The forest was strangely quiet. Lydia followed close behind Kiran as he slipped between the thick ferns, moving with the silent speed of a frightened deer. His breathing was fast, his shoulders tense, but his steps were steady. The morning sun had barely risen above the trees, and long shadows stretched like dark fingers across the forest floor.
"Kiran," Lydia whispered, adjusting the dagger strapped to her leg, "slow down. If something is out here, we can't rush blindly."
Kiran stopped, swallowed hard, and nodded. "Sorry. I just… what I saw earlier scared me."
Lydia softened her voice. "Tell me everything. Step by step."
He took a deep breath. "I was out checking the rabbit traps before sunrise, near the northern ridge. Then I heard footsteps. Not animal steps—too heavy. I hid in a tree. That's when I saw them."
Lydia's heartbeat quickened.
"The invaders?" she whispered.
Kiran nodded. "Two of them. Carrying weapons I've never seen before."
Lydia's jaw tightened. Every warning she had felt in her bones was true. The danger was not days away…it was already in the forest.
"Show me the path," Lydia said, her voice firm.
Kiran nodded and moved forward again, this time slower, more cautious. Lydia followed, her senses sharp. Every sound mattered—the snap of twigs under their feet, the rustle of leaves above, even their own breathing.
After several minutes, the forest grew thicker. The trees here stood close together, their roots twisted like giant veins across the earth. The air was colder, the light dimmer. Lydia felt the change immediately.
This was no ordinary part of the forest.
"Kiran," she murmured, "has this path always been here?"
He shook his head. "No. I've hunted all over this side. This trail is new."
New.
Made by human feet.
Made by strangers.
Lydia touched the ground. The footprints were deep fresh. "Two men," she said. "One heavier than the other."
Kiran stared. "How do you always know these things?"
"It's what my father taught me," Lydia replied. "The forest always speaks. You just have to listen."
They moved deeper.
The trees thickened until only thin strands of light broke through the canopy. The air smelled of damp earth and something else charred wood.
The smell Lydia noticed earlier.
Kiran whispered, "Do you think their camp is close?"
Lydia didn't answer immediately. She listened. The forest was quiet…too quiet. Not even birdsong. No rustle of animals. That meant one thing:
Predators were near.
Human predators.
"Stay close," she told Kiran. "No matter what happens."
They continued until they reached a narrow clearing. Broken branches littered the ground. Lydia knelt beside a burnt patch of grass, darkened with soot.
A campfire. Recently used.
Kiran whispered, "Do you think they're still close?"
Lydia touched the ashes. "Warm."
Kiran's eyes widened. "Meaning"
"They were here less than an hour ago."
A chill ran up Kiran's spine. "We should go back. Tell the chief. Your father"
"No," Lydia said suddenly.
Kiran blinked in confusion. "What? But they're close! We can't take on invaders alone!"
Lydia stood slowly, looking deeper into the woods. "If we go back now, the chief will send scouts. Those scouts will be caught. Or worse. We have one chance, Kiran to find what these invaders are planning before they reach the village."
Kiran hesitated. "But"
"I'm not asking you to fight," Lydia said gently. "You can turn back if you want. But I can't. If I return without answers, they won't listen to me again."
Kiran swallowed hard, his small fists tightening. "I'll stay. I'm scared, but… I'll stay."
Lydia smiled faintly. "Good. Let's move."
The forest shifted again as they approached a steep incline leading toward the northern ridge. Lydia climbed first, gripping exposed roots and pulling herself upward with silent strength. Kiran followed, trying not to slip.
As they reached the top, Lydia suddenly froze.
Kiran ran into her back. "What? What's wrong"
Her hand shot out, silencing him.
Voices.
Deep, unfamiliar, echoing through the trees.
Lydia dropped to her knees and motioned for Kiran to do the same. They crawled forward until they reached the edge of a rocky ledge overlooking a small valley hidden between the mountains.
Kiran's eyes widened in fear.
Below them.
A camp.
A huge one.
Much larger than expected.
Tents made of dark animal skins circled the valley floor. Smoke rose from multiple fires. Horses large, muscular ones were tied to wooden stakes. Men in strange armor sharpened blades, talked loudly, and unpacked crates filled with weapons.
