Unexpected

Looking at the place where the arrow was, Adrian saw the cracked ground.

'He's powerful. I shouldn't face him head on.' 

Kakitha, sharing the same view of the impact area, couldn't suppress a shudder as he witnessed the shadow dweller gracefully sidestepping his arrow.

The ominous dance between the hunted and the hunter took on an unexpected rhythm, and Kakitha, caught in the choreography of misfortune, couldn't help but appreciate the shadow dweller's skill, even if it meant his own impending doom. 

It was a moment where the arrow's aim seemed as misguided as Kakitha's attempt at a stealthy exit, and the impending confrontation promised a finale both unpredictable and, quite possibly, ridiculous.

'Hes strong. I want to run away.'

In a silent standoff, neither aware of the other's internal turmoil, both Kakitha and the shadow dweller locked eyes. Unbeknownst to each other, a mutual desire to flee hung in the air. One, a champion of cowardice, contemplated escape with the finesse of a ninja avoiding a spider. 

The other, labeled as weak, harbored thoughts of a strategic retreat, perhaps with the grace of a startled rabbit evading a predator. 

It was a peculiar moment where the coward and the perceived weakling found themselves entangled in a shared desire to put some distance between them, blissfully ignorant of the comic irony that bound their fates together.

With an air of mystery and an attempt at intimidation, Adrian raised his voice, declaring, "I have no idea who you are, but you shouldn't have attacked me out of nowhere." His attempt to deepen his voice for added gravitas echoed in the surroundings, a proclamation that reached Kakitha, the coward extraordinaire.

Upon hearing Adrian's proclamation, Kakitha felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Despite his title as the clan's champion coward, he wasn't about to reveal any weaknesses to this shadow dweller. Sure, he might be a coward, but he wasn't about to let anyone mistake that for being clueless. 

In the end, it wasn't just a clash of personalities but a test of who could maintain their poker face in the face of unexpected adversity.

With his foot firmly ensnared in the treacherous vine, Kakitha realized that showing any sign of weakness now would be akin to digging his own escape-proof grave.

Stuck in a literal and metaphorical bind, he grappled with the challenge of projecting toughness while tethered to a vine like a disgruntled scarecrow. 

The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him: a coward desperately trying to muster an air of strength, all while his foot was held hostage by a seemingly innocuous vine.

It was a moment where bravado clashed with botanical entanglement, and Kakitha pondered the art of acting tough while being one with the vines.

"I asked you something," echoed Adrian's voice, a subtle reminder that the spotlight was still on Kakitha, foot ensnared and all. The pressure was mounting, and Kakitha, the reluctant protagonist in this impromptu drama, knew he had to act swiftly.

The fear of being labeled the weaker party loomed, and he couldn't afford to let that narrative take root. 

With his bow brandished like a makeshift prop, Kakitha vigorously waved it around, attempting to infuse some warmth into his now-chilled arms, courtesy of the fear coursing through him. 

As he stole a glance at Adrian, Kakitha, the reluctant orator of this unexpected showdown, finally summoned the courage to speak. 

"I'm not obliged to answer your question."

"..."

'WHY AM I ACTING THIS WAY? WHAT IF HE ACTUALLY ATTACKS ME?'

His attempt at defiance tinged with a swift aftertaste of regret. The words hung in the air like a challenge, and a sudden realization hit him like a ton of misplaced arrows—maybe provoking the shadow dweller wasn't the smartest move. 

The line between bravado and outright foolhardiness had never been thinner, and Kakitha, the unintentional architect of his own perilous narrative, was starting to grasp the magnitude of his verbal misstep.

As Kakitha gazed upon the shadow dweller, witnessing the telltale transformation of his eyes into angry crescent shapes, a surge of fear shot through him.

The realization that he might have just poked the proverbial hornet's nest tightened his grip on the bow, causing his hand to tremble involuntarily. 

'He's going to attack me.'

Bracing himself to make a run for it as soon as the shadow dweller moves.

'He really is someone strong. I don't feel much of an aura from him but if he was a scout, controlling his aura might have been his strongest trait.'

