Making your way through the woods sounds easier than it is for someone like me. I was actually happy when I realised that's where they were heading. I thought “well, the less humans around, the better”. Except that less people meant more monsters. The warning sign with stickman ripped in two by a werewolf made me stop and hesitate. I had been trailing the guys for days, watching them from a safe distance, trying to get a n idea of who they were. Edgar was notorious and was easy to recognise but the other guy I'd heard nothing about and it was easy enough to tell he's a demon. At first I thought he had beat me to the treasure Edgar was and had threatened the scientist into helping him for what could only be a selfish reason. It only took a few hours to realise I was wrong. Yeah, “Carter” [i]was[/i] fiercely protective but he also actually cared. I wasn't so sure it was mutual but I hardly cared. 

Anyway, the point is that when I saw the sign I cursed myself (how ironic is that expression?) for waiting this long. I could have intersected them sooner and saved myself the trouble. Now I'd have to face god knows what in there, my simple trailing suddenly looking more like an obstacle course. Speaking of trailing, I'm not the only one following those two. There's at least one more, my sixth sense (what I call being able to sense other people's emotions, even from afar) alerted me. And she was ahead of me, the sign, if she even saw it, not seeming to have the same impact on her as it did on me. The thought made me frown. I wasn't going to let some girl shame me like that. I might be scum but I'm still better than that. 

So I went in. I could still sense my two targets in the distance, but the girl veered off course. Perhaps she wasn't after them after all. Yeah right, she must have just gotten lost. Not my problem. My problem was the other presence my senses had just picked up. Some kind of large animal. A bear or a stalking lynx or maybe some gigantic snake, judging by the slow way it was walking. God [i]dammit[/i]! My heart jumped up and lodged  itself in my throat, its beat suddenly frantic. It was no more than fifty paces away. My foot slid backwards before I even realised. Not good, animals were simple but they could sense fear well enough. And my body was turning me into a glowing torch right now.

I tried to swallow down the fear and ducked low. I had a knife on me but absolutely no idea how to use it against a wild animal. My best guess was plunge it into my own heart so that I at least get a quick death and not suffer through being ripped to shreds. 

I didn't want to be ripped to shreds. This is pathetic! The world is littered with monsters and angels and “demons” and you get killed by a half-starved black bear? No, no way. 

Refusing to give up, I went down on all fours and started stalking [i]towards[/i] the animal. Meanwhile I reversed my curse the same way I did when I was left with no other options. Animals had a sixth sense themselves, right? If that thing was an animal, and I prayed to god it was, then it would no longer feel the fear I felt, but instead a thick cloud of confidence with the hint of aggression. When I let the emotions get to me I can become like this, a mirror of someone else's feelings but my own. 

The creature on the other side of the mirror I now was, stopped and hesitated. I didn't. A smirk had found its way to my lips and I was actually enjoying myself. The predatory instinct of the animal took hold of my psyche and grew and soon enough I was grinning, inhuman fangs flashing in the dark. I didn't care that the thing in front was a natural-born killer. I had become one.

Needless to say that the thing soon got discouraged by the unnatural aggression it could sense and retreated. Needless to say that after it went and the realisation of how it could've been different hit, I stood shaking for a long while. What [i]is[/i] important is that this thing wasn't the only dangerous monster lurking in these forests. There's only so many times this trick could work without me being driven completely insane, and I couldn't bear pull it off every half hour. The mixture of fear and confidence, aggression and despair, pulls your heart apart in ways a human can't even imagine. 

I stood with a sharp inhale, and started towards the doctor and his demon while trying not to feel anything. Having to pull my trick off two more times before I reached the camp left me completely emotionally exhausted and the least thing I wanted was company but I knew I wouldn't last long here on my own. The control over my own emotions isn't that great and sooner or later it would cheat on me and leave me easy prey. 

I didn't bother hide my steps as I approached Edgar. I had been watching them for a while and it's left me convinced that Carter, the demon, was the only weapon the doctor had. And he was luckily gone. Trying not to imagine his face when he came back to find his priceless cargo was claimed by another demon, I went through the bushes and raised my hands as I walked to Edgar. 

“Hey there,” I started in a tone that sounded much more tired than intended, “My name's Daniel and I'm here to join your quest in finding the cure to everything.” I stated bluntly, I had no patience for niceties at the moment. “I need your help. I can't stay like this forever.” I knew I should be looking in the guy's eyes right now, to try and convince him to help me, but I couldn't. What if he said no? He was my last hope, miserable as it is, and even though I pretended to be cool with it, on the inside I was terrified he'd ask me to leave.