(SHADOW drops from the ridge and approaches slowly. He stops a few yards away, sitting, head tilted.)
RAVEN: (calloused hand over his heart) We came to mark tracks. Maybe it’s the wolf that marks us now.
Scene 4 — Dawn (Morning light. SHADOW melts into the trees. LENA, KAI, and RAVEN stand in the clearing, footprints leading away.)
Scene 3 — Encounter (They step outside. Moonlight washes the clearing. SHADOW stands on a ridge, visible and calm.)
SHADOW: (outside, a step in snow) I hunt what’s left. I learn human sounds. I do not howl at them. I watch them like they watch me.
SHADOW: (voice like wind) I keep the edges of things. I remember what the old snow taught me: move light, listen harder.
Scene 1 — Dusk in the Clearing (LENA kneels by a fresh paw print. KAI watches the tree line. RAVEN lights a lantern by the cabin door.)