Chapter 160: Someone Is Watching Ironwood
Nerin smiled.
"I will."
Soren and Kael finally returned.
Kael’s hair was a disaster.
Soren had dirt on one shoulder.
Neither looked satisfied.
Swanly stared.
"Finished?"
"No," both said.
Wonderful.
...
By late afternoon, Ironwood was busy again.
Meat was being cleaned.
Fruit sorted.
Salt carefully broken into smaller pieces.
Druun sat nearby watching everyone use his gifts with deep satisfaction.
Swanly ate enough roasted meat that Miko stared at her with genuine respect.
Then Nerin left the inner fields.
Not far.
Only toward one of the safer outer collection areas near Ironwood’s boundary.
He needed bitterleaf and redspice.
Swanly liked both.
The thought made him smile before he could stop himself.
He moved between trees.
His broken antler tingled faintly.
Nothing dangerous.
No hollow ground.
No movement beneath him.
Then he saw it.
A footprint.
Nerin stopped.
His smile vanished.
Beastman.
Recent.
He crouched.
Touched the edge.
The soil was still loose.
His heartbeat changed.
One footprint meant nothing.
Hunters moved through this area.
But this track was wrong.
It approached Ironwood.
Then stopped.
Nerin followed.
Another.
Then another.
Three different individuals.
No.
Four.
They had moved carefully.
Spacing themselves.
Using trees.
Watching.
Nerin’s stomach dropped.
These were not infected.
Not ancient creatures.
Not Veskari.
Beastmen.
Organized beastmen.
His mind immediately went to Swanly.
Pregnant.
Inside Ironwood.
The cubs.
Her garden.
Her stupid habit of walking around without realizing half the settlement watched her.
Danger near her.
No.
Nerin’s hands went cold.
He forced himself to keep looking.
A tree ahead had been carved.
Three short cuts.
One long.
Not random.
A marker.
Another tree carried the same symbol farther along.
Scouts.
Someone had been watching Ironwood.
Nerin straightened.
A branch cracked.
Behind him.
He spun.
Nothing.
His pulse exploded.
"N-no."
He backed away.
Then turned and ran.
Fast.
Very fast.
Branches slapped his arms.
His lungs burned.
He reached the inner path and nearly crashed directly into Soren.
Nerin stopped so violently his feet slid.
Soren caught his shoulder.
His silver eyes narrowed.
"What is the matter?"
Nerin stared at him.
Of all people.
Why him?
Why did he have to run into the most terrifying male in Ironwood?
"N-nothing."
Soren’s expression became colder.
Nerin swallowed.
Wrong answer.
Soren leaned closer.
"I am not going to eat you."
Nerin’s antler nearly trembled.
"That does not sound reassuring when you say it like that."
Soren’s eyes narrowed further.
Nerin immediately regretted speaking.
"Sorry."
"What happened?"
"I found..."
His tongue failed.
Soren waited.
Nerin hated that silence.
"I found tracks."
Every trace of irritation vanished from Soren’s face.
"What tracks?"
"Beastmen."
"Where?"
"Outer eastern path."
"How many?"
"At least four. Maybe more."
Soren’s body went completely still.
"They were not hunting."
Nerin shook his head.
"They watched the settlement."
Soren’s pupils narrowed.
Nerin swallowed.
"There are markings too."
That was enough.
Soren turned.
"Raku!"
The shout cut across Ironwood.
Warriors immediately moved.
Raku arrived first.
Arion came from the training ground.
Kael appeared moments later.
Soren pointed toward Arion.
"Take six Sunmane hunters."
Arion straightened.
"Yes."
"Eastern route. Do not split farther than calling distance."
Then Raku.
"Take Riverbone males around the northern side."
Raku nodded once.
Soren looked toward Kael.
"With me."
Kael’s jaw hardened.
Nerin stepped forward.
"I can show you."
Soren looked at him.
"You stay behind me."
Nerin blinked.
"Yes."
They moved.
Fast.
...
The tracks remained.
The scouts did not.
Nothing waited beyond the trees.
No bodies.
No camp.
No scent strong enough for Kael to follow far.
Only footprints.
Broken twigs.
And the carved marks.
Arion touched one.
"This is deliberate."
Raku looked toward the settlement behind them.
"They marked the location."
Kael’s claws slid out.
"For who?"
Nobody answered.
Soren stared at the symbol.
Someone knew Ironwood was occupied.
Someone had found them.
Someone had watched long enough to map approaches.
And they had left without being caught.
His face went cold.
"Double the wall guards."
Raku nodded.
"No one hunts alone."
Another nod.
"Search every person entering and leaving the inner settlement."
Kael looked toward Ironwood.
Toward Swanly.
His expression darkened.
"Do we tell her?"
Soren was silent.
Nerin looked at both males.
His stomach twisted.
"She will find out."
"Yes," Kael said.
"And then she will worry."
"She should know."
Kael looked conflicted.
Soren stared toward the walls.
"First we find out what this is."
Nerin frowned.
That felt dangerous in a different way.
Because Swanly hated being protected with ignorance.
...
Not everyone inside Ironwood was surprised that someone waited beyond the walls.
Brea had known for days.
She kept her head down as she carried a basket toward the waste path.
Nobody looked twice.
She was only Brea.
Selka’s old follower.
Quiet recently.
Useful when ordered.
Careful.
She waited until the nearest guard turned toward the storage cave.
Then her fingers slipped beneath a loose stone beside the path.
A tiny strip of softened bark disappeared into the crack.
Carved into it were only a few marks.
Guard changes.
Water path.
Western wall.
Pregnant fox female.
Brea covered the stone again.
Then walked away.
Nobody saw.
...
Swanly knew something was wrong before anyone told her.
Kael came back too quiet.
Soren disappeared straight into a meeting with Raku.
Arion doubled guards near the gate.
And Nerin refused to look directly at her.
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Swanly intercepted him beside the drying racks.
"Nerin."
He froze.
Poor thing.
"Yes?"
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
Her eyes narrowed.
Apparently every male in Ironwood had chosen stupidity today.
"Nerin."
"We found..."
He stopped.
His ears flattened.
Kael appeared behind her.
"We are handling it."
Swanly turned.
"Handling what?"
"Nothing you need to worry about."
That was even worse.
She crossed her arms.
"You all realize saying that makes me worry more."
Kael sighed.
"Swanly."
"I am pregnant, not brainless."
"I know."
"Then?"
He hesitated.
Wrong.
Swanly pointed at him.
"You are hiding something."
Kael caught her hand and kissed her knuckles.
Cheap tactic.
Unfortunately effective for exactly half a second.
"We found signs someone passed near the boundary."
Her smile vanished.
"What signs?"
"Tracks."
"Whose?"
"We do not know."
"How many?"
"Swanly."
"How many?"
Kael exhaled.
"Several."
Her hand immediately covered her stomach.
Kael saw.
That was precisely why he had not wanted to tell her.
"We found no one."
"Were they Veskari?"
"No."
"Infected?"
"No."
"Then beastmen."
"Yes."
Her stomach tightened.
Someone else.
Great.
"Did they attack?"
"No."
"Then they were watching."
Kael said nothing.
Swanly glared.
"Wonderful."
His hands settled on her shoulders.
"You are staying inside the inner paths."
"Kael."
"Please."
That stopped her.
Not an order.
Not possessive male nonsense.
Please.
His golden eyes were serious.
Scared.
For her.
For the babies.
Swanly exhaled.
"Fine."
His shoulders loosened.
"But tomorrow, you tell me everything."
"Yes."
"And Soren too."
Kael’s expression immediately soured.
"Unfortunately."