The spring breeze not only turned the mountains and fields of the North green, but also awakened dormant ambitions.
While the teams of Hask and Kate successively ventured deep into unknown territories, Linna's gaze remained locked onto the most direct and realistic threat in the West, as sharp as a hawk's.
The human Earldom.
Having suffered that disastrous defeat last autumn and winter, those two humiliated Earls would never let it rest. A winter of recuperation was enough for them to lick their wounds and brew even more vicious plans for revenge.
On this point, Colin never had the slightest doubt.
"War is like hunting. Before you truly pounce, you must know where your prey is, what it is doing, and whether it has discovered you."
One morning, in the secret camp of the Forest Tracker Legion, Linna said calmly to the lean and capable Fox-folk scout before her.
This Fox-folk was named "Trace."
He lacked the liveliness of Fenrir and the seasoned experience of Kate. Most of the time, he was silent, and he was like a moving shadow, easily overlooked. But he was the most outstanding scout under Linna's command; his patience was like the deepest pool of water, and his tracking and stealth skills had reached an incredible level.
"Trace, winter has passed. Tracking in the snow relies on footprints. But spring is different."
Linna pointed to the surrounding vegetation, which had just sprouted tender buds and was bursting with vitality.
"Now, these are our best allies and our perfect camouflage. I want you to lead an reinforced reconnaissance squad and infiltrate the human border zone once again."
"Your mission is no longer simple patrolling. I want you to become the eyes of Blackwood Fortress in the West."
"I want to know the shift rotation time of every soldier in the human towns. I want to know how many caravans pass thru each of their roads, and whether they are transporting grain or ironware. More importantly, I want to know if they are assembling troops and if they are building new fortifications—especially that mine that was destroyed last year; I want to confirm its status."
Linna looked into Trace's eyes and said word by word.
"Remember, you are ghosts. You can only watch and listen; you must not be discovered by anyone. Any sign of trouble must be transmitted back to Blackwood Fortress thru the fastest channel. Can you do it?"
"Yes, my lady." Trace answered concisely.
That same day, a reconnaissance squad composed of twenty-four top-tier Fox-folk scouts vanished silently into the dense forests of the West, like water droplets merging into a great river.
They took no roads.
The vegetation that had just begun to grow lush, and the complex terrain that had become muddy and slippery after the snow melted, were a nightmare for ordinary armies, but for them, they were the best cover.
They moved silently thru the forest like a pack of true foxes. They stepped on the thick, damp fallen leaves without making a single unnecessary sound. Their innate intuition for danger allowed them to easily avoid the wild beasts in the forest.
Two days later, they had secretly and unknowingly infiltrated the edge of the Earldom's border again.
The smell in the air had changed.
It was no longer the pure scent of grass, trees, and earth found in Blackwood Forest. Here, it was mixed with the distinct odors of human towns: the smoky scent of burning wood, the smell of livestock manure, and a faint, lingering aura of anxiety belonging to the crowd.
On a hillside overlooking the main road below, Trace made a gesture.
The twenty-four-man squad immediately split into three teams, scattering silently like the most seasoned pack of wolves, each heading to their designated observation points.
One team was responsible for monitoring the main road leading to the "mine"—that was the location of the iron mine destroyed by the Blackwood Fortress coalition last year.
One team lurked on a closer hill, monitoring the walls of Iron Oak City day and nite without pause.
As for Trace himself, he chose the most dangerous position, which was also the one richest in information. He took his two most capable subordinates and lurked near a newly established logging camp on the east side of Iron Oak City; human conversation was the most direct source of intelligence.
An invisible surveillance network composed of smell, hearing, and vision was thus quietly spread out.
For the first two days, everything seemed normal.
Life in the human towns did not seem to have been greatly affected by last year's defeat. Farmers still worked from sunrise to sunset, busy with spring plowing. Merchants traveled on the roads, calling out loudly. In the military camp outside the town, soldiers were still drilling at fixed times, but they no longer looked as lazy and perfunctory as before.
However, the team responsible for monitoring the mine direction soon sent back startling intelligence—the burned-down mine had actually been rebuilt, andt like a giant beast, Trace said in a low and hoarse voice.
"The sky in the West is about to change."