By the third day out, Sarah's feet hurt in the specific way that meant she'd stop noticing it soon.Evan slowed the column with a raised fist.The movement was automatic now. Packs settled. Boots stopped crunching leaves. Someone behind her whispered, "Finally."Sarah snorted quietly and slipped forward to Evan's shoulder as the trees thinned.The land opened into a shallow basin, grass rippling like water. The sweet-rot scent of damp earth mixed with the freshness of crushed grass beneath her boots as Sarah stepped forward. A sudden cool breeze whispered through the tall blades, carrying the earthy aroma and a faint echo of the forest's quieter sounds, immersing them deeply into the landscape."Oh," Jace breathed. "That's a lot of steak.""Don't call it that," Mira muttered. "It's still looking at us."Buffalo. Or something close enough. Big. Thick-furred. Horns like curved stone tools. They grazed slowly, unbothered, but not careless. The biggest ones drifted outward, always between the herd and the forest.Sarah counted without meaning to."Hide alone would last us months," she said."And bone," Theo added. "And enough fat to make everyone smell like smoke forever."Evan nodded. 'And something we can't move ourselves. We could make pemmican with this.' He paused, a brief glimmer of something warmer touching his features. 'My brother back at camp, he's always complaining about the food. Give him a taste of this, and he'll think we're living like kings out here.'He studied the basin a few seconds longer, then glanced back over his shoulder."Hunter," he said quietly.A man, a few years older than the rest of them, stepped forward. Broad-shouldered and quiet. His eyes never left the herd. He'd been one of the first that Caldwell insisted they bring along."You're running this back," Evan said. "Estimates one-fifty to one-eighty head. Big animals buffalo-like."The hunter nodded once, already committing it to memory."Tell them they'll need hands," Evan continued. "A lot of them. They'll have to figure out the herding, but this is a resource we can't ignore."The hunter grimaced. "Understood. Want me to mention the predator?""Yes," Evan said immediately. "Same one Sarah flagged earlier. Bigger and faster than the ones we've seen. Tell them we're not hunting it."Sarah snorted quietly. "Yet."The hunter shot her a look. "Better you than me."He took off at a jog, slipping between the trees with practiced ease. They watched him disappear before anyone spoke again.The quiet didn't last.Carter moved up from the soldier line, shield tucked under one arm, eyes still scanning the trees as he approached. He stopped just close enough to be heard without raising his voice."Something's off," Carter said, his voice low. "Birds went quiet a half hour ago. Not spooked. Just... gone."Evan nodded slowly. "There's a predator out there. As the words left his mouth, a memory resurfaced in Carter's mind—a different clearing, the same eerie stillness settling over a battlefield just before chaos erupted.""Yes," Carter agreed. "But not just that. The forest feels crowded."Sarah felt the hairs on her arms rise. Around her, her team shifted instinctively.Jace muttered, "I hate it when people say that."Mira shot him a look. "You hate it when people say anything."Carter's mouth twitched, almost a smile. "Keep it tight tonight. No wandering. Double watch after dark.""Understood," Evan said.Carter gave a brief nod and returned to the soldiers without another word, already calling out quiet corrections as he went.They made camp as the light faded.The fires were dug in and concealed—a tighter perimeter. The soldiers took the outer ring and slept in pairs with their weapons within reach. Sarah's team settled closer in, backs to trees, weapons within reach.When the fires had burned down to embers and the forest settled into its night sounds, Carter wandered back over, carrying a dented cup of something that smelled faintly of smoke.He stopped near Sarah's group. "You did well today."Jace blinked. "We did… nothing.""Exactly," Carter chuckled. "Most people mess that up."That earned a few quiet laughs.He settled onto a log, careful to keep his profile low. Evan joined him a moment later, the two of them sitting side by side without ceremony."You ever figure it out," Evan said quietly, "why a crafter would give up their perks to be a soldier?"Carter didn't answer right away. He stared into the coals, turning the cup slowly in his hands."Well, I got younger when we arrived here, that was something Harold didn't tell us about. On purpose, I think. But soldiering is all