The first warning came while Xu Hao was trying to sleep.
Two stones clicked together somewhere beyond the shelter.
Sia lifted her head from his blanket, her ears pointing towards the darkness between the pines.
Xu Hao lay still, listening.
A second click followed, accompanied by a faint rustling in the grass.
His hand moved towards the bow beside his sleeping place. Then he remembered that the string was unhooked and the arrows were still wrapped in cloth.
Even if he managed to ready the weapon, he couldn't see clearly enough to identify whatever was moving out there.
Shooting blindly into the trees was hardly a sensible solution.
"Brother Er Bao," he whispered. "Did you hear that?"
"I'm awake."
Er Bao was sitting beside the dying fire, his sword resting across his knees. He had already turned towards the sound.
Da Bao stirred beneath his blanket. Little One raised her head beside him, apparently interested in whatever had disturbed the camp.
"Something crossed the warning line," Xu Hao said.
"Possibly," Er Bao replied. "Stay where you are for a moment. I want to hear whether it comes any closer."
They listened.
A faint scratching sound drifted up from the southern slope. Something moved among the leaves, then the forest became quiet again.
Xu Hao thought of the enormous paw print they'd found beside the stream.
"Could it be the tiger?"
"I don't think so. Whatever made that noise sounded much smaller, and none of the dogs seem particularly alarmed."
Xu Hao glanced at Sia.
She was still watching the trees, but the fur along her back remained smooth. After another moment, she gave a quiet huff and rested her chin against his leg.
Da Bao had risen with his club. He stood near the entrance for a while, looking downhill.
"If that really was the mother of the tiger we killed, I doubt she'd come sneaking around for scraps. We'd probably hear her long before she reached us."
"That's reassuring," Xu Hao murmured, although he wasn't entirely convinced.
Er Bao looked towards his brother.
"We'll check the line at first light. There's no reason to go wandering into the forest now when we can't even see what we're looking for."
Da Bao agreed and returned to his blanket, keeping the club beside him.
Xu Hao tried to sleep.
Unfortunately, his mind kept returning to the enormous footprint beside the stream.
They had made the sensible decision to retreat rather than investigate it. He understood that.
What troubled him was how easily things might have gone differently.
If they'd followed the tracks, perhaps they would have encountered nothing.
Or perhaps they would have discovered exactly what sort of beast could leave a print that large.
He lay awake for some time, listening to the forest beyond the shelter.
Eventually, Sia's steady breathing helped him drift back to sleep.
---
At first light, the three brothers went to inspect the warning line.
Most of the northern perimeter remained undisturbed. The stones were still in place, and the grass showed no signs of anything passing through.
On the southern side, however, several pebbles had rolled away from their positions.
A tuft of brown fur clung to a low twig.
Da Bao crouched and examined it.
"Something came through here last night. Not very large, judging by the height of that branch."
Xu Hao knelt beside him.
The ground was still damp from the previous evening, and several small impressions marked the mud beyond the disturbed stones.
He studied them carefully.
"I can see where it crossed, but the prints are too shallow for me to recognise the animal. Do you know what made them?"
"Not from these," Da Bao admitted. "Let's follow them a little farther. It shouldn't be difficult while the ground's still wet."
Er Bao went first, with Xu Hao following and Da Bao watching their surroundings.
The trail wandered between several exposed roots before leading towards the pit where they'd buried the scraps left over from cleaning the tiger hide.
Xu Hao stopped.
Fresh earth had been pushed aside.
A narrow groove ran across the loose dirt, and several small pieces of bone lay near the edge.
"Well," he said, looking at the disturbed pit, "at least we know what our visitor came looking for."
Before Er Bao could reply, something brown shot out from beneath a fallen log.
It was a little larger than a fox Xu Hao might have seen on Earth, with pointed ears and an unusually long striped tail.
A strip of dried meat hung from its mouth.
For a brief moment, the creature froze.
Little One lunged.
"Back!" Da Bao commanded.
The young husky skidded to a halt, her paws tearing shallow furrows through the soil.
The thief needed no further encouragement.
It vanished beneath a tangle of roots, taking its prize with it.
Da Bao watched it disappear.
"That was good meat."
"We buried it because we weren't going to eat it," Er Bao reminded him.
"Still good meat."
Xu Hao looked at the pit.
The little creature had done more than steal a few scraps. It had revealed a problem they hadn't properly considered.
"We've been burying the remains here because it's downhill from the shelter," he said. "But anything that comes looking for food can simply follow the smell towards us."
