(Y'all deserve dis for yer patience :3)
The forest was too quiet.
Y/n had noticed it nearly an hour ago, when the birds stopped singing, the crickets stopped chirping, and even the way the wind seemed to die between the trees. The only sounds left were the crunch of leaves beneath their boots and the occasional snap of a branch somewhere behind them.
They slowly came to a stop.
Silence.
Y/n slowly turned around.
There was nothing.
Only endless trees disappearing into the darkness.
Relief flooded their eyes. Their body relaxed.
Okay... It was probably an animal.
They continued walking, slightly more confident.
But then, a few moments later, another branch cracked.
It was closer this time.
Y/n's pace quickened.
Behind them, hidden between the thick trunks, a tall figure watched.
Nikto had been following for nearly twenty minutes.
He moved silently, deliberately placing his footsteps over patches of moss and damp earth. Every so often, he stepped on a stick just to scare y/n. The darkness concealed most of him, but the edge of his mask occasionally caught the moonlight.
He could have called out.
He didn't.
There was something almost amusing about watching Y/n become increasingly aware that they weren't alone.
Nikto tilted his head as they glanced over their shoulder again.
He saw their relief.
They didn't see anything.
Good.
He continued to follow.
Not because y/n was lost.
Not because they were in danger.
Because he wanted to know where they would go when they thought nobody was watching.
Eventually, y/n reached a small clearing.
Moonlight spilled through the canopy, illuminating the grass and the abandoned remains of an old wooden cabin.
They stopped at the edge.
Then—
“Turn around.”
The voice came from behind them.
Low.
Rough.
Far too close.
Y/n froze.
Nikto stepped from the shadows.
His masked face gave away nothing as he stood only a few feet behind them.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Then his head tilted slightly.
“You knew I was following you.”
It wasn't a question.
Nikto took one slow step closer.
“And yet…”
He took another step.
“…you kept walking.”
His gaze remained fixed on y/n.
“Why?”
