The forest path wound lazily between towering pines, the kind of trail worn smooth by years of patrols, quiet hunts, and secret races between siblings who refused to outgrow their wild youth. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, golden shafts dappling the underbrush in warmth. The air smelled of fresh rain and wildflowers, stirred now and then by a cool breeze that danced through the group with invisible fingers.
Opal walked near the front, her hand brushing Kael's now and then as he pointed out old scout markers she hadn't noticed before. Seraphina and Ash trailed a few feet behind, deep in an animated debate about something related to warrior formation (though judging by Ash's smirk and Seraphina's dry tone, it had devolved into light flirtation). Nyx and Brooks walked beside each other at the rear, their fingers linked, whispering back and forth with shared grins and half-suppressed laughter.
And Forrest—Forrest was being, unapologetically, Forrest.