Er Bao nodded.
"That's what concerns me. A little scavenger isn't dangerous by itself, but it may not be the only animal attracted to the remains. We should have moved them farther away after cleaning the hide."
Da Bao examined the exposed bones.
"We can take what's left somewhere else. There's a stretch of rocky ground farther downhill where the earth doesn't hold tracks as easily."
"That would help," Er Bao agreed. "But we'll need to consider the wind as well. Even if we bury the scraps, animals with a good sense of smell may still find them."
Xu Hao glanced towards the trees.
A small animal had slipped through their warning line without much difficulty.
Something larger might do the same.
And unlike the little thief, a larger predator might be interested in more than discarded meat.
"We should move everything today," he said.
Neither brother disagreed.
---
Da Bao collected the remaining scraps in a sack while Er Bao checked the cleaned tiger hide.
The hide had already been treated and hung where smoke from their fire helped preserve it.
Da Bao wanted to move that as well, but Er Bao shook his head.
"It's already cleaned. We can leave it on the rocky shelf for now. Moving it through the forest will only spread the scent along another trail."
Da Bao considered the matter, then returned to gathering the scraps.
Xu Hao brought the shovel and water skin.
Together, they carried the remains downhill, choosing a route over exposed stone wherever possible.
Er Bao selected a new burial place well away from the shelter, on the far side of a rocky outcrop.
He explained why he'd chosen it while Da Bao prepared the ground.
"Animals don't approach from the same direction every time. The wind changes, water carries scents, and hungry scavengers will travel farther than you might expect. We can't prevent everything from finding the remains, but we can stop giving them such an obvious reason to come near our camp."
Xu Hao listened carefully.
He'd spent years studying evidence left by people who had died centuries before his birth.
Yet here, surrounded by living creatures, he was still learning how to recognise the most obvious signs of activity.
The comparison wasn't particularly flattering.
After they buried the remains, they covered the disturbed soil and returned by a different route.
It was on the way back that Xu Hao noticed something else.
Their own footprints were clearly visible in the softer ground.
Three men had walked downhill carrying a sack.
Now three men were travelling uphill without it.
Even someone who knew nothing about tracking could probably follow the route.
Xu Hao stopped and looked back.
"Brother Er Bao, are we making another trail straight to our shelter?"
Er Bao followed his gaze.
"That's a good observation. Come this way. There's a stony section we can use for the last part of the return."
They changed direction, taking a longer route over harder ground.
By the time they reached camp, the sun had risen high enough to illuminate the narrow path leading towards the stream.
Xu Hao stood near the entrance, considering what they'd learned.
The scavenger had approached from the south.
Their usual route out of camp also led south.
That bothered him.
"Brother Er Bao, I've been thinking about something. If a large beast comes up that path while we're sleeping, where are we supposed to go?"
Er Bao looked towards the stream.
"We'd normally retreat downhill, unless something was blocking the way."
"But that might be exactly where the beast is coming from."
For a moment, Er Bao studied the terrain without answering.
Then he looked behind the shelter, towards a stand of low pines growing beside a shelf of rock.
"You're right. We've been relying too much on the southern path. Let's see whether there's another way out."
---
The ground behind the shelter rose towards a rocky shelf, with several narrow gaps between the trees.
At first glance, it seemed suitable for an escape route.
The soil was firm, and the pines would provide some cover from anything approaching through the southern clearing.
But a fallen trunk blocked the middle of the passage.
Xu Hao squeezed through the gap with his shoulders turned.
He emerged on the other side and looked back at the brothers.
"Brother Da Bao, I don't think you'll fit through here. Not with your club and your pack."
Da Bao studied the opening.
"I've climbed through narrower places than that. Move aside and let me try."
He took off his club and turned sideways.
The first few branches bent beneath his shoulders, allowing him to advance a little farther.
Then his vest caught on a broken limb.
He twisted to free himself.
The branch snapped with a crack loud enough to echo across the hillside.
Xu Hao watched him struggle for another moment.
"If we're trying to escape without attracting attention, I think we've found a problem."
Da Bao looked down at the branch caught against his clothing.
He tugged it free.
"All right. The gap needs to be wider."
Er Bao walked around the fallen trunk, examining the space from both directions.
"Not just wider. Suppose one of us is injured and can't walk. Could you carry him through here?"
Da Bao turned towards Xu Hao.
Xu Hao immediately recognised the expression on his brother's face.
"Brother Da Bao, surely we can measure the opening without—"
Before he finished, Da Bao picked him up.
