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The night was thick and dark, a heavy silence blanketing the forest as Logan and Wade moved through the underbrush. Shadows stretched out from towering pines, and the faint glow of moonlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting everything in an eerie silver. Wade kept close behind Logan, who was leading the way with calm, measured steps.
They’d been out there for hours, following a faint trail left by their target. Wade, usually the one cracking jokes and keeping the mood light, found himself silent as he watched Logan maneuver through the darkness like he’d been born to it. Wade knew Logan had spent years outdoors, but he hadn’t fully realized what that meant until now.
“Alright, peanut,” Wade whispered, finally breaking the silence as he stepped over a fallen branch. “How exactly are you figuring out where we’re going? It’s pitch black out here.”
Logan didn’t even glance back as he answered, “Using the stars and the magnetic fields of the earth, Wade.”
Wade chuckled. “Haha, very funny, but seriously, how’re we finding this place? Are we even close?”
Logan stopped, finally turning to give Wade a deadpan look. “How do you think I managed to survive in the Canadian wilderness all these years?”
Wade stared at him, waiting for the punchline, but Logan’s expression remained steady, unbothered. “Wait…you’re serious?”
Logan raised an eyebrow. “You really think I need a map to get around out here? I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you might think.”
Wade’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Logan, trying to piece together the full extent of what he was capable of. “Okay, so you can track people down in the middle of a forest…without a map. That’s…actually kinda hot, but let’s stay focused.”
Logan rolled his eyes, but there was the faintest hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. “Good to know where your priorities are.”
As they continued, Wade couldn’t help but be impressed. Logan moved almost silently, his every step calculated, barely a rustle in the leaves underfoot. He’d stop every so often, glancing up at the sky or feeling the air as if he could actually sense something out there. Wade was used to operating with gadgets, intel, and often sheer dumb luck. Logan, on the other hand, was using something primal, something honed from years of raw survival.
“Alright, sensei, teach me your ways,” Wade muttered, trying to match Logan’s stealth.
Logan glanced over his shoulder, amusement flickering in his gaze. “First lesson, don’t be loud.”
“Right, right. Got it.” Wade nodded, attempting to mirror Logan’s silent footsteps but failing miserably.
Twigs snapped beneath his feet, and he stumbled over a hidden root, only for Logan to catch his arm, steadying him without a word.
Wade looked down, a bit sheepish. “Alright, peanut, guess I’ve got some work to do.”
“Keep up and maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.” Logan shot him a quick smirk before pressing on, his gaze trained on the stars and the faint light peeking through the trees.
Wade watched him, caught somewhere between admiration and curiosity.
“How do you know all this?” he whispered. “I mean, the stars, the earth’s magnetic fields…I thought that was, like, folklore.”
“It’s not folklore,” Logan replied, pausing to adjust their course. “It’s instinct. And years of having to rely on something more than technology. You spend enough time out here, you learn to listen to things that most people ignore.”
Wade watched him, a newfound respect growing. He’d known Logan was capable, but this…this was something beyond skill or training. It was primal, something Wade didn’t quite understand but could only marvel at.
They reached a small clearing, and Logan stopped, signaling for Wade to crouch down beside him. Logan scanned the area, his senses heightened, and Wade held his breath, trying to feel the same tension in the air.
“There,” Logan muttered, nodding toward the faint glow of a campfire barely visible through the trees.
Wade peered out, squinting to see it.
“How did you…?” Wade started, shaking his head. “I’ve gotta hand it to you, Logie, you’re full of surprises.”
Logan’s gaze softened just a bit, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. “Guess you don’t know everything about me yet.”
Wade chuckled quietly. “Well, keep it up, and you might just make me fall for you all over again.”
Logan shook his head, suppressing a smirk. “Let’s finish the mission first, Wade.”
But as they prepared to move forward, Wade couldn’t help but feel grateful for this quiet, intense side of Logan—the man who could lead him through a pitch-black forest using nothing but instinct and the stars. And for once, he didn’t feel the need to joke or break the silence. Just this once, he let himself follow Logan’s lead, trusting him completely.