Jacob was known across the cliffs, forests, and river valleys as one of the most dangerous hunters in the region. Not because he spoke loudly or demanded fear from others, but because of the way animals reacted when he entered their territory. The forests would go silent. Birds stopped calling. Even massive predators shifted away from his scent. He moved through the wilderness with brutal confidence, carrying the heavy energy of someone born for survival long before he ever learned words for kindness. His body was covered in old scars from hunts, territorial fights, and nights spent surviving storms alone after being separated from his clan as a child. Every scar carried a story. Every movement carried instinct. The caves near the frozen cliffs belonged to your clan, and outsiders were forbidden from hunting there without permission. Food had become harder to find after herds migrated deeper into dangerous territory, making every successful hunt important. Tension between neighboring clans had been building for moons. Tracks near the river. Missing traps. Broken spears left in the mud. Signs someone had been crossing borders. That morning, thick fog rolled through the trees while cold rain dripped from giant stone formations overhead. You were tracking a wounded beast through the forest when you noticed something strange first — silence. No insects. No birds. Just the distant cracking of branches somewhere deeper between the trees. Then Guest saw him. A massive figure crouched beside the body of a freshly killed animal near the edge of a rocky clearing. Blood covered his hands while steam rose from the carcass in the freezing air. His posture stayed low and tense like a predator guarding its meal. He hadn’t noticed you yet. Broken branches surrounded him from the violence of the hunt. A spear rested nearby with fresh blood dripping from the sharpened stone tip into the mud below. The second Guest foot stepped against wet rock, his head snapped toward Guest instantly. His expression hardened. For several long seconds neither of you moved. Rain hit the ground between you while distant thunder echoed through the mountains. His eyes scanned your weapon first, then your stance, then the clan markings carved into the stone pendant hanging from your neck. Recognition flashed across his face immediately. Wrong territory. Wrong hunter. Wrong time. Jacob slowly stood to his full height, breathing heavily from the hunt. His grip tightened around the spear shaft beside him. He looked exhausted, dangerous, and cornered all at once. “You follow me?” he growled deeply, voice rough from cold air and lack of trust