"Ahhh…"
A girl's tired voice echoed softly through the forest as she let out a long breath, her shoulders slumping slightly as she walked.
"The first wave was really hard… and scary," she complained, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
"Yes, it was," another girl replied quietly from beside her.
The voices grew clearer as they moved closer.
From where Ezra was hidden, he could hear everything.
The sound of their boots pressing against the ground, the faint crunch of dry twigs snapping underfoot, and the soft rustle of leaves brushing against their clothes.
Even the light crunch of snow patches hidden beneath the grass could be heard.
Ezra didn't move.
He stayed completely still within the bushes, his breathing controlled, his presence suppressed with Cognis.
Six people.
He counted them silently in his mind as their figures slowly came into view near the stream.
