However, she doubted the Kyren would have brought her here if it was so simple. They had a purpose behind this visit. She needed to open her eyes and see what that was.
No pressure or anything. Just needed to impress the picky mythologicals with investigative skills she didn't have.
"Anyone else think it's concerning there is snow everywhere except for a five-foot circle around us?" Eva asked, moving around Polaris for a better glimpse at what he was studying.
She stopped abruptly as she got a good look at the shape resting in the middle of the bare circle.
The carcass of a large beast lay face up, the bones of its ribs blossoming outward like a gruesome flower.
"Red back."
Eva knelt next to the beast. Alive, the red back would have towered over her by nearly half the length of another person when it stood upright on its hind legs. Named for the red patch of fur along its back, the beast was rather reclusive. Content to ignore humans as long as they didn't wander into their territory.
From what Eva had read on the beast board, red backs rarely traveled alone. They were almost always part of a pair.
This one notwithstanding.
There were no signs that another red back was anywhere in the area. As much as Polaris and the chestnut might resist Eva's presence, she didn't think they'd risk their own safety or Sebastian's to get rid of her.
It was enough to conclude the other red back wasn't hiding, waiting for a chance to ambush them.
Eva returned her attention to the body. All four paws were missing. Following a hunch, Eva pulled her knife out of her boot, hooking it into the top of the red back's mouth and lifting it slightly.
As expected, the red back's teeth were missing.
"Humans did this."
Animals couldn't have done this. The cuts were too clean. Nor would scavengers have plucked the teeth from the beast's mouth.
Disgusting.
Are you certain? Sebastian asked, ignoring the chestnut.
Eva twisted to look up at him, not moving from her crouch. "Are mythologicals likely to claim a red back's paws and fangs as a trophy to remember their kill by?"
Some might, Sebastian admitted.
None whose territory converges with ours, Polaris corrected.
And most of those wouldn't bother with a simple red back. They're more likely to hunt humans, Theo said.
Sebastian crowded Eva as he lowered his nose toward the body. Why does it look so strange?
"Because something ate it."
And not a typical scavenger either.
A sick feeling filled Eva's stomach as she took in the red back's remains. It wasn't like she hadn't dealt with death before. Anyone who spent enough time with animals lost one, eventually.
But this was beyond anything she'd ever seen.
All the meat inside its body had been consumed. The organs too.
All that remained was its flattened skin, still wrapped around its bones. Except for the gaping hole in its torso and the beast’s missing paws, there were no other signs of damage to its coat.
It was like someone had taken a straw and sucked out everything inside, leaving only skin and bone behind.
Eva looked up at Polaris and Sebastian. "Do you have any idea what could have done this?"
Polaris's expression was grim. None.
That pit in Eva's stomach deepened. "I was afraid you'd say that."
She wiped her blade against the snow, doing her best to get any blood from the red back off before sticking it back into her boot.
It would be safest for everyone if we remove the humans from the valley, Theo told Polaris.
"You can't be serious."
Theo's ears flattened against his skull. Look at the red back. Does what was done to it seem right to you?
Eva's gaze landed on the remains. "No."
It was one thing to hunt for food. Another to do so for sport.
Of course, there was a small chance the red back had been killed in defense of their lives, but Eva doubted it. If the perpetrator had been in fear, they wouldn't have stopped for souvenirs.
"You're assuming the Trateri did this, but you don't know for sure."
There aren't a lot of culprits it could be, Theo returned.
Eva darted an uncertain glance at Polaris. "That's not entirely true."
You are grasping at straws. The Trateri camp is only a short distance away. Polaris tilted his chin toward a line of ragged hills. Over that ridge, in fact.
So close.
Eva hadn't expected that after such a short trip. It was confirmation that the Kyren really could use the mist to control their destination.
No wonder it had been so disorienting leaving it. The Kyren likely didn't want her to know the extent of their abilities.
And as interesting as this was, it didn't help her with the current situation.
"That proves nothing." Eva left the question of the Kyren and their control of the mist for another time. "The Trateri don't have wings and that ridge wouldn't be easy to cross. Getting from here to there would be a struggle."
Not impossible, but the Trateri weren't as comfortable in the mountains as they were the Lowlands. Eva couldn't see a hunting party scaling near vertical hills and then risking limb and life to descend the equally steep other side.
They'd seen red backs before. The beast wasn't rare enough to warrant such a trip for a simple trophy. There was much easier game between here and there.
Sensing their resistance, Eva gave them a challenging look. "Of course, if you're that worried, you can always return to camp with me and see for yourself."
Polaris and Theo traded a look.
"Search the camp. That should prove their innocence or guilt. If they did this, you'll find evidence."
And if they did? Polaris challenged.
Eva took a deep breath, knowing the gamble she was taking. "Then they aren't the people I thought."
And Eva would have much bigger problems than the alliance with the Kyren.
Polaris's gaze was contemplative. Very well then. We accept your offer.
Eva's exhale was shaky. She didn't know whether she should feel relieved or terrified. Although none of the people she was familiar with seemed the type to do this, there was no way to truly know. People were complicated and all too often you didn't realize how badly you'd misjudged someone until far too late.
There weren't only her friends to consider. The ones she was truly worried about were those who'd arrived with Lion and Rain. They were unknown entities who weren't yet familiar with all the rules. She had no idea what they were capable of.
That's what scared her.
She was taking a risk assuming they were as honorable as other Trateri she knew. That their clans wouldn't ruin things for the rest.
I hope you know what you're doing, Polaris warned.
Sebastian draped his nose over Eva's shoulder in a silent show of support.
"So do I," Eva said, reaching up and patting Sebastian's velvet soft nose.
She really hoped this didn't blow up in her face.
Polaris snorted and brushed past them.
Are you sure you know what you're doing? Sebastian whispered.
Eva shook her head. "Not a clue."
All she had to go on was her gut feeling, and it said this wasn't done by the Trateri.
Eva stepped back, frowning as something crunched underfoot. She shifted back, lifting her foot to see what she'd stepped on.