Chapter 15

"Let's see...we should be somewhere around here," Autumn stated as she pointed towards a small spot on her map. Autumn had shifted back into her human form in order to access her map.

"Ember, do you have any clue where your parents might be?"

Ember shook her head, "As I said, they left me in the care of a friend. I can barely remember what they look like, much less any goals or places they wanted to visit."

"Does this 'friend' of your parents know you're looking for them?"

Ember incredulously exclaimed, "Of course! I'm not rude enough to leave without a proper goodbye...Although I can't say she cared much to appreciate it."

Autumn cast Ember a sympathetic glance. "Alright then...If we have no leads, let's just travel around and sightsee. Dawnbreak Continent might be a good choice. It's in the complete opposite direction of where the adventurers want to go," Autumn suggested.

"That'd be fine. We won't have to buy new clothes as we're already dressed for warm weather. Dawnbreak is hot, but nothing we can't deal with," Ember agreed.

"Perfect! Let's set out now. We've rested for long enough, and it's a wonder the adventurers haven't found us yet..."

Ember scoffed. "At this point, I've considered them as psychopathic stalkers."

Autumn grinned, "Agreed," she said as she shifted into her wolf form.

"Come here," Ember said, holding out her arms. "I'm tired of watching you slowly limp everywhere. Besides, it's so much faster for me to carry you."

With a small sigh, Autumn allowed herself to be picked up. "I'm not too heavy, right? I swear it's all fluff," Autumn said.

"Better watch what you eat, lest you turn into a pig," Ember joked. Autumn growled lightheartedly and batted Ember with her paw.

Ember looked around confused. "Anyways, which way do we go?"

Autumn rolled her eyes. "Walk deeper into the forest. I'll tell you when we need to turn."

...

"Left! Turn left!"

"I am turning left!"

"That's right, not left!"

"If I'm going the right way, then why are you yelling at me?!?!"

Autumn blinked slowly, looking at Ember with an unbelieving expression. "I'm starting to question how you even got to Bluestone City."

"I was just lucky~" Ember sang.

Sighing, Autumn pointed, "Turn that way."

...

The sun had quickly set, and with Autumn's new way of navigating, they had actually made a fair amount of distance.

"Finally! We made it!" Ember exclaimed.

Autumn and Ember stood at the edge of the forest, watching as the sky slowly darkened.

"Do you see that ridge over there? Dawnbreak should be right behind it," Autumn nonchalantly stated.

Ember gasped in disbelief, "And here I thought we were close..."

Autumn snickered. "It's not as far away as it looks. According to my map, there should be a small path we can follow."

Ember lay down on the soft grass, Autumn's dark wolf form laying across her chest. A crisp breeze blew by, bringing the harsh scent of Shadow Haunters.

Autumn's head jolted up. "Ember," she hissed, "I can smell Shadow Haunters and I doubt there's just one."

Ember sat up quickly, tightening her hold on Autumn. "Higher ranked Shadow Haunters don't tend to group up. They don't seem to have sensed us yet so we still have time to get away."

"If I wasn't injured..." Autumn snarled softly.

"There's no point crying over spilled milk. I think I saw a place that we could stay for the night. It should be good enough to hide from Shadow Haunters," Ember suggested, tilting her head.

"Let's hope no one's using it then. If we have to fight, the smell of blood will draw them in pretty quickly."

"It seemed pretty deserted, but if it's occupied, we might as well spend the night in a tree...And there's plenty of those to go around," Ember laughed, as she cautiously made her way into the forest.

...

Ember grinned as she pointed towards a large tree. Near the bottom, a hole was clearly visible, the tree roots forming a large open space. "Look, isn't it nice?"

"I'm surprised you didn't get lost," Autumn marveled as she leaped out of Ember's arms, wincing slightly as her injured leg hit the ground.

With a wry smile, Autumn stated, "I guess I forgot about that..."

Shaking her head, Ember shifted and walked next to Autumn, her golden pelt a stark contrast to Autumn's dark shadowy coat.

Autumn easily entered the hollow, with Ember in tow. "It's a lot bigger than it looks," Autumn commented.

Ember nodded, agreeing. Although the tips of their ears brushed up against the ceiling, the hollow was spacious enough to sleep comfortably.

The Shadow Haunters ran rampant around the forest, leaving nothing but barren waste in their trails.

Autumn twitched her ears as shrieks pierced through the silence. She mumbled, "I wonder how good their soul stones would taste..."

"Think about it tomorrow. With our luck, we'll definitely run into them," Ember said, yawning.

Autumn and Ember curled up on the packed dirt, slipping into a light doze.