Cynthia
*The dark energies that permeate this wood seem to have begun to manipulate the already malleable Fae forest. Her spell would sense that there was something... Wrong. Unseelie were evil and cold, but they were still part of the natural order. This was something... Worse. No, something just plain unnatural.* 

**"They come from below, they shroud the sky. They are not of your size, but of ours. They have claws and crawl upon the roots and bark."** Bukka said, speaking low into his cone so that he can be heard. There's a fear in his voice that he's trying not to show, being a proud warrior of Pukwudgie. 

*The energies seep from deep below the earth, and she can sense that there are tiny Pukwudgie sized tunnels that crisscross beneath the earth and lead to... Somewhere else. Somewhere on the edge of this reality and the next, an in between of the wood and some place where only spirits should touch. There's... There's a *Hole* In reality that's letting something in. Something rotten, something dark... Demon stench.*

*These are the horrors of which Esme would sense.* 

"What do you sense, Esme?" Noctis asks, watching her face carefully. As a demigod, he can sense that something here is wrong.
Monte
*They come from below and then shroud the sky, small like a Pukwudgie. Just what could it be? It sounds like a gnarled beast but there is no way that Esme can make any clear conclusions from just a small description alone. Her grimoire flips through pages and pages of logs. Different fae and notable beasts she has faced off against over the years. Tiny... Tiny... She doesn't know and as Noctis asks, she holds up a palm as if to tell him to remain silent. Her eyes fluttering around the area, not looking at one location for more than a couple of seconds.*

*No... This is possibly worse than any beast or dark fae. She is the embodiment of nature and the natural order of magic. This? Whatever this is, serves as a complete contrast to Esme and the danger becomes very real. A demon perhaps, an eldritch horror. Two archetypes Esme has never wanted to see again. But it is her job as protector, her job as a Twilight Witch to put it down by an means necessary. Her eyes now lingering on the hole. She fears that they may need to venture into the lair, which would not be preferred.*

"It is unnatural... Whatever it is, I believe it is still here." *She harshly whispers, her gaze not leaving the possible lair.*
"Either we draw it out or meet it head on. I don't know what it is but it isn't natural. Such a being goes against the fabric of law."

*Suddenly she stops, that same authoritative witch returns. Oddly enough she is quite calm though her voice is stern. Her chest out and head held up in pride. Esme seems to be in her element. High or low risk matters not, what does is that it is some kind of risk.*

"You wanted to know more about me? Then this is it, the truth. I am a potion seller than makes sure the laws of nature are undisturbed." *She promptly explains before over at Bukka and gesturing towards him to signal their next steps. The Pukwudgie will know how this creature moves since they have had first hand experience with it. So it is most ideal that he gives some more insight before she jumps straight into battle. With whatever this thing is.*
Cynthia
**"It will be hard Witch, if you were my size I could lead into the tunnels- to the dark place..."** He said, and then shook his head. **"It is not one creature but many, we do not know if they are from once source or many. All are like Pukwudgie, but their skin is stained green with malice and their nails are black with blood, their skin is hard as stones and their eyes can pierce the dark. Terrible creatures Witch, terrible creatures."** He muttered the last part, and he held his bow drawn, peering into the dark. 

Noctis turned to look back- but the path was gone. They were now in a dense wood with no sign of where they'd come from, even after only walking a few short minutes away. The woods had shifted, the roots had moved them along, the haze had swirled and now they were deep, deep within the trees and the dark, where the canopies were so thick that the sunlight was choked. 

Noctis created a flame over his head and set it to rotate slowly to give them light. He listened to her explanation and rested his hand on his blade, his skin tingling. 

"If you want to draw it out, I could release my magical energy. No offense but it's probably much greater than yours, energy as strong as mine might call it out. Or push it deeper into hiding. It would be a gamble. These are your woods so the choice is yours. I don't know how we're going to get to it if it's miles underground. Even I couldn't dig us that deep." He murmured, gazing at her. She was beautiful in the fire light, regal and powerful, ancient and youthful. My my he was very attracted to this witch, with a start he realized even more so than he'd ever been towards Emi. 

"Witches and their wood." He said with a dark laugh.