Chapter 89: Cht 89: Changing Ownership
The sky hung still, a breath caught in the lungs of the forest. The canopy above, surroundings rustled like whispering something. And the air itself vibrated steadily. Like waiting for something someone to make the first move or changes in environment itself is the first move. Gin stood there in the center of the encampment, his wolf form statuesque, silver-blue fur reflecting pale strands of sunlight that filtered through a now dimming sky.
Then, as if responding to a single signal, five opened pairs of eyes looked at the direction of him at the exact same instant.
Lucy. Saira. Xingning. Jean. Alice.
As if they are in sync with each other and communicating through unknown means.
There was no haze in their gaze, no bewildered blinking or dawning realization. Their eyes simply snapped open sharpened and focused at him. What unsettled Gin most wasn’t the suddenness. It was the clarity. They were looking not at their surroundings or themselves but straight at him. Definitely not by coincidence.
As though the vines and leaves that veiled their canopies were as transparent as glass.
Gin’s spiritual sense raced ahead of his shock, already scanned the interiors of their shelters. He confirmed what his instincts screamed: they had not moved. They lay in the exact same intimate positions as when he last saw them. Just now their movement have stopped and their eyes pierced through everything, boring directly into his figure.
Things were turning for the worst.
And he knew it.
Even now, Gin didn’t move. He could’ve. He should’ve. He was faster than any of them even in this wolf form. Stronger, quieter. He could’ve disappeared into the trees, left behind a veil of mist and silence. But he didn’t. Something rooted him here as he knew they as real as it could be from their interactions. Just they aren’t themselves right now.
And running forever isn’t a solution.