Jack's pov

"The Nightstalkers are large dog-like creatures with black skin. They have long, thin bodies and legs, big claws on their feet, and large mouths filled with sharp, black-colored teeth. I would know, I got a close look at one of them."

That's true. When Jeff was tackled by one of them and landed on the ground, he was almost face to face with one of the creatures. Ben had a huge grin on his face the whole time we explained about our encounter.

"You guys are so lucky! I wish I could've seen them!"

If only I had eyes to roll at Ben's statement. "This isn't a game, Ben. Those things are dangerous."

Slender nodded. "Jack's right. We need to be very careful and cautious around them. I think it would be a good idea to observe them and figure out a way to capture them."

"But how do we even do that?" Toby asked. "They've obviously got great senses to be able to track Jeff and Jack down."

Hmm, he makes a good point. But those heightened senses of theirs could also be a weakness. I noticed Slender seemed to glance at me, probably reading my thoughts.

"So what if we mask our scent?"

Everyone seemed to look over at me in confusion, so I explained to them, "If I recall, Jeff and I had just come back from a kill when those creatures found us. We smelled strongly of blood. So if we don't smell like...well, us, then they shouldn't be able to sniff us out again."

The others slowly nodded in understanding. Even Slender seemed to approve of the idea.

Hoodie suddenly asked, "And didn't you say that they ran away when Masky and I had found you?"

Jeff nodded. "Yeah, as soon as they saw the lights, they ran like cowards."

"Maybe we should take flashlights again," Masky said. "They seem to not care for the light too much. You know, just in case we need to chase them away."

Slender then spoke. "It seems we have a plan. Tomorrow night, I want you to split into two groups to track down and observe these Nightstalkers. Hopefully by seeing what they are capable of, we can capture them. But do not engage in any combat unless absolutely necessary. I don't want any of you or those beasts to be injured."

"Why does it matter if we give those hounds a good beating or not?" Jeff asked in slight annoyance. "We should show them who's on top around here."

"No!" Slender answered in a loud, commanding voice. "These creatures could very well be a new form of creepypasta. I don't want any of them injured or killed unless there is no way around it. Do I make myself clear?"

We all nodded, Jeff grumbling as he did so. I admit, I'm eager to see what these things can do. Tomorrow night can't come soon enough.

~~~Timeskip~~~

"You'd better be right about this, Jack."

I glanced at Jeff as I rubbed dirt and grass all over my clothes. "Don't worry, Jeff. I'm almost positive this will work."

"Almost?" Ben questioned. "So we could be doing this for nothing?"

I heard a sigh from Masky. "Quit complaining. Let's just get done and head out before the sun completely sets."

I watched as the others did the same as me and covered their clothes and skin with dirt, grass, and any other substance that could be found on the ground.

Once we all finished, we split into two groups and headed out. With Jeff and Ben following me, we walked quite a ways before finally stopping. We were in an area with a few blackberry bushes.

"I think this is a good spot to hide," I told the others. "Now all we have to do is wait."

We hid among the thick bushes, watching as the sky darkened until all we could see was the moon above us, which gave us a small bit of light. The sound of rustling got our attention, but we were disappointed when a couple of deer emerged from the darkness.

The two deer carefully walked over and started eating blackberries from the bushes. The three of us stayed still and quiet as we watched. I noticed the bored look on Ben's face proving that he was hoping to see the Nightstalkers.

After awhile of nothing happening, I was ready to leave and maybe find another place to stake out. But before I could move or say anything, a loud snap caused us to whirl our heads around at the sudden noise.

Both deer immediately picked their heads up and froze, staring in the direction of the sound. It was silent for a moment until a dark creature jumped from a nearby bush and onto one of the deer, biting into its neck and bringing it down.

The other deer began to run, but was quickly stopped by another dark figure. Now seeing the black beasts, they were almost as tall as the deer. This deer lowered its head, pointing its small antlers at the Nightstalker.

With a small snort, the deer attempted to jab at the predator with its antlers. Unfortunately for it, the Nightstalker quickly dodged around it and grabbed the deer's neck in its jaws.

The deer struggled to break free, but the Nightstalker kept its hold and pushed it to the ground, pressing one of its clawed feet against the side of the deer's head to hold it still.

Soon enough, the deer's struggle ceased. The Nightstalker picked it up by the throat and drug it over to its companion, who was already eating its meal. I now noticed the grins on Ben and Jeff's faces as they watched in fascination.

We watched the two Nightstalkers rip flesh from bone and hungrily eat every bit. They suddenly stopped and perked their long ears up, looking out past the trees. I was surprised to see the Rake slowly approaching.

Both Nightstalkers pinned their ears back down and began growling at the pale creature. The Rake began carefully moving closer to them, hissing as it attempted to steal a bite of their meal.

But once it got too close, the two Nightstalkers moved in front of their meal defensively. They both snarled and snapped their jaws as they attempted to scare the Rake away.

It's strange. They seem to be doing the same thing they did to Jeff and me last night. They move in close as if about to attack, but then they back off again. Even though they have the upper hand, they don't seem interested in actually picking a fight.

With the persistent Rake not taking the hint and still moving closer, the Nightstalkers finally attacked. One rushed forward, taking a quick bite of the Rake's arm while the other swiped its claws across the pale creature's face. The Rake yelped in pain before turning and fleeing back into the darkness.

Both of the black beasts let out a small howl at their victory before returning to their meal. So that is how the Rake got those injuries then. The Nightstalkers ate every bit of meat from the carcasses, leaving nothing but bones when they quietly left.

Once we were sure they were gone, we got up from our hiding spot. We quickly headed back toward the mansion in case those things come back.

"I think I just found my favorite creature ever," Ben said with a grin.

Jeff nudged the elf with his elbow. "You and me both, Ben. Even if those things are our enemies, they're the coolest monsters I've ever seen."

I finally joined in the conversation. "And we got some useful information on them too. They did the same thing to the Rake as they did to us, Jeff."

"What? You mean the way they fake their attacks? The way they move in closer and pretend they're about to jump you before backing off?"

I nodded. "Yes, that's it. It's almost like a scare tactic or a way of intimidating their foes."

"They must be pretty smart then if they're able to think like that," Ben added in.

Slender will be happy to hear about this. We found out a little about the strange creatures. Now I wonder how the proxies are doing.

Masky's pov

I don't believe what I'm seeing. How lucky are we to pick a spot that those Nightstalkers would pass by. Toby, Hoodie, and I sat quietly up in the thick branches of a large tree.

Down below us, two of the black beasts walked along. They stopped, sniffing at the ground and looking around. They then looked at each other and made small chittery noises.

Are they actually communicating? These things are more complex than I thought. We watched them as they seemed to talk to each other before continuing on their way.

We waited for a bit to make sure they were gone before climbing our way down from the tree. I looked back at Hoodie and Toby.

"Well we just learned something. We should report this to Slender."