In front of them was another campsite. Or what was left of it. A tent was slashed and broken. Gear was scattered everywhere. And the mud was churned up with the marks of many, many panicked footsteps.
"What the fuck," Leonardo whispered, his earlier good mood vanishing instantly. "What happened here?"
They moved closer. Ivan was cautious, his eyes scanning every detail, while Leonardo looked around with a furious energy, his hands clenched into fists.
"Do you think the bear attacked them?" Leonardo asked, his voice low and tense.
Ivan didn't answer. He was silent, one hand touching the ripped fabric of the tent while his gaze was fixed on the chaotic footprints in the mud.
"Ivan?"
"No bear beast footsteps," Ivan said finally, his voice flat. "No. It's not the bear."
"Then what the fuck happened here?"
"And how the fuck am I supposed to know?" Ivan snapped, his patience thin. "Stop asking me and let me see."
Ivan took a slow walk around the small clearing, his eyes missing nothing. "One tent?" he said, more to himself than to Leonardo. He kicked at an abandoned food pouch. It was empty but not torn. He looked up. "Did you guys see any fireworks last night or this morning?"
Leonardo shook his head in denial.
"No , we didn't, at least no fireworks this close to our camp"
"So, no fireworks," Ivan muttered. "No signal for help. You know, I have a bad feeling about this."
"Hm?"
Ivan turned to face him directly. "Tell me, Leo. Why would you attack someone in this forest?"
Leonardo blinked. "Hm? Uh..."
"You attacked me for food already," Ivan said, his voice sharp with impatience. "Why are you shutting your mouth now?"
"I just didn't know the answer you were looking for," Leonardo said defensively.
Ivan slapped his own forehead in frustration. "I asked you why you would attack someone, not what's in my head." He took a breath. "You attack someone for equipment or for food. Right?"
"Mhm. That's right"
"Look around," Ivan said, gesturing at the messy camp. "Almost nothing is stolen here. It's just thrown around." He paused, his eyes narrowing. "That's a trap. And a stupid one."
"But what if something serious happened?" Leonardo argued. "Something we don't understand."
"I don't think so," Ivan said. "You guys didn't hear any yelling, even though this spot isn't far from our camp."
"But we can't hear anything in this rain," Leonardo countered. "A scream would be swallowed by the storm."
Ivan sighed, a cloud of mist leaving his lips. "Well, there's one way to find out."
"Hm?"
Ivan started walking, his eyes locked on the trail of panicked footprints leading away from the camp.
Leonardo hurried to catch up, his face etched with worry. "Ivan, this is a bad idea. What if you're wrong? What if the bear is just over that hill? We should go back for the girls."
"And lead them into a potential ambush? No," Ivan said without looking back. "We are the scouts. We find the threat first. That's the job."
"This isn't the army, Ivan!" Leonardo argued, grabbing his arm to stop him. "This is a school test! You're treating it like a real war!"
Ivan yanked his arm free, turning to face him. "Look around you, Leo! People are disappearing. There's a monster out here. If you don't treat this like a war, you'll die in a real war."
The coldness in Ivan's voice made Leonardo flinch. He reluctantly fell into step behind him. "Fine. But what's your genius plan? What if you're right and we fall into the trap?"
"Then we'll have to fight," Ivan said simply.
"The two of us? What if they're more than us?"
"If I am right," Ivan said, a hint of dark confidence in his voice, "which is rare, if I'm honest... their group is no bigger than three. They are either two or three students."
"And how did you reach that idea, genius?"
"Leo, I'll ask you again, and this time don't give me the answer I'm looking for." Ivan said, his patience wearing thin again. "If you were in a group with the best students in the academy, what would you guys do to get some equipment or food?"
Leonardo thought for a moment. "Why would a group of the best students have me?"
"Just answer the question, goddamnit!"
"Okay, okay! I guess we would just attack the victim right away. We wouldn't need to set up a trap."
"Exactly," Ivan said, starting to walk again. "The ones who need traps are the ones who aren't confident in their skills. Which is a relief, but..."
"But?"
"I prefer dealing with a competent opponent over dealing with a desperate opponent."
"Why is that?" Leonardo asked, his voice a whisper.
"A competent opponent won't take it to the extreme, since he knows he's able to beat your ass with the right force," Ivan explained, his voice grim. "A desperate opponent might use anything to eliminate you. He's ready to hurt you to the extreme just to survive."
As he finished his sentence, Ivan stopped dead.
The footprints in front of them were a mess. They were scuffed, overlapping, and chaotic. It looked like someone had deliberately tried to cover their tracks.
"They're here," Ivan whispered, his body tensing. "I told you it's a trap."
THWIP!
The sound was a sharp hiss, followed instantly by a searing pain in Ivan's thigh. He looked down. An arrow was sticking out of his leg, its crude stone tip buried deep.
"Fuck!" he yelled, a mix of pain and pure frustration in his voice. "Why always me! Aim at Leo, goddamnit!"
He gritted his teeth and, without hesitation, grabbed the shaft of the arrow and yanked it out of his thigh with a wet, tearing sound. Blood immediately began to soak through his pants, hot and sticky.
He stumbled, but caught himself, his face pale. He looked at Leonardo, his eyes wide and urgent.
"Leo, run."