The revelation hung heavy in the air. Emily stood frozen, her thoughts racing in a thousand directions. There was another threat lurking in the woods, one they hadn't accounted for. The wiry man's warning echoed in her ears: *They're not friendly.*
She watched him disappear into the forest, and a knot of dread tightened in her stomach. She had only just begun to trust this group, and now another force was emerging—one she knew even less about. She couldn't waste time dwelling on it. If this new enemy was watching, they had to act fast.
Emily hurried back to the square, where Aiden and the others were still planning out the day's tasks. They needed to secure the village, and now more than ever, they couldn't afford to let their guard down. She approached Aiden quickly, pulling him aside.
"There's something new," she whispered urgently. "The man from the woods—he just told me that there's someone else out there, watching us."
