The bullet from Noah's father's gun grazed Yeti's shoulder. Thanks to his thick skin, he avoided a fatal wound, but the pain made it clear that controlling his growls was becoming harder. However, the forest had already begun to heal him.
A wounded magical spider emerged from the forest, carefully using its remaining massive legs to stitch up Yeti's wound. At the same time, a large lizard covered the spider's severed legs with new tissue, healing them. Every living creature, as part of the forest's balance, had come together to protect Yeti.
The remaining creatures scouted the forest's perimeter, watching the humans' actions and communicating their findings.
"I warned you, child. I told you that what you've done would endanger us all," the spider spoke, resisting its own pain. "Humans never change. Every time, you say, 'They've changed. This time will be different,' but the result is always the same—great disappointment and wasted efforts."
"I'm sorry. But I still have hope for humans." Despite his pain, Yeti spoke with a gentle smile. "If we blame and hate them just because some among them are bad, then how are we any different from them?"
"I am warning you. Your family perished because of their deep love and faith in humans, but in the end, they were killed by them. I warned your family of what was to come. I loved your father like a son, but he didn't listen to me." The spider took a deep breath and continued. "Now, I am warning you. Listen to me and never trust them. Come with us and help us restore the forest's order."
"I have always watched over the peace of the forest alone. Loneliness became as natural as breathing. But Noah... Noah showed me something else—the warmth of companionship and friendship. I never had anyone by my side. Noah is my only friend. Do you know what it feels like to share everything with someone, to spend every moment together? I experienced it for the first time. And it was beautiful." Yeti's eyes welled with tears, but he still smiled. "I'm sorry, but I can't just throw it all away now that I've formed such a bond."
As their brief conversation ended, the healing process continued. It wasn't just the creatures' efforts—the Heart of the Forest, the mystical force that maintained balance among all living beings within, had awakened. Everything in the forest moved in harmony, until humans disrupted this order.
Yeti's deep roar echoed through the depths of the forest, spreading like a tremor. Just like years ago, the Heart of the Forest had once again stirred.
Meanwhile, in town, people were beginning to rise up. Fear had slowly turned into hatred, and now the crowd had one clear goal: to destroy the forest.
Gathered in the town square, people held torches and weapons, shouting and waving them toward the sky in anger. One man raised his axe high and roared furiously:
"This forest is a curse on our town! Whenever something strange happens, it's always the forest's fault! We've had enough!"
Another voice from the crowd joined in:
"They've made it impossible for us to live here! We have to get rid of them!"
"The earthquake that killed our ancestors and devastated our town years ago—it was nature's fault again!"
Torches waved in the air, angry voices blending together. But amidst the chaos, one boy stood frozen, struggling to breathe—Noah.
Noah ran to his father, his eyes filled with desperation.
"Dad, stop! The forest has done nothing to us! We can't do this!" he shouted, using all his strength so his voice wouldn't be lost among the other cries.
His father's weary eyes met his. There was only fear in them, but also an attempt to explain something.
"This forest is a danger to all of us. Can't you see it, Noah? I'm worried about you! You're defending Yeti, but you don't even know what he really is. He's a monster!"
Noah gritted his teeth in frustration.
"You're wrong! He's not a monster. He is far better than us! He doesn't act out of anger or hatred like we do. He doesn't destroy without thought. Dad, can't you see? The real monsters are us."
For a brief moment, his father's gaze softened, but the shouting crowd behind him hardened his resolve.
"Son... It's too late now. Go home and sleep," he whispered.
Noah clenched his fists and turned away. The crowd had already started advancing toward the forest. The torches glowed in the darkness like the eyes of a monster. The shadows of the trees took on a somber form as the first gust of wind swept through—a call from nature itself.
People circled the forest's edge, peering into the night with torches raised.
A group of young men whispered among themselves.
"Do you really think Yeti exists? The wounded guy swears he saw it."
"No way. Noah is already crazy, so his father must be crazy too. HAHAHAHA!"
Their laughter echoed through the forest.
"Why aren't we going inside? Just standing here is boring. Maybe we can hunt a Yeti or two. Hahaha—"
As soon as they stepped into the forest, they were caught in a trap. A spider had suspended them in its web, hanging them from a tree.
"Let us go, you giant freak! When I get out of here, I'll burn every part of you!"
The spider sealed their mouths with silk and crushed their weapons with its sharp legs.
The arrogant young men were left hanging for fifty-eight minutes before another group found and rescued them.
At first, whispers filled the air.
"This forest is cursed!"
"They're going to take our children from us!"
Then whispers turned into shouts. Fear became rage, and the town square erupted into a riot.
"After every disaster, we always point our fingers in the same direction—the forest. And now it's our turn. This time, we will destroy it!"
The forest dwellers had only ever repelled humans without harming them, but the people saw this as "mockery," fueling their rage even further.
"They don't take us seriously! They think this is a game! WELL THEN, LET'S SHOW THEM WHAT A REAL GAME LOOKS LIKE! BRING THE TORCHES! LET THE FIRST FLAME BE CAST!"
One of the leaders, his face twisted in fury, gripped a torch. The crowd held its breath, waiting for his move.
The man raised the torch and roared. "Let the forest fear us!"
Then, he hurled the flame into the trees. For a moment, there was silence. The torch soared like a star in the night sky before meeting the dry branches, igniting like a dragon's breath. First came the crackling sounds, then the fire's hunger engulfed the entire forest. Even the wind seemed desperate to escape. Dry leaves caught fire, and the blaze spread like a ravenous beast.
Noah stood beside his father, tears streaming down his face, forced to watch it all unfold. He had heard how Yeti's family was wiped out like this in the past. And now, because of him, history was repeating itself. He wanted to stop it, to save Yeti and his family—but he was just a child. He couldn't stop a raging mob driven by destruction.
As the flames advanced, animals began to retreat. The light from the fire barely allowed the frenzied humans to see, but even in the chaos, they still tried to hunt the fleeing creatures.
"Every creature in this forest is filthy and cursed. HUNT THEM ALL!"
The war between the forest and humanity had begun. Knowing they would face no consequences, the people unleashed their wrath on the animals and the land, justifying it with excuses—"They are cursed; if we don't kill them, they will kill us."