Guardians 5

Kana moved like a shadow, every sense sharp, trying to find everyone else. Her surroundings was quiet, too quiet. It wasn't peace; it was a threat, the kind that tightened her grip on her sword, its familiar weight grounding her.

"Vell?" she called, her voice barely carrying through the dense foliage. Silence. Unease coiled in her stomach. They were separated, scattered like leaves in a storm. Exactly what they'd been trying to avoid. She cursed under her breath and kept moving.

Every step was careful, her eyes sweeping the shadows. The air smelled damp and earthy, but something else clung to it too—sharp, acrid, like burnt sugar. It turned her stomach. 

'Focus.' she told herself. 'Panicking won't help.'