The campsite lay on a rise above a bend in the stream, where old ashes marked a fire pit between the trees. Della checked the ground before setting down her pack. No fresh tracks crossed the clearing, and the lower branches had been cut back by previous travelers.
"This is it."
Black looked toward the water below, then at the level ground around the pit.
"It'll do."
Della unfastened her pack while Brena checked the far side of the clearing. Unbound were already spreading out: Black Fang went to inspect the trees beyond the fire pit, and Serika began gathering fallen branches.
Ayame set her bedroll beside Della's, keeping the path into the clearing in view.
"Is there another way up from the stream?"
"There's a worn path below us. The bank gets steeper farther along."
"Then we'll need to watch that and the trail through the trees. We can alternate watches."
"I'll take the trail side, Brena the bank."
