Shenian climbed up a tall maple tree in Varnutum to look. After she had fully healed, she did this every morning for the last month.

The result was always the same, a big ominous cloud hanging above Dan Kat. It was a constant reminder that Hewin must have failed and was probably dead.

Falyar was adamant that they were not going to search for Hewin. "You are my only daughter... We need to take care of these people... We were lucky to get Varnutum. We need to defend it, not abandon it... I love the boy, but it was his decision. It has been weeks since he has left us, you need to carry on Shen," her father was telling her things like these when she felt particularly stubborn. Shenian even disappeared once and went looking for Hewin, but the night approached quickly swarming with puppets and she needed to retreat.

Shenian was furious. Is this it? Is this how my life will be from now on? Being stuck with my father in Varnutum with humans that almost worship him despite the fact that before the puppets they were all more than happy that we were living far away from them in the mill? Maybe I loved Torvin partially because he was the only human that was able to look in my eyes without flinching. He didn't give a rat's ass about getting all those insults for being with me. I miss him so much, and the world is probably ending. She sighed.

With her father being occupied with training the people of Varnutum to defend themselves, and with Hewin gone, she felt lonely. Only Tarmala, the Lynxarian that they saved from Sartivar, helped a bit. The problem was that Tarmala had her tongue cut out of her mouth. It was probably Sartivar who mutilated her like that because of the cat curse. Shenian was too afraid to ask about it. Instead, they were trying to invent some sort of sign language together to talk to each other. Pronouns like "you", "me", or "they", that was easy. Nouns like "water", "rabbit", "person", were also doable. The main problem, so far, was verbs and talking about the future or the past. But Shenian had an idea or two on how to make progress. For example, Tarmala could point behind her to indicate the past, or in front of her to talk about the future. Shenian was glad that it took Tarmala's mind off the horrors she must have endured, and it helped Shenian too.

She was pondering all this when suddenly, she heard screams coming from Varnutum. Shenian immediately jumped down from branch to branch and ran home as fast as she could.

There was a gathering before the Fat Hare Inn when she arrived. People stood around a bloodied boy, and Tarmala with Ralka were cleaning his wounds with alcohol. The poor boy was crying his lungs out, his face had deep scratches on it and the blood was slowly disappearing under the steady flow of tears and alcohol.

Falyar stormed in, already tying his belt with Lynxbright on it: "Oh my stripes, what happened?"

The boy's mother wiped her tears, and between sobs, she mumbled: "There is...there...there is a demon in the forest...he is coming here...in the daylight, he is coming."

Oh no, Shenian thought. Daylight was their only comfort. This meant never-ending nightmares, every day, every night. Shenian's head spun. She looked at Falyar, the same realization reflected in his eyes. Then she followed his gaze. Falyar focused on every person there, and Shenian knew exactly what he was thinking. We are not ready for this. The wall around Varnutum is only halfway finished, and from the thirty people we have, only a handful was able to hold a spear or a bow properly, Shenian thought.

"I need to see it first, then we can prepare for it," Falyar finally spoke and asked the boy's mother the direction.

"You, you, and you," he pointed at three young lads in the crowd, "take your spears, boys, and follow me. But walk at least fifty steps behind me. In case something happens to me, run back here and warn the others." They nodded immediately and went to the spear rack.

Finally, Falyar turned at Shenian. With a sad face, he came to her and whispered: "I am sorry my daughter, but I need your all-seeing eyes. Find a tall tree in the forest, but be close to the village. Just watch my back and the surroundings and whistle if you see something out of the ordinary before I do."

So they went into the forest. After a while, Falyar's ears twitched, he sniffed twice and nodded to Shenian to start climbing. She sensed it too, no particular smell, no particular sound, just a sudden feeling of restlessness in her joints. Something was out there.

It was difficult to find thick branches on a spruce tree so she stayed close to the trunk and hugged it with her tail, just to be safe. Shenian readied her bow and an arrow. Falyar carefully stepped forward, silent as a mouse. The boys with spears were louder, frantically looking around themselves. But they kept the gap between them and Falyar.

Then Shenian saw it. A portion of the forest to her left began to darken. The shadows there grew thicker and thicker. She needed to tell her father but whistling suddenly sounded like a very dumb idea. Instead, Shenian took a spruce cone and threw it at Falyar. It hit him in the back and he spun, Lynxbright already out of its sheath. Shenian waved at him and sharply pointed to her left.

Soon after, a noise accompanied the approaching shadow. It was the sound of tree bark cracking, wood splitting, and a storm coming.

