The Edge of Fear

An hour had passed since the final preparations had been made. The camp stirred with focused energy as the squads prepared to move out. Weapons had been distributed, orders given, and every soldier knew their role.

Now, it was time to act.

At the valley's edge, the scouting squad stood in disciplined formation. Each of them had double-checked their gear—plasma blades secured at their sides, handguns holstered, knives strapped to their belts. Every motion was methodical, every movement precise. They weren't just stepping into the unknown; they were advancing into a world that was changing before their very eyes.

And the moment they crossed through the passage, they felt it.

That same shift.

That inexplicable clarity Bogi and Oliver had described.

It wasn't just heightened senses—it was deeper than that, more intrinsic, more real. The world around them sharpened, details they might have missed before now stood out as if illuminated by an unseen force. They knew, without a word spoken between them, that they were changing.

There was no fear—only awareness.

They moved with caution, but their efficiency was unmatched. This was their third time entering this jungle, yet now, every step felt different. The weight of the unknown was still present, but it no longer pressed upon them as before. It was as if something had shifted—not just within them, but in the very air itself.

A few hundred meters in, Rashid slowed his steps, his sharp eyes scanning the dense foliage around them. There was something about the jungle—something subtle yet undeniable. It felt… alive. More than before. The tension that had once gripped it was gone, replaced by a quiet hum of energy. The trees seemed to sway with ease, the underbrush less rigid, as if the land itself had been freed.

And then, the realization struck him. The panther is dead. That unseen, suffocating presence—it had been that creature. It had lingered in the air like an unseen storm, pressing down on everything. But now, it was gone, and the jungle breathed once more.

He turned to Roki, his voice low but certain. "Roki, do you feel it? It's like this part of the forest has been freed."

Roki, already scanning the terrain with an assessing eye, exhaled slowly. "Yeah, I feel it. And I think that's a good thing. Maybe now we'll finally see some wildlife—something we can actually eat."

Peter let out a chuckle, shaking his head. Luke smirked but gave a light warning. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves—caution," he reminded them.

The newer members of the squad, still adjusting to the ease with which the veterans carried themselves, slowly started to settle. They followed the lead of the experienced scouts, mimicking their movements, matching their pace. The weight of uncertainty began to loosen its grip.

Fifteen minutes later, the radio crackled. "Water squad going in. Any trouble?" Luke lifted his radio, his voice more serious this time. "No problems. All clear."

And so, step by step, they pressed deeper into the jungle, securing the path for those who would follow. Every fifteen minutes, they checked in with the water squad, ensuring the route remained safe. The steady rhythm of these check-ins added to their sense of order, turning what could have been a nerve-wracking mission into a well-coordinated operation.

By the time they reached the spring, the radio buzzed to life once more.

"Water collected. We are heading back."

Michael's voice carried clearly through the static.

Luke responded without hesitation. "Safe trip back."

With their first objective completed, Roki turned to his team, his expression shifting. "Alright, we're pushing deeper. This area is uncharted, so we split into pairs. Keep all four of your eyes open—no mistakes."

There was no need for discussion. The shift in tone was immediate. Any lingering lightheartedness vanished as the team prepared for the next phase of their mission.

Roki began issuing assignments.

"Nikolai, you're with me." He gestured toward Rashid. "You go with Edric." Turning to Peter, he continued, "You're with Sergei." Finally, he locked eyes with Luke. "You take Tomas." His voice was steady, measured. "Standard procedure. If everything is clear, use the whistle to signal. We regroup here in two hours. Godspeed."

A series of nods followed. No hesitation. No second-guessing. With that, they dispersed into the jungle.

The return trip to camp was swift. With the water collected and the jungle secured, the squad moved at a fast but steady pace. The unease they had felt earlier—the weight of being under-armed in an unfamiliar world—had begun to dissipate. They had walked this path before, and now, it felt more like a route home rather than a journey into the unknown.

Their mission had gone smoothly, and for the first time since arriving in this strange land, things felt controlled. Then, something caught their attention. A rustle in the undergrowth.

The squad instinctively halted, hands tightening around their weapons. The jungle, though no longer hostile in presence, was still unknown in its dangers. A shadow moved between the trees.

Michael, walking near the front, adjusted his grip on his rifle. The others followed his lead, eyes scanning the foliage. A moment later, a wild pig emerged from the dense brush. For a split second, no one moved—not out of fear, but realization. Meat.

