The new garrison at Sunstone Pass was a different beast. Not the quiet farming village, not the familiar patrols with Kenji. This was a bustling hub. Samurai of higher ranks strode with purpose. Their armor gleamed. Their confidence hummed. Kaito felt the gap. Still Rank 2. Wakato. A small promotion. But the whispers followed him. A disgrace. His unusual ascent. It clung like the lingering scent of damp earth.
His new gear felt lighter. A better-balanced spear, a slightly sharper wakizashi. Symbols of his new station. But the true test lay ahead. Commander Oda, a Rank 4 Kobito, stern faced but with sharp, assessing eyes, assigned Kaito to a patrol. Not alone. He had new patrol mates.
"This is Daisuke," Oda stated. Daisuke was Kaito's age. But his eyes held a cynical glint. A sneer played on his lips. "And Ren." Ren was a year older. Quiet. Observant. He offered a polite nod.
Daisuke scoffed. "So this is the 'prodigy.' Heard you got your rank by playing hide and seek with a boar." He glanced at Kaito's new Wakato gear. "Some of us earn our promotions through sweat, not luck."
Kaito ignored the jab. Stared straight ahead. "My duty is to Sengoku. Like yours."
Oda cut in. "Enough. Your patrol route: the Whispering Forest. Recent Shadow Lynx sightings. Stick to the designated path. Report anything unusual. Do not deviate. Understood?" His gaze lingered on Kaito.
"Understood, Commander!" they chorused.
The Whispering Forest lived up to its name. Dense trees formed a canopy that swallowed the sun. Mist clung to the ancient bark. Sounds were muffled. Deceptive. Kaito's senses hummed. He focused. Listened to the rustle of leaves. The distant calls of unseen birds. He felt the forest's breath. Heavy. Expectant.
Daisuke grumbled. "This is pointless. We should be hunting. Not just walking." He tried to push ahead. His impatience a constant irritant. Ren, cautious, kept pace with Kaito. His eyes scanned the undergrowth, less sharp than Kaito's, but diligent.
Kaito slowed. A faint indentation in the damp earth. Not a hoof. Not a boot. Three distinct pads. He pointed. "Lynx."
Daisuke scoffed. "A single track. Probably old."
Kaito knelt. Traced the print. "Fresh. And it's not alone." He looked up. Noticed something else. A broken twig. High up. Too high for a typical animal. Too neat for a random break. He saw a pattern. A line of subtle disturbances. Leading away from the designated path. Into the deeper, darker sections of the forest.
"They are leading us," Kaito said. Quietly.
Daisuke laughed. "Leading us? You think these beasts are playing games?"
"Commander Oda said stick to the path," Ren reminded. His voice calm.
Kaito nodded. "Yes. But these tracks. They are too deliberate. They want us to follow." He felt a chill. Not from the mist. From the thought. These Shadow Lynx were intelligent. Hunters. Setting a lure.
Daisuke scoffed. "Nonsense. I'm not afraid of a few cats. If they're trying to hide, I'll find them faster off path." He turned abruptly. Strode into the dense undergrowth. Off the designated route.
Ren hesitated. Looked at Kaito. Kaito's face was grim. "He will find more than he expects," Kaito muttered. He grabbed Ren's arm. "Stay close. Be ready." They followed Daisuke. No choice. He was already committed.
The mist thickened. The trees closed in. Daisuke, confident, pushed through a thicket. He stepped into a small, seemingly empty clearing. The air here was strangely still. Too still.
Then, the attack. Not one. Not two. A pack. Five Shadow Lynx. Their fur was dark, almost absorbing the low light. Their movements were blurs. Silent. Except for the low growls that rumbled from their throats. They erupted from the shadows. Long, curved claws. Gleaming fangs.
Daisuke gasped. He tried to draw his sword. Too slow. A lynx sprang. KnocKaito him to the ground. Its fangs snapping at his throat. Ren yelled. Drew his sword. Swung wildly.
Kaito moved. Instinct. He lunged, spear thrusting. Not for a kill. To intercept the lynx on Daisuke. He deflected its charge. Forced it back. "To the narrow pass!" he shouted. "Ren! Use your shield!"
Chaos reigned. The lynx were agile. Dodging their blades. They circled. Testing. Kaito saw the pack leader. A larger, scarred male. It hung back. Directed its subordinates. They were using the trees. The mist. They were hunting like samurai.
"Do not swing wildly!" Kaito commanded. His voice clear amidst the snarls. "Predict! They commit to a lunge! Strike when they land!" He danced. His spear a blur. Blocking. Parrying. Redirecting. He moved with the lynx. Anticipating. His new fighting style emerging.
He pushed Ren and Daisuke towards a cluster of thick, ancient trees. A natural choke point. The lynx had to come through a narrow gap. Less room for their agility. "Force them into the bottleneck!" Kaito yelled. Ren understood. He used his shield to block a path. Daisuke, terrified but responding to Kaito's authority, held his ground, swinging his blade in tighter arcs.
The pack leader snarled. It sensed the shift. Kaito was turning the hunt around. The lynx pressed harder. One of them, smaller, tried to dart past Kaito. He spun, his wakizashi flashing. A clean cut. The lynx shrieked. Limped away, into the mist.
The pack leader hesitated. It saw its prey fighting back. Effectively. It looked at Kaito. A flash of something like respect. Or frustration. It gave a sharp bark. Its remaining pack members broke off. Vanished into the shadows as quickly as they appeared.
Silence. Only the heavy breathing of the three Wakato. Daisuke lay gasping. A deep gash on his arm. Not fatal. But bleeding. Ren stood, shaken, his sword still clutched.
"Are you alright?" Kaito asked Daisuke. He knelt. Examined the wound.
Daisuke stared. His eyes wide. No sneer. Just awe. And a little fear. "You... you saved me. You... you knew." His voice was hoarse.
They retreated. Slowly. Carefully. Treating Daisuke's wound. The return journey was somber. Daisuke was quieter than Kaito had ever seen him. Ren looked at Kaito with a newfound respect. No longer neutral. He was an ally now.
Back at the garrison, Commander Oda met them. His face was stern. He listened to their report. Kaito recounted the events. Honestly. Admitting their deviation. But explaining his reasoning. Ren corroborated. Then Daisuke spoke. His voice quiet. "Commander. Kaito saved our lives. His strategy... it was unlike anything I've seen. He understood them. The lynx."
Oda said nothing for a long moment. He studied Kaito. His eyes, sharp and assessing, saw the exhaustion. But also the resolve. The leadership. He saw the genuine fear and respect in Daisuke and Ren's eyes.
"You deviated from orders, Wakato Kaito," Oda stated. His voice low. "That cannot be ignored." Kaito braced himself. "However." Oda paused. "Your actions prevented a greater loss. Your tactical understanding is... exceptional. You demonstrated leadership. And you brought your comrades back alive."
Kaito felt a small, internal swell of pride. He didn't just survive. He led. He protected. He had proven his worth, not just with a blade, but with his mind. The whispers might still be there. His father's disgrace still weighed. But now, in the dense, mysterious forests of Sengoku, a new echo was beginning to form. An echo of his own rising reputation.