Ethan and Kaela circled along the left edge of the area, not venturing too deep, but just enough to scan every place a creature like a deer might have paused. Every step was a test, balancing observation and intuition, not to nitpick, but to detect what didn’t belong. And when they neared a slightly sunken patch of earth between two vines growing thickly at the base of a fallen tree, Kaela stopped without needing a signal.
Ethan stepped up beside her without asking. Amidst the flattened, decaying leaves, the young grass at the edge was brushed aside, bent, not broken. These weren’t the marks of a panicked beast fleeing, nor were they human footprints. Kaela lowered her voice slightly: “It stopped here. Not for long, but long enough to listen.”
Ethan nodded: “The indent’s shallow, no sign
