Evelyn'sPOV
I watched him from the edge of a rock, my knees pulled to my chest, chin resting on them.
The morning fog hadn't lifted, clinging to the trees like silk.
Dew glistened on every leaf, and the forest whispered with wind and birdsong.
It should have felt peaceful but it didn't.
He crouched nearby, long coat brushing the damp ground, his hat back on as though it were armor.
He hadn't said anything since the last time we were talking about hunger and forest elf and singing to the birds and them dying.
The silence was too thick to cut and I was annoyed because of it, so I decide to break it.
I tilted my head at him. "So. Are you ever going to tell me your name?"
He didn't look at me just shifted slightly to check the blade strapped against his boot.
I tried again. "You know mine. Feels unfair."
Still nothing.
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. I'll make one up."
That got a twitch in the corner of his mouth.
"Let's see... Silent McBroody?" I mused aloud. "No, too cliché."
His fingers paused at his laces.
"Ooooh, what about Forest Batman?"
Now he glanced at me, finally. "Are you done?"
"Not even close," I said sweetly. "Shadowy Stranger? Hm. Lone-Wolf-With-a-God-Complex? Wait—"
He let out a slow exhale that almost sounded like a laugh. "You're ridiculous."
"That's not a no," I said, grinning.
He finally stood, shaking his head slightly. "You give everyone ridiculous names or am I just special?"
I stood too. "Very special."
His brow lifted. "So...?"
I studied him, crossing my arms.
The way his dark coat clung to his frame, the way the low morning light kissed the edge of his cheekbone, the hat shadowed most of his features again, but I remembered how he looked without it. Striking. Unexpectedly soft in the eyes, dangerous in the jawline.
"You're... Mr. Shadow," I declared with a playful nod.
He blinked. "That's the name you came up with?"
"Yup," I said, already committing to it. "Mysterious, brooding, big coat. You literally disappear into darkness like a vampire."
He muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "I'm not a vampire."
"Well, Mr. Shadow, we're gonna need food if we want to keep walking. You found anything not poisonous lately?"
He walked past me, brushing against my shoulder. "Not if you keep insulting my breakfast."
"Hey, the bugs were a step too far."
"They were protein."
"They had legs."
"I have legs. Doesn't mean you can eat me," he muttered.
That pulled a laugh out of me—unexpected, too loud in the quiet forest.
He stopped, turned slightly to look at me again. "You're weird."
"You're welcome," I said, brushing past him and walking ahead.
He caught up easily. Of course he did like a shadow.
We didn't talk for a few minutes.
The forest hummed around us, and the sun began slipping through branches in golden shafts.
The ground was soft with fallen leaves, I listened to the crunch beneath our boots and wondered what time it was.
My phone was dead. We hadn't seen a road in days and I haven't decided yet if I want to go home or stay with this mysterious guy.
"Hey," I said suddenly. "You sleep at all?"
"I was keeping watch."
"Yeah, I figured," I murmured. "Thanks."
His silence this time was quieter. Almost... softer.
I stole another glance at him.
The coat swung slightly with his stride, his curls tucked behind his ear.
He looked more human in the light. Tired, maybe or guarded.
I wondered what he looked like when he wasn't half-shadowed or scowling.
"So, Mr. Shadow... ," I said again, watching him react to the name.
He didn't correct me.
"You gonna tell me why we're still walking instead of, I don't know, finding a way back to the city?"
"Something dangerous is looking for you", he said. "And we're not ready to be found."
"But we're not just going to hide forever."
"I'm not hiding," he said flatly. "I'm protecting."
I stopped walking.
"Protecting who?" I asked.
"You."
My breath caught a little.
He still hadn't turned around just kept walking.
I ran to catch up. "Okay but like... why?"
He turned to face me.
The light struck his face just enough to show his expression—tight and unreadable. "You were being hunted. I don't leave people behind like that."
It sounded rehearsed like he didn't believe what he said either.
I narrowed my eyes. "You don't know me."
He looked at me for a long moment. "I know you didn't scream when everything went wrong. I know you haven't begged me to carry you or cried about the cold. I know you stayed even when you could've run."
I swallowed, suddenly unsure what to say.
"So no," he said, voice low. "I don't know you. But I know enough."
We stared at each other.
Then something rustled ahead—sharp, distinct.
He immediately moved in front of me, body tensing.
"What is it?" I whispered.
"Not sure."
Another sound. A snapping branch. Closer.
He gestured silently, pressing a finger to his lips, I nodded, heart thudding as he backed us toward a thicket, his hand hovered near the hilt of his blade.
Whoever or whatever it was, they were coming fast.
"Stay behind me," he murmured.
And I did.
Not because I was afraid.
But because Mr Shadow was scarier.
Evelyn is sassy, she even got the courage to give Zayn fucking shadow wolf a nickname!!! That's a very high level of confidence, don't you think?
Anyway don't forget to vote, share, yeah and write some good reviews about my story please.