The forest offered no immediate movement. No shapes broke the line of trunks. The quiet that followed the roar felt heavier than the sound itself, as if the entire basin had chosen to pause and watch. Even the air seemed reluctant to move.
Ethan did not speak at first. He kept his attention on the direction the sound had come from, but he did not focus on it alone.
His gaze shifted methodically, checking the smaller details that mattered just as much. Branches that creaked when no wind followed.
Moss that lay too smoothly on the slope beneath it. Shadows that failed to match the angle of the canopy light.
These were the things that caught people off guard when they relaxed too quickly.
The token on his wrist pulsed once. Not an alert. Just confirmation. The system remained active. The field was being recorded.
Evelyn shifted her stance slightly, redistributing her weight. Her voice stayed low. "We move," she said. It was not framed as a suggestion.
