14
Outside the village of the Forest Clan:
Cardin walked along the path leading back to the village. He had been part of a small group searching for Madas for the past two days. All of the paths on this side of the mountain had been thoroughly searched to no avail. No one wanted to go beyond the immediate surrounding area. The path over the mountain was treacherous enough, but the beasts were worse.
He had fallen behind Madas’s brothers. Two of them had reluctantly volunteered to help look for their younger sister. He had listened to them for the past two days complain about having to leave the comfort of their home. They both insisted that Madas would eventually come home—she always did. For all they knew, she could have been watching them the entire time and laughing at their inexperi
