"What about not respecting the walls?" another member asked. "Why don't we just break a direct path instead of following these turns that slow us down?"
"The trees are extremely elastic," Ren responded, still without breaking stride. "There are ways to break through, but on our route we're already advancing at a very decent pace. Trying to force a path would take more time and energy than simply following the established routes we can mark."
"How do you know all this?" the girl asked, the question everyone was thinking but few dared ask directly, afraid of seeming ignorant or challenging authority.
Ren finally stopped, turning and looking at her briefly with an expression that suggested he'd expected this question eventually.
"Someone showed me things like this about all beasts for a while," he said simply, words carrying the weight of treasured memories and gratitude. "And I paid attention."
He didn't elaborate further, and nobody pressed for details they sensed wouldn't come.
