The trees were thinner where the east ridge sloped down into mist-soaked ravines. Rix moved first, brushing aside wet vines with a hooked blade. Behind him, Bren followed in near silence, his steps calculated, never loud. Kael brought up the rear, keeping his distance but always within reach. No one spoke.
They'd been scouting together for over an hour now, slipping through underbrush and tracking patterns Rix had marked two days prior, animal paths, signs of rot, places where the jungle's pressure felt… warped. Twisted.
A set of claw marks on a low tree caught Bren's eye. He crouched, running his fingers lightly over the gouges.
"Old," he said, voice low. "But not forgotten."
Rix knelt beside him. "Third time we've seen that curve. Same claw spacing. Same direction."
Kael stood nearby, one hand resting on the trunk of a tree. He didn't speak, but he tapped the bark with two precise knuckles.
Bren looked up. "Yeah. You saw it too."
They didn't need more words. But the silence wasn't empty, it pulsed with purpose. Kael didn't speak, but every movement felt deliberate, measured, like he was weighing the forest itself.
Rix glanced back toward Kael. "What do you see?"
Kael didn't answer. Instead, he stepped forward and pointed to a broken frond partially hidden beneath rot-leaves.
Bren moved beside him. "Clean break. Mid-weight pressure. Someone or something passed through here careful."
Rix whistled low. "That's good eyes."
Kael nodded once. Mutual understanding passed in the stillness.
Bren gave Kael a look, half curious, half impressed. "You don't talk, but you don't miss a damn thing either."
Kael said nothing, but his eyes tracked the treeline like a hunter.
He moved to the edge of a rise and crouched low, fingers brushing over disturbed soil. He drew a short arc in the dirt with one fingertip, then held up two fingers, signs that made Rix pause.
"Double pass. Same direction," Rix murmured, watching Kael's movements. "Could've circled us."
Bren joined them, frowning. "They're marking territory. Not just scouting. They want us to know they've been here."
Kael gave a short, deliberate nod. Then he reached into his pouch and drew a curled piece of chitin, split along the edge, worn by heat.
Bren took it and turned it over in his hand. "This is from one of ours."
"Not from this clearing," Rix said.
Kael's stare was steady. Watchful.
Bren looked at him. "How long have you been seeing signs like this?"
Kael tilted his head once. A gesture that said: Long enough.
Further up the trail, they found remnants of an old spore patch, half-decayed and long dried, but still dangerous if disturbed. Bren gently scraped the edge with a carved chitin hook and pulled back.
"No fresh spore," he confirmed. "Cleared it deliberately."
Rix raised an eyebrow. "Scouts? Jungle-born? Are there creatures that think more than just how to fight? Are they starting to strategise outside of battle?"
Kael lifted a single finger, then gestured outward in a wide arc.
"Not ours," Bren translated. "But not animals either."
Rix exchanged a look with Bren. "Could be sentient. Could be organised."
The tension between the trees thickened. Even the vines above them swayed without wind.
Back at camp, the stillness was different. Tessa sat beside Syl's cot under the shade structure, her legs tucked beneath her, quiet as a shadow. Mira paced nearby, never straying far. Naera watched both of them from across the clearing, her face unreadable.
Syl stirred.
Tessa was the first to notice. She didn't move, didn't speak, just stared as Syl's eyes cracked open.
She'd been awake for a while. Not really asleep, just quiet. Listening.
The words they'd spoken about her, "she's just a kid," "she only knows you", those had clung to her like the jungle damp. But she didn't cry. Didn't flinch. She just watched Syl.
When Syl stirred, Tessa's hand twitched at her side. A dozen things flickered behind her eyes, but she didn't say any of them. She only reached out, slow and careful, like touching a dream that might break.
And when Syl looked at her, Tessa didn't pull away. She just held her gaze. Waiting.
Syl blinked once. Then again.
"...Am I dead?" she rasped.
Mira crossed the space in seconds. "No. You're not. We thought you might be. But you're not."
Syl tried to sit up but winced. "What the hell, "
Tessa reached forward with both hands and gently touched Syl's wrist.
Syl froze.
Then her expression darkened. "What, who is this?"
Naera stepped forward now, voice soft. "She was summoned. Two days ago. She's… she only knows you."
