The forest was heavy with silence, the kind that pressed down like a weight on Kael's shoulders. He adjusted the strap of his light bowgun and pushed through the underbrush, boots crunching on damp leaves. Each step was deliberate, his body low, his eyes sweeping the shadows with the sharpness of a man who had lived too long among dangers.
Kael knew these woods better than most. He had crossed them in storm and fire, in hunts that left scars both seen and unseen. Even so, his gut twisted uneasily today. It wasn't just the rumors of a monster lurking near; it was something else, something he couldn't name.
The canopy above was so thick that daylight barely filtered through. Long fingers of sunlight cut the mist in thin lines, yet most of the ground lay in dim, shifting shadow. Every sound carried farther here—the distant call of a bird, the snap of a branch, the slow drip of water from moss. To Kael, all of it was information, warnings of what stirred unseen.
He crouched near a ridge, scanning the stream below, and froze.
Someone was there.
A young man knelt beside the water, his reflection rippling as he examined tracks pressed faintly into the mud. A Palico stood near him, tail twitching, ears flicking with constant alertness. The little companion gave a soft grunt, pointing a paw at the bank as though they'd found something worth noting.
Kael's heart gave an uneasy jolt. White hair. Red eyes.
For a heartbeat, he thought his past had risen from the grave to mock him. The young man's hair caught what little light pierced the canopy, gleaming the same stark shade as Rylan's. His eyes glowed with the piercing red that had belonged to Lyra. And in the line of his face, the way he moved, Kael glimpsed someone else too—someone much younger, someone he had once carried through a shattered village.
That kid.
But no. That child had been three years old. Fragile. Lost. Traumatized.
This man is a young man at least—steady, calm, and sharp in his movements. Kael's mind rejected the connection, yet his chest tightened with a recognition he could not deny.
He straightened slowly, hand resting on his bowgun, and called out, his voice low but commanding.
"Hey. You. What are you doing here? These woods aren't a place for fools to wander. Monsters roam closer than you think."
The young man's head lifted. Their eyes locked, and Kael's breath hitched. It was like staring into a reflection of the people he had lost. For a moment, the forest itself seemed to hush, as though waiting.
The Palico bristled, tail high, a faint growl rumbling in its throat. Yet it didn't lunge. Instead, it stayed pressed against the young man's side, protective but steady.
Kael frowned, tightening his grip. "I don't know who you are," he said cautiously, "but I've seen enough men die in these forests to know you don't belong here without a reason. Speak."
The young man studied him, unmoving, his red eyes calm but sharp. When he finally answered, his voice carried a quiet conviction that surprised Kael.
"I'm tracking a monster," the youth said. "One that threatens a village nearby. It's left signs in the water and along the tree line. If I don't stop it, people will suffer."
Kael blinked, then narrowed his eyes. His chest tightened. That answer—it was exactly what Rylan and Lyra would have said.
Still, caution burned hotter than recognition. Slowly, Kael lowered his bowgun, though he didn't release his guard completely. "A monster threatening a village, huh?" His lips thinned. "Maybe we're after the same beast."
The young man gave a faint nod, acknowledging without confirming. Suspicion hung between them like a drawn blade, sharp and unyielding.
The Palico broke the silence with a sharp chirp. It hopped onto a nearby rock, puffed its chest out, and waved a paw at Kael as if to say it was watching him closely.
"I'll keep an eye on him, Master!" the Palico declared in its high-pitched tone, tail flicking with confidence.
Kael flinched faintly at the voice, blinking at the little creature. He didn't understand a word, though the tone was obvious enough. His gaze shifted back to the youth. "How lucky you are," he said, his voice softer now but still edged with wariness. "To have a companion like that. Palicoes don't bond with just anyone. They only follow hunters they see as worthy—hunters with good hearts."
The Palico puffed up proudly, nodding furiously as though to prove the point.
Kael sighed through his nose, shaking his head slightly. "I still don't trust you. Not yet. But your Palico does. And that says something."
The youth's lips curved faintly into a smirk, the smallest glimmer of amusement breaking his calm expression.
"Of course Master is worthy!" the Palico crowed, striking a pose. "Master is Master, nyaah!"
The sound almost made Kael laugh. Almost. Instead, he allowed the corner of his mouth to twitch before he smothered it with a grunt. "I don't understand felyne speech," he muttered, "but I see you do."
The young man nodded. "He speaks plainly enough once you've hunted together long enough." His eyes flicked to the trees, sharp and searching. "But the time for words is running out. The monster I'm following… it's not far now."
Kael's instincts sharpened instantly. His grip tightened on the bowgun, but he forced his tone to stay level. "Fine. Maybe our paths align. But don't mistake this for trust. Until I know who you are, you're just another hunter in the woods."
The young man tilted his head slightly, a faint glint in his eyes. "And I wouldn't want it any other way."
For a brief moment, their gazes locked again. In that silence, Kael felt something stir. A memory. A ghost of the past staring back at him through those red eyes and white hair. He shoved the thought away before it could take root.
The three of them—two hunters and a Palico—moved forward. The forest seemed to shift around them, shadows thickening, the air growing still. Each step was cautious, deliberate, but their rhythm began to sync, unspoken coordination forming as they scanned for signs of their quarry.
Kael glanced sideways at the young man and his Palico. Suspicion lingered, but so did something else—something he couldn't quite name. A recognition he didn't want to admit.
Unbeknownst to them both, their hunts were leading them to different beasts. Yet the forest had its own plans, weaving their paths together with threads of fate neither could yet see.
And in the distance, far beyond the trees, the forest went silent.