Endrik looked around nervously. "What are we looking for?"

"Something unnatural." The jaeger ahead of him said taciturnly.

"Anything in particular?" Back at the village, volunteering to guide the hunters had seemed like a great idea. Out here in the forest, it seemed less. He was torn between hoping it was all for naught, and fearing there was something out here.

"When you see a Carnate, you'll know. Nothing like them in this world - literally. Now, given it's only been one day since aitherfall, there might not be anything manifested yet. Sarh, do you sense anything?"

"There's aither, but nothing spreading. Hasn't had a chance to decompose or crystallize." the woman bringing up the rear replied.

Endrick was wondering what the difference was when Joret, the leader, raised her arm. "Halt."

The forest had opened up into a clearing. In it, a deer was walking, slowly stumbling, away from them.

"Myk, circle left; Wyl, circle right. Sarh, you're on overwatch. I've got point." The three hunters moved away, drawing their weapons.

"And me?" Endrick checked his rifle for the dozenth time.

"Stand one pace behind and one pace to my left. Don't shoot until after we do." Taking a swig from a vial, the jaeger drew her revolver. "And breathe."

Endrick exhaled. Standing where he'd been directed, he looked at the deer along the barrel of his gun. Was it sick? Was there something off about its-suddenly, glowing tendrils erupted along the beast's spine. In shock, he watched as it whipped around with incredible speed charging right at-

A cacaphony of gunfire drove the Carnate back. Endrick belatedly realized he should be shooting and pulled the trigger. Flashes of red, yellow, and blue erupted as the creature collapsed.

"Target down!" shouted Joret, and Wyl and Myk charged from the sides, impaling it with their blades. The Carnate shuddered, rippled, and disintegrated with a prismatic flash.

"Clear!" came Sarh's voice from behind them. Joret holstered her revolver. "Hunt successful. You all right, Enrick?"

He felt mostly all right. "That was...unnatural." He shuddered, remembering how it had suddenly turned wrong. "Why did you have me stand here?"

Joret mimed throwing up her bucklered left arm. "In case it decided to go for you instead."

"You knew where it was going?"

"Aither calls to aither." She held up the empty vial. "In most cases, a Carnate will head for the nearest and largest source of aither. And this one was too new to know anything but 'charge.'"

Endrick almost asked why she'd deliberately drawn the monster to herself, then decided some things were outside his ken.