The day that followed blurred together - Not because they were uneventful, but because repetition smoothed their edges.
For example Bruce burned the first meal he tried to cook on his own.
He insisted it wasn't his fault, that the wood had been damp, that the fire had "Jumped" when he wasn't looking. Derek listened without comment, scraped the charred remains and mixed them into the dirt, and handed Bruce another portion of dried meat instead. The next day, Bruce burned it again - although less severely this time.
By the fifth attempt, he learned patience.
Vernon noticed things Bruce didn't.
Birds that vanished moments before dusk. Insects that went quiet near the lake when the wind shifted just enough. The way the forest seemed to breathe - exhale - just before the night settled fully. He never mentioned it outright. He simply adjusted where he stood, where he sat, where he slept.
Derek noticed that too.
Each night, after the boys had fallen asleep, Derek moved.
A stone repositioned at the cave entrance. A branch broken and removed from the path Bruce favoured. A strip of cloth tied higher in a tree, marking a direction only he would notice in the dark. He did it all with the same quiet efficiency he once used to sharpen blades.
Sleep came in fragments.
On the third night, Bruce rolled over and mumbled something about the fire being crooked. Vernon almost burst out laughing, if not for the fact that he didn't want to wake him he would've woken the forest.
By the sixth, Bruce stopped complaining about the cold.
By the seventh, neither of them asked why Derek always sat facing the forest.
However the ninth day came around to give a lesson.
Bruce was heard it first - a low, wet sound, like breath dragging through the leaves. He froze mid step, one foot hovering just above the forest floor.
"Did you-" he whispered.
Derek's hand closed around Bruce's collar and pulled him back without a word.
The creature didn't reveal itself immediately. It circled instead. Slow. Patient. The undergrowth shifted in place where nothing should have moved, branches bending without snapping, leaves trembling in short, nervous bursts.
Vernon felt it then - not fear exactly, but pressure. The sensation that something was aware if them.
Derek slowly adjusted his stance inch by inch, motioning them both down. His breathing slowed until it was nearly indistinguishable from the forest's own rhythm.
The beast stepped into view.
It wasn't large by monstrous standards, but it didn't need to be. its body was lean, fur matted and dark, eyes dull with hunger rather than rage. Old scars traced its flank-signs of something that had survived long enough to learn caution.
A predator that didn't rush.
Bruce's fingers twitched toward the knife at his waist.
Derek's grip tightened.
Dont
The beast sniffed the air. Ears flickered once-twice.
It hesitated.
Vernon realized the wolf was cautious it didn't move, not even an inch. It was assessing their level, checking whether or not they were its prey. The wind had shifted again, carrying their scent away instead of toward it. The creature paced once more, uneasy now, uncertain.
Derek moved.
Not back. Sideways.
One step. Then another. Slow enough that the leaves barely stirred. he guided the boys through pressure rather than words, steering them towards higher ground where the brush thinned and visibility widened.
The predator watched.
Then decided.
It turned, melting back into the forest as quickly as it had come.
Bruce didn't breathe until it was gone.
"That was-" he started
"Alive," Derek said quietly. "Which is enough."
Bruce let out a shaky breath he hadn't realized he was holding. His knees felt weak, as if the forest itself had drained something out of him.
"That thing-" he tried again, then stopped. "It was going to attack us, wasn't it?"
Derek didn't answer right away. he remained still, eyes fixed on the space where the predator had vanished, listening for sounds that never came.
"It was deciding," Vernon stated. "it seemed like it was quite seasoned in hunting, the scars are proof of that right dad?"
"Yes." Derek answered in surprise. "An animal that rushes is hungry, An animal that thinks is experienced."
Bruce swallowed.
They stood there longer than felt necessary. Only when Derek was satisfied that the forest had full swallowed the creature did he straighten, rolling his shoulders as if shedding tension he'd been holding in place.
"That," he continued, "is why you don't move unless i tell you to."
Bruce nodded quickly. "I didn't."
"I know."
Bruce hesitated, then asked, "I almost reached for the knife you had given me, is that bad?"
Derek turned to face him fully this time. "No. It means you are aware and alive. However a blade is a promise you dont make unless you are ready to finish what it starts."
Bruce looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers. "I dont think i could've.. you know.."
Derek brushed through his hair messing it up, it was firm, reassuring. "Good. You weren't supposed to."
Vernon shifted, finally speaking. "If the wind hadn't changed..."
Derek nodded once. "Then we'd be having a very different conversation."
That silence returned, heavier now-not fearful, but thoughtful.
They changed direction immediately after, climbing toward higher ground where the trees thinned and the forest floor hardened underfoot. Derek adjusted their route with careful consideration, choosing paths that widened their sightlines, never letting the boys walk with their backs full exposed.
Bruce instantly developed a habit of glancing over his shoulder.
"It wont come back," Derek said without looking at him.
"How do you know?"
"Because it learned something," Derek replied. "So did we."
They didn't speak again until they reached the cave.
Only then did Bruce sit down hard against the stone wall, letting his pack slip from his shoulders. He laughed once-short and breathless-then stopped, started by the sound.
Vernon glanced at him. "You okay?"
Bruce wiped his face with his sleeve. "Yeah. I think." He paused. "I thought i was going to throw up."
Derek crouched nearby, inspecting the cave entrance out of habit. "That's normal."
Bruce blinked. "Really?"
"Yes."
Bruce considered that, then nodded seriously. "Okay. Good. Because that would've been embarrassing."
Vernon huffed despite feeling the same just covering up better.
Bruce boldly stated, "One day such a creature won't even be able to keep eye contact with me!"
Vernon and Derek both scoffed before turning away in time, Bruce puffed up.
The night fell, The forest felt different today.
Not calmer but honest.
Vernon sat near the cave's edge, starring out into the darkened trees with the stars above streaking the areas above in a gentle light. Somewhere out there, something with scars and patience moved through the undergrowth, alive because it had chosen to be.
He wasn't sure why, but the thought stayed with him.
Not fear.
A reminder.