Excerpt: The Kingdom of Illerian (working title)

The black shadow wafted through the shadows, the leaves rustled around the moving creature, as though nothing more than the wind was moving through. But the giant-like creature caught the tell-tale signs and threw a casual salute to the passing breeze. The answering growl, which sounded an awful lot like a laugh, made his lips pull up at the corners. He knew that growl extremely well; it made him feel like he was at home. He raised his hand to his mouth, and chirped an alert to the empty forest. He crouched down, and moved in the direction the shadow had come from, carefully and quietly drawing a longsword from its sheath. The shield strapped to his right arm was brought out in front of him, and he moved slowly forward. He heard a sigh from behind him and tensed. He didn’t hear anyone come up behind him. He turned an eye back over his shoulder, and sighed back at the cat-like humanoid that was watching him from the lowest branch of a tree to his left. He nodded and turned his attention out in front of him, he knew the sigh. He had been moving to loudly for her liking, though he doubted anyone outside of their allies could have heard him. He took care as he moved forward to make no noise more than the rustle of the wind.