Jasmine sank further back into the concealing leaves, wrapping the nearby shadows around to shield her from prying eyes. She grasped the silver walking cane, beside her, sliding the sheath down so that a small part of the hidden blade was visible. She ran her thumb along it and a line of dark, almost black, blood immediately appeared 'Excellent, the edge is still keen' she thought to herself as she shook off the few droplets of blood. She could hear the intruders getting closer now, the almost imperceptible steps of some fleet-footed race, likely an elf, dashing through the forest and the louder, clumsier steps of some lesser race, perhaps a human. She could also hear the crackle of a fire and see its dull glow through the treetops coming from the same direction as the louder footsteps, but, there was something else, a slithering sound, as if an enormous serpent crept through the underbrush, it stopped abruptly not far from her position and was replaced by the creaking of a tree under a large amount of stress. She sensed an aura of evil wafting through the wood like a foul stench and smiled, He had awakened and now these trespassers would know true terror.