They didn't run.
Not because they weren't afraid. Not because it wasn't warranted. But because running would make noise. Running would confirm what the pit was already beginning to suspect.
They backed away in silence, each step measured. Leon kept his eyes on the ridge, watching for any sign the seed below would act. But the red glow faded, and the kneeling figures resumed their stillness.
Almost like it hadn't happened.
Almost.
Once they were out of sight, Leon motioned them deeper into the trees.
Mira whispered, "That wasn't just another seed. It was a birthing chamber."
Tomas kept his voice low. "We shouldn't have seen that."
Leon agreed. "And whatever's inside knows we did."
They climbed higher into the ridgeline, putting distance between them and the basin. The torch path was gone now. Only natural moonlight guided them, filtered through branches that swayed without wind.
