The creature hopped fully into view. It had six legs instead of four, and its eyes were completely black, like polished stones. It sat back on its haunches and stared at us, twitching its nose.
"Should we wake Monica?" Raphael asked.
"Not yet. Let's see what it—"
The creature chirped, a high-pitched sound like a bird call, then turned and hopped back toward the bushes. At the edge, it stopped and looked back at us, chirping again.
"I think it wants us to follow it," I said.
"Oh yeah, because following strange glowing animals in a death trap Garden of Eden is a great idea." Raphael rolled his eyes.
"Got a better one? We need to find the Arborist."
"We need to not get killed by the first weird rabbit that hops our way."
The creature chirped again, more insistent this time.
"I'm going to follow it," I decided. "You stay with the others. If I'm not back in twenty minutes, assume I'm dead and move on without me."
"That's your plan? 'Assume I'm dead'? That's the dumbest—"
