The forest never truly went quiet.
Birdsong echoed from somewhere high above, overlapping with the steady chirring of crickets and the distant calls of animals Kael couldn't see. The trees here were enormous—thick trunks rising into sprawling canopies that tangled together overhead, blocking out most of the daylight. Even at midday, the forest felt dim, as though evening had arrived early.
The ground was soft beneath his feet, layered with damp soil and rotting leaves that released a sour, earthy smell with every step.
Sqosh. Sqosh.
Kael winced at the sound.
His knee-high boots pressed deep into the forest floor, water seeping up around the soles before being repelled by the iron-plastic composite he'd designed himself. They were heavy, awkward, and far from quiet—but they kept his feet dry and protected him from sharp roots, insects, and whatever else might be hiding beneath the leaves.
He paused, scanning the area.
This place was perfect.
High humidity. Limited sunlight. Decaying organic matter in abundance.
"This is exactly the environment Bleeding Tooth needs," he muttered under his breath.
The mushroom was rare and temperamental, preferring rot and shade over open ground. Most people only ever saw pictures of it online. Finding it in the wild—intact and usable—was a matter of patience and luck.
Kael moved forward again, careful but determined, eyes sweeping the forest floor.
Then—
Sqosh.
Another sound.
Kael froze.
It came from the left, heavier and slower than his own steps. Leaves shifted. Branches bent.
He lowered himself slightly and turned his head just enough to see.
An elk emerged from between the trees.
It was massive—larger than any deer Kael had seen in person. Thick muscles rolled beneath its dark hide, and its antlers spread wide and sharp, branching like natural weapons. The animal lowered its head, sniffing the ground, then lifted it again.
Behind it came the rest of the herd.
Kael's pulse spiked.
A male elk with its group was dangerous. Territorial. Unpredictable.
'Do not provoke it.'
He eased his weight back, slowing his breathing, and began stepping sideways—moving away rather than forward. Each step was deliberate, the boots pressing down as gently as possible despite their weight.
The bull elk paused.
Its head lifted. Ears twitched.
Kael didn't move.
Didn't blink.
The animal's dark eyes lingered in his direction, nostrils flaring as it tested the air. For a moment, Kael was sure it had sensed him.
Then the elk shook its head, flicking its ears to chase away flies. It snorted once, uninterested, and returned to feeding on the low plants and fallen nuts scattered across the ground.
The herd followed.
Kael let out a slow breath.
"Lucky," he muttered quietly.
He shifted his path, giving the elk a wide berth and heading deeper into the forest instead. Civilization was miles away, and help even farther. If things went wrong out here, there would be no second chances.
Still, he kept moving.
The mushroom wouldn't find itself.
----
The forest thickened the farther Kael walked.
Fallen logs lay half-sunken into the soil, their bark peeling away to reveal soft, pale wood underneath. Moss crept across everything. The air felt heavier here, thick with moisture and decay.
Kael slowed.
His eyes fixed on the base of a collapsed tree.
'There.'
Partially hidden beneath a layer of dead leaves was a small cluster of pale mushrooms. Their caps were irregular, off-white, and faintly glossy. Along their surface, tiny red droplets had formed—seeping out slowly, staining the leaves beneath them.
Bleeding Tooth.
"Finally," he whispered.
Kael crouched low beside the fallen tree, slowing his breathing until his heartbeat no longer felt loud in his ears.
Bleeding Tooth was delicate.
Cutting it outright was the fastest way to ruin it.
He reached into his pack and pulled out a short, flat tool—something halfway between a pry bar and a soil knife. He'd designed it specifically for this purpose: thin enough to slide into compact soil, broad enough not to slice through fragile roots.
First, he cleared the surface.
With gloved fingers, Kael brushed away loose leaves and damp debris, exposing the base of the mushroom cluster. The soil around it was dark and soft, rich with decay. That was good. It meant the roots wouldn't be too deeply anchored.
He pressed the tool into the ground at an angle, several centimeters away from the stem.
Slow. Careful.
Instead of levering upward, he worked the blade in a circular motion, loosening the soil around the mushroom's base. He repeated the motion from different sides, gradually freeing the root structure without tearing it.
Bleeding Tooth released more red droplets as the soil shifted, staining the earth beneath it.
"Easy…" Kael murmured.
After nearly a minute of careful work, he slid his fingers beneath the base and gently lifted.
Resistance.
He stopped immediately.
Another pass with the tool, this time slightly deeper.
Then—finally—the tension gave way.
The entire mushroom cluster came free, roots intact, clumps of soil still clinging to them.
Kael exhaled, relief washing over him.
"Perfect."
He lifted it slightly, inspecting the roots, the caps, the color. Intact. Clean. Valuable.
That was when he heard it.
A sharp, frantic squeal—high-pitched and furious.
Kael's head snapped up.
