A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

"We need to find the forest druids," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

All three of them turned to look at me, their expressions a mix of surprise and disbelief.

I winced as one of Jiuge's tails flicked against my head. "Was that really necessary?" I muttered, rubbing the spot.

"Yes," she replied bluntly. "It's to knock some sense into you. Do you even have a plan for finding a forest druid, or are we just going to wander around until one shows up?"

"I have a plan," I said, although my voice wavered slightly under her skeptical gaze. "Kind of."

Jiuge raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "That's what I thought."

"Can we stop analyzing my behavior for five minutes?" I sighed, throwing my hands up. "We have more pressing issues right now."

Amaterasu stepped forward, still clutching her amulet as if it were the only thing grounding her. "Carl's right, though. The druids are the key to all this. They're the ones who know the forest, the ruins, and why these... anomalies are happening."

"And why they didn't warn us," I added, looking pointedly at Amaterasu. "Every account mentions druids giving a warning. But we didn't get one. Doesn't that strike anyone else as suspicious?"

"It's definitely strange," Agnos admitted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But finding them isn't exactly straightforward. The forest doesn't play by normal rules. It's a labyrinth."

"Which is why we need to think like the druids," I said. "Or at least figure out how they think. They're scholars, right? Curious creatures. Maybe we can draw them out."

Jiuge let out a sharp laugh. "You want to bait the druids? With what, your sparkling personality?"

"Actually, I was thinking we could use you," I shot back, smirking.

Jiuge's tails froze mid-swish, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Excuse me?"

"I need to use your lightning powers to destroy some of the trees here," I said, my tone tentative but firm.

Jiuge's jaw dropped as she stared at me like I'd just suggested we set fire to the entire forest.

"Excuse me? Did you bump your head on the steering wheel, or are you actually suggesting we vandalize the magical forest?"

"Since when are you an eco-villain?" Agnos added with a smirk.

"Listen," I said, holding up a hand to ward off the impending tirade, "if the druids are as protective of this place as I think they are, causing some damage might trigger a response. Like when that giant intestine thing showed up after it felt the ground being disturbed. Maybe this is how we get their attention—by messing with their 'pristine' forest."

"Let me get this straight," Jiuge said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Your genius plan to find the guardians of the forest is to anger them by electrocuting their sacred trees?"

"Exactly!" I said, pointing a finger like she'd just hit the jackpot.

"Brilliant," Jiuge said dryly. "Nothing could possibly go wrong with that plan."

"It's not like we're torching the whole forest!" I argued. "Just a few trees—enough to make them notice. Think about it: when that worm tore up the ground, the forest reacted, right? This could work."

Jiuge threw up her hands. "Or it could get us cursed for the rest of eternity!"

"I'll take responsibility," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

"Oh, you'll take responsibility," Jiuge repeated with a sarcastic laugh. "Great. When the trees start attacking us and the druids show up ready to skewer us, I'll make sure to let them know this was your idea."

Amaterasu chimed in, her voice calm but with a hint of mischief. "I think it's possible. I might've done something similar, actually. That's probably why I ended up meeting a lot of them."

Jiuge and I turned to her, eyes wide in disbelief. "Wait, what?" I blurted. "You've been destroying the place since you got here? What are you, a magical bulldozer?"

Amaterasu gave a casual shrug, as though wrecking enchanted forests was as mundane as swatting a fly. "There were bugs everywhere. I hate bugs. Don't you hate bugs?"

"Bugs?" Jiuge repeated, her voice rising in incredulity. "This entire forest is teeming with magical creatures, ancient history, and secrets, and your biggest takeaway is bugs?"

I couldn't help but press further. "Let me get this straight: you torched anything and everything with more than two legs?"

She nodded, unbothered. "Pretty much. The druids came out, didn't they?"

I turned to Agnos. "You're unusually quiet. Does that mean you're in?"

He shrugged lazily, leaning back in his seat. "I'm just here for the show. If this idiotic plan of yours works, I'll take credit. If it doesn't, I'll blame you."

"That's... oddly on-brand for you," I muttered.

"Alright, fine," Jiuge said reluctantly, crossing her arms. "But if this backfires, you're explaining it to the druids while I run for my life."

"Deal," I said, trying to suppress a grin.

We drove away from the ruins, entering a part of the forest that felt... different.

The trees here were taller, their twisted branches arching overhead like skeletal fingers forming a canopy.

The air grew heavy, thick with an almost suffocating stillness. Not a single bird chirped, no rustling leaves, not even the faint hum of insects.

It was as if the entire area was holding its breath.

"Is it just me, or does this place feel... eerily quiet?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, though it felt too loud against the oppressive silence.

Jiuge shifted in her seat, her arms crossed tightly. "Not just you. It's like the forest decided to mute itself. I don't like it."

Agnos leaned back, unconcerned as usual. "It's not unusual. Places like this tend to be... sensitive. Some ancient magic might be at work here. Or maybe the creatures around know better than to make noise."

He smirked, adding ominously, "We could be walking into a predator's territory."

"Very reassuring," I muttered, gripping the buggy's steering wheel tighter.

I slowed the buggy to a stop as we emerged into a small clearing.

The change in scenery was abrupt—the dense forest gave way to an open space bathed in pale, dappled light.

At the edge of the clearing, a lake shimmered, its surface unnaturally still. It was a perfect mirror, reflecting the overcast sky and the dark treeline surrounding it.

"That's... unsettling," I said, gesturing toward the lake. "Not a single ripple."

Amaterasu tilted her head, her sharp eyes scanning the area. "It's too perfect," she murmured. "Lakes don't just sit there like that. Not naturally, anyway."

Jiuge frowned. "Do you think it's enchanted?"

"Or cursed," Agnos said, his grin widening in a way that made me nervous.

"Can you not jump to the worst-case scenario for once?" I snapped.

"Relax, Carl. It's just a lake," he replied lazily.