Calder folded his arms as he studied me. "You ever done any work in the woods?"
I shook my head. "Not exactly."
He grunted, seeming unsurprised. "Figures. Come on, then. I'll show you what needs doing."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and started toward the gates. I followed, ignoring the wary looks from the guards standing watch. Their hands twitched near their weapons, and I could feel their distrust weighing on me like a physical thing. I was an outsider. They wouldn't forget that.
We passed through the towering wooden gates, reinforced with thick iron bands. Beyond them, the dense forest stretched endlessly, the trees looming like sentinels. Calder led the way down a worn path, his strides confident.
"Highfall's surrounded by these woods," he explained. "Plenty of good timber, but the beasts out here aren't the kind you want wandering too close. That's why we work near the wall and patrol while we're at it. Keeps the town safe."
He stopped near a clearing where freshly cut logs were stacked. An axe was buried deep in a stump, and nearby, a saw rested against another pile. He gestured toward them. "Simple enough. Chop, haul, stack. Keep an eye out for anything moving that shouldn't be."
I nodded. "Understood."
He studied me for a moment before stepping back. "Let's see what you can do."
I grabbed the axe, testing its weight before swinging it down. The blade sank into the wood with ease, splitting the log cleanly. Calder watched with a raised brow. "Well, at least you're not useless."
I didn't respond, just kept working. The rhythm was simple—lift, swing, split. The forest around us remained eerily quiet, only the sound of our labor filling the space. By the time we were done, my arms burned, but the work was manageable.
Calder dusted off his hands. "That's enough for today. Get some rest. We start again tomorrow."
I followed him back to town, the gates groaning as they shut behind us.
***
I splashed cold water on my face, the early morning air still crisp. The innkeeper had been blunt when I came downstairs. "Calder's got his own business today. If you're looking for work, you'll be doing it alone."
So, alone it was.
Stepping outside, I made my way back through the gates, ignoring the guards' usual scowls. The forest greeted me with its familiar scent of damp earth and pine. I retraced my steps from yesterday, finding the clearing where I'd worked with Calder. The logs were still there, untouched since we had stacked them.
I got to work.
The hours passed in steady motion. Chop. Haul. Stack. Occasionally, I scanned the tree line, remembering Calder's warning. The thought of wandering beasts didn't unsettle me, but I remained alert.
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, I straightened, rolling my shoulders. That was when I noticed it—deep gouges in the wooden wall a few paces away. Claw marks. Fresh ones.
I took a step closer, running my fingers along the grooves. The spacing, the depth—whatever had made these was big. And close.
A heavy rustling in the trees made me turn sharply. The underbrush trembled, then parted as something massive emerged.
A bear—but unlike any I had ever seen.
Standing nearly four meters tall on its hind legs, its thick fur was broken by jagged plates of natural armor along its back and shoulders. Its eyes gleamed with something unnatural, and as it exhaled, the air around it seemed to shimmer. Then, with a flick of its claw, the wind itself twisted—sharp and sudden, carving a deep gash into the nearest tree.
I tightened my grip on the axe.
This was no ordinary beast.
And it wasn't going to let me leave without a fight.