With her heart racing and sweat building on her body, Astrid scrambled through the damp forest, trying to keep ahead of the encroaching 'things'. What scared her the most was not knowing what they even were. The fear of not knowing what could be out there. Calden at least was able to 'see' them, but could give her no definite idea of what they were or what they might be capable of. The feeling that they meant no good was obvious to both of them.<br/><br/>The panic was rising in her chest as the darkness fell around them, and the sounds of the animals grew louder and closer. Soon, Astrid kept enough of her head about her that she thought to at least conjure her blue ball of light to help her see. "Calden...", she whispered. "Do you think they might keep away from my light...?" She wasn't sure it would be bright or bold enough to keep whatever it was at bay, but it was a tiny hope, and it kept her from falling apart.<br/><br/>"We need to find somewhere to spend the night", she said, her voice shaking in fear and exhaustion. They had been trekking through the forest all day, and now when she would have welcomed a slower pace, she had been speeding up to keep ahead of their shadows. As she stumbled through another swampy patch and heard the rustling of other small creatures running from her splashing she held her light up high while it hovered over her hand, trying to see further into the shadows in the hopes of finding some sort of safe haven to spend the night.<br/><br/>Eventually, just as they came out of the swamp and into a more wooded part of the forest again, Astrid froze, her light as high as she could hold it. "Calden, I think I see an opening in that rock over there...", she whispered. "Do...do you see anything in it...?" She was terrified of heading toward what may very well be the home of some terrible magic creature. If Calden didn't see anything magic though, perhaps they would be able to make a camp there for the night.<br/><br/>Even though she knew Calden was with her, she was still alone, and that terrified her. To be lost, alone, defenseless except some weak beginner's magic spells and some others she seemed to have no control over, and with no one else to help her if something happened, the fear was almost all-consuming at this point. It was all Astrid could do to keep her mind calm enough to not do anything rash.<br/><br/>"If there's nothing in there, maybe we can spend the night there. Hopefully, if I block up the entrance with some flames or something...do you think that would keep those things away...?" She asked it in a tiny, fearful voice, tears threatening to spill at any moment. She wanted to go home. She wanted her safe, warm house, in the familiar village she had grown up in.