I noticed the mark on the tree last night, but didn't connect it to the brand. Nice catch.

As to what the mark means, I don't know. In the last scene between Ben and Juliet he mentioned putting the suitcase of medicine near Ethen's former drop off point. I just assumed that the carving in the tree was some kind of directional sign. But since it looks so much like the branding, maybe it means something else.

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