Drea ambled between the trees in the forest. She kicked a rock in front of her, sending it flying a few yards in front of her before she caught up to it to repeat the sequence again. Her life in the forest had been anything but interesting so far. She remembered how things used to be, back when she lived in the village. She felt a pang of longing and pushed it away. Now wasn't the time to get nostalgic for what she couldn't return to.

Drea approached an overgrown ravine and gingerly made her way down the side, willing her tail to appear for extra balance. She had caught an unusual scent earlier and, as she had nothing better to do, decided to investigate the source. So far, her search had only come up with numerous cuts and bruises from forcing her way through excessively wild areas. She inhaled deeply. The source of the odd smell wasn't too much farther ahead. She double checked her position to make sure she was still down wind. She wasn't sure if her target could smell her or not, but she wasn't about to take a chance.

Drea was clambered out the other side of the ravine when she heard voices. Up ahead there was a small clearing. She skirted around the edge of the treeline, keeping low to the ground, until she had found a position where she had a good view, and yet she couldn't be seen, herself. She crouched and peered into the clearing.

Interesting. There were two men, neither of whom appeared to be native villagers. If anything, they had the rugged looks of travelers. She glanced down at her own filthy frame and matted, black hair. [i]I probably look just like them.[/i] She examined the two apart from their bedraggled images. One of them was a bit on the short side with a lanky figure. The other was his exact opposite. He was huge and carried himself like a hunter. Seeing the two together only served to highlight their stark contrasts.

Drea settled into her hiding spot, occasionally testing the direction of the wind, and fixed her golden eyes on the two men. They looked normal enough, but their scents betrayed them. There was something different about these two, she was certain of it.

Maybe life in the forest wouldn't be so boring after all.