Darkness shrouded the ancient forest, but the night was not truly dead here - it pulsated with the latent energy of hundreds of creatures, awakening only after sunset. In a forest clearing, between the spreading ferns, lay the torn trunk of a tree, on which a lone snake with scales like shadows slithered, its fangs gleaming silvery. It was Fenrir - deadly menacing, but not without charm. Next to him, from a branch, a darkly feathered owl named Astris watched silently. Her amber eyes seemed to see not only what was going on around them, but also what was hidden inside each creature. These forests were their home - a place where the law of survival had its own definition. That night, a strange echo spread between the trees - a damp gust and a sound, as if something large had moved deep underground. Fenrir became motionless, Astris silently spreading her wings. A shadow emerged from the darkness of the clearing, where the ferns were thick. The silhouette was too tall for a lynx, too streamlined for a deer. It stopped in the semi-darkness, and two glowing scarlet eyes looked straight at Fenrir and Astris - once, twice, a third time.... After a second of growing silence, they made a whisper-like sound: "I know what you are looking for... But do you dare to come closer?" Fenrir and Astris looked at each other, realising that nothing would be the same from now on. The mysterious creature did not move. The forest held its breath, waiting for their decision.