(Meanwhile, Somewhere Deep Within The Forest, Garron’s POV)
Garron maintained a relentless pace through the forest, as despite several of the younger children already struggling to keep up, he never once called for a break while continuing to lead the group deeper into the wilderness with an urgency that seemed almost excessive.
"COME ON, KEEP WALKING, THERE’S NO REST TILL LUNCH TOMORROW.
SO DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT SLOWING DOWN."
Garron yelled, as having escorted enough refugee caravans throughout his lifetime, he understood one simple truth better than anyone else, which was that the first forty-eight hours after fleeing any settlement were always the most dangerous.
If pursuers intended to hunt them down, they would do so while the trail remained fresh, because every footprint left in the mud, every broken branch, and every discarded item made the group easier to follow, whereas after several days, rain, wind, wildlife, and countless other disturbances would gradually erase those traces until finding them became infinitely more difficult.
That was why Garron refused to slow down.
Every extra mile they covered tonight significantly reduced the chances that anyone from Ashfang, the Yellowtail Tribe, or wandering bandits would ever manage to catch them later.
"Use Aether when you get too tired, let it fill the void in your strength."
Garron ordered without turning around.
"If you run out of Aether then just grit your teeth and tough it out."
He continued, as although his voice remained calm, there was an unmistakable firmness behind every word that discouraged anyone from questioning him.
As the children all obeyed him faithfully.
On their backs, each child carried a leather satchel filled with dried meat, water, blankets, or other basic supplies, as Garron seemed to have distributed the weight as evenly as possible amongst them all.
And although a few of the younger children struggled far more than the others beneath the additional burden, not a single one of them dared to voice a complaint.
Well... almost.
As near the rear of the group, Mary and Stacy quietly exchanged a brief glance before subtly easing their pace just enough to create a small gap between themselves and the children ahead, causing the rest of the line to unconsciously slow down with them.
The delay lasted only a few seconds before Garron noticed.
"Faster."
He called from the front, as almost immediately, both girls nodded before quickening their pace without offering any explanation.
However, only a short while later, Stacy deliberately chose to help one of the younger children whose satchel had begun slipping from his shoulder, stopping just long enough to tighten the loose strap before urging him to continue.
Several minutes later, Mary suddenly pointed toward a snake hanging from a tree branch, and went out of her way to pause and catch the snake before flinging it away.
As the two sisters teamed up to deliberately slow down the group as much as they could, in hopes that Riven could eventually catch up.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?"
Garron muttered after a while, as although he did not understand what was going on at first, after watching the same pattern repeat itself several times, Garron could no longer convince himself that it was merely coincidence.
’Are they doing this for the boy?’
He wondered, as he paused to look back, however, considering how deep they were already in the jungle, and how improbable it was for any single kid to catch up to him in here, Garron eventually dismissed the thought as nothing more than wishful thinking, as the rational part of his brain told him that meeting the boy again was next to impossible.
’I guess it’s only normal for the kids to care for their friends.
As long as they don’t slow me down too significantly, I guess I can let it slide.’
Garron eventually concluded, as despite knowing precisely why the sisters were pulling off these little stunts, he pretended to be oblivious to their tricks, while only focusing on the road ahead.
—--------
(Meanwhile Riven)
Meanwhile, Riven continued making his way deeper into the forest in pursuit of Garron and the others, completely unaware that there was now an Aether Beast quietly stalking him from the darkness.
*Silent Step* *Silent Step*
It was a Night Panther, and unlike ordinary Panthers, the Night Panther was an Aether Beast that had absorbed environmental Aether over the course of its lifetime, causing its body to become stronger, faster, and considerably deadlier than any ordinary predator, while its naturally pitch-black fur allowed it to blend almost perfectly into the darkness of the surrounding forest.
It hunted only after sunset, as its exceptional night vision allowed it to see through the darkness with remarkable clarity, while its powerful jaws possessed enough force to chew straight through human bones.
For that very reason, encountering one alone in the wilderness after nightfall was widely considered a death sentence, while even the most experienced Ashfang hunting groups avoided confrontation with one, even when outnumbering the beast six to one.
*Silent Step*
Luckily for Riven, it seemed as though the Night Panther was in no hurry to close the distance between them, as despite possessing more than enough strength to bring him down whenever it wished, the beast appeared perfectly content to silently trail him for now, moving through the undergrowth without producing so much as a single snapped twig.
It did so because, unlike wolves, which often relied upon numbers, the Night Panther hunted alone and trusted entirely in its own patience and instincts, as after surviving countless nights within these forests, it had learned that there was little point in wasting energy chasing prey that would eventually tire itself out.
From the rhythm of Riven’s breathing, the slight heaviness creeping into his footsteps, and the way his shoulders had gradually begun to droop beneath the weight of the satchel, the beast could instinctively tell that its prey was nearing its limit.
And so, rather than attacking immediately, it simply continued shadowing the boy through the darkness, as every instinct within the predator told it that the longer it waited, the easier the hunt would become.