“A massive Coraeto was found washed up on the shore.”

The sun had barely risen over the turquoise waters around Gaeron Reef, casting golden rays onto the rocky shore. Waves lapped gently at the sand, but something far less peaceful had recently arrived.

A Coraeto, massive and lifeless, was sprawled across the beach. Its thick, grey body was covered in scars and wounds, its once-shining skin now dull in death. The creature’s jagged teeth were partially exposed, and its milky eyes stared blankly at the sky. Even in death, it was an intimidating sight.

Manfred, the large striped draconic tarkee with his striking black mane, coiled beside the corpse. His antlers cast long shadows across the sand as he surveyed the massive predator with narrowed red eyes. “Something took this beast down,” he muttered, his voice low and rough. He had already seen plenty of strange things during his time with Gaeron Pass, but a dead Coraeto was not something that washed up every day.

Beside him, Elysia—the quiet black Tsabhua—studied the carcass. Her blue eyes flicked across the Coraeto’s injuries, observing every detail with a calm but focused demeanor. She was still young, but sharp as a blade. This investigation was an opportunity for her to learn, and she wasn’t about to miss anything. “Its wounds are deep,” she said quietly, running a paw along one of the creature’s massive gashes. “Too deep for anything I know.”

“Agreed,” Manfred said, glancing at her. “But what’s big enough to do this?” His long body shifted on the sand, clearly on edge despite his composed exterior. Whatever had killed this creature was probably still out there.

As Elysia examined the creature further, another figure arrived from the ridge above. A pink belemoid, her sides speckled with white fur, made her way down the sandy slope, her blue-green eyes wide with curiosity. Chy had been called from Snip’s Pinnacle Point to help with this investigation, and she didn’t waste any time joining them at the shore as soon as she had arrived at the outpost.

Chy trotted up to the massive corpse, her claws clicking softly on the stones. “Now that’s a big one,” she said, her tone light despite the grim scene. Her fur rippled in the sea breeze as she circled the Coraeto, inspecting it from different angles. “Looks like it had a pretty bad day.”

Manfred gave her a nod of acknowledgment. “Glad you could make it. We could use your expertise. Ever seen anything like this before?”

Chy paused beside the Coraeto’s head, her eyes scanning its many wounds. “Not quite like this. Coraetos are tough. There aren’t many creatures out there that could take one down.” She gestured at the scars along its flank, her tone becoming more serious. “These aren’t just bite marks though. Something cut through it—cleanly.”

Elysia stepped closer, her brows furrowed. “Cut through? Like a weapon?”

Chy nodded. “Possibly. Or it could be a natural predator with a sharp appendage, but I’ve never heard of anything that could take on a full-grown Coraeto like this.”

Manfred’s red eyes narrowed as he processed the information. The ocean around Gaeron Reef wasn’t the most dangerous, it was relatively safe most of the time, spare for the occasional predator that strayed too far from the deeper waters but this level of predation was unheard of. “Whatever did this might still be nearby,” he said, his voice carrying a warning. “We need to stay sharp.”

The three of them worked together to gather more clues. Chy carefully inspected the Coraeto’s claws, which were caked with a strange black residue. She scraped some of it off with one of her sharp claws, holding it up for Manfred and Elysia to see. “Look at this,” she said, her voice filled with intrigue. “This isn’t just dirt or blood. It’s... different.”

Manfred leaned closer, his antlers casting jagged shadows over Chy’s paw. His nostrils flared slightly, picking up an unfamiliar scent. “Toxins,” he said after a moment. “This must have come from whatever attacked it!”

“Toxins?” Elysia’s blue eyes widened. “Like venom?”

Manfred shook his head slowly. “No. It’s not natural venom. This... this is something else. It smells synthetic. Maybe even a chemical?”

Chy frowned, her tail twitching thoughtfully. “There’s something out here we don’t know about. Something or someone dangerous. We need to find out who or what is producing these toxins—and fast.”

Elysia stood back, her mind racing as she pieced together the clues. The deep wounds, the toxin, the sheer size of the Coraeto—it all seemed to point at someone being the cause of this, instead of another predator.

Manfred nodded slowly, his gaze shifting out to the endless blue expanse of the ocean. “We’ll need to be careful moving forward until we discover who is doing this” he warned. “If someone is out there, they might not hesitate to come after us too.”

Chy’s blue-green eyes sparkled with a mix of fear and caution. She flicked her tail toward the reef just beyond the shore, where the water turned deep and dark. “But whatever’s out there... it’s not going to be easy to find.”

Elysia, always the thinker, paced along the edge of the massive corpse. Her black fur blended into the shadows, but her eyes shone brightly as she thought through their options. “We should search for more evidence along the beach first. Maybe we can find tracks or washed up parts of something, anything that might point us in the right direction, we’ll be better prepared for what’s out there.”

Manfred grunted in agreement. “Then let’s split up. Chy, take the southern side of the beach and see if anything washed ashore with this thing. Elysia, you check the northern side. I’ll stay here and examine the body further—see if there’s anything we missed.”

With their plan set, they each moved off in different directions. Chy bounded down the beach, her pink and white fur glowing in the sunlight as she searched for any signs of a struggle. She sniffed at the air, her sharp senses alert for anything unusual, her claws occasionally digging into the sand. Every so often, she stopped to scan the shore for tracks or debris.

Elysia moved methodically, her sharp mind processing every detail as she scanned the shore. She crouched low to the ground, her black fur making her nearly invisible against the shadows cast by the rocks. Her blue eyes darted from one spot to the next, searching for anything out of place: disturbed sand or washed-up objects.

Meanwhile, Manfred remained behind, his massive form casting a long shadow over the dead Coraeto as he resumed his grim investigation. His mind raced with possibilities, but none of them sat well. Whoever—or whatever—had done this had left no obvious trail, and that made them dangerous.

As they worked, the quiet ocean lapped gently at the shore, the sound almost too peaceful. But the looming question remained: What could possibly kill a beast as powerful as a Coraeto?