Far away from Three Union City, beyond the open plains where the royal roads cut clean lines through the land, the terrain slowly shifted.
Grass gave way to scattered trees and scattered trees thickened into forest.
This was where the Twin Snakes played.
Nearly two hundred kilometers from the city, the air was cooler beneath the canopy, heavy with the scent of damp soil and resin. The forest was alive in a way plains never were. Sounds layered upon sounds. Insects, birds, beasts large and small.
Xiao Yang and Xiao Yin loved it.
They darted through the trees like living streaks of color, their long serpentine bodies twisting effortlessly between trunks and branches. To them, the forest was a playground.
"Too slow!" Xiao Yin teased as she coiled lazily around a thick branch.
Xiao Yang hissed in annoyance. "That squirrel cheated."
"It dodged," she replied smugly. "You just missed."
Xiao Yang snorted and coiled, muscles tightening.
"I'll get it next time."
