"Something seems a little off."
Lin Chen observed for a moment, frowning as he slowly lowered his raised axe and took a deliberate step to the side.
He couldn't afford to be careless. The distance between them was just too close—only about five meters, with a small stream separating them that he could cross with a single step.
For a four-legged creature, that distance could be covered in the blink of an eye. Any slightly large movement could startle it.
When he moved, Jin Meiyan's body trembled in fear. She quickly followed with small, shuffling steps, pressing her head tightly against his back, not daring to look ahead.
A strange thing happened.
He had clearly changed direction, but the coyote's gaze remained fixed straight ahead, locked on his previous position. It was as if he had just moved out of the center of its vision, or perhaps as if it hadn't paid him any mind at all.
'...Could it be?'
