They left the road and took the trees, single file at first, then spreading out when there was no clear path forward.
Elias slipped ahead, quiet and exact.
Alexei drifted left to make sure that all sides and angles were covered and that no one could catch them by surprise.
Lachlan cut right with that lazy walk that always made people underestimate him, and Zubair stayed just off Sera's shoulder.
He was close enough to act like a wall for any stray bullet, but far enough not to touch unless she wanted it.
Luci's paws ate up the forest as he took point, circling around every so often to make sure that the rest were keeping up. His tail was level, his ears forward, ready, willing, and able to take down anything in his path.
There were no tire tracks, no trash anywhere, no sign that anyone had cared about this stretch of trees in a very long time.
There wasn't even a game trail to pack down some of the ground beneath their feet.
But that was good.
