Suspicious

Shen's legs hurt from all the work, but he wouldn't stop. He knew that the creatures might come back. As Zara woke up a little, her lips moved in a barely audible murmur. Shen leaned in closer to hear what she had to say.

"Don't... forest..." she said, and then she was quiet again. Shen frowned because she didn't know what she meant. The Bloodflower grove had saved them, but her words were a warning. He chose to focus on the job at hand: getting to the settlement.

As the edge of the forest came into view, a faint light on the horizon showed where the settlement was. Seeing the empty streets made Shen's relief less strong. The peasants had gone inside, probably because they were scared by what had happened before. But as soon as Shen got there, a group of men and women cautiously came out. Their faces showed a mix of fear and alarm.

An old man with a cane and a worn face came up to Shen. He was the village leader. When he saw Zara's dead body, his sharp eyes grew wide. "Be quick! "Take her to the hospital!" he said, waving for help. Two villagers quickly came forward and took Zara out of Shen's arms and carried her away.

Shen stayed still for a minute, the weight of her shadow still pressing against his arms. The chief's hand on his shoulder woke him up from his daydream. The old man said, "Come with me." "We need answers."

Shen was sitting at a wooden table in the chief's small house, drinking a cup of hot herbal tea that he hadn't touched yet. The warmth of the room didn't help much with the cold grip of guilt and fatigue that was making his chest feel tight. The chief sat across from him with a serious look on his face.

The chief asked in a calm but curious voice, "What happened in the forest?" "What made those things come?"

Shen took a deep breath as he tried to get his thoughts in order. He spoke with a rough voice. "Night hunters." They attacked us. Even though we fought, most of the soldiers died. He stopped and looked down at the ground. "Zara and I barely made it."

The chief frowned even more. Night hunters have not been seen in these areas for decades. Why now?

Shen stopped for a moment before answering because the bright plant was racing through his mind. He said in a soft voice, "There is a plant in the woods." People call it the Bloodflower. The animals didn't come near it. Its sap makes them weaker. We wouldn't have had a chance without it.

The chief's face changed as his eyes got bigger and bigger. "Bloodflower," he said again. "We never knew it could keep those things away, but our ancestors thought it could protect them. Maybe that's why they haven't come back in a long time. The grove must be their natural defense.

Shen nodded and put this important piece of information away. But he couldn't stop thinking about a different question. He asked, "Why did they come here in the first place?" "There must have been something that brought them together."

The chief's face got serious. "Our trade routes," he said carefully. The village is at the point where two kingdoms meet. To get supplies, we've had to send caravans back and forth. We may have disturbed their territory by moving around. We might have brought them here without meaning to.

Shen felt the weight of this truth on her. "Then we have to hurry," he said firmly. "The creatures will come back if they get together again; they are still out there."

The chief nodded, looking worried. "We'll do everything we can to make the village stronger," he said. You should also get some sleep. You have done enough for tonight.

Shen didn't sleep for very long. When he woke up, he heard heavy footsteps and armor clanging outside. He quickly got up, got his weapons, and went into the town square. There, he was shocked to see that Republic soldiers had surrounded the village. Their uniforms were spotless, and their weapons were shiny. There was a lot of tension in the air.

The leader of the group, an officer with a scar on his cheek and a serious look on his face, stepped forward. He talked to the peasants in a loud voice. "We're here to check out the noise in the woods," he said. "Who is to blame for the chaos?"

The chief took a careful step forward with his hands up in a peace sign. He said, "The creatures came after us." "It was to protect myself."

The officer squinted his eyes. Tell me, creatures? Even though our men have said they lost men along the border, you are still here. It's not reliable, is it?

Shen stepped forward, putting himself between the chief and the officer, and his jaw tightened.
When he said, "We lost people too," his voice was firm but had a hint of defiance. "I fought those beasts myself. They are a threat to both of our worlds.

The officer's face changed when he looked at Shen. He asked, "Who are you to speak for this village?"

Shen took a deep breath and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his sword. He said firmly, "I am a Maveron commander." And I mean it when I say that. If we don't work together to stop these monsters, they will tear through both of our countries.

The officer looked at Shen for a long time before he said anything. "We'll check your account," he said in a cold voice. But until then, the Republic is in charge of this village. Any other actions taken without our permission will be seen as aggressive.

Shen's blood boiled at the officer's tone, but he kept his cool. It was important for the people to stop things from getting worse.

The cop looked at his men. He told them to "search the village." "We'll find out the truth about this."

As the soldiers began to search, Shen stood his ground, and his mind raced. The village was now facing a new threat from within, and the beasts were still out there. He knew he had to find a way to protect these people, even if it meant going against the Republic.