"Better to test it properly."
Xu Hao found himself draped across one enormous shoulder.
The giant approached the passage again.
He managed barely half a step before Xu Hao's knees struck one branch and his head pressed uncomfortably against another.
"That's enough!" Xu Hao protested. "We've established that an injured man wouldn't survive the journey."
Da Bao backed away and lowered him carefully to the ground.
Er Bao examined the gap.
"Then we'll widen it. If this is going to be our second route, it needs to be usable even when we're exhausted or carrying someone."
They spent the next hour clearing a passage.
Da Bao used his earth ability to shift the fallen trunk just enough to create more space. He avoided disturbing the surrounding ground more than necessary.
Xu Hao gathered loose branches and scattered them beneath the neighbouring trees, while Er Bao checked whether the changes were visible from farther downhill.
They couldn't completely hide what they'd done, but they could avoid leaving an obvious trail leading straight towards the shelter.
As they worked, Xu Hao noticed another problem.
He'd been marking the nearest trees with shallow cuts so they could recognise the way out.
The first mark was plainly visible from the outside.
He stopped and examined it.
Then he walked back towards camp and looked at the route from the opposite direction.
Anyone approaching from the rocky shelf could follow those marks just as easily as they could.
"Brother Er Bao, I think I've made a mistake."
Er Bao came over.
Xu Hao showed him the marks.
"If they're visible from both directions, someone else could use them to find the shelter. We'd be making our own trail for strangers."
Er Bao studied the cuts.
"Then where would you put them?"
Xu Hao walked around the nearest tree.
He placed the next mark on the inward-facing side of a branch, where someone leaving camp could reach it but a person approaching from downhill would be less likely to notice it.
"Here. We could follow them by touch if it's dark."
Er Bao smiled.
"That's much better. Make certain they're all at a height you can reach. There's no point putting a mark somewhere only Da Bao can find."
Da Bao, who had been moving another fallen branch, glanced over.
"I heard that."
Xu Hao continued marking the route while the brothers finished clearing the passage.
By late afternoon, Da Bao could walk through it without turning sideways.
They tested the space again with him carrying a bundle of firewood to represent someone who couldn't move unaided.
This time he passed through without touching either side.
He set the wood down and looked pleased.
"That should do it. Even if I have to carry both of you, there's enough room."
Xu Hao considered the giant's shoulders.
He hoped they would never have to test that claim.
---
After sunset, they tried the escape route in darkness.
Er Bao remained near the shelter while Xu Hao took Sia towards the passage behind the pines.
Grey stayed beside Er Bao, watching quietly. Little One wanted to follow, but Da Bao distracted her with a piece of dried meat.
Xu Hao had walked the route several times that afternoon.
He'd helped clear the fallen trunk, placed the hidden markings, and examined the ground closely enough that he thought he would remember every turn.
Now, standing in the darkness, he wasn't nearly so confident.
The trees looked different without sunlight.
The opening between the pines seemed narrower, and he couldn't immediately distinguish one trunk from another.
He reached out and felt along the bark.
After a moment, his fingers found the first shallow mark.
"There you are," he murmured.
Sia stayed close as he moved forward.
The second mark was lower than he remembered.
He leaned towards it, stretching his hand along the rough bark.
His foot caught against a root.
Xu Hao pitched forward.
He caught himself against a tree, but his shoulder struck the trunk hard enough to send a dull thud through the quiet forest.
From the camp, Da Bao called out.
"Little brother! Are you all right?"
"I'm fine! I tripped over a root."
"Do you need help?"
"No. I'd like to try it again."
He could almost imagine Da Bao shaking his head at the response.
Xu Hao crouched and examined the root by touch.
It wasn't hidden beneath the ground.
He'd simply remembered the path incorrectly.
In daylight, the obstacle had seemed obvious.
In darkness, he'd walked straight into it.
He returned to the beginning and tried again.
This time, he moved more carefully.
He kept one hand near the trees, using the hidden marks to guide him, and allowed Sia to walk slightly ahead whenever the ground became uncertain.
Her shoulder brushed against his leg as she moved.
He found the second mark.
Then the third.
A short while later, he stepped onto the rocky shelf beyond the pines.
The sound of the stream reached him from below.
He looked back towards the passage.
It was difficult to distinguish the route from the surrounding trees.
Unfortunately, he'd also discovered how easily he might lose his way if he tried to hurry through it at night.
Er Bao joined him a little later.
"How was it?"
"Useful," Xu Hao replied. "Although I tripped on the first attempt. There's a root near the second mark that I didn't notice in the dark."
