Rumors

Her heart thumped.

Her eyes constantly darted between left and right, gazing at any of the moving shadows stalking the forest.

The sun had already sunk below the horizon, and the moon hung in its place. This wasn't her first time wading through the forest east of the female residence of the Outer Court, but something felt different today. The air was crisp and cold, almost lacerating her skin.

And the nagging feeling that she was being watched never failed to loom over her mind. Rumors had been circulating for the past month, claiming that some sort of Vicious Beast had been prowling the deeper parts of the forest, attacking female disciples who ventured too far.

Her strength was above average, and she felt that she could handle herself if anything went wrong. And most of all, the rumors were just rumors, right?

Crack!