John returned before sunset.
The forest below his cliff was quiet, moving slowly in the warm evening wind. Leaves shifted in long soft waves, and distant animal calls echoed through the trees. Nothing had changed in his territory while he was gone.
That was good.
He landed on the familiar stone ledge outside his cave and folded his wings slowly against his back. His claws clicked lightly against the rock as he walked toward the entrance.
But his thoughts were still somewhere else.
South.
With the elves.
He settled near the cave mouth where he could see the forest stretching endlessly beyond the cliffs. The orange light of sunset painted everything in long shadows.
"Interesting neighbors," he muttered quietly.
He hadn't expected to find a full settlement.
Not families.
Not children.
Not a functioning community hidden that deep in the forest.
But more than that, something else had caught his attention.
Their strength.
