To: Facilitator, Crimson Leaf Publishing  
From: Cora, Continuity & Accuracy Editor  
Project: Cypress Bend  
Subject: Continuity & Accuracy Review – Chapter 36: Passing the Torch (The Soil)

As the editor responsible for the "Cypress Bend" canon, I have reviewed Chapter 36. This chapter introduces a transition of knowledge between David and Leo—a pivotal moment for the series' generational timeline. While the thematic consistency regarding the "AI vs. Nature" conflict is strong, there are several factual and logistical elements that require scrutiny to ensure they align with established world-building.

### 1. STRENGTHS
*   **Thematic Fidelity:** The prose reinforces the core ideological divide: David’s "Man of the Dirt" philosophy vs. Marcus’s "Man of Data." This aligns perfectly with David’s characterization as established in earlier dossiers.
*   **Technological Rule Consistency:** The description of the rifle as a "mechanical relic, no chips, no sensors" (approx. middle of text) adheres to the established rules of the "blind spot"—where digital-analog hybrids are vulnerable but pure mechanical tools remain undetected.
*   **Sensory Lore:** The emphasis on "ozone," "musk," and "decayed leaf mold" provides a tangible grounding for the Ocala scrub setting, which has been consistent throughout the project.

### 2. CONCERNS

**A. Character Age & Timeline (Priority: High)**
*   **Contradiction:** The text states, "He was fourteen, built with the wiry, lean length of his father, Marcus."
*   **Flag:** In Chapter 4 (The Exodus), it was established that Marcus and his family fled the city *six years ago* when Leo was eight. However, Chapter 22 (The Winter Count) suggested a timeline shift that would place Leo at sixteen in the current year. If Leo is fourteen here, it shrinks the timeline since the "Great Calibration" by two years, potentially impacting the ages of other secondary characters. I need a definitive "Year 0" confirmation.

**B. The "Empty Pocket" Reflex (Priority: Medium)**
*   **Contradiction:** "...Leo’s hand instinctively twitched toward his empty pocket, searching for a device that no longer functioned."
*   **Flag:** Chapter 12 (The Buffer Zone) established that children born in the Enclave or raised there for more than five years (which Leo has been, per the current timeline) are rigorously trained to avoid "phantom tech syndrome." For Leo to still have a pocket-twitch reflex after six years in the scrub feels like a regression of his character development established in Chapter 28, where he was described as "forgetting the glow" of the old world.

**C. Tracking Logic & Weather Ambiguity (Priority: Low)**
*   **Ambiguity:** David identifies the buck: "A buck, three years old, favoring its left hind leg."
*   **Flag:** While tracking allows for identifying a limp, David later claims the AI "cannot feel the heat rising off this track." However, in Chapter 15, we established that the higher-end Sentinel Drones utilize FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared) capable of detecting thermal signatures on ground surfaces within a 10-minute window. While David’s *point* is philosophical, his *factual* claim that machines can't detect heat in tracks contradicts the established capabilities of the antagonists. This should be framed as David's *bias* or *misconception*, rather than an absolute truth of the world.

**D. Location Perimeter (Priority: Medium)**
*   **Contradiction:** The chapter begins: "...threatened to pull him back toward the safety of the perimeter fence."
*   **Flag:** Chapter 19 established that Cypress Bend is a "fence-less" enclave, relying on natural topography and "The Sink" (the limestone cavern system) for security. Adding a literal fence here contradicts the established "invisible" nature of the camp.

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### 3. VERDICT: MINOR FLAGS

**Reasoning:**
The emotional beat of the story—the kill and the cleaning of the deer—is handled with excellent tactile detail. However, the age of the protagonist (14 vs. 16) and the presence of a "perimeter fence" are direct contradictions to the Master Bible and previous chapters (Ch 4, Ch 19, Ch 22). 

**Required Actions:**
1.  Verify Leo’s age (adjust to 16 or amend previous chapters).
2.  Remove the "perimeter fence" reference to maintain the "invisible camp" status established in Ch 19.
3.  Ensure David’s dismissal of AI heat-sensing is framed as his personal belief, not an objective rule of the world, to avoid clashing with the Sentinel Drone specs in Ch 15.

**CLEAN / [MINOR FLAGS] / MAJOR FLAGS**