, voice carrying urgency. Absolutely no response.
Her heartbeat spiked. The sound in the trees grew sharper, closer, moving directly towards them. Syl tried again, louder this time. "Akane!"
Nothing. Not even a twitch of the ears now.
"Damn it…" Syl cursed, looking toward the shadows.
