Chapter two:
So far there are no signs of animals, not even the birds that should be in the forest especially at this time of season.
Mello and Near keep searching for something that might give them a clue as to why there is no animals while Matt follows scared behind them jumping at the smallest noise like a snapping of a twig.
Near pauses and Mello stops turning to Near. "There aren't any bears here yet there's…" Near doesn't need to finish as he goes over to a tree examining claw marks on the tree there that look like a bear or monster made them. He makes sure to get his camera to have a good look at it as Mello comes over to examine the marks.
"Holy crap that's fucking big claw marks!" Mello puts the tip of his fingers against the marks and feels along the marks stopping once he touches something that isn't wood. He takes it out and finds some fur that looks like lion fur. "Lion fur?" He examines it with Near and Matt looking at it too.
"A Manticore?" Matt suggests taking a few steps back.
"Doubt it. This might be just someone's idea of a trick or a way to try to make people leave." Mello says a little proudly at saying it first. "Manticore's are mythical creatures like Griffin's." He turns away from the claw marks and sees that Near had moved away to take a look at the small area around them for any other signs of anything else.
Near stops and reaches up plucking out a large feather out of a tree. He examines it under his camera's light as Mello comes over to see what Near found and Matt keeps shining his flashlight into the darkness of the forest tense.
"An eagle feather?" Mello raises an eyebrow.
"Its size makes it seem like its fake but by it is a very real feather. However it's too big to be an eagle feather." Near observes.
Matt spots something and his eyes widen. "Um guys!" He calls to Mello and Near making them look at him. "There's blood." He tells them looking at a spot on the ground that only he had checked at the moment.
Mello and Near go over to Matt disregarding the feather and look at the blood.
Sure enough there on the ground is blood and it is starting to clot showing that it is real blood.
"It almost looks like someone made it look like a battle field between unknown monsters. A pretty good set up but it has to be fake." Mello says taking a step away from the other two and the blood.
Near looks down the area straight ahead from where the blood is finding a trail of blood. "Well whoever or whatever made all of this they left a trail."
Mello quickly goes up ahead starting to follow the trail. "There's some more lion fur and another eagle feather just the feather is smaller not to mention broken." He informs the other two. "Now this has to be someone trying to keep people out of this forest." He talks to himself as he looks around into the darkness with his camera's light. "And I will figure this out before Near!" He mumbles to himself. He passes over a dark spot of the forest and sees something there in the darkness something not usually there. He quickly moves his camera's light back to that spot only to find nothing so he takes a few steps closer but there isn't any sign of anything so he pushes it aside as nothing but his imagination since he had that spot well checked out with no signs of anything.
Near and Matt come over to by where Mello is though they all were still visible to each other Near went to join in the search for anything else suspicious while Matt followed going between Mello and Near.
Out of nowhere there is a screech that rips through the air almost like a loud eagle screech.
The three look around each taking different spots as they are almost back to back looking for anything that could have made the noise.
"Even then no birds even went noisily flying out of trees." Near quietly observes.
"Guy's let's get out of here." Matt whimpers in fear.
"Go ahead and take the losers penalty." Mello shrugs it off. "Don't think I am joining you."
"This is getting interesting." Near agrees with Mello. "But no one is making you stay in the forest Matt. You are free to leave whenever."
Matt glances back the way they came but moves closer to the other two not wanting to go out there into the forest alone. "I-I think I-I'll stay with the group." He shakily says fearful of what could be out there.
"Whatever. Let's keep going. I am going to solve this mystery." Mello begins the continue of the trek through the woods with Near following and Matt rushing to stay close to the other two.