The next walk through the beasts felt different this time. Before, they had watched him with quiet and unreadable eyes. Though some kept tracking his movement without much else behind it.
Now, every set of eyes that turned his way felt sharper, more calculating, less like he was passing through and more like he was being measured.
’They know, they all know I beat him,’ Morden thought.
He kept his pace steady despite the unease crawling up his spine, refusing to let it show on his face.
The forest itself seemed heavier now; the shadows between the trees were sitting a little too still.
A pair of bark-plated Boars lifted their heads as he passed, following him with slow, deliberate movements before returning to their grazing.
The feathered serpent from earlier had uncoiled itself from its tree, its sideways-blinking eyes tracking him the entire length of the clearing.
’Great. Now even the Genetic Beast has something they want to say to me.’
He kept walking anyway, refusing to give any of them the satisfaction of seeing him falter or appear scared in any way. He shall not show them his weakness.
The Flaming Lion was waiting for him near the mouth of the cave, its massive frame settled low against the ground, embers still glowing faintly around its paws.
"You’re leaving," it said.
"That was the deal," Morden answered.
"Mission’s over, at least according to what you said; I’m free to go."
"You are," the Lion said.
"I only meant to confirm it by asking, you aren’t going to crucify me for that, would you?’"
Morden nodded, glancing past the Lion toward the treeline where what he believed to be the path back to Evergreen City waited. Part of him wanted to ask more questions or at least push further into everything the Lion had told him earlier, but exhaustion had already settled deep enough into his bones now. In his honest opinion, it just wasn’t worth the effort, especially since he might just receive a weird, ambiguous answer.
’Whatever else there is to know, it can wait. I don’t think I could handle another answer like the last ones anyway.’
"Then I guess this is goodbye," he said instead.
"For now," the Lion said with a meaningful face.
Morden wanted to ignore it, but something about the way it said those two words made Morden pause, though he couldn’t quite place why.
If he could guess, he would say It sounded less like a farewell and more like a promise, or maybe a warning; he honestly couldn’t tell which.
Before Morden could turn to leave, a small shape darted out from behind one of the nearby trees, flames flickering excitedly along its mane.
"Wait," the young Lion suddenly shouted, sliding to a stop in front of him.
"What now? don’t tell me you are here for a rematch already?" Morden asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No," the young Lion said, though the way its tail flicked suggested it was tempted.
"I just wanted to give you this; you won against a young me, and adult me will wipe the floor with you."
It dropped something small and smooth into Morden’s palm; it looked to be a tiny stone that felt warm to the touch, with faint orange veins running through its dark surface like dying embers frozen in place.
"What is this?" Morden asked as he turned it over in his hand.
"A mark of what happened tonight," the young Lion said.
"Are you saying we’re friends now?" Morden asked, unable to keep the small smile from tugging at his lips.
"Don’t get used to it; when he has our rematch, then maybe," the young Lion said, already backing away with its usual burst of stubborn pride.
Morden let out a tired laugh, closing his fingers around the stone.
"Fair enough."
Without another word, the young Lion turned and bounded off into the trees, its flames trailing behind, creating a streak of light.
The Flaming Lion watched its child disappear before turning its golden eyes back toward Morden.
"Travel safely," it said.
"The forest isn’t kind to those it doesn’t recognize."
"Noted," Morden said, slipping the small stone into his pocket before finally turning toward the path back to Evergreen City.
He didn’t look back as he walked, though he could feel the weight of countless eyes on him the entire way through the treeline, watching him until he eventually got out of sight, though he wasn’t sure he had gotten out of mind.
****Inside the Den****
The Flaming Lion remained still for a long while after Morden’s footsteps faded completely; its gaze was still fixed on the space where the boy had disappeared into the trees.
The embers around its paws had begun to dim, and the cave was settling back into its usual quiet, the kind of silence that had blanketed it long before Morden had ever stepped inside.
"He’s leaving," it finally said, but something was strange; its voice was lower now, meant for someone else entirely.
From deeper within the shadows of the cave, a second presence slowly stirred, one that hadn’t shown itself the entire time Morden had been there.
"Let him," the voice said, calm and unhurried.
"There’s no reason to keep him here longer than necessary."
"He’s special, even more than you think he is," the Lion said.
"I know," the voice replied. "There’s more to his situation than either of us fully understands yet."
The Lion’s flames dimmed slightly, thoughtfully.
"You did the right thing, staying hidden tonight, but I am not sure about the trouble you caused, though.
"Perhaps, or maybe I am just not ready for the interaction yet," the voice said.
Silence settled between them for a moment, broken only by the soft crackle of embers scattered across the cave floor.
The Lion shifted its weight, claws dragging faint lines through the ash beneath it.
"He even beat my son tonight."
"I felt it," the voice said.
"Interesting, isn’t it? even his friends aren’t a joke."
"Interesting? Or concerning. I haven’t decided which yet," the Lion agreed.
"What happens now?" the Lion asked.
"Now," the voice said, something almost amused threading through the words,
"We wait and see what they do with what they have learned."
The Lion said nothing else, turning its gaze once more toward the treeline where Morden had vanished, its other thoughts known only to itself
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