The title of Guardians of the Forest settled over the pack like an unseen weight. It was a name that carried both honor and responsibility and though they had passed the forest’s test, they knew their work was just beginning.
Lyla walked through the camp as the sun began to rise, the warmth of morning light filtering through the canopy. The forest still hummed faintly around her, a living, breathing force that had finally begun to heal. But something within that energy made her pause. It was subtle like the space between heartbeats but it was there. A warning.
She found Eli near the edge of the camp, sharpening his blade. “Couldn’t sleep?” she asked.
Eli shook his head, his green eyes scanning the trees. “Something feels... off. Like the calm before a storm.”
Lyla sighed, rubbing her t
