And then she saw it. A shadow leaped back and forth in the trees high above them with lightning speed. Rin couldn't see what it was, but she sensed that it was dangerous. And then she heard a laugh. Cruel and cold. Rin got goose bumps, drew her sword and took up a fighting stance.
And almost at the same moment, the being shot out of the trees and attacked them. It happened so quickly that Rin wasn't sure she'd seen what she believed. But she didn't have time to think, because the thing attacked again. She backed away, jumped a few feet in the air and landed gently on a branch above her, shouting:
"Who or what are you? Come on, show yourself. Only cowards attack in the cover of darkness."
Instead of an answer, she only got the cruel laugh again and she jumped back on the floor. She couldn't make out anything, her eyes struggling with the darkness. However, she had learned early on to replace this weakness with another gift.
Rin closed his eyes and concentrated. Every living being was surrounded by a certain aura. There were bad auras and good ones. And this one was clearly one of the bad guys.
She felt a movement to her left, whirled around and hit her attacker with a sword that he hadn't expected. Rin heard the thing curse and knew she had wounded it. It backed away, but she immediately followed up and hit the attacker with her Taitsu.
Suddenly his aura was gone and she paused in amazement in the middle of the movement. She waited and listened, but nothing moved. It was gone!

'She turned out well. Actually very good. She has eliminated the flaw in her eyes. Instead, she developed a new skill. ' he thought and disappeared.

Rin stood and thought. She wasn't sure she had seen a gumaero, but something like that had attacked her. 'What does such a being do, so deep in the forest and in this area?'she wondered. 'But the strange thing is, it wasn't alone. But only this thing attacked me. Who or what was the other? '
Blue trudged slowly towards her. He looked guilty.
Rin grinned unhappily.
"Now don't look like that. You're injured and you don't have to fight, of course.", She said and brushed her hand over his head. "Let me take a look at your wound and we'll get out of here for good."

After three hours they left the forest and Rin finally heard the longed-for call of their falcon. Silver flew fast, almost hastily, but landed safely on Rin's arm.
"My goodness, Silver, where have you been. It couldn't possibly have been that far. We're only a five day march from Jack's camp.", She shouted, relieved and a little reproachful. Then she discovered the note on Silver's leg. She took it off and read it.
Hurry up, time is of the essence, Remita lost, be careful: Gumaeros! J.
"Oh no, that can't ... impossible!" She exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief. 'How could they lose the base ...'
"Silver, what's going on there?" She asked, looking sharply at her hawk.
"What? Attacked? By whom?"
The hawk bowed its head. He did not know.
"All right, Jack urges you to hurry. Blue, can you do it?"
The wolfhound bowed its head and blinked its eyes, which meant a yes.
" Let's go." Rin called and headed west at a brisk pace.