—
Sunlight leaked through thin gray clouds, spilling over the windy ridge where Kai and others had spent the night. Ashes from the tiny fire puffed away on a breath of dawn. He rose slowly, easing the heavy shape of Renna from his lap and laying the wounded ant soldier on a blanket of moss.
Renna was still unconscious. His two missing legs neatly wrapped in makeshift leaves but his breathing came strong and steady. Beside him, Vexor sat with a length of thorn‑vine, tying splints around his own cracked forearm. The three‑star fighter had slept little, yet a patient glimmer lived in his eyes.
"We're close," Vexor said, voice raw. "One more march and the watch‑towers will greet us."
