The forest reacted first.
Not with motion. With awareness.
Zza felt it the moment she and Buzz stepped back into their bodies. The air hit different. The ground held weight that wasn't there before. Every branch along the canopy leaned toward them. Every leaf turned its face in their direction. The network recognized its anchors.
And wanted.
Buzz steadied himself against a root. His breathing came uneven, like he was trying to remember how lungs were supposed to work. Zza stayed close, claws near his, not touching yet but ready if he needed her.
He didn't ask for help, so she didn't give it. Not out of distance. Out of respect.
The coalition noticed them before either of them spoke. Scarabs stopped mid-training, claws half-raised. Centipedes froze in coils. Glowbeetles hovered in silence, lights held steady. The newly rescued drones shifted weakly but lifted their heads, drawn toward Buzz's presence like moths to warm stone.
