The morning started like every other morning.
Two hours of running the perimeter, lungs burning as the forest blurred past us in long green streaks, my breath settling into a steady rhythm that drowned out thought. The ground was uneven in places, roots breaking through the dirt, rocks half buried, the kind of terrain that punished careless feet. I welcomed it. Pain had rules. Effort had cause and effect. If I pushed harder, I got stronger. Simple. Honest.
Afterward, breakfast barely took the edge off my hunger. Protein bars, eggs, water. Enough to keep us moving, never enough to feel indulgent. That was intentional. Full stomachs made lazy fighters. Austin drilled that into us early.
Routine was the point. Predictability. It kept my head clear and my body sharp. Out here, nothing happe
