Lyra and her observation group moved quickly through the forest as dawn broke, the urgency of their report driving their weary bodies. The sounds of the forest, now familiar in the light, accompanied their swift passage back towards the village. They carried with them the weight of what they had seen – strange lights, unknown people, a different language, and signs of searching near the riverbank. The mystery of the torn fabric and the painted wood fragment had deepened, connected now to a group of outsiders who moved in the dark and searched the earth by torchlight.
As they neared the village, the familiar sight of the palisade walls and the scent of woodsmoke brought a wave of relief. The guards at the entrance spotted them and immediately raised the alert. Villagers emerged from their huts, their faces etched with worry, which quickly transformed into relief at seeing the observation group return safely.
Kaelen met them at the entrance, his scarred face a mask of concern. He looked at Lyra, his eyes searching for answers. "You are back," he said, his voice low with relief. "What did you see?"
Lyra, despite her exhaustion, immediately began her report. She spoke clearly, concisely, recounting their journey upstream, their stealthy approach, and what they had observed. The other hunters in the group added details, confirming her account.
They described seeing the flickering torchlight through the trees, confirming the initial report. They spoke of moving closer under the cover of darkness and observing the source of the lights. "There were perhaps a dozen or more of them," Lyra reported, her voice steady. "Moving near the riverbank. They carried fire in sticks." She gestured, mimicking holding a torch.
"They were not Zarthus's people," Finn added. "Their clothes were different. And their voices… their language was strange. Not like ours, not like Zarthus's."
They described watching the group for a long time, observing their activities. "They were searching," Lyra stated. "Near the water's edge. Moving the fire low to the ground. Looking closely at the earth." She mimed someone scanning the ground with a light. "They were not hunting. Not gathering. They were looking for something specific."
They spoke of the sounds they heard – the crackling of the torches, the rustling of movement, the low murmur of voices in the foreign tongue. They confirmed that they had not been detected and had withdrawn before dawn.
Finally, they described what they had found at the site after the other group had left – the footprints, larger than their own, and the small areas where the earth had been disturbed, dug up and then replaced. "They were digging," Lyra concluded. "Looking for something in the earth near the river."
The villagers gathered around listened in hushed silence, their faces reflecting the gravity of the report. Strange lights, unknown people, a different language, searching and digging near the river – the pieces of the mystery were beginning to connect, but the picture they formed was unsettling.
Kaelen listened intently, his expression thoughtful. He looked from Lyra to Finn, then to the other hunters, his gaze confirming the truth of their words. He then looked at the torn fabric and the painted wood fragment lying on the stone near the fire pit. The pieces were fitting together – the fabric and wood, carried by the river, were likely connected to this group who had been searching upstream. But what had happened? And what were they searching for?
Elias, who had listened to the report with intense concentration, felt a surge of both apprehension and intellectual excitement. Unknown people, searching for something specific near the river. The broken wood and torn fabric suggested a violent event. Could the expedition have encountered them? Or had this group been involved in something else entirely?
He spoke up, addressing Kaelen. "The wood," he said, pointing to the painted fragment. "Their mark?" He then pointed to the footprints the hunters had described. "Their feet?" He was trying to connect the symbol and the physical evidence to the group.
Lyra nodded. "It is likely their mark, child. And the footprints… they were large. Like strong men."
Kaelen looked at the painted wood fragment again, then at the footprints described by the hunters. The symbol now felt less like a random mark and more like an identifier, a flag of this unknown group.
The elders gathered, their faces serious, discussing the implications of the report. A group of outsiders, armed with torches and tools for digging, searching near the river where the expedition had traveled and where the fabric and wood had been found. It was a clear threat, or at least, a significant unknown factor.
The decision was made to maintain the heightened state of vigilance. The double patrols along the palisade would continue. No one was to venture far from the village. They needed to process this new information, to understand the potential threat, and to wait for any further signs, either from the river or from the forest. The sounds of the village, which had been filled with the relief of the patrol's safe return, were now underscored by a renewed sense of caution and the weight of the unknown presence upstream.