They didn't build a camp so much as claim a space and got to work.
Ashkar chose the place instinctively, a rise of ground just far enough from the water to stay dry, close enough that the air stayed cooler.
The jungle didn't bother to fight back when he cleared space. It bent, parted, and settled again as if it wanted them to be there long term and knew what it meant.
And Sera watched it happen without comment.
Even though the sun was starting to set, the jungle was just as alive as it had been for the past few hours. It was clear that the jungle didn't need to sleep anymore than they did.
It breathed, hummed, chirred, and pulsed with life so dense it felt like the world was leaning in close, curious about them. The air clung to skin and fabric alike, heavy with heat and the sweet rot of growth that had never learned restraint.
Sera loved it immediately and didn't bother to hold back her sigh of contentment.
