Into the Ruined woods

Enma treaded carefully into the old, ruined forest, with trees so dark, even the moonlight had trouble breaking though. Almost scuffing out the blue-white glow in Enma's legs

"I should have brought a stronger flashlight...I can hardly see a thing." The gleam muttered, disliking having to rely on their own personal glow to see, the small flashlight in their hand not producing enough light to see the a path ahead.

"Go back where you came from." A whisper echoed in the eerily quiet forest. Enma wasn't quite sure if they heard correctly. So they pressed on, going deeper into the unknown forest.

A voice, more clearly now, sighed behind Enma and hearing the flap of wings, they jumped and ran as fast as their legs could carry them...until they collided with a tree. Dazed and head spinning, Enma fell to their back and he stared up at a freed moon, glowing brightly against the night sky, without trees blocking it's guidance.

The wings ceased to flap. "You run pretty fast. If only you ran out of the forest, not deeper in where my brethren rest. You're bleeding, by the way. Should cover that up..you'll meet a worse fate if left unattended."

"Worse fate? What could be worse then getting lost in a creepy forest?" Enma huffed out to the disembodied voice.

"Well, you could wind up as food. Your blood smells very good and I'm sure the others would agree." A flap of wings again, and the being hung in a tree where Enma could just about make out it's features. Clearly still trying to hide in the .

Leather wings curled around his white body with markings Enma couldn't make out. He had longdark ears with little cross piercings, and he had heterochromia eyes. One eye wisteria and the other pale blue.

"You're a vampire." Enma realized the dreaded danger the other posed to them...or was rather keeping them away from running into danger.

"Vampire?!" The small beast looked greatly annoyed and offended. He bared his sharp teeth and fangs. "I'm a Beastling, not one of those mythology creatures people tend to romanticize these days."

Enma took a mental note that clearly this bat didn't realize that even gleams could be mythical creatures,if he even knows what gleams are. They didn't want to annoy the bat further, so they dropped the subject.

"Do you have a band-aid or something to cover that cut with? You're going to attract some feral attention." The bat beastling sighed.

Enma removed their small backpack from their back and searched the contents - one hand searching and the other holding the flashlight. "I...must have forgotten to pack a first aid kit. I thought I packed one before I left. It must have fallen out somewhere when I ran away." Enma closed up their small black backpack, rubbing their hands together, a self soothing mechanism. 

The bat sighed and his ears twitched. "More of my kind are starting to wake. I must get you out of here quickly." Releasing his grip from the black tree branch, he began to flap away. "Come along. We don't have all night." He snapped impatiently. 

The gleam quickly swung their backpack over their shoulder, stood up with the flashlight in hand and began to follow the beastling.

Not much was said between the two. The tension between them spoke for them. The bat all too focused to lead the gleam to safety, and Enma weary of the beastling. They never heard of this species...must be newly discovered. Curious.

"I've lead you as far as I am able to go." The bat finally said, after what felt like hours of traversing through the ruined woods. "Keep following this path and you'll be out." He turned and flapped away.

Before they could say their thanks, Enma stood still, wondering what else could be discovered in the forest. Turning on their stumps, they followed the path that leads out, with the moon now uncovered from trees and glowing it's bright white glow.