BAM!

A single, muffled gunshot rang out, echoing through the trees. The pig crumpled to the ground without so much as a squeal, a clean bullet wound in its skull. Michael lowered his rifle, exhaling as he turned to Ogar with a grin. "Now we have food, haha."

Ogar huffed, shaking his head with a smirk. "Not bad." The others exchanged glances, their lips curling into small, satisfied smiles. This wasn't just a successful mission anymore—it was a victory. Water. Food. A growing sense of control over their circumstances.

With renewed confidence, they hefted their supplies and pressed on toward camp. The pass loomed ahead, their safe haven in this alien world, and for the first time since arriving, it truly felt like a place they could hold. They weren't just surviving anymore. They were adapting. And that changed everything.

The scouting squad had ventured farther than ever before, each pair splitting up to cover as much ground as possible. The jungle stretched endlessly in all directions, its vastness becoming more apparent with every step.

Rashid and Edric moved toward the place where they had previously discovered the ancient temple. When they arrived, it was exactly as they had left it—unchanged, untouched. The same stone walls, the same carvings weathered by time. Rashid let out a quiet sigh, his anticipation fading into disappointment.

"I was hoping for something… anything." He shook his head, turning to Edric. "Stay close. We keep moving." With that, they pushed forward, leaving the silent ruin behind.

On the other side of the scouting route, Roki and Nikolai took a different path, navigating the dense foliage in near silence. They searched, observed, and listened—but aside from a few birds flitting between branches, resembling pipits and finches from their own world, there was nothing unusual. No new signs of life. No indications of danger.

"This jungle is massive," Roki thought, the realization settling in. The deeper they ventured, the more endless it seemed.

Meanwhile, Peter and Sergei opted for a different approach. Scaling the trees with practiced ease, they reached the upper canopy, gaining a vantage point over the jungle. From above, they could see just how far the greenery stretched—an ocean of treetops rolling toward the horizon in every direction.

Looking back, they spotted the towering mountains behind them. In the distance, almost invisible through the haze, was the narrow pass leading back to their valley. Their home, their refuge—small and fragile against the immensity of this unknown world.

After taking in the sight, they climbed down, deciding to incorporate treetop scouting into their future searches. The jungle was too vast to rely only on the ground.

As for Luke and Tomas, their luck was no better. They wandered for almost an hour, mapping and marking, but nothing new revealed itself. One by one, the teams reached the same conclusion. It was time to turn back.

Roki and Nikolai, having covered their section of the jungle, stopped to rest for a few minutes before heading back. And that was when it happened. Roki felt it—a shift in the air.

A presence. It wasn't the feeling of being watched. It was worse. That same pressure. That same instinctual dread he had felt when the panther had stalked them before. His breath slowed, his muscles tensed. His body recognized the sensation before his mind did.

Something was there. Not watching. Not hunting. But near. His eyes flicked to Nikolai, who was resting, oblivious to the unease that now gripped Roki's entire being. Without breaking his stillness, Roki whispered, his voice barely more than breath.

"Slowly… and quietly… we're moving back."

Something in his tone must have cut through Nikolai's lack of awareness, because he didn't question it. He simply gave a small, silent nod.

Together, they began their retreat, retracing their steps with careful precision. Roki's instincts screamed at him to not run. Running was prey behavior. Instead, he moved at a steady, deliberate pace, feeling the weight of the unseen force pressing down on him.

And then—just as suddenly as it came—it was gone. The suffocating pressure lifted. The air felt free again. Roki's breath came easier, though his heart still pounded in his chest. He didn't need confirmation. He already knew.

They had crossed into a predator's territory. A predator like the panther. And they needed to report it. An hour later, Roki and Nikolai arrived at the meeting point where the rest of the team had gathered.

Rashid, Luke, and Peter reported first, detailing their findings—or rather, their lack of them. "Nothing new," Rashid said. "We scouted for an hour past the temple. It's just more jungle."

Then it was Roki's turn. His expression was different. Sharper. More urgent. "I think I found the territory of a predator. The same kind as the panther." The shift in the team's posture was immediate. They knew what that meant.

"We need to report this," Roki continued, his voice firm. "Full speed back. Now." No one hesitated. No questions were asked. They turned as one, their steady scouting pace replaced by something faster, more urgent. They had entered the jungle to explore.

Now, they were racing back to report the news.