I know; this is just a different type of it," he said finally.Evan glanced at him. "You know you don't respawn.""I know." Carter shrugged. "But how is that any different from Earth? Now I'll get some mana powers once we figure it out.""And if you die out here—""Then I die," Carter said calmly. "Made peace with that years ago. A harder war than yours. Less press coverage but more funerals."Evan looked to protest, but it ended in a small laugh.He looked up at Sarah, then the rest of the team. "You kids move better when someone's watching your flanks." Sarah tilted her head slightly but didn't respond. Her eyes held steady on Evan, and her jaw tightened just a bit, a silent acknowledgment that neither completely agreed nor openly challenged his words.Jace opened his mouth. Mira elbowed him hard enough to knock the thought right out.Evan snorted softly. "Easy war, huh?"Carter's mouth twitched. "You got issued better coffee, and you didn't walk everywhere like us.""Yeah," Evan said. "We got told it was all about hearts and minds."Carter nodded. "We got told not to get attached."Evan glanced at the fire. "Well, that didn't work for either of us.""Nope," Carter said. "But at least the gear got lighter."Evan smiled faintly, "That's cause we had actually to fight. Not just radio a fire mission."Then Carter stood laughing a little. "Get some rest. I've got first watch."The fire cracked, sending sparks up into the dark. A single spark drifted farther than the rest, caught on an unseen current. It landed softly beyond their circle, unnoticed, a tiny ember on the cusp of catching. It was an omen, faint and foreboding, whispering of chaos that might follow.Evan nodded. "Try not to die."Carter smirked. "You first."Sarah leaned back against her pack, listening to the forest, to the breathing of her team, to the steady presence of the soldiers beyond the light.Carter walked by them a moment later. "Get some rest. I'll wake you if the woods decide to get loud."He walked back to his post, silhouette dissolving into shadow.Jace let out a breath. "I like him.""Me too," Theo said.Sarah didn't answer right away. She watched the dark beyond the firelight, the trees swallowing everything the embers couldn't reach.Jace broke the silence. "So… anyone else absolutely convinced something's watching us?"Mira snorted. "That's just the forest. It does that.""That is not comforting," Jace said.Theo poked at the ground with a stick. "I liked it better when we could hear bugs and birds."Sarah finally looked back at them. "Alright. Nobody's wandering tonight."Jace raised a hand. "Didn't plan to.""That includes bathroom breaks," she added.Mira groaned. "You're the worst.""I know," Sarah said. "I accept this."It was as if they moved by an unspoken agreement, each person shifting closer to the fire. A subtle glance was exchanged among them, and a collective breath tight enough to bind them together. The quiet creak of leather belts and the hard rustle of roughide made it sound like a well-rehearsed dance. They weren't crowding, just… closer.Theo glanced at the line of soldiers beyond the light. "Those guys don't look like they ever sleep.""They do," Sarah said. "Just not when they're supposed to, I caught that one with the big nose sleeping when he stopped earlier in the day."Jace leaned back on his pack. "Carter scares me.""He's nice," Mira said."He told me to stop slouching without looking at me.""That's how you know he likes you," Sarah said.That got a laugh: a quiet one, but real.Theo looked at Sarah. "You think it'll be quiet.""I think," she said carefully, "that if it isn't, we'll hear it coming."Jace frowned. "You're not lying to make us feel better, right?"Sarah shook her head. "No. I'm bad at that."Mira nodded. "Yeah. You are."You know what I miss… Chipotle."Jace just groaned, "You and every other person."After a bit, Jace muttered, "When we get back, I'm eating something that doesn't taste like smoke."Theo smiled. "I'm sleeping somewhere without roots, even that horrible pad we have back home."Mira sighed. "I'm stealing a blanket."Sarah leaned back against her pack, letting the fire warm her hands. "I'm just glad we're not alone out here."No one argued. Mira leaned in close, "Can you convince your brother to give us extra food at meal time? I always wanted to get skinnier, but not this skinny!"Sarah muffled her laughter and leaned into her too, whispering into her ear. "I think Jace will like you no matter what."Mira leaned back, shocked for an instant, then they both giggled, forgetting they were in another world for a precious moment.