Syl looked from Naera to Mira, then down at the girl. Tessa didn't say anything. She just leaned forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Syl's midsection.
"I, " Syl's voice caught. "She's just a kid."
"She's yours," Mira said. "Or… you're hers. We haven't figured it out yet."
Syl didn't push her away. But her fingers trembled slightly as they brushed Tessa's back. Her mouth opened as if to protest again, but all that came out was a long, shaking breath.
After a moment, she whispered, "Tessa."
The girl didn't speak. But she held on tighter.
And for a long time, Syl didn't let go.
Later, as the sun pushed higher over the treetops, Mira and Naera sat quietly nearby while Syl rested. Tessa had finally dozed off again, curled beside Syl's blanket like a shadow too light to disturb.
Naera broke the silence first. "You remember her?"
Syl's voice was rough but steady. "She was from the old camp. The first one. She used to follow me around, like she thought I was important."
"She still does," Mira said.
Syl closed her eyes for a moment. "That's not a good thing. Not out here."
Naera didn't argue. "She's here anyway."
Syl ran a hand through her matted hair. "I thought she was gone. She should have been gone."
"She survived," Mira said. "Just like you."
Syl opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her gaze drifted back to Tessa. "This place shouldn't summon children. That's a mistake."
Naera nodded. "We've all thought it."
"She's not gonna last out here," Syl murmured. "Not unless someone teaches her how to fight. How to run."
Mira tilted her head. "And are you planning to?"
Syl didn't respond for a while. Then she said, "She's already got me. Whether I want that or not, but... I can barely move. My arm..."
Syl looks down at her arm, or at least what was left. A heavy laugh escapes.
"What can she do? Where is there to do?", she thinks to herself.
Syl looks at Mira and Naera, eyes desperate for an answer.
Her thoughts churned like rot in a flooded trench. What good was she now? She couldn't string a bow. Couldn't lift a blade with one hand, not properly, not fast enough. She couldn't even lift her own damn pack without help.
She'd once prided herself on speed, on precision. Now, every movement felt like a compromise. She'd always told others to run if they couldn't fight, but now that meant her too. And she hated it. Hated the weakness clawing at her ribs.
She glanced again at Tessa, curled like a breathless thought beside her. If anything happened, if the jungle came for them again… would she be able to protect her?
Would she even be able to protect herself?
The girl deserved more. Someone strong. Not half of someone trying to pretend.
But when Syl's fingers brushed Tessa's cheek and the girl leaned into her touch without hesitation, without fear, it broke something open in her.
Maybe protection didn't start with strength. Maybe it started with presence.
Mira gave a quiet nod. "That's how it starts," she said softly. "A choice you never meant to make, and can't walk away from. Don't worry. We will help. You are still not ready for much, and neither is she. Best to rest before doing more."
"You will have to learn slowly what you can and cannot do with one less arm." Naera added.
Syl nods. Slow and steady. She turns to Tessa and reaches out. Her hand caresses Tessa's cheek, who blinks back, waiting.
Footsteps crunched gently outside the structure. Mira looked up as Kael stepped into view, his hair damp from jungle mist. Behind him, Bren and Rix followed at a short distance. Bren had a cautious set to his jaw; Rix looked tense, but composed.
Kael gave Mira a slight nod. No urgency, just a signal that they'd returned.
Mira rose quietly and stepped out to meet them. "Anything?"
Rix tilted his head. "Signs. Not fresh threats, but… intelligence. Something's moving out there that isn't just wild."
Bren folded his arms. "Could be jungle-born. Could be something else. We tracked movement too precise to be animal."
Naera joined them, arms crossed. "Something else?"
"Maybe. But whatever it is, it doesn't want to be found yet," Rix said.
Kael pointed toward the ground, then gestured out in a sweeping arc again, mirroring his signal from earlier.
"Wide territory sweep," Mira interpreted. "Something watching."
Behind them, Syl stirred again. She'd overheard just enough. "So we're not alone anymore?"
"No," Rix said. "And we haven't been for a while. We just didn't see them till now. Where's Raif?"
"With Lira and Eloin. The Cistern looks almost built since Daly joined and stopped arguing." Mira answered.
"Right... I'll speak with him later. Bren, you remember how to make weapons, right?" Rix asked, turning around to see Bren nod.
"Good. Let's see what you can make."