Empyrean Iris

Chapter 25

The clearing went silent as the group of soldiers listened.

A gentle billowing sound filled the air as a current of wind tugged at the membranous underside of the great canopy above.

Wildlife took the quiet moment to make themselves known, chirping and humming through the half-silence.

Krill glanced to their other side, surprised to find the Drev crouching behind a rock not far from where the captain knelt.

The human seemed to notice her too, and once they locked eyes, she made a hand motion towards his weapon before pointing at herself.

The human made a face at her making it pretty clear he did not intend to give her a weapon.

Krill was worried that might upset her, but, after a moment of looking around on the forest floor, he watched her pick up a long stick balancing it in the palm of her hand before shrugging and turning her eyes back to the forest before them.

The gentle trickling of water filtered across the clearing.

The captain raised his right hand grabbing the attention of the other marines before motioning them forward into the trees with two fingers.

The general grabbed the human by the arm, "No, they will see you.'

"That's going to happen one way or another." The man muttered, pulling his arm back as he slowly rose into a low ready position, the butt of his weapon held tight against his shoulder.

Krill kept hidden behind his shoulders as the humans slowly filtered into the trees, their footsteps silent over the earth.

He watched them as they moved and communicated in almost pure silence.

Just to the captain's left side, Sunny managed to copy the human's predatory movement.

The Finnari hung back.

Before him, the captain turned his head in slow searching arcs, his eyes resting on the ground and on the foliage trying to catch any sign of their illusive attackers; if they were, in fact, invisible, than he would have to rely on the evidence left by their passing rather than proof of their actual presence.

They had made it almost 100 yards into the forest when the group drew to a halt.

To their right Ramirez tilted his head and peered through the trees, "Do you guys see that." He whispered quiet enough that he could not be heard over anything but the coms.

"I.... yeah, what is that?"

"See what?"

"How can you not see it, its bright fucking pink."

The attack began in earnest. Off to their right something let off a horrific warbling call, and all at once a figure came charging from the foliage to their front. Electricity snapped and crackled at the head of their weapons as the figures charged forward.

"What the hell!" The captain shouted, dodging to the side and nearly tripping over a root.

Krill tried to determine what was going on, and he caught sight of a shape, but it had a similar light wavelength as the red behind it, so he had trouble making the image out.

He tried switching to thermal, but as soon as he did that, his vision was completely obscured and he could see nothing.

He switched back just in time to see the creature finally silhouetted against its background.

The Finnari were screaming, running this way and that, their eyes wide and rolling.

In certain cases they began to run straight for or straight past their attackers.