Chapter 95: Thunder of Hooves
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Keep him alive. Keep him strong. And when the moment came—when Star’s next stage demanded even more. Zephyr would be ready.
Even if it meant chasing prey across the whole of Emberwood forest, dragging home every beast foolish enough to breathe within hunting range.
Because this time, the hunt wasn’t a drill. This time, they were feeding a dragon.
Behind him, the faint sound of a bell made him grimace.
"Muse..." he whispered.
He turned just enough to peek back through the trees.
The cow, aka queen of unintended chaos, bane of stealth ops—was nibbling bark again, despite his earlier lectures. Her thick horns were hidden behind a brush curtain, and the cart sat quietly beside her, tucked in shadow. But she was unmistakably ignoring orders.
Still, she hadn’t wandered. And the bell hadn’t rung loud enough to carry. Small mercies.
Zephyr sighed and turned back to the trap. He crouched beside the snare path one last time, dragging his palm across the ash streaked soil, erasing any trace of boot print or disturbance. The bait smear glistened on the log beside him, pungent and ripe, already drawing a few curious insects.
He stepped back into the shade, found his cover behind a split tree trunk hawthorn, and let the silence settle again.