From between the trees to his right, a small boar burst into view, eyes wild, tusks short but sharp. It charged straight at him without hesitation, hooves tearing through the damp forest floor as if Kael had personally wronged it.
"Seriously?" Kael spat.
There was no time to think.
He shoved the mushroom into his jacket pouch and threw himself sideways. The boar rushed past where he'd been crouching, missing him by less than a meter before skidding to a stop.
Kael rolled, came up low—
And the boar turned and charged again.
Kael stepped in instead of away.
At the last second, he dropped his weight and dove forward, wrapping both arms around the boar's neck as it slammed into him. The impact knocked the air from his lungs as they hit the ground hard.
The boar shrieked—loud, sharp, panicked—and thrashed violently.
Kael clenched his jaw and held on.
"No!," he growled.
The animal kicked and twisted, trying to buck him off. Mud and leaves sprayed everywhere as they struggled, Kael's boots digging into the ground for leverage. The boar was strong—but young and lean.
Time passed in strained seconds.
Gradually, the boar's movements became less wild. Its breathing grew heavier, uneven.
Kael waited.
When he felt the tension in its body drop—just slightly—he acted.
He released one hand, drew the compact knife from his belt, and drove it into the side of the boar's neck in a single, practiced motion.
The boar screamed again, thrashing with renewed desperation.
Kael immediately re-secured his grip with both arms, pinning it down. The knife stayed embedded. Blood began to pour from the wound, dark and hot, soaking into the soil beneath them.
The more the boar struggled, the faster it bled.
Kael held on, muscles burning, breath ragged.
Gradually, the strength left the animal.
Its movements slowed.
Then stopped.
The boar collapsed fully, its weight going slack against him.
Kael stayed still for several seconds longer, just in case.
Only when he was sure did he finally let go.
He rolled onto his back, chest heaving, staring up at the dim canopy overhead.
"Again… huh," he muttered between breaths.
His rainproof greenish-brown jacket and pants were smeared with blood and dirt. His gloves were soaked. The metallic scent hung heavy in the air.
Kael pushed himself up quickly.
No time to linger.
He grabbed handfuls of rotting leaves and rubbed them over his hands, smearing away the blood. He did the same to his clothes, dulling the stains and masking the scent as best he could.
"This was just a small one," he muttered, glancing around nervously.
He knew better than to feel safe.
There were larger boars in this forest. Stronger. Meaner.
And unlike this one, they didn't charge alone.
Kael tightened his pack straps, checked that the mushroom was secure, and moved on—faster now, quieter, eyes scanning every shadow.
He really didn't want a third encounter today.
But luck wasn't done with Kael yet.
He had barely covered another hundred meters when a low, vibrating growl rolled through the forest.
Kael stopped dead.
His body reacted before his mind did—turning sharply to the side, eyes locking onto the source.
A brown bear.
It stood several meters away, massive and solid, its thick fur a dull shade of earth-brown. The bear was hunched over a patch of berry bushes, jaws working methodically as it fed. Dark juice stained its muzzle.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
Kael's heart skipped—then slammed violently against his ribs.
Bear. Too close.
Slowly, carefully, Kael's hand crept toward the pepper spray clipped to his logistics belt. He didn't rush it. Sudden movements could mean death.
The bear lifted its head.
Its eyes met his.
And something in its posture changed.
The bear let out another growl—deeper this time—and shifted its weight forward.
"Shit…"
The bear charged.
Kael spun and ran.
Not straight.
Never straight.
He zigzagged between trees, boots pounding against the soft ground as he weaved through trunks and low branches. He forced himself to stay aware—cutting angles, putting obstacles between himself and the animal to prevent it from building full momentum.
Branches slapped his face. Roots snagged at his boots.
Behind him, the forest exploded with sound.
Heavy footsteps. Snapping wood. A continuous, angry growl that refused to fall behind.
The bear didn't slow.
"Why?" Kael gasped as he ran. "Just why...?"
No answer came.
Only the sound of something far larger and stronger tearing through the forest after him.
His lungs burned. His legs screamed.
And then—
The ground vanished.
Kael skidded to a halt at the edge of a cliff.
His stomach dropped.
"Fuck."
There was no time to turn. No time to rethink.
He ripped the pepper spray free, spun, and aimed.
The bear burst through the trees just as Kael pressed down on the trigger.
A thick cloud of spray blasted into the bear's face.
The animal roared—loud, furious, pained—and recoiled instinctively. Its head jerked back, paws digging into the ground as it tried to stop.
But it was already too close.
Too fast.
Momentum didn't care about pain.
Kael had just enough time to realize his mistake.
The bear slammed into him.
The impact was devastating—bone-jarring, breath-stealing. Kael felt himself lifted clean off his feet as the world tilted violently.
Then there was nothing beneath them.
Both man and beast went over the edge.
The forest disappeared.
Wind rushed past Kael's ears as gravity took hold, the cliff face flashing by in a blur of stone and broken roots.
And then—
They fell.
----
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