Er Bao looked towards the passage.
"Then we've found something to fix. Would you be able to make it through if something was chasing you?"
Xu Hao considered the question seriously.
"Not quickly enough yet. I know the route in daylight, but that's different from remembering it when I can't see. I need more practice, and we should probably clear the root as well."
Er Bao nodded.
"That's why we tested it tonight. Better to discover the problem now than when there's a beast behind us."
Xu Hao agreed.
The first attempt had been embarrassing, but the failure had taught him something useful.
A route that looked perfect during the day wasn't necessarily dependable at night.
He made a mental note to practise it again the following evening.
And perhaps the evening after that.
Until he could find his way through without having to think about every step.
---
Later that night, the three brothers sat beside the fire while the dogs settled around them.
Da Bao was still thinking about the little scavenger.
"Do you suppose it'll come back?" he asked.
"Probably," Er Bao replied. "It found food here once. Animals remember places where they've been able to eat."
Da Bao frowned thoughtfully.
"Then perhaps we should leave some scraps farther downhill. If it finds enough to eat there, it might stop coming near the shelter."
Xu Hao looked up from the bark he was writing on.
"Wouldn't that simply encourage it to keep visiting the area?"
"Maybe. I was thinking that if it stays farther away, we won't have to worry about it wandering through camp."
Er Bao considered the suggestion before shaking his head.
"I'd rather not feed it at all. Once we start leaving food out regularly, other scavengers may discover it too. We want them to lose interest in this hill, not turn it into somewhere they expect a meal."
Da Bao nodded reluctantly.
"Fair enough. Though I still think it was a good piece of meat."
Xu Hao smiled and returned to his notes.
He recorded the disturbed stones, the tuft of fur, and the small creature they'd seen carrying off the scraps.
Then he described the changes they'd made.
Food remains relocated.
Second escape route cleared.
Hidden marks placed on inner sides of trees.
First nighttime attempt unsuccessful.
Root near second mark.
Practise again.
The enormous tiger remained somewhere beyond their knowledge.
They hadn't seen it near the shelter.
They hadn't found any tracks proving that it had followed them.
He decided not to include it among the day's observations.
He'd spent too many years teaching students the difference between evidence and speculation to ignore that distinction now.
Er Bao came to sit beside him.
"You did well today."
Xu Hao looked up.
"I fell over a root and discovered that a small animal could walk through our warning line. I'm not sure those count as successes."
"They do if you learn from them. We wouldn't have thought seriously about another escape route if you hadn't questioned the way we've been leaving camp."
Xu Hao glanced towards the dark trees behind the shelter.
"Couldn't we have made that route earlier?"
"We could have," Er Bao admitted. "But we thought the path to the stream was enough. We've lived here a long time, and sometimes familiarity makes a person overlook things he ought to notice."
Xu Hao nodded.
He knew the feeling.
At archaeological sites, he'd watched experienced researchers overlook details because they were too certain they already understood what they were looking at.
He'd made the same mistake himself more than once.
The forest, it seemed, was an equally unforgiving teacher.
"I keep thinking about that footprint beside the stream," Xu Hao admitted. "Not because I want to find the tiger. Quite the opposite. I keep wondering how much we've missed simply because nothing bad has happened yet."
Er Bao followed his gaze towards the trees.
"There's always something we haven't considered. We can't prepare for every danger, but we can keep improving what we already have."
Xu Hao looked at his notes.
He had spent much of the day discovering problems.
Their warning line had been crossed.
Their food scraps had attracted an animal.
Their only familiar escape route approached from the same direction as the intruder.
Their new route had proved awkward to navigate in darkness.
None of these discoveries had been particularly pleasant.
Yet by evening, they were better prepared than they had been that morning.
He understood now why Er Bao had insisted that they practise and inspect things that appeared to be working perfectly well.
It wasn't enough to wait until something failed.
Whenever possible, they needed to discover how it might fail first.
Xu Hao rolled up the strip of bark and set it beside his sleeping place.
Sia stirred as he sat down, raising her head just long enough to recognise him before settling again.
He scratched behind her crooked ear.
The little scavenger had escaped with a mouthful of meat.
The brothers had gained a second route out of camp, a better understanding of their warning line, and several useful lessons about their own assumptions.
Xu Hao smiled faintly.
Considering how much Da Bao disliked wasting food, he wondered whether his eldest brother would appreciate being told that they'd actually got the better end of the bargain.
He decided to keep that observation to himself.