Scene 1: Into the White Silence
The morning began with long breaths of mist winding between the pines. Snowfall from the night before hung heavy on the upper branches, and when the wind passed, it shook loose in soft, silent flurries. The forest stood still, deceptively quiet, save for the distant call of a frost-crow.
Niren gives the day's command with a calm authority, his presence steady.
"You'll group up. Look for claw marks, scat, snapped branches, anything that speaks of life moving through here. Not just beasts. Learn to read stories left behind."
"Today, we learn to read the woods. Not all battles are won with strength. Learn to track... to listen... to see what others miss."
The trainees, all in groups of four, followed behind assigned Sentinels, each child with a half-frozen notepad and a piece of charcoal. Their task was simple on the surface: identify, sketch, and interpret any signs of nearby animal presence: claw marks, dung, snapped branches, unusual scents.
Mani walked beside Ishan, the only one among the trainees who had not been formally chosen. He kept his head low, scarf high, and fingers buried inside sleeves. His eyes, though, darted more than any other. They weren't looking for paths—they were tracing memories the snow had captured.
Ishan, walking ahead with steady alertness, glanced over his shoulder.
Ishan: "You alright, Mani?"
Mani only nodded, barely audible. But his eyes were fixed on a broken bush off the trail; its stems had been twisted unnaturally. He stopped, leaned closer, then tapped the air lightly to get Ishan's attention.
The older boy walked back, peered at the bush, and examined the snow beside it. Small paw prints, deep and spaced too far for a normal woodland creature.
Ishan: "Could be a fox. Maybe a limping hare."
Mani tilted his head slightly, hesitant. He didn't think so. The breaks in the bush were deliberate. There were marks higher up too, like the kind a taller predator might leave brushing past.
But he didn't speak. Only looked.
Ishan smiled gently and patted Mani's shoulder.
Ishan: "Good eye, still. Come on."
They moved on, snow crunching beneath.
Elsewhere, the other trainees huddled excitedly around some shallow claw marks. A girl shouted that it was a forest panther's sign. Her Sentinel laughed, corrected her, and sent her off to draw it. A few boys mocked Mani as he passed by.
"You're just following Ishan around like a pup," one whispered. "He's not even your real brother."
Mani kept walking.
He wasn't afraid of their words. But there was a sound in the trees, far to the right, that no one else reacted to a short, heavy exhale. Not a bird. Not wind. He tightened his scarf and stayed close to Ishan's side.
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Scene 2: Patterns That Don't Fit
The forest floor changed subtly past the northern ridge. Less snow. More gnarled roots. The teams spread wider now, weaving through glades, taking notes.
Ishan's group slowed near a frozen creek. One of the older trainees spotted massive claw marks etched into the frost-bitten bark of a pine tree. They all gathered.
Boy (eager): "Look at this one! Seven... no, eight gashes."
Another: "Too high for a snow lynx. Could it be a bear?"
Ishan stepped forward, eyes narrowing.
Ishan: "Not a bear. Look at the angle these cuts curve in, not downward."
Mani crouched beside the base of the tree, fingers brushing the frost. Something else had passed through here earlier. Not the beast that made the marks. The snow near the roots had melted oddly scattered spots, not footprints, but like heat had passed.
He stared at it for a long moment. Then pointed again, just once.
Ishan turned, following the signal. He studied the melted frost, then frowned.
Ishan: "Weird... Could it be sunlight from earlier?"
He didn't sound convinced.
But before he could say more, a scream echoed from a nearby group.
Everyone tensed.
A younger girl had tripped and fallen into a ditch. A Sentinel rushed over, helped her out. Laughter followed when it was clear she wasn't hurt.
But Mani didn't laugh. His eyes were locked on the branches overhead, swaying gently.
Branches with no wind to stir them.
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Scene 3: The Warning in Stillness
The training continued into the pale dusk, long after most of the groups had grown tired and careless. Niren paced through the returning patrols, sharp-eyed and alert, sharing brief updates with the Sentinels.
Ishan returned with Mani in tow. The boy hadn't said much, but something about his gaze unsettled him.
They stopped at the main clearing where a fire was being lit for warmth. Children gathered for warmth and evening food. The trainers reviewed notes. Some praised eager learners; others pointed out mistakes.
Niren stood quietly, watching over them all.
Ishan approached him, hesitant.
Ishan: "Captain... some of the tracks didn't make sense today. The claw marks on one set were angled almost backward. And... something was melting snow in spots where it shouldn't."
Niren (raising an eyebrow): "Melting?"
Ishan nodded: "Mani noticed it first."
Niren looked toward the boy, who now sat by the fire but stared into the dark tree line, not eating.
Niren: "Good eyes."
Ishan hesitated: "You believe it was... something unnatural?"
Niren gave no answer immediately. His gaze was distant.
Niren: "There's been... chatter among the scouts. Calm beasts growing restless. Packs moving in patterns. Too clean. Too planned."
Ishan: "You think someone's controlling them?"
Niren (shaking his head): "Not someone. Not yet. But something."
From deeper in the woods, a howl pierced the cold. Low. Not threatening, but long. It raised hairs.
Niren raised his hand. In seconds, three members of the hunting squad melted into the trees with practiced silence.
Ishan (softly): "Always ready, huh?"
Niren (smiling faintly): "It's not readiness. It's a habit."
Ishan: "Do you think... he'll be okay? Mani, I mean?"
Niren didn't answer. Just watched the boy in silence.
Then murmured under his breath:
Niren: "The shard moved for him."
The snow fell harder.
Darkness crept in.
Back in the village, Niren, now inspecting the reports from the day, notes slight inconsistencies. Tracks that don't match species. Patterns that feel... off.
Later, Ishan joins him by the firepit outside the barracks.
Ishan:
"Some of the marks we found were too fresh. Too... strange. And Mani spotted something I nearly missed."
Niren listens quietly, sharpening a blade.
Niren (calm):
"He sees more than he lets on. But it'll take time for others to see him."
Ishan:
"You think the wild's changing?"
Niren:
"It's never consistent, but I've been lacking to understand recently…"
He glances toward the dark woods.
Niren (quietly):
"Keep them sharp, Ishan. The forest lies only when we stop listening."
—
Chapter 5 Ends here…