Forest Edge

"Damned kindrvolk..." Johan swore under his breath "Their directions cost me the daylight."

He stopped at a clearing before the forest, checking his clothes for any remaining burrs and brambles. Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, Johan couldn't wholly blame Iori and Nia for the misdirection; They are, after all, much smaller than him. Reaching his stopping point, Johan paced a length of grass to check for any large debris that would impact setup. After confirming nothing lay underfoot, he unstrapped a wooden box from his rucksack and lazily dropped it onto the grass.

"Zelt, zelt!" He loosened the leather fasteners and waved his hand as he groaned the command.

Johan stepped backward as the lid split open, revealing a muted green cloth lining the inside. The wooden panels began to flatten out and cover the surrounding grass as the cloth lifted off the ground. Within a minute the box was replaced with an imposing round tent, its entrance facing the trees. The sun clung to the horizon as Johan entered his abode for the night.

The interior of the tent consisted of a small stool, accompanying desk, and a raised mattress. Johan placed his pack on the ground next to the desk and sat down on the stool to remove his shoes, tying the laces back together before hanging them next to the entrance. In the same movement Johan unhooked a lantern and hung it above the desk.

"Erhelbit."

With the desk illuminated Johan then reached into his coat pocket to pull out a small notebook and a handful of folded papers. Placing them onto the desk, he oriented the individual slips and opened the notebook to the last entry:

Valdheim - 'Beast' Timeline

First Notice - 3 Weeks Prior (Herr Bauer)
- Screeching at twilight
- Disturbances around tree line
- No sightings

Escalation - 2 Weeks, 5 Days (Herr Bauer)
- Screeching throughout night
- Missing & slaughtered livestock
- Damage to trees and fencing
- Large pinion feathers near remains
- No sightings

Call to Action - Last Week (Iori + Nia)
- Attack during daytime
- Child of general store owner witness
- Playing in clearing with other children
- Description of 'Bear with Feathers'
- 7 of 11 children returned
- 1 body found

Johan moved the notebook to the top of his desk space and arranged the loose papers in a neat pile. Extensive writing overlapped each sheet, floating in and out of focus across the surface of each page. Reaching back into his pack, Johan pulled out a large feather given to him by the mayor and a sheet of thick, embroidered, stationary. Cutting a nib into the feather Johan then pricked his finger, drawing blood into the quill, and proceeded to write a separate list onto the stationary using the feather as a makeshift pen.

Conjectures
- Feathered
- Screeching, possibly beaked?
- Likely terrestrial, potentially arboreal
- Clawed Feet
- Lives within forest
- Predatory, possibly scavenger
- Migratory or otherwise forced into forest
- Time of entry uncertain
- Child named Gertrude missing 2 months
- Possible first victim?

Johan placed the bloodied feather down onto the finished list and held his left hand over the stack of loose papers.

"Schlag."

The sheet of conjectures glowed with a dull magenta hue as the papers beneath shuffled randomly. As the papers shifted to the top of the pile, text would glow and transfer over to the standalone list. As Johan watched the incantation process, the names and descriptions of various creatures would appear in the blank space left on the stationary.

Chimera - Feathered, Clawed, Terrestrial, Validity Unconfirmed

Dire Bear - Clawed, Terrestrial, Scavenger

Drache - Screeching, Arboreal, Validity Questioned

Dodo - Terrestrial, Feathered, Extinct Confirmed

Dozens of names flittered across the page as the shuffling intensified. A brief flash of light signaled the end of the incantation. The front of the stationary was left blank.

"Curious..." Johan scratched at his beard, "Did it fail?"

He picked up the stationary, and the lantern revealed additional writing hiding on the backside. As he turned the paper over and glanced at the first word on the page his brow furrowed with confusion.

"No..." Johan whispered to himself, "No, it doesn't make sense... but how...?"

Gryphon
Feathered
Clawed
Arboreal
Screeching
Apex Predator
Extinct Questioned

...

...

SCRRRRRREEEEEEUUUUUUGHHHHHHH

The silence was broken by an unrestrained cry, piercing through the forest. Johan's neck snapped up and turned toward the trees, holding his breath. A tense silence permeated the clearing, broken only by the sounds of snapping branches and the fluttering of wings overhead. Remembering to breathe, Johan shakily grabbed the feather to correct the incantation.

Extinct Questioned
Validity Confirmed