Falyar observed the menace from afar. Shenian saw it too. A towering human-like silhouette of thick black smoke slowly walked towards Varnutum. With each step, lines of smoke exploded from the demon, destroying trees around it. It wasn't bothered by sunlight, and there was no cloud above it. The head of the monster was everchanging. One moment it had the shape of a tree but it changed fast to a rock, then it had a horse head. Shenian was scared to her bones. But she was also fascinated and thought, how can we beat it?

The demon suddenly turned its head directly at Falyar. Shenian swallowed dryly. With the knowledge that he has been discovered, Falyar whistled and shouted at the boys, that were clutching their spears nervously, to run home. They nodded but before they ran away they had seen Lynxbright come alight with a warm golden glow. Shenian caught a glimpse of their awestruck faces as they retreated from the forest.

Falyar directed the sword at the demon and Lynxbright became even brighter, like a small star in the dark forest. The monster roared angrily at Falyar, tore a whole spruce tree from the ground and threw it at him. Falyar dodged the flying trunk. It landed with a loud thud, showering Falyar with dirt and moss.

Shenian loosed an arrow in response but the demon cut it in half with a tentacle from smoke shooting from his back.

"What are you, what do you want, fiend?" Falyar cried out.

The volcano-shaped head of the demon answered with one word: "Ndærmůr."

Shenian cocked her head curiously.

"Dad, please be careful, don't fight it!" She shouted from the tree.

"Go back, daughter, I will slow it down!"

Oh dad, and then what? she thought and knew she wasn't going back.

This time the demon hurled a rock at Falyar. He stumbled over some branches but managed to roll away in time. Then Falyar stood up and pointed Lynxbright back at it. The sword pulsated and the diffused golden light concentrated into a beam. From Shenian's view, it only illuminated the monstrosity. But the demon flinched, roaring desperately. The thick smoke began to transform and recede until it hung like a cape of darkness from a body hovering above the ground.

"Hewin!" Shenian cried out. Tears immediately burst out as she saw him. He had pitch-black eyes, his fur colorless. And his stomach was pierced through by Voidsword.

Hewin lifelessly hovered ahead, towards Lynxbright. The black cape made from shadow ripped everything around him. Shenian saw Falyar wipe his tears too, but there was also resolve on his face, even though it was only barely masking the sorrow creeping to the surface.

Falyar made a step closer, ready to fight. Then Shenian saw Ash hugging Hewin's arm, shaking and nervously shifting around. At that instant, Shenian jumped down and ran to her father.

"Dad, stop!" She shouted.

"Shenian, no, go away, please daughter," he pleaded.

Then Hewin lashed with his shadow cape at Shenian. She ducked down and the shadow cut the tree behind her in half.

"Sheniaaaan!" Falyar cried and threw himself at Hewin.

There was no time to explain it to her father but Shenian was sure Hewin was still there, otherwise Ash would be dead or evil or gone. She also remembered the word "ndærmůr", Hewin told them it means darkness.

Seeing her father jumping to certain death, she shouted at Hewin the words written on the hilt of Voidsword: "Utke ndærmůr! Werr ndærmůr! Palwø ndærmůr!", which meant "Chase the darkness. Kill the darkness. Resist the darkness."

Hewin stopped, his head slowly turned to Shenian and her father scored a hit on Hewin's thigh.

"Father, stop! He is still there!" Shenian tried.

Falyar hesitated but then Hewin got angry again and took Falyar by the neck and effortlessly lifted him up. Lynxbright fell to the ground.

"I..am sorry...my boy.." Falyar struggled to say as he extended his claws, ready to cut Hewin's throat.

But Shenian was already there and took out Voidsword from Hewin's stomach. He opened his black eyes wide and Shenian said to him: "You still need to find Enyar, Hew!"

Hewin fell down, and so did Falyar. He began to tremble and trash violently. He briefly looked at Shenian, his eyes already brighter, the blackness leaking out. But then Hewin touched his stomach and cried out in pain as the black wound started to pull in everything around them. The trees bent towards Hewin's stomach, leaves and dirt flew in and disappeared immediately in the darkness, and chunks of Hewin's flesh began to tear apart from his body. Falyar and Shenian needed to dig their paws in the ground to resist the pull. Hewin cried as if a thousand knives were stabbing him. Finally, Shenian saw Ash carefully move towards the wound, holding himself with his tentacles. "No, Ash noo, please!" Hewin shouted at the little creature but Ash let go and flew right into the wound. At the last moment, Ash's body expanded, filling the hole in Hewin's gut, and then Ash solidified into black stone.

The pull stopped, the trees bent back upright, and the dirt dropped to the ground. Hewin touched the smooth stone in his stomach and began to cry softly.