Daybreak shone brilliantly above the skies of Cinderglaze, dazzling all that gazed above. Though, most of its light was blocked by the dense web of canopy. Shrouded in hazy light, the forest's verdant expanse glistened as its abundant moisture reflected the sunlight. With the foliage glinting softly, the shadow forming off them appeared even darker, producing an evocative visual.

  The canopies teemed with life—from spider monkeys in its canopy layer, camouflaged predators at the understory layer to large mammals, and rodents at the forest level. Its diverse fauna sustained the delicate balance of its ecology.

  Perched on one such tree, two camouflaged creatures rose. The bigger of the two grabbed a pouch filled with fruits and berries, and placed it in front of the smaller one. Extending both hands simultaneously, the smaller creature was about to gobble her first prey of the day: papaya.

  Just then, her hands were lightly whipped by the bigger creature, wielding a twig—once meant for a much more ferocious beast.

  "Ouch! What was that for, sis?"

  "Did mere weeks in Sereplain made you forget the importance of rinsing your mouth, first thing in the morning? Or perhaps, I was too lenient in explaining its benefits clearly enough in a language you understand. Right, Pipsqueak?"

  "No... but..." The younger sibling faltered for a moment before composing herself and continuing, "But it was you who offered me the fruits!"

  A spirit of rebellion? The older sibling thought, and again lightly whipped her sister.

  "That was a test; one that you failed."

  Snapping the twig in two, she continued, "Now, do you want me to repeat my teachings?"

  Cupping her hands, the younger sibling collected rainwater, before briskly using it to gargle a few times. She repeated this exercise two more times, then said, "No need, dear sis. You taught well, I recall everything. Not a single lesson remiss."

  The older sister lightly smirked: "Good."

  "... Nor the punishments," the younger sibling added inaudibly.

  Catching a strange whisper, the older sister squinted her eyes and looked at her sister suspiciously. But the latter offered only a guileless smile. Deciding it was not worth the effort, the older sibling plucked a handful of berries and began stuffing her face.

  She finished her breakfast and spoke, "Pipsqueak, you don't have any task today, so just focus on saving your strength. And do not get off the tree, there's plenty of food here already. I'll be back before noon."

  Her sister earnestly nodded, and she left to forage the forest.

  The older sister ventured into the same tracts as yesterday, gathering two more pouches' worth of food within just an hour.

  I should store them and come back. I bet I can collect five more pouches. Then we can leave by tomorrow.

  As before, she carefully navigated her way back, but stopped short of climbing their tree. She glanced at the direction the grizzly had run off to. Her interest piqued.

  What was that sound? What happened to its owner? Is the bear still around? Are there more bears around? These were some of the questions that gnawed at her. But she knew that if they tread carefully, none of these problems posed an imminent threat. Yet, clicking her tongue, she decided otherwise.

  Pipsqueak's influence has rubbed off on me too much.

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  Unable to check her curiosity, the older sibling placed the fruit pouches discreetly inside a dense bush, and advanced toward the grizzly's trail.

  She concealed herself in the midst of tall undergrowths and shrubs and carefully moved ahead—her breath steady, eyes sharpened, and ears focused.

  Will the bear even be around?

  For a while, she found no trace of the grizzly. Yet she maintained her search, Just five more minutes.

  Over half an hour passed without any development, the older sibling still persisted. Until finally, shaking her head she gave up. It must have gone back to its cave.

  She began to retreat, but just then a light breeze whizzed past her. It brought a humid, soothing sensation, and also a subtle foul stench. The latter sent a revolting signal throughout her brain.

  Using the wind's direction, she traced the source of the stench. A dozen or so meters to her right, she found both, the source of the stench as well as the bear—or the corpse thereof.

  Sprawled on the ground, a beast over ten feet long lay dead, painting the grass around in deep scarlet. Its frontal side bore no wound nor any stain of blood. But its back was prised open, almost as if a window with the spine serving as the partition. The bear's stout body appeared deflated, most of its blood had gushed out.

  Still, that did not explain why its corpse resembled a patch of skin stuffed with bones only. It was almost as if the grotesque opening of its back had been used to remove all of its organs. But the tear looked too blunt, too vicious to have been the work of humans.

  Unknowingly, the older sister had been staring at the cadaver for far too long, when another humid breeze rushed past her—breaking her daze and filling her mouth with the morbid taste of blood and gore. Her face contorted, reflecting her revulsion, and her body shuddered imagining the inhumane strength and intent of the perpetrator. Of the monster.

  As fear set in, sweat began to roll down her neck. She hurriedly turned to race back to her sister. Sparing one last glimpse, she noticed the shrub and grasses steeped in blood, were being preyed upon by blood-sucking flies and insects.

  Every creature was welcome within Cinderglaze's ecosystem. They were nourished by it until, in time, they too assimilated within it; providing sustenance to the old and the new alike, until they grew complacent and familiar. Thus, becoming a part of its soil as manure—and the cycle began anew.

  Swiftly reaching the tree, the older sibling climbed it. But her sister was not there. She opened her mouth to call her out, but wary of attracting any nearby beast, her tongue faltered, unable to produce any sound.

  However, the older sibling's concern for her sister soon surpassed her horror for any beast.

  "Pip—"

  A sudden rustling of leaves from somewhere below spooked her. Clasping her mouth shut, the older sibling stopped abruptly. Lying in a prone position on the branch, she gazed below.

  Inside an overgrown shrub, a small figure was crouching yet in comparison to other beings of the shrub, the figure towered above them.

  Did I hear something?... Nah, must've been my imagination. The ogre won't be back for a few more hours... Hehe, the figure smirked.

  Rising above the shrubs, the small figure revealed itself—the younger sibling. But she was not alone, in front of her a bunch of squirrels were prodding at her feet while making noise.

  The younger sibling was holding a baby squirrel, she pointed it at the other squirrels, and spoke, "Look Squilly's family, I've taken him as one of my own. You are not getting him back, so leave and take care of Squilly's brothers and sisters. I'm sure there are plenty of them. I mean they don't say, breed like squirrels, for nothing."

  The squirrels refused to abandon their offspring, as they began to climb her clothes and tug her hair.

  "Hey, the violence is uncalled for! I'm telling this for your sake, run before the ogre return—"

  With a loud thud, a slender figure jumped down—the ogre had descended. The sudden sound and impact made the squirrels retreat.

  The younger sibling opened her palm, letting the baby squirrel flee. At least you save your life, Squilly—always remember mama.

  A firm hand gripped the younger sister's shoulder from behind, to which she responded without turning back, "Hey, sis... You won't believe me but Squilly had a really neglectful family, they we —"

  The older sibling rotated her and pulled her into a tight embrace. She held her there for a few seconds before letting go.

  "Whoa sis, what happened?"

  Looking at her sister's clueless face, the older sibling really wanted to tell her, 'what happened', and the consequences thereof. But decided otherwise, as more pressing matters weighed her mind.

  "Wait here," she climbed the tree again and returned quickly, holding two pouches of fruits and some vines. Placing them down, she walked behind the tree and grabbed two more pouches of fruits from inside a dense bush.

  She gathered all four pouches together and began tying them with the vines: "Squeak, help me tie them up."

  With a confused expression, the younger sibling sat down and started making clean knots.

  Soon, they were finished encasing the pouches inside the vines. They then attached two pieces of vines on it and made loops of them.

  Lifting the vine encasing—like a backpack—the older sibling said, "We are leaving—now!"