Juna left the forge carts at the northern wall and waited there. She entered the trees alone once the road crew carried Ferra's brackets toward the watchposts.
The town remained behind her as hammer strikes and wagon wheels. Every sound thinned once she crossed the ridge, and the pines closed around the slope.
She chose a clearing below the northern rise and placed six fist-sized rocks along a fallen trunk before stepping back twenty paces.
One pale-gold Wing opened behind her, sending power down her shoulders while the Solar Vanguard markings reached halfway along her forearms.
The full form wanted to spread through her body at once, sharpening every scent until the forest became a list of things she could chase.
Juna held the change below her elbows and kept her claws short as she faced the first rock.
Her opening strike sent a gold line across the clearing, cutting the rock without touching the bark beneath it.
