The eastern ridge wasn't far.
A large incline rose beyond the stream where the forest thickened again, though this part felt calmer than the deeper regions behind them.
Older trees stood across the slope with massive trunks and dense canopies of leaves that concealed most of the moonlight above.
Randell stopped near one of them.
The tree towered over the others nearby, its branches thick and wide enough to support several grown men without strain.
Dense layers of leaves concealed the upper limbs almost completely while the trunk remained stable despite the night wind.
Most importantly, It barely moved.
Randell looked upward briefly.
"This one."
Ryker followed his gaze.
"…You planning to sleep in the tree?"
"Safer than the ground."
Ryker glanced toward the dark forest around them.
After wolves.
An orc. And whatever else might still be roaming nearby He honestly couldn't argue.
"…Fair enough."
Before climbing, they secured the horses beneath the ridge where thick roots and surrounding stone partially concealed them from sight. Ryker gathered fallen branches and thick brush to create a natural cover while Randell scanned the surrounding forest carefully for tracks.
Nothing nearby.
At least for now.
The wounded horse shifted uneasily once Ryker knelt beside its injured leg again.
"Easy."
He opened the small leather kit and removed a dark green medicinal paste before carefully spreading it across the wound.
The horse flinched slightly.
Ryker wrapped the leg afterward with fresh cloth to keep dirt from entering the injury. Randell watched from nearby.
"…We're wasting medicine on a horse."
Ryker glanced upward immediately.
"It's alive, isn't it?"
"Still a horse."
Ryker sighed.
"What if you reincarnate one day and come back as this horse?"
Silence.
Randell stared at him blankly.
"…That's your argument?"
"Absolutely."
Ryker tightened the final knot around the bandage.
"Imagine some traveler refusing to heal you because 'it's just a horse.'"
Randell looked mildly disturbed by the thought.
"…Reincarnating as a horse sounds inconvenient."
Ryker immediately pointed at him.
"You actually considered it."
The horse snorted softly beside them.
Once finished, both climbed into the massive tree and settled across one of the thicker branches hidden beneath layers of leaves.
The canopy concealed them well while still allowing clear sightlines through gaps in the branches.
Ryker leaned back against the trunk with a long exhale.
"…We should rotate watch."
Randell nodded once.
"Sleep first."
Ryker blinked.
"…You sure?"
Randell glared.
"You're more tired."
"That obvious?"
"Very."
Ryker muttered something under his breath before shifting into a more comfortable position against the trunk.
"…Wake me in a few hours."
"Mm."
For a while, neither spoke.
The forest below remained calm now. Wind moved gently through the leaves overhead while distant insects chirped somewhere deeper within the woods.
Normal sounds.
Safe sounds.
Ryker's eyes slowly drifted toward Randell after several quiet minutes.
"…You ever think about them?"
Randell's gaze remained fixed on the darkness below.
"Who."
"Cyan." A pause. "And Aris."
The branch creaked faintly beneath the wind.
Randell's expression hardened slightly.
"…Even now."
Ryker looked upward through the canopy.
"…You still think they're alive?"
Ranon.
The name alone lingered unspoken between them.
The carnage.
The flames.
The bodies.
Randell's fingers tightened slightly around his sleeve.
"…I don't know."
His voice lowered.
"Nobody should've survived that."
Ryker stayed quiet for a moment before speaking again.
"…People survive impossible things."
Randell said nothing.
Ryker smirked faintly.
"Besides, Cyan's too stubborn to die."
Another pause.
"And Aris?"
He shook his head slightly.
"Any woman capable of handling you, Ryan and Cyan together is terrifying enough already."
A faint reaction crossed Randell's face.
Small.
Barely there.
But enough.
Ryker noticed it anyway.
"…See?"
"They're probably fine."
Randell leaned back against the trunk quietly.
"…Probably."
The uncertainty in his voice remained.
But it was still hope.
And sometimes that mattered enough.
Ryker eventually closed his eyes.
"…Wake me before sunrise."
"Mm."
Within minutes, his breathing slowed into sleep.
Randell remained awake alone beneath the canopy, silently watching the dark forest below while moonlight filtered softly through the leaves overhead. Alert. Listening. Waiting. The night stretched onward quietly around him.
The night deepened slowly.
Cold air drifted through the canopy while silver moonlight filtered between the leaves in fractured patterns across the branches.
Below, the horses rested quietly beneath the roots near the ridge. The wounded one occasionally shifted its leg but remained calm after the medicine settled into the injury.
Randell stayed motionless against the trunk. Eyes open. Watching. The forest never truly slept. Small creatures moved through distant brush.
Owls called somewhere far beyond the ridge. Leaves rustled softly whenever the wind passed through.
Normal sounds.
Nothing dangerous.
Still—
Randell remained alert.
Hours passed quietly.
At some point, clouds drifted across the moon, darkening the forest further beneath a blanket of shadow.
Randell's gaze shifted downward again.
The horses were still there.
Safe.
For now.
His injured arm throbbed faintly beneath the bandages every time he moved. The wolf's bite had been deeper than he originally admitted.
But manageable.
Pain was familiar.
Easy to ignore.
The branch creaked lightly beside him.
Ryker shifted slightly in his sleep before muttering something incoherent under his breath. Randell glanced sideways briefly. Then looked away again.
Silence returned.
His thoughts drifted despite himself.
Ranon.
Flames swallowing the streets.
Collapsed buildings.
Blood running through stone roads.
Cyan's voice.
Aris reaching toward him through smoke—
Randell's eyes narrowed slightly.
The memory stopped there.
Like always.
The wind shifted again.
A colder breeze this time.
Randell instinctively rested one hand near his dagger before focusing on the darkness below. Nothing. Only shadows moving through branches.
After several more minutes, Ryker suddenly groaned and rubbed his face tiredly before blinking awake.
"…What time is it."
"Late."
Ryker squinted at him.
"…Helpful."
Randell looked toward the horizon barely visible through the trees. A faint grey hue had begun replacing the darkness. Dawn was still distant. But approaching. Ryker stretched slowly before immediately wincing.
"…Everything hurts."
"You complain a lot."
"Because I'm suffering."
Randell finally pushed himself away from the trunk. Ryker noticed immediately.
"…You stayed awake the entire time?"
"Mm."
"That wasn't the deal."
"You needed sleep more."
Ryker stared at him quietly for a moment before sighing.
"…Fine."
He adjusted the sword resting beside him and settled more comfortably against the trunk.
"Get some rest."
Randell didn't argue this time.
The exhaustion in his body had finally begun catching up to him. His injured arm alone felt heavier now. He sat down across the thicker part of the branch while Ryker took over watch, eyes scanning the forest below carefully.
"…I'll wake you if anything moves."
Randell closed his eyes slowly.
"…Mm."
Within minutes, his breathing steadied beneath the quiet rustling leaves overhead while the first faint signs of dawn slowly approached the distant horizon.