moonlit: Blessings in the shadows

The campfire burned low as the night deepened, casting long shadows across the clearing. Most of the campers were settling into their tents, buzzing with exhaustion from the day's activities. But Levin and Exzy had other plans.

"You ready for this?" Exzy whispered, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Not really," Levin admitted, clutching the flashlight tightly. "But I'm not letting you go alone."

Exzy grinned, adjusting her jacket. "You're the best, Lev. Now, come on! The band camp's just through the woods."

The two slipped away from the campsite, careful not to make a sound. The woods were darker than Levin had anticipated, and every rustle of leaves sent his heart racing.

"Are you sure this is worth it?" he asked, trying to keep up with Exzy.

"Absolutely. The drumline competition is going to be epic!" she said, practically skipping ahead.

After what felt like an eternity, they reached a clearing where the distant sound of drums and cheering greeted them. Exzy's face lit up.

"There it is!" she exclaimed, taking off toward the lights.

Levin hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the dark woods.

The drum camp was alive with energy. Drummers of all ages competed in a heated contest, their rhythms echoing through the night. Exzy was in her element, cheering wildly and even hopping onto a stage to join an impromptu jam session.

"She's a natural," someone said, clapping as Exzy finished an incredible solo.

Levin nodded, trying to stay awake as the excitement wore on.

Hours passed, and Exzy was declared the winner of the open drum session. "I'm staying here for the night," she told Levin, holding up a makeshift trophy.

"Are you serious?" he asked, rubbing his temples.

"Come on, Lev! It's just one night. Plus, the organizers invited me to their advanced workshop tomorrow," she said with a pleading look.

Voice: And now I have to trudge back through the woods alone.

"Fine," Levin said, sighing. "But if I die out there, I'm haunting you."

Exzy laughed. "Deal. Now, go before someone notices we're missing."

Levin reluctantly turned back toward the dark woods. The forest seemed even eerier now, with thick fog curling around the trees and the distant hoot of an owl making him jump. He clicked on his flashlight, trying to shake the uneasy feeling creeping up his spine.

Then, he heard it-a low growl.

"Probably just a stray dog," he muttered to himself, picking up the pace.

But the growl came again, closer this time. Levin froze, heart hammering in his chest. He turned and immediately froze. Lying there on the ground was a dead deer with bite marks were scattered across its body, "sheesh" he muttered leaning for a closer look. The wounds were massive and besides "Only a fox plays with its food and leaves it behind, right?" he said, poking at the air like it would somehow help. But these bite marks... they were way too big for a fox. " unless we're talking about a fox on steroids"

Then it happened. A deep, haunting howl rose from the woods, sending shivers racing down his spine. "Nope, nope, nope!" he whispered and immediately bolted like his life depended on it. because it probably did.

After running like a caffeine-fueled squirrel for what felt like forever, he stumbled to a stop at the bottom of a hill. Gasping for air, he leaned on his knees, trying to convince his lungs that they weren't on fire.

"Okay," he panted, "it's probably just... a big dog or something. Yeah. Dogs howl. Nothing to panic about."

But then the howl came again, louder this time. Closer.

His head shot up toward the hill, and there it was. A massive black wolf stood lonely at the top, staring down at him like it was deciding whether to chase him or enjoy the drama.

"Yup, no time for this," he mumbled, spinning on his heel and taking off again.

As he sprinted, a thought popped into his mind. "inertia! That thing's huge. Big things aren't fast, right? If I can just get a head start, I'll be fine." He nodded to himself, comforted by his so called braniac reasoning.

After a while, he realized he hadn't heard any paws thundering behind him. Risking a glance back, he saw nothing but trees. He slowed to a stop, catching his breath with a grin. "See? Outran it. Apex predator my foot."

But just as he pulled out his phone to call for help, a low growl rumbled from somewhere uncomfortably close.

His grin vanished. Slowly, like a mother trying not to wake her infant, he turned around.

The wolf was no longer on the hill. It was right there, behind him, its glowing eyes saying, Run all you want, buddy. This is just my cardio session.

"Great," he muttered. "Physics, you betrayed me!"

Before he could react, the massive wolf lunged at him, sinking its teeth into his arm. Levin screamed, flailing wildly, and managed to kick the creature off. The wolf snarled once more before disappearing into the shadows.

Clutching his bleeding arm, Levin stumbled back toward the camp, his vision blurring.

Meanwhile, back at the campsite, Levia was perched high in a tree, phone in hand.

"Stupid signal," she muttered, raising her phone higher in hopes of finding a bar. "I can't even text anyone about this lame camp."

As she shifted her weight, something fluttered past her face—a bat. A bat with a crystal gem on its head "weird" She swatted at it instinctively, but the creature swooped back, biting her on the neck before flying off into the night.

"Ow!" she hissed, clutching her neck. "Great. Just great. A bat bite. Can this trip get any worse?"

At first, it didn't feel like much. Just a sting, really. But then came the dizziness, washing over her like she'd drunk an entire bottle of cheap wine. "Ugh… this is not the vibe," she muttered, twisting her arms around her neck.

Her balance betrayed her, and before she could even process what was happening, her foot slipped. "Oh, come on!" she groaned as gravity danced with her.

The fall was anything but graceful. She tumbled through the air, branches slapping her on the way down like they had some kind of vendetta.

Thud!

She hit the ground with a force that could've convinced anyone she was auditioning for a superhero landing—except, well, she wasn't getting back up.

Her vision swirled, her limbs went limp, and as the world faded to black, her last thought was, This is so not how I planned my day.

The next morning, the camp was in chaos. Levin had been found at the edge of the woods, unconscious and feverish. His torn sleeve revealed the angry bite on his arm.

"Get him to the hospital," Connor ordered, his cheerful demeanor replaced by worry.

Levia too just then from a distance, was seen lying under a tree. With her hair covering her face.

It seemed like the universe had a twisted sense of humor when it came to twins. Bad situations never came alone; they always arrived in twin-like form. Because why should only one of them have a rough day when fate could double the fun?