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There are strangers approaching the camp. In the middle of the forest, surrounded by nothing but dense forest and the darkness of night, many of the camp had fallen into a slumber, be it peacefully or tearfully. This was not true for the guards, as one rushed in, panicked about an ominous feeling.
Now, here they were, away from camp, guns drawn. Waiting for something to break the tree line, the pressure in the clearing was extreme. The sensation of heaviness around them was crushing, the desire to run ratcheted in their very bloodstreams. The sound of heavy footsteps in the underbrush echoed, and then stopped.
The guns that still remained aimed shook.
And then someone stepped out into the clearing, their voice high and warm.
“Hey, hey!” They called out, now stood before the mess of people in various states of panic. But no one pulled the trigger just yet.
“Look, I don’t want any issues, just trying to take a walk.” They smiled easily, their hair drawn short to their head, bright green in color. They stood confidently, their boots heavy along the underbrush.
Several of the men retook their aim. And then the tree line shifted again.
A man that towered over the first arrival suddenly stepped in, right behind them. His eyes were pinned on the line of guards, pupils blown wide with the hunt even from this distance. The original newcomer seemed to smile even wider, they did not tense as they were boxed between firearms and what seemed to be a monster.
He was well over 8-feet tall, hair wild, but it was his smile that shook the guards to the pit of their souls. It was all teeth, far too wide to be pleasant or comforting. He nearly loomed over the other as his hands formed into partial made claws as if preparing to grapple.
Just as the beast prepared to lunge, their hand landed on his chest.
The person’s smile was still so easy, as if they weren’t holding back a monster with one hand.
“We’re just taking a walk. Now, we wouldn’t want any trouble between us all. Right?” And there it was, no longer were they a naïve fool that didn’t see the beast they held… No, they saw the leash and recognized the threat that loomed. But the smartest of the guards were able to see all the more.
They had felt that the uncomfortable strength was not gone when they crossed the tree line. They recognized that the glimmer in their eyes was not due to being protected. They understood what it meant that they were sure enough to walk into a line of fire without their beast taking lead and blocking them bodily.
They knew how to recognize two monsters when they saw it.