The man smiled at her, and pointed. "Well, some have gone that way and found peace."
He pointed the opposite direction, crossing his arms. "And some have gone that way and found what they wanted."
He switched his hands, still pointing both directions. "And some have gone this way and found a way out."
He leaned towards her this time, lowering his voice like he was telling her a secret. "But if you'll follow me, I'll show you the real way." He turned and walked hurriedly, moving deeper into the jungle, whistling again and looking over his shoulder to make sure she was still there.
She nodded and moved to run after him swiftly, keeping up a good pace as she followed him. She made sure to keep him within sights though the whistling did help when he got obstructed by jungle vines and the like.
The little whistling man lead her deeper, and deeper into the dense undergrowth, not slowing down at all. At some point, he disappeared, but his whistling remained a beacon, calling her after him.
It was still blending and folding with the melody being sung, which had never stopped, only been muffled for a bit. Now, that melody was very clear.
Indeed, the melody grew clearer, more pervasive and alluring as they walked. The shadows deepened and overlapped with the density of the jungle, and the trees swayed and shivered. But something was amiss. If one listened closely, they could hear something shifting betwixt the trees. Something that appeared to be following them.
She just continued to follow after him, not paying attention to whatever was rustling the trees and the bushes. She had lost sight of him, but was trying her hardest to follow the whistling that she continued to hear.
The diminutive figure seemed to be circling, which was an odd tactic, but he was easy enough to follow with the jaunty whistling still leading them on forward.
He managed to circle back around the rustling, and stepped up on their follower. "Well! Hello!" He glanced over his shoulder as Toshiaki caught up to them, and smiled wider. "Our little friend has questions."
(yes, hello….. sorry about that)
Teeth glistened in the moonlight, dripping saliva. Slow breaths could now be detected, seeming to yearn for the cold air. The large, deformed thing seemed to shiver, not with the cold, but with excitement. Muscles pulled taut, dark fur shifted. In a swift movement, it pounced, not on the whistling man, but the smaller woman.
