They reached the shore near the south point and found two of the traps had been disturbed. A few of the wooden stakes had been uprooted, possibly by crabs or large fish. Jude knelt beside the wreckage, examining it carefully.
Grace crouched beside him. "This looks like it was pulled. Not broken by water."
Jude nodded. "Yeah. Something knew how to take it apart."
Natalie stood further back, scanning the treeline. "Could've been one of those monkey-lizards again. They're smart."
"Smart, but not this smart," Jude muttered. "This feels deliberate."
He looked back at the forest and caught movement from the corner of his eye. Natalie stiffened.
"What was that?" she asked.
They all turned.
There, just barely visible between two tall trees, was a swirl of blue mist, thin as silk, floating no higher than a man's chest. It glided soundlessly, almost with intent, as though choosing its path. Then it curved and slipped behind a tree and was gone.
Grace saw it too. "Did you see, "
