Footprints and Furrows

Shen stepped over the last ridge as the stars blinked into full bloom. The forest, quiet and thick with dew, muffled his boots. In the distance, the gentle murmur of the stream that marked the edge of Mudvale whispered its welcome.

He was home.

Or so he thought.

At first, everything seemed as he'd left it: the winding trail between the trees, the faint scent of rosemary from the herb patch near the fence. Even the bamboo wind-chime on his hut's porch tinkled lazily in the breeze.

But then Shen saw the field.

The fence had been disturbed.

Two wooden posts had been cracked—one entirely snapped—and a third was leaning like it had been struck from the outside. Several of his carefully arranged stones had rolled out of alignment. The gate was ajar.

[System Notification]

Alert: Minor boundary breach detected

No direct threat remaining

Trace Residue: Faint Beast Essence (Unidentified)

Auto-Reinforce Protocol Activated (+1 Defense on Crop Boundary)

Shen's shoulders tensed.

He reached for his axe.

Yue, sensing the shift in mood, slid from his shoulder and landed silently on the ground. Her tail bristled. The silver crescent mark on her forehead shimmered faintly in the dark.

They stepped together into the field.

The damage wasn't catastrophic—no crops had been eaten or trampled—but something had definitely come through. A creature, maybe. Or more than one.

Shen crouched beside a pawprint near the cabbage row.

It was small, feline-shaped, but with claws like hooked scythes. The indent was deep. Fresh.

"Too small for a big predator," he muttered. "But not a fox or badger either. And not wolves."

Yue sniffed the print, then growled low in her throat.

A second ping from the system appeared:

Unidentified Beast Signature Catalogued

Type: Mist Prowler (Probable)

Threat Level: Low to Moderate

Behavior: Territorial, curious, nocturnal

Recommendation: Passive deterrence may be effective. Avoid direct confrontation unless provoked.

"Well," Shen sighed, "at least it's not another wolf pack."

He began walking the perimeter, tightening the broken fence with rope and rebinding loose wood with twine. His axe stayed at his side, just in case. Yue followed, tail twitching like a metronome.

By dawn, the fence was patched, and the campfire rekindled. Shen roasted a few root slices and shared them with Yue, who was too distracted to steal his portion.

She kept glancing toward the trees.

Whatever had come, it hadn't attacked. It had just… passed through.

Or scouted.

New Task Unlocked: Ward the Field

Goal: Create basic spiritual wards or deterrents using local materials

Reward: +1 Sheltercraft, +1 Awareness, Chance to unlock new Passive Skill

"Great," Shen muttered. "Homework."

Yue chirped and pointed at the supply shelf with her paw.

"No, I'm not making talismans with the fish bone glue."

She licked his face.

"…Fine, but if this sticks to my fingers, you're helping me wash up."

Later that morning, as Shen knelt near the perimeter arranging bundles of rosemary and charcoal in a protective pattern, he heard something unusual: the creak of wheels.

Wagons?

He rose quickly, dusting off his palms, and hurried to the treeline.

A single wagon trundled down the rough path, drawn by a pair of mottled gray horses. It was small, clearly village-built, and stacked with hay and boxes.

At the reins sat Lan.

"Morning!" Lan called cheerfully, waving.

Shen crossed his arms. "You broke my fence."

"Not guilty. But I'll help fix it."

Behind him, two young women rode in the back. One was about Shen's age, with short dark hair and a bow strapped to her back. The other, older and quiet, held a bundle of dried herbs on her lap.

Lan jumped down with a grunt.

"Figured I'd stop by with a few supplies since you're all legal now. Mira sent a care bundle—some seeds, preserved fruit, and cloth. Oh, and she said you owe her a rabbit next time you visit."

"I will gift her a rabbit carved from wood," Shen replied. "Because I still have no traps."

The girl with the bow jumped down. "This him?"

Lan nodded. "Yep. Shen, meet Renna. She's the village's best archer."

"Only archer," Renna corrected.

"And this is Aila. She's... well, she knows plants better than I do."

Aila gave a small nod.

Shen gestured to Yue, who yawned dramatically and sprawled in the dirt like a lazy queen.

"She's Yue. If you offer food, she'll consider sparing your life."

Renna smirked. "Noted."

Over the next few hours, the group unpacked supplies and chatted. Lan repaired the cracked fence post with a proper wooden brace. Aila walked Shen's herb patch, suggesting placements and soil mixes. Renna shot at stumps with eerie accuracy, prompting Yue to try and chase the arrows.

Despite the tension the night before, laughter returned.

Mudvale no longer felt like just a refuge.

It was becoming a home shared.

That evening, as stars spilled across the sky and the fire crackled in a circle of warmth, Lan poured a bit of cider into wooden cups.

"To Mudvale," he said, raising his.

Shen hesitated, then raised his cup. "To surviving the week."

"To the fox," Renna added.

Yue yipped proudly.

"To unexpected friends," Aila whispered.

They drank.

And somewhere beyond the fence line, in the thick woods, unseen eyes blinked in the dark.

Watching.

Waiting.

[End of Chapter 10]