The forest was calm, the morning sun peeking through the trees like golden needles through green cloth. Birds chirped in harmony, bugs buzzed in rhythm, and along a dirt path, a lone boy walked with a bag twice his size slung over his back.
"Uuugh," Lyuko groaned dramatically, his back bending like an old man. "Grandma packed enough snacks to survive a zombie apocalypse. Not that I'm complaining, but does she think I'm moving into the forest?" He stopped and patted the bag. It made a solid thud. "I swear, this has bricks hidden in it. Or a watermelon. Or... a brick-shaped watermelon."
He took a deep breath, wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead. "Alright, one more kilometer to the bus stop and then... city life, here I come!" He threw his fists up in excitement, then immediately regretted it as the bag shifted and nearly tipped him over.
Lyuko had just finished his summer vacation at Grandma's countryside home and was heading back to the bustling city where his parents lived. He wasn't exactly excited to leave behind fresh air, no school, and Grandma's endless snacks, but the call of gaming consoles and high-speed internet was strong.
He began muttering to himself as he walked. "I wonder if anyone's ever built a castle out of beef jerky. I should try it. I shall name it... Jerkyhold."
His daydreaming was suddenly shattered by a distant cry.
"HEEEELP! Somebody! HELP!"
He froze.
"Help! PLEASE!"
The voice echoed three times, sharp and desperate.
"Huh?! What the heck was that?!" Lyuko spun toward the sound. His eyes flicked to the left, to the dense forest. A wooden sign nailed to a tree read: RESTRICTED AREA – DO NOT ENTER.
Lyuko looked at the sign. Then looked at the forest. Then looked at his bag.
"Dang it," he muttered, dropping the bag by the tree. "Grandma, if I die, I want a statue made of snacks in my honor."
With that, he bolted into the woods.
The trees grew closer together as he ran. Branches slapped his face. Leaves got stuck in his hair. "Okay, note to self," he puffed, "next time bring a machete. Or a chainsaw. Or a laser cannon."
"HELLOOO? Where are you? Seriously, this forest is like a green maze with attitude. I think I'm going in circles! That tree looks like it insulted me earlier!"
Finally, after a few more comedic crashes into bushes and one terrifying encounter with a butterfly, Lyuko stumbled into a clearing.
There, a boy about his age stood with torn clothes, a bloody forehead, and panic in his eyes. He was backed against a rock, trembling.
In front of him stood a giant bear. Not a regular bear. This one looked like it had been hitting the gym and drinking rage smoothies. It was easily double the size of normal bears, with claws that could probably slice a bus.
"...Okaaay," Lyuko whispered. "That's not your average Winnie the Pooh."
He looked around, picked up a pebble, and chucked it at the bear. It bounced harmlessly off its back. The bear turned slightly.
Nobody was there.
Lyuko had ducked behind a tree. "Phase one, successful."
He tossed a second pebble. The bear grunted, annoyed. Still, no one visible.
"Alright... phase three!"
He hurled the third pebble and this time, stood out in the open, arms out like a magician.
"Yo, you oversized rug! You want a piece of me?! You want some of Grandma's legendary fruitcake? 'Cause it's basically a weapon!"
The bear turned fully. It roared like thunder. Lyuko's smirk vanished.
"Oh no. It works too well!"
He turned and sprinted. "RUUUUN!"
The boy looked up in shock. "Who was that guy?!"
"No time! Just run!" Lyuko screamed behind him.
The boy yelped and bolted. "You were supposed to distract him, not lead him back to me!"
"I got lost in the woods! My sense of direction is like a spinning compass!"
They ran, arguing face-to-face, not watching ahead.
SMACK!
They slammed into a tree and hit the ground like sacks of flour.
The bear approached, drooling, eyes wild. Its growl rumbled through the earth.
Lyuko tried to move. His vision blurred. His eyes fluttered.
Darkness.
---
Beep... beep...
A soft beeping filled the air. Lyuko opened his eyes halfway.
"Doctor! He's waking up!" his mother's voice shouted.
He blinked fully awake. He was in a hospital bed. His mom sat beside him, eyes red, but filled with relief.
"Lyuko...! How many times have we told you not to go into the forest?!" she said in that classic mom-worried-but-angry tone.
"Sorrreee," Lyuko said with a grin.
Next to him stood the boy from the forest, cleaned up and quiet.
"Hey," Lyuko asked, "how did we even survive that bear?"
The boy looked down. "I... I passed out too. I don't remember anything."
Lyuko blinked. "What were you doing in the forest anyway?"
"Looking for fruits," the boy said. "I was hungry."
"What's your name, friend?"
"Teko," he replied softly.
"Where are your parents, Teko?"
There was silence.
"I'm alone," he said.
Lyuko's mom looked at him, her expression softening. "Then until you're fully recovered, you're staying with us. No arguments."
Teko's eyes filled with emotion. "Thank you... thank you so much." He looked at Lyuko. "And... thank you for saving me. You risked your life."
Lyuko struck a pose with his right hand in the air. "That's what heroes do, baby!"
Then he yelped. "Owww, my hand!"
Teko and his mom burst into laughter.
---
Meanwhile... deep in the forest
At the same clearing, now still and eerie, a team of men in black suits inspected a giant corpse. The bear lay dead, a single clean slash across its back.
One of the men spoke into a walkie-talkie. "Subject neutralized. But the kill... wasn't ours."
Another man knelt, examining the wound. "Too sharp. Too clean. No weapon known to us could do this."
They looked around the forest, then at each other.
"Whoever did this... is no ordinary person."
End of Chapter 1