"This…this isn't twenty men," Kiran whispered, trembling.
Lydia's breath caught.
"No," she said, her voice low and cold. "This is more than fifty."
Kiran looked at her, panic rising. "Lydia…our village only has about twenty trained warriors."
"I know."
Her stomach twisted painfully.
She scanned the camp again, searching for anything useful weaknesses, patterns, traps.
But then she saw something that made her blood run cold. At the center of the camp was a massive wooden cage.
Inside it three villagers from Red Fern Hollow.
An old man, a young woman, and a child no older than eight.
Kiran gasped softly. "They already captured people! How? Who are they?"
Lydia's hands trembled with fury. "They're raiders from the Iron Ravine. They attack small villages, take captives, steal crops, burn homes." Her father had once told her stories about these men stories she hoped were exaggerated.
They weren't.
Kiran swallowed. "What do we do? Lydia, we can't fight them. If they attack the village…"
Lydia's eyes hardened. She looked more like a warrior than she ever had before.
"They won't attack the village. Not yet. They're scouting first waiting for the right moment. But when they strike, it will be fast, and brutal."
Kiran trembled. "We have to tell the chief."
"Yes," Lydia whispered. "But not yet. If we leave now…they might see us. We need to learn more before we move."
She scanned the camp again. A tall man with red paint across his chest stood near the prisoners. His voice boomed through the valley.
"He's their leader," Lydia whispered.
Kiran shivered. "Lydia…we need to leave. Now. Please."
Lydia nodded. "You're right. We've seen enough."
They began crawling backward, careful not to disturb the loose rocks beneath them.
One wrong move, and the invaders would notice. A stone slid under Kiran's hand.
It tumbled down the cliff.
Lydia's eyes widened in horror.
The rock bounced off another then another
then another growing louder and louder as it rolled straight toward the camp.
Then CLACK!
It hit the side of a tent.
Silence.
Dead silence.
Every man in the camp turned their head toward the cliffs.
Lydia grabbed Kiran's wrist. "Run."
They sprinted along the ridge, weaving between the trees as shouts erupted behind them.
"There! By the rocks!"
"Find them!"
"Don't let them escape!"
Boots thundered.
Weapons clanged.
Arrows whistled.
Lydia ducked behind a tree as an arrow thudded into the bark beside her face. Kiran yelped, terrified.
"This way!" Lydia whispered sharply, pulling him toward a narrow deer trail.
They raced downhill, slipping on loose soil, branches whipping their faces.
Another arrow hissed past Lydia's ear.
"Faster!" she urged.
Kiran tripped, but Lydia caught him before he hit the ground. "Keep going!"
Behind them, the forest erupted with shouts. Men crashed through the trees, angry and close.
Lydia spotted a narrow gap between two giant rocks. "In here!"
They squeezed through just as footsteps thundered past.
Voices echoed close by:
"They went this way!"
"No they doubled back!"
"Search everywhere!"
Lydia pressed her hand over Kiran's mouth to keep him quiet. The boy trembled uncontrollably.
Minutes passed.
Long, agonizing minutes.
Finally, the footsteps faded.
Lydia let out a shaky breath. "We need to move. They won't stop hunting us."
Kiran nodded quickly, fear still in his eyes.
They crept out from the rocky gap and made their way through the forest. Lydia stayed alert, listening for anything a snapped twig, the rustle of fabric, heavy breathing.
After a long, exhausting journey, the trees thinned. They reached the edge of Red Fern Hollow. Kiran collapsed onto the grass, panting. "I thought we were going to die."
Lydia sat beside him, staring at the village in the distance. "No. We survived. But we don't have much time."
She stood.
"We need to tell the chief everything."
Kiran nodded and rose to his feet. But before they took a step
Three loud horn blasts rang across the valley. The village alarm. Again.But this time… the sound was different.
Deeper. Sharper. Desperate.
Lydia's blood turned to ice.
"They're already here," she whispered.
She and Kiran ran toward the village at full speed as smoke rose from behind the huts and screams echoed through the air.
The attack had begun.
And Lydia was far from ready.