Something lived in the dense parts of the Wilds. Arwyn and Kruger knew it well; they had met it many times before they came to the Grove, and just a few times since. It seems the recent activity had scared it away. They didn't think it meant any harm, for if it wanted to harm them it had plenty of opportunity; but they still feared it. It had four eyes like a mirror, but of different colours: two red, and two brilliant gold. These eyes glowed like candle flame, but they didn't flicker or dance as fire should. They did, however, often sway slowly from side to side, creating illusory lines in the darkness between the trees. These eyes were sometimes so high off the ground, they could belong to a massive dragon; and at other times so low, they could belong to a fox.

The hunters knew these eyes belonged to the same creature, for they were never seen apart. And they knew this creature's scent, the sound of its footfalls, the slippery, smooth noise that accompanied it everywhere, like several tails being dragged behind it. Sometimes they thought they caught a glimpse of huge wings, or a glint of the light against something dirty, olive-green and reflective. Scales, they imagined.

The whole Grove knew the rumours of a nearby emperor. No-one knew if it was true. No-one wanted it to be. But, if it was, Arwyn and Kruger suspected they had already met it.

Eventually, they began to smell this beast even among the Grove. They began to fear it was drawing near, preparing to hunt the dragons; and yet, had it planned such a thing, it would have surely already done it. They shared their fears with others, who were not comforted by this thought.

The familiar presence of the four-eyed beast followed them to their home. Neither of them could quite explain it, but they felt it near. Sometimes they imagined all four eyes staring at them in the night, from across the nesting grounds; or near the food stores. But when they approached, they would always find friendly, well-known members of the Grove; or nothing at all.