Inside the hut, after finishing a simple lunch of grilled meat, boiled wild vegetables, and spring water, everyone lay back for a short rest. Even if it was just a few minutes lying on a bed of dry leaves, the feeling of being able to relax in a brief moment of safety was as precious as gold, especially when their current life held no certainty for tomorrow.
Ethan sat close to the edge of the hut, sharpening the tip of a stone spear with a thin, sharp-edged rock while glancing at the sunlight filtering through the leaves, slowly shifting westward. The wind wasn’t strong, but with his many years of survival experience, he knew that if they waited any longer, the light would fade, and visibility in the forest would drop too low for effective scouting. He stood up, wiped his hands on a nearb
