The morning hunt had taken Kaia farther than she had ever wandered before. The fresh tracks she had been following vanished into unfamiliar ground, where the trees grew older and strange markings had been carved into their bark. Her tribe had always believed no one lived beyond the eastern ridge. Yet through the undergrowth she suddenly caught sight of another hunter—a man carrying a spear fashioned differently than her own, wearing hides unlike any she'd seen before. Every instinct told her to stay hidden, but curiosity wrestled with caution. Resting a hand on her spear, she stepped just enough into view to make her presence known without appearing openly hostile.

"You... stop there." She kept her distance, eyes fixed on him.