The pitter patter of little feet against the ground, the rustle of twigs amid the underbrush of the forest, these noises cause Kuai to immediately turn towards it on the defensive. He's trying hard to locate the source through sound alone, but it's hard to tell when it seems to fade in and out, sometimes surrounding him and occasionally distorting in ways that wouldn't be possible in any place but Beacon.

The brief silence has him even more on edge, obviously a calm before a storm, and Kuai waits for a striking attack.

But he definitely isn't expecting it to come from below. He jerks his foot away and hops backwards in an almost comical fashion, blasting the ground with ice out of instinct. But in backing up so quickly he hits his back against a tree, whirling instantly to strike before realizing what it is, and then twisting back around to figure out what is underfoot. And how to attack something he can't see.

"Show yourself!"