The journey north across the frozen expanse took two full days.
As they drew closer to the cavern's mouth, the forest's atmosphere shifted drastically. A heavy silence descended—not a peaceful silence, but one that pressed against the eardrums. There was no fluttering of bird wings, no chirping of crickets. Even the wind seemed reluctant to blow among the stiff, frozen trees. Dry branches rubbed against each other overhead, creating a sound—creak... scratch...—that felt like hoarse whispers coming from every direction. In the midst of this eerie stillness, the roar of tank engines and the growl of transport vehicles were the only anchors connecting them to the outside world.
