Predator

The clouds changed into a shade of dark navy blue. Sunrise was approaching. A rain sprinkle plopped on Hyeon's nose from the approaching storm.

They were following Nammi in an orderly line. Being a cat, she could navigate the afterlife with ease.

"We need to hurry. The door will disappear soon." Haruma rushed them through the grey fog. If the aurora disappeared for the day, they'd miss the only gateway between worlds. Hyeon couldn't tell where they were going. Even with his small flashlight, he could barely see Shika walking in front of him. Thankfully, the dirt road was flat enough to not worry about random potholes.

His foot stepped into a slushy puddle of mud. It sucked the bottom half of his shoe. Hyeon shook off the brown goop.

*Ugh, if only Blue could've driven us there.*

The dog spirit was absent. He was escorting Sani around who-knows-where. Actually, how were they supposed to get to town without a car once they crossed? They weren't walking there by foot, right?

The fog was clearing. Haruma suddenly stopped, causing Hyeon to bump into Shika's backside. "We're not far but from this point on, but we'll be exposed to demons until we reach the aurora. It shouldn't be a problem with the Lord's mark concealing our soul energy...mostly. Do you remember where to go if separated?"

"Yes," replied Shika.

"No," Hyeon said simultaneously.

Haruma lifted Nammi from under her armpits and placed her on Hyeon's shoulder. "Your fylgja will know."

They continued speed walking until they passed the barrier. The woods were clear, but the atmosphere stirred his sixth sense. It was uncomfortable and hauntingly quiet except for the pip pip pip of light rain. The sound from his suitcase's wheels bumping against the pebbles made awkward squeaks. If this was a VR game of the Blair Witch Project movie, it'd surely terrify the bravest of internet streamers.

Hyeon heard mumbled whispers nearby. It's not the first time he has heard them. He wanted to ask, *Do you hear that?,* but he lost his voice. His chest tightened with anxiety.

Then, the whispers stopped just as quickly as they came.

Haruma slowed down his pace. His right ear swished to the side, listening to a sound not detectable by human ears. Shika also looked in the same direction. It was still dark and veiled anything beyond the nearest bushes.

"What is it?" Hyeon whispered, finally able to speak. Instead of answering, Shika yanked on the fur lining of Fenrir's coat to make him run. He almost tumbled and dropped the suitcase handle. Nammi dug her claws into his shoulders. Everyone was sprinting.

"Don't stop!" Shika yelled.

Up ahead, Hyeon saw the fading aurora. It was disappearing fast, but still possible to cross. If they timed it just right, they wouldn't have to wait for the lime green slivers to reach down to the ground. Luck seemed to be on their side as the vanishing lights floated in front of them.

Running through the thin, waving wall, the atmosphere was instantly less heavy. Daybreak turned the sky into a rainbow of orange, yellow, and pink. A lush forest surrounded them; one that wasn't dead, decaying, and full of demonic animals.

Putting Nammi on the narrow path, Hyeon leaned against a frost-encrusted tree to catch his breath. The winter air exposed his expelled breaths. The other two weren't fazed at all by their Olympic speed-run. They looked around them with curiosity at the yellow-green plants coated in snow.

"Sorry about your suitcase," Shika apologized.

"It's fine. I can always get a new one, but what were we running from?"

Shika clarified, "Most demons wouldn't have been able to detect us. Even if one did, who would dare try to attack a nine-tailed fox, a god's messenger, and a phoenix? Whatever it was, it was already waiting and hunting us."

"Is that where the whispering voices came from?"

They looked confused. "What whispering?"

*That confirms it. Like before, only I can hear it.*

He'd look into it at a better time because...

"Where's the cave?" referring to the place where he and Sani entered the southern lights. They were on a hiking trail with no cave in sight. Given the lack of weeds and recent sneaker tracks, the path was well-used. A green Rakiura National Park sign with arrows and yellow lettering pointed in different directions:

20 min Post Office →

45 min North End Beach ←

"Could be a surprise solar storm. The magnetic fields are changing because of Master Fenrir's unstable condition. When that happens, the aurora can be unpredictable. It seems to have transported us closer to human settlements," Shika theorized.

Hyeon looked at the signs again. Twenty minutes was doable. "I guess we didn't need Blue after all. Oh! Don't forget, er, those," pointing to Shika's antlers. He promptly made them disappear. Haruma followed suit to hide his fox ears and tail in a wisp of black smoke.

"Please follow my lead and remember not to refer to humans as 'humans.' If you see something you like, assume it costs money. Make sure to follow the background stories I made up for you, just in case anyone asks where you're from." Their model-like looks will certainly garner attention from the isolated locals.

Being in Hyeon's realm, they followed him on the trail towards Oban.

Hyeon pondered to Shika, "So you're a god's messenger?"

"Was. Was a messenger. I think I personally served Takemikazuchi-sama as one of his divine deer. He's a thunder god at Kasuga Shrine in Japan. I don't recall a lot from my past life except for a few good memories. Until it's my time to reincarnate, I don't know what I did to be sent to Hell."

At a loss for words, Hyeon kept going without further questions.

"I've been wanting to let you know for a while, but you have something squirming in your pocket," the deer informed him.

Hyeon never noticed since the Viking coat was thick. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. A centipede wrapped around it tightly.

"Shit!" He had forgotten about this guy in his bathroom sink the night prior.

"Shit," Haruma exclaimed upon seeing it. "We brought an unauthorized fourth member."

_______________

Back within the southern lights, the predator that spooked Fenrir's servants emerged from its hiding spot. A seemingly normal snake slithered out from under a long-dead carcass. It could easily wrap around the biggest human.

The snake would continue to observe and wait.

And wait.

And wait.