The forest became silent once again.
No leaves rustled.
No birds called.
Only the distant sound of the river could be heard beyond the trees.
Tez tightened his grip on the wooden walking stick that Rishi Anand had given him.
The frightened voice echoed once more.
"Help... please... somebody help me!"
It was exactly the same as before.
The same words.
The same tone.
The same pause between each cry.
Tez slowly shook his head.
"That isn't a real person."
Bhaskar looked at him.
"What makes you so certain?"
Tez pointed toward the darkness.
"If someone is truly afraid, their voice changes."
"They cry differently."
"They breathe heavily."
"This voice never changes."
"It sounds as though someone is repeating the same sentence again and again."
Somesh nodded in agreement.
"He's right."
The senior disciple raised his staff.
"Everyone stay together."
"No one moves alone."
Hidden behind a group of thick bamboo trees, three cloaked men watched the travelers.
One of them held a small hollow bamboo flute.
Each time he blew into it, the strange cry echoed through the forest.
The second man whispered,
"They aren't taking the bait."
The third looked annoyed.
"The boy is smarter than we expected."
A calm voice answered from behind them.
"I told you not to underestimate him."
The three men immediately bowed.
Standing in the shadows was The Raven.
He was dressed entirely in black, but his face was still hidden beneath a hood.
His scar remained concealed.
"The trap has failed, my lord."
The Raven looked toward Tez from a distance.
"No."
"It has only begun."
Back on the forest path, Bhaskar led the group forward with great care.
"Walk close together."
"If anyone hears a voice..."
"...ignore it."
The students obeyed.
No one spoke.
Every sound now felt important.
After several minutes, the trail narrowed between two giant rocks.
As Bhaskar stepped forward, Tez suddenly noticed something unusual.
A thin rope stretched across the path, almost invisible in the fading light.
"Stop!"
Everyone froze.
"What is it?" Veer asked.
Tez pointed at the ground.
Bhaskar bent down.
His face became serious.
"It is a trip line."
He carefully followed it with his eyes.
The rope disappeared beneath a pile of dry leaves.
Somesh slowly moved the leaves aside with his staff.
Hidden beneath them were sharpened bamboo spikes.
Aditi covered her mouth.
"If we had stepped there..."
Bhaskar nodded gravely.
"We would never have reached Anandpur."
Tez quietly remembered another lesson from Rishi Anand.
"The patient eye sees what the hurried foot cannot."
If he had been walking carelessly, the trap would have claimed its first victims.
The group carefully walked around the hidden pit.
Keshav wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I've never been happier to walk slowly."
Even Veer forced a smile.
But inside, everyone knew one thing.
Someone wanted to stop them.
Someone knew exactly where they were.
The sky had turned dark by the time they reached a small clearing.
Bhaskar looked around.
"We'll rest here for a short while."
The students placed the medicine baskets beneath a large banyan tree.
Somesh gathered dry branches and lit a small fire.
Its warm glow pushed back the darkness.
For the first time since entering the Whispering Woods, everyone relaxed a little.
Aditi prepared a simple meal of roasted barley and dried fruits.
Keshav happily accepted the food.
"I was beginning to think the forest had swallowed my appetite."
Naman laughed.
"I don't think anything can swallow your appetite."
Even Bhaskar smiled.
The brief laughter reminded everyone that hope was still alive.
As the others ate, Tez quietly walked a short distance from the camp.
He stood beneath an ancient tree and looked up at the stars that peeked through the branches.
He took the small lotus flower that little Govind had given him before leaving the gurukul.
Though it had begun to dry, it still reminded him why he had accepted this journey.
Not for glory.
Not for revenge.
But to help others.
He gently whispered,
"Father... I hope I'm walking the right path."
A soft breeze moved through the forest.
For a moment, Tez felt calm.
Then...
He heard footsteps behind him.
He turned quickly.
No one was there.
Only darkness.
Hidden high in the trees, The Raven watched silently.
He admired the boy's alertness.
"His instincts are growing stronger," he thought.
"Good."
"A worthy guardian must first survive."
One of his followers climbed onto the branch beside him.
"My lord..."
"Shall we attack tonight?"
The Raven slowly shook his head.
"No."
"They expect an attack."
"Instead..."
"We will let fear do our work."
He pointed toward the clearing below.
"Release them."
The follower disappeared into the darkness.
A few moments later, the horses tied near the camp suddenly became restless.
They neighed loudly and pulled against their ropes.
"What happened?" Veer asked, jumping to his feet.
Before anyone could answer, a pack of wild wolves emerged from the bushes.
Their eyes reflected the firelight.
They growled softly.
Keshav stepped backward.
"There are too many!"
Bhaskar quickly stood in front of the students.
"Do not run!"
"Stay together!"
The wolves slowly moved closer.
Tez remembered his lessons.
Wild animals attacked most often when people panicked.
He grabbed a burning branch from the fire.
"So did Veer."
Aditi and Naman picked up dry branches and lit them as well.
Somesh shouted,
"Make yourselves look bigger!"
The group raised the burning torches high above their heads.
The wolves hesitated.
Bhaskar struck his staff firmly against the ground.
The loud sound echoed through the forest.
The wolves growled once more...
Then slowly backed away.
Within moments, they disappeared into the darkness.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Keshav sat down heavily.
"I don't think I'll complain about gurukul food ever again."
The others laughed.
The fear had passed.
But Tez noticed something strange.
The wolves had not behaved like hungry animals.
It was as though...
They had been driven toward the camp.
Late that night, while everyone slept in turns, Tez remained awake for the final watch.
The moonlight bathed the forest in silver.
Suddenly, he noticed movement near the edge of the clearing.
A dark figure stood between two trees.
Tall.
Still.
Watching.
Tez quietly picked up his walking stick.
"Who's there?"
The figure did not answer.
Instead...
It slowly raised one hand.
A single black feather floated down to the ground.
Before Tez could take another step...
The figure disappeared into the darkness without making a sound.
Tez hurried to the place where it had stood.
There were no footprints.
No broken branches.
Only the black feather resting on the forest floor.
He picked it up.
His heart pounded.
"The Raven..."
he whispered.
Far away, hidden among the trees, a pair of cold eyes watched him.
The Raven smiled.
"Soon, Tez..."
"You will come to me willingly."
The wind carried the black feather into the night as the Whispering Woods fell silent once more.
The journey to Anandpur was far from over.
The trap had not yet been sprung.
It had only begun to close.