The sun had not yet crested the peaks when Shino kicked Gabriel’s cot.
"Sun’s up. Shadows are long. Move," she commanded.
Gabriel groaned, his body screaming from the previous day's ordeal. When he finally managed to stand and step outside the cliff-house, the view took his breath away. They were perched hundreds of feet above a sea of emerald mist. This was the Whispering Woods, a forest so dense and ancient that the sunlight rarely touched the mossy floor.
"We don't use the mountain passes," Shino said, checking the tension on her bowstring. "The mercenaries will have the roads choked. We go through the deep canopy."
"The canopy?" Gabriel looked at the towering trees, their branches interlacing like the ribs of a cathedral. "I’m a Prince, Shino, not an acrobat."
"Today, you’re a cargo," she replied coolly. She whistled, and Hecate descended from the clouds, landing on a nearby branch. "The bird scouts the sky. I scout the middle. You stay in my shadow. If I stop, you freeze. If I run, you run. If I tell you to climb, you climb until your fingers bleed."
The first few hours were a lesson in humility for Gabriel. To Shino, the forest was a map written in scents and subtle sounds. To Gabriel, it was a chaotic tangle of thorns and damp earth. Every time he snapped a twig, Shino’s ears would flatten against her head, and she would shoot him a look that could turn a dragon to stone.
"You walk like a blind ox," she hissed after he tripped over a protruding root for the third time.
"I am wearing riding boots, not paws!" Gabriel whispered back, his frustration finally boiling over. "And I haven't eaten a proper meal since the capital. My head is spinning."
Shino paused, her tail twitching. She looked at him—really looked at him—and saw the tremors in his hands. She sighed, her expression softening just a fraction. "Sit. Five minutes."
They sat at the base of a massive Weir-tree. Shino pulled a small canteen from her belt and handed it to him. It wasn't wine; it was a bitter, herbal tonic that sent a jolt of energy through his veins.
"Why do you hate us so much?" Gabriel asked quietly, wiping his mouth. "Humans, I mean. My father always told me the Cait Sith were a proud race, but he never mentioned this... wall you put up."
Shino leaned against the trunk, her golden eyes scanning the trees above. "Twenty years ago, a human King—not your father, but a neighbor—decided that Cait Sith ears were a symbol of luck. He paid a gold crown for every pair brought to him."
Gabriel’s blood ran cold. "I... I didn't know."
"You wouldn't. Humans forget the blood they spill as soon as the rain washes it away," Shino said, her voice devoid of emotion. "We don't. That’s why we live in the places you’re afraid of. The monsters are honest about wanting to eat us. Humans smile while they sharpen the knife."
Before Gabriel could apologize, Hecate let out a sharp, piercing shriek from high above.
Shino was on her feet in a heartbeat, her bow already in her hand. Her ears swiveled toward the north.
"What is it?" Gabriel whispered, reaching for the hilt of his decorative sword.
"They’re not using dogs," Shino whispered, her pupils expanding until her eyes were almost entirely black. "They’re using Scent-Hounds—magical constructs. They don't tire, and they don't lose a trail."
The forest, which had felt silent and empty, suddenly felt alive with a predatory energy. Far off in the distance, a low, metallic baying echoed through the trees. It didn't sound like an animal; it sounded like grinding gears and tortured spirits.
"How far?" Gabriel asked, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"Close enough that we can't outrun them on foot," Shino said. She looked at the massive branches above them, then at Gabriel’s clumsy boots. "You’re going to have to do something you’ve never done, Prince."
"What?"
"You’re going to have to trust a 'cat' with your life."
She grabbed a coil of silk-rope from her pack and tied it around her waist, looping the other end around Gabriel’s chest. Before he could protest, she leapt.
She didn't just jump; she launched herself with the explosive power of a mountain lion. Her claws—hidden until now—extended from her fingertips, digging into the bark. With Gabriel anchored to her, she began to ascend the Weir-tree with terrifying speed.
"Hold your breath!" she commanded.
As they reached the upper branches, the first Scent-Hound burst into the clearing below. It was a terrifying mass of iron and shadow, its eyes glowing with a sickly purple light. It sniffed the spot where they had just been sitting and let out a sound that shook Gabriel to his core.
High above, hidden in the thick leaves of the canopy, Shino pressed Gabriel against the trunk, her hand over his mouth. They were hundreds of feet up, perched on a branch no wider than a man’s thigh.
He could feel her heart beating against his back—fast, steady, and utterly focused. For the first time, the Prince realized that the girl holding him wasn't just a guide. She was a survivor. And if he wanted to see Oakhaven again, he had to become one, too.
"They’re waiting for us to drop," Shino whispered into his ear, her breath warm. "But they forgot one thing."
She reached into her quiver and pulled out an arrow with a strange, hollow tip.
"Cait Siths don't just
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hunt," she smirked. "We play."
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and then Add to home screen.