We moved as quietly as possible, each step feeling heavier than the last. The forest was darker now, the sun barely peeking through the thick canopy.
"Professor…" Wallace's voice was weak, barely above a whisper.
"I know," I murmured, glancing back at the group.
They were exhausted. Julien was limping slightly, his earlier bravado gone. Mira kept scanning the surroundings, her eyes sharp but her movements slower than usual. Garrick looked like he was ready to collapse, his muscles strained from holding off the wolves.
Felix and Leo were dead quiet, sticking close to Wallace, who was barely keeping himself upright.
"We can't keep moving like this…" Mira whispered, her eyes darting around the dense foliage.
She was right.
We needed to stop.
But not here.
"We're too exposed," I murmured, scanning the area.
Then I saw it.
A narrow crevice between two large boulders, barely noticeable unless you were looking for it.
"There."
