A chill crawled up Wei's spine, slow and deliberate.
He drew his hunting knife inch by inch, careful not to make a sound.
The familiar weight of the blade settled into his palm.
Above them, not far overhead,
footsteps began to gather.
Then a voice rolled in from the forest,
heavy and rough,
pressing down through the darkness.
"Their scent is still here. Split up. Chase."
The footsteps scattered immediately.
Chaotic. Urgent.
Quickly fading into the distance.
But not all of them left.
One remained.
That person did not go far.
The footsteps stopped, then started again,
circling the bushes above them.
Once.
Then another round.
Chun's nails dug deep into Wei's palm.
Almost piercing the skin.
Wei did not feel it at all.
The footsteps were heavy.
Each step landed solidly on the ground, producing a dull, unmistakable thud.
Closer.
Closer.
Until at last they stopped.
Directly above their heads.
A massive claw slowly pressed down onto the wooden board.
Fine dust began to fall from the ceiling.
The heavy footsteps closed in like a rising tide.
Each step thudded against the ground.
Dull. Relentless.
Wei heard his own heartbeat pounding in his chest.
Beside him, the girl trembled like a startled deer.
Her whole body shook.
Panic flickered in her eyes.
Bright. Unfocused.
A bad feeling crept up Wei's spine.
Chun was too tense.
She was about to make a sound.
Slowly, he slipped his left hand free from her grasp. His movements were careful, measured. Then he drew her closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
He felt it at once. Her shoulders slackened slightly, as if she had relaxed by instinct.
But his hand did not stop.
He pressed it firmly over her mouth.
Only then did Chun seem to understand what he was doing. Under his palm, her lips moved. She struggled, breath quick and shallow.
Then she bit down.
Hard enough to let Wei know her anger.
She was too scared.
Wei closed his eyes for a brief second and prayed silently.
But the prayer came too late.
"Found you…"
The voice came with a savage laugh.
"Lucky me," he chuckled.
"Two of you."
"All mine."
Then a loud crash followed.
The wooden cover above Wei and Chun was blasted aside. It flew away in pieces.
Dim light spilled down.
A tall figure stood above them.
It blocked out what little glow there was.
Its massive claws caught the light.
Cold. Metallic.
Wei was just about to surge forward.
But Chun moved first.
She slammed her hand down on his shoulder.
She held him in place with surprising strength.
Wei stared at her in shock.
He watched as Chun reached into one of the bamboo tubes.
Her arm disappeared inside for a split second.
Then she pulled it back out.
Between her fingers was a thick, coarse hemp rope.
Wei's pupils shrank.
Chun yanked it with all her strength.
A sharp click rang out overhead.
The sound of a mechanism being triggered exploded above them.
Wood scraped violently.
Rope snapped tight.
Everything happened at once.
Wei did not even have time to look up.
The air seemed to sink.
The tall figure above them froze mid motion.
It did not even scream.
Two enormous wooden stakes slammed together from opposite sides.
The impact was brutal.
A deep, crushing thud echoed through the forest.
Blood burst outward in a fine mist. Warm droplets splattered onto Wei's shoulder and neck. The smell was sharp and sweet, sickeningly thick.
Wei's stomach churned. His throat tightened. He almost vomited on the spot.
But he stayed frozen, head tilted back, staring blankly at the two massive wooden stakes as they slowly came to a halt. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed again and again.
"Th this… you… how did you…"
He could not finish the sentence.
Chun cut him off.
She was shocked by the power, but looked at Wei with curious eyes, as if he'd just asked a silly question.
"This is what Lin taught us."
She blinked once. "Did you not know?"
"Us?"
Wei seized on the word immediately. His voice went tight.
"Who do you mean by us?"
"The hunters in the village," Chun said, as if it were obvious.
"Everyone knows this."
Wei's mind buzzed.
"Then… that means this was never a ventilation pipe?"
"Of course not."
Chun glanced at the bamboo tube. "It is not stuffy down here. Why would we need one?"
Wei opened his mouth. Could not closed it again.
After a long pause, he finally forced out a question.
"Then… what else do I not know?"
"That whistle was also something Lin told me about."
Chun thought for a moment, then added, "Once it is triggered, it sounds thirty meters away. It sets off a sliding mechanism and draws enemies off. "
She frowned slightly. "I do not know why it triggered the nearby trap this time."
Wei's face fell at once.
"Oh… that… that might have been me…"
He raised a hand and scratched the back of his head. His voice grew smaller with every word.
"I thought my father had set it up wrong, so I adjusted it a bit…"
The air went quiet.
Wei's thoughts collapsed into chaos.
He could not help muttering to himself inside his head.
"Old man, am I really your son, or is Chun the one you raised?"
Yet he had to admit something.
Every time his father explained traps and mechanisms, Wei always interrupted. He thought he already understood. Because of that, his father had lost his temper more than once. He had scolded Wei for being impatient and disrespectful.
The memory hit him like a splash of cold water.
Wei snapped back to his senses.
"No. We cannot stay here."
His voice sharpened. "Those things will come back."
Chun nodded. Then she added calmly, "Their sense of smell is sharp… but not insanely sharp."
Wei froze for a moment.
Then an idea hit him.
He wiped his hand across the blood on his shoulder and smeared it onto Chun's face.
"Then they won't be able to tell us apart by smell, right?"
Chun froze.
The stench hit her nose like a wall. Her face turned pale. She almost threw up.
"Are you kidding me?" she whispered. "Why can't we just go through the river? One rinse and it's gone."
Wei slapped his forehead.
"Right."
He was already turning to run.
"Come on. Quickly. To the river."
The cold night hung over them like a damp net.
They slid into the river with barely a sound.
Footsteps came from the riverbank. Someone was pacing back and forth, crushing dead branches underfoot and kicking loose bits of gravel.
In the night, every sound was sharp and close, as if it were right above their heads.
Wei and Chun slowly lowered their necks into the water. The chill cut through skin and sank straight into bone.
Wei's teeth began to chatter despite herself. The faint clicking sounded unbearably loud in his ears.
He clenched his jaw so hard his cheeks ached. He forced his whole body still. Even the smallest noise could be fatal.
Their breathing turned shallow and controlled. Only their eyes remained above the surface, reflecting the dim night sky.
Beneath the water, they edged their feet along the slick river stones, letting the current help them drift away from the dark shapes on the shore.
Then it happened.
Plop.
A stone dropped into the water near them.
Ripples spread, then quickly faded.
The sound was not loud, but in the dead silence of the night it rang out harsh and clear.