Thinking Adrian suddenly looked down and noticed that heels were standing there. 

'Be useful for once gawddamnit.'

Fully aware that putting his hope in heels for a swift getaway wasn't an option, Adrian shifted his focus to the surroundings, scanning for the optimal route to make a clean escape. The escalating tension prompted him to strategize, his mind mapping out the terrain like a seasoned escape artist. 

Both having their own thoughts with nothing to do with each other, kept the tenison ongoing. 

"So you were here ~"

In the midst of the oppressive atmosphere, a voice cut through the tension, grinding against the air like teeth clashing in discord. Both Kakitha and Adrian felt an involuntary shiver run down their spines, the eerie sound amplifying the already palpable sense of unease.

Without a moment for realization, Adrian seized the opportunity and bolted in a different direction. In the blink of an eye, he pivoted, only to catch a glimpse of the mysterious creature sprinting off in an entirely separate location. 

'WHY IS HE RUNNING AWAY AS WELL? Did he realize that the skinwalker was here and he chose to ditch me?'

Exhaling a sigh of relief, Adrian sprinted with all his might in the chosen direction, leaving the strange creature behind. He had no time to worry about a third party when he found himself sandwiched between two potential threats.

Adrian saw the heels following behind him with not much problems but deep down he knew they were completely useless. 

'Heels won't help me unless the threat is to it or… I don't even know what it thinks.'

With no luxury for contemplation, Adrian honed his attention on the surroundings, fully aware that the skinwalker, for the moment, wasn't an immediate threat. Another enigmatic figure, however, loomed as the primary danger in his mind. 

'Why would he run away now if he had been trailing me quietly for some time? Or perhaps he hadn't noticed the presence of the skinwalker before?'

As Adrian pressed on, the landscape underwent a surreal transformation. The once densely wooded area began to open up, revealing fewer trees. 

Strangely, the purple hue that lingered on the foliage intensified, as if an otherworldly painter had taken a liking to the color. The trees, now predominantly purple, stood like silent witnesses to the peculiar unfolding of events. 

'Where am I even going? Heels were supposed to take the lead but now it's just following me around.'

The shifting landscape signaled to Adrian that this was no ordinary monster hunt. With the trees donning shades of purple in a surreal display, he realized there was something markedly different about this place. 

The ethereal glow of the purple trees painted an otherworldly canvas, casting a spell that made it seem as if the very essence of the forest had been tinged with a celestial hue. Adrian, perceiving this surreal shift in perspective, couldn't shake the feeling that these trees were meant to be purple all along.

But soon seeing that nothing changed about him, Adrian calmed down a bit and slowed down his pace. 

'The skinwalker isn't anywhere around for now and I don't sense any other presence around so that creature is not here as well.'

Calming down and noticing his surroundings, Adrian wasn't sure where to head now. Going back was not a good option as he might lead two threats to his house and he didn't want that. 

"Hey heels. Do you notice any presence around us?" questioned adrian. He knew it was a dumb question as heels weren't going to help him anyway but he asked nonetheless. 

Being questioned, the heels fidgeted in one place as if embarrassed to admit that they were useless. That's what Adrian understood from its actions. 

Counting on the heels as my companion is so dumb. It's just me and this forest against the world.'

Adrian, drawn by an inexplicable curiosity, reached out to touch one of the purple-hued trees. Expecting the familiar texture of bark, he was instead met with a startlingly smooth sensation, as if his fingers glided over a precious gem. A strange ripple of weirdness coursed through him. 

Driven by an instinctive curiosity, Adrian threw caution to the wind and landed a punch on the seemingly unconventional tree. However, his punch, while lacking the familiar force, still conveyed a latent power. The impact, though not as resounding as he might have expected, sent a subtle ripple through the tree, almost like a whisper of acknowledgment from the peculiar entity. 

Adrian's eyes widened in disbelief as his fist not only made contact with the tree but sank into its trunk, leaving behind a distinct punch mark. 

As Adrian withdrew his fist from the tree, he peered inside the trunk, and a sheen of sweat formed on his forehead. 

'Well would you look at that.'