The rain was still pouring down.
The mud under their paws was slippery.
It was gloomy, dark and downright miserable.
Marshall sniffed as he continued walking, and Evi silently followed him.
They were on a long walk, it was dark, it wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't raining
As if it wasn't bad enough, Marshall hurt his paw so he couldn't even walk without groaning in pain.
Evi told him she would heal him, but when they left the forest , literally.
The day just went from good to bad.
The weather, the situation, the injury, it just went downhill today.
There was also something else.
She couldn't point out exactly, but something… was wrong.
She found that she was looking more around the forest.
She never noticed how eerie it was during the day, but now that night ...
The branches were twisted high above their heads, and the leaves blocked their view of the sky if they looked up.
Wet mud squeaked under their paws with their every step.
The rain didn't help in the least.
There was an itch on her back right between her shoulder blades.
It was a nervous itching followed by a tingling sensation down the spine.
She felt vulnerable and nervous.
She could sense something almost… sinister nearby.
Evi shook her head, deciding she was just tired.
Nothing scared her, especially not the proverbial things in the dark.
There was a sound behind them.
Marshall was usually the one to pick up faint noises, but his concentration was elsewhere today, focusing on the direction he was leading them and also on his paw , which was probably throbbing with pain.
Evi froze in place, slowly turning to look over her shoulder.
Her heart dropped when she saw no one, which was unusual.
Normally seeing something had such an effect, but not seeing something was just as bad, it led to more questions about what was causing the noise.
- Hey Marshall?
- Yes?
- I'll try to ease your pain a little, we can go faster.
She put her paw down and began to concentrate, but the thread didn't happen
- My powers ...
- What's wrong with them?
She shook her head gently, drawn by the darkness of the forest.
It was as if something was pulling her.
She cleared her throat and met Marshall's eyes.
- Let's just move on
As they walked, the rain began to fall more and more.
Evi narrowed her eyes, the path in front of them was distorted under the pressure of bad weather.
- ... Evi ...
Her blood was like ice and she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to believe that was what she had heard.
Marshall definitely didn't say that.
It was a whisper close to her ear.
She turned to look back.
She stared into the darkness, hoping to catch that bastard who was making a joke of them.
Her eyes narrowed, looking closer and just staring waiting for some move.
Evi might have had little power, no doubt because of what lurked in the woods next to them, but she wasn't stupid.
She knew there was something.
She could feel it.
She waited, listening for any sounds.
Breathing and slight wheezing.
Evi felt weak, but she held on, still staring at the nothingness behind them.
She hadn't expected two yellow glowing eyes to appear and look at her.
There was a short flash of sharp, jagged teeth.
Evi didn't wait to find out if she was hallucinating.
She turned and hurried off, grabbing the Marshall's wrist and running forward.
She didn't know how close it was, but she didn't want to take any chances.
It weakened her powers, who knows what else he was capable of.
Whispers gurgled in the air around her head, and she could feel it coming closer and closer.
Her heart was beating at miles per minute, her eyes darted wildly in panic.
Her only priority was getting them both out of this forest.
She risked a glance over her shoulder at the rustling leaves and the shadow constantly cast across the tree trunks.
Something about that absolutely terrified her.
She didn't know what it was, and she didn't want to know either.
She screamed as she stumbled, her paw caught on a loose vine on the ground.
Marshall was there, grabbing her before she fell over.
His paws were warm around her, and for a brief moment she felt safe.
Evi suddenly looked around the area.
It wasn't there.
She could see the lights of the city, and no branches blocked her view of the sky.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
- Thank you Poseidon. She whispered
- Evi! Can you tell me what the hell this panic attack is for? Marshall said, completely confused
Evi looked at him carefully.
- I'll tell you when we get home.
Marshall blinked, but he seemed to accept it.
He shook his head and smiled,
- You're so weird sometimes, you know that?
She stared at him for a moment, then smiled with a slight smile.
- Do you really care?
He chuckled
- No! Weird is fun. I like weird.
Evi rolled her eyes and took his outstretched paw.
She started walking, once again feeling the familiar wave of her powers within her.
She reached out her paw and glowed red
- Your powers are back! Marshall cheered, grinning from ear to ear.
- At least we can get home faster now. she muttered, lifting them on the cloud of water vapor into the air.
She cast a last glance over her shoulder.
Did she imagine it?
Was it all in her mind?
At least she felt safe now.
Whatever it was, it stopped at the forest's threshold.
Nothing followed them home tonight.
Although she could have sworn she heard an ethereal laugh as she looked bay again.
She shrugged, attributing it to the wind.