That still all sounds very ridiculous, despite how earnest and patient he sounds, but there's no time to argue the point. Despite how much Aloy finds belief in the metaphysical to be a waste of time, she has priorities.

"I see it," she says, voice low, and immediately drops into a crouch, pulling her bow from her back.

The fog makes it nearly impossible to see what's ahead, causing a sense of unease that Aloy is unaccustomed to. Is it an animal? Another searcher? She strains to see and, for just a second, thinks perhaps it's one of the missing lumberjacks—but laboriously dragging something behind him.

The thought dissipates, though, when something in the trees lets loose an inhuman shriek. A terrible feeling of dread creeps up Aloy's spine.

"What the hell was that—"