EXT. MOUNTAIN PLATEAU — PRE-DAWN
The fire has burned to embers. Rowan hasn't moved from his post, but his hand rests on the hilt of his sword. Lyra wakes to the sound of something shifting beneath the earth — like rock grinding on rock.
LYRA
Rowan?
He doesn't answer immediately. His eyes are fixed on the ground at the edge of the plateau.
ROWAN
Don't speak. Listen.
---
A VIBRATION
The rumble grows deeper. Stones rattle loose from the cliffside and tumble into the abyss. The sound is followed by a low, throaty growl — not from the wind, but from underneath.
Lyra grips the edge of the boulder she slept against.
LYRA
Please tell me that's just the mountain settling.
ROWAN
Mountains don't growl.
---
THE LEGEND COMES ALIVE
Rowan pulls her to her feet, urgency cutting through his calm.
ROWAN
We have to move. Now.
LYRA
What is it?
Rowan glances back toward the source of the sound.
ROWAN
Stonewraith.
Lyra frowns.
LYRA
That sounds… bad.
ROWAN
It's worse.
---
THE ESCAPE
The ground beneath them cracks. A massive, jagged shape bursts through the rock — a creature of stone and shadow, its "face" nothing more than a cavernous hollow filled with grinding shards.
It roars — the sound is like boulders colliding in a landslide.
ROWAN
Run!
They sprint along the narrow path, the Stonewraith's massive body smashing through outcrops behind them, sending showers of debris into the chasm below.
---
A TEST OF TRUST
The path narrows to a dead end — sheer cliff to the right, vertical wall to the left. Lyra skids to a stop.
LYRA
There's nowhere to go!
Rowan grabs her hand and pulls her toward the edge.
LYRA
Are you insane?!
ROWAN
Do you trust me?
She hesitates for a heartbeat — then nods.
ROWAN
Jump.
---
THE LEAP
They leap from the cliff. Lyra's scream is swallowed by the roar of wind. At the last second, Rowan slams a small metal spike into the cliff face, their fall snapping to a bone-jarring halt as the rope tied to his belt catches.
The Stonewraith lunges for them, but its weight pulls it over the edge. It crashes into the chasm below, smashing against the rocks until its growl fades into silence.
---
THE AFTERMATH
They dangle against the cliff, breathing hard.
LYRA
You… are… insane.
Rowan actually smiles — the first time she's seen it.
ROWAN
And yet, we're alive.
---
As they climb down to a lower ledge, Lyra glances up at him.
LYRA
That thing… it was after me, wasn't it?
ROWAN
Not exactly. Stonewraiths feed on magic. You are magic.
---
Lyra shivers, not from the cold. She doesn't say anything, but one thought keeps looping in her mind:
If creatures like that exist, how much worse could the Warden be?
FADE OUT.