Oh Dear...

Asce confidently followed the antler marks for a time. Feeling relaxed, he was late to notice the change of lighting. He paused for a moment as he realized that he had to squint and get closer each time he looked for a new antler mark. He had thought it was dark before, but now, the darkness was thicker than the air, assaulting his breath and filling his lungs. He stopped for a moment, unsure. There was a completeness to this darkness that felt as if it should not be disturbed. The soft glow of his soul momentarily distracted Asce as he wondered if it was too much light for this place. Looking up at his soul, he wondered how many enivi had wandered through here. Or - if any at all had made it through. He considered the invitation he had heard to this herd in the wood. He believed it, and the antler marks had given him hope, but this... this was darkness that he could not imagine Enivi thriving in. There was almost no passage of time, with the absence of the sun. There was almost no sound, save for the breathing from the vespiri, which he slowed and quieted as he noticed it.
Suddenly, there was a brush at his leg.
Panicking, he nearly jumped out of his skin. His eyes were wide and he tried to scan underneath his feet, assessing the danger as best he could. His rising panic wasn't helped by the darkness, as whatever had passed by seemed now to be gone. He glanced around again, only to be startled by the familiar mew of Beans, the Kali. The little cat was scared, too, and gently stood just out of reach of sight.
Asce released the breath he had been holding.
He'd forgotten he wasn't alone. As he began to calm, he smiled gently at the fluffball and crouched to invite it up. Beans crawled onto his back, to the small padded portion Asce had added for the Kali to have a convenient napping spot when the pair traveled. He could feel Beans adjusting to get a good spot on his back, and when it had settled in, Asce stood. The Kali reached out a small paw to place gently on Asce's neck, which comforted him.
Now shaken from the spell of the darkness, Asce began searching again for antler marks.
With the small feline now on his back, he was unsure of the sounds in the woods. There still seemed to be other creatures here, now that the Kali wasn't the one running around... who could it be?