The Northern Alpha

They say that the forest chooses who can cross it alive. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ I never knew if this was just a story to scare children... or a warning that no one had the courage to say out loud. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Since I was a child, I learned that there were truths that should not be questioned. Some were taught out loud; others were understood only through the way adults fell silent when certain topics arose. The forest was one of them. Wolves, another. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ And we — humans — were what existed between these two limits. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ I woke up before the sun that morning, as usual. The cold still rested over the village, and the silence was broken only by the distant crackle of firewood being stirred back to life in some neighboring hut. I stood up carefully, folding the rough woolen blanket and adjusting the simple dress around my body. Nothing there was made for comfort; everything was meant to endure. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ My mother was already awake when I left the small room. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “Don’t be late,” she said, without looking at me. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ It was never necessary to explain what happened to those who were late.Here, orders were not accompanied by justifications. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ I picked up the clay containers and headed outside. The ground was still damp from the night’s calm, and I walked with measured steps, as everyone did. Running was seen as a lack of decorum. Shouting, as recklessness. Crying in public… as weakness. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ The village began to wake up. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ The women gathered in small groups, speaking quietly, exchanging news that never strayed beyond the limits of what was acceptable. The men went to the fields or to guard the outer boundaries, always attentive to the invisible line that separated what was ours from what belonged to the forest. No one crossed this line without permission. And no one asked for such permission lightly. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ As I walked to the well, I felt eyes turn to me — quick, assessing, silent. There was no hostility in them, but there was no affection either.I was seen as any other young human girl: someone who should learn, obey, and, when the time came, accept the fate imposed on her. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Destiny was a word used often there. Choice, almost never. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “Good morning,” I murmured when I came across one of the elderly women. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ She nodded firmly, her clear eyes analyzing me as if they were searching for something I couldn’t name myself. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “Stay close to the village today,” she advised. “The wind changed.” ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ This type of warning was not made randomly. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ I nodded in silence. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Nobody asked why. When signals were given, it was up to us to obey. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Upon reaching the well, I pulled the water with effort, feeling my muscles complain. The cold bit my fingers, but I didn’t let go of the container. Temporary pain had always been preferable to appearing weak. Here, that mattered. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ As I worked, my gaze escaped, against my own will, to the forest. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ The trees stood tall, dense, ancient. There was something about her that never changed and, at the same time, never seemed the same. It was as if she were alive — watching, waiting. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ A shiver ran down my spine. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Since I was a child, I had felt that way. That feeling of being seen, even when no one was there. The others said it was imagination, that fear was something for young people who didn’t yet know their place in the world. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ But I knew. And yet… it remained. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “You are distracted.” ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ My sister’s voice brought me back. She took one of the containers, giving me a reprimanding look. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “The forest doesn’t like unnecessary attention.” ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ I didn’t respond. She knew that as well as I did. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ We returned home together, in silence. Long conversations were kept behind walls, away from curious, prying ears. Here, everything was done with caution. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Throughout the day, I repeated familiar tasks: sewing, separating grains, helping to prepare simple food. Ancient gestures, passed down from generation to generation, as if each one carried the memory of the women who came before us. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ As my hands worked, my mind wandered. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ I thought about how sometimes the silence of the forest seemed heavier than its noise. That wolves never attacked without reason — at least that’s what they said..How, in recent days, the guards had increased their surveillance, even without an official announcement. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Something was out of place. And everyone felt it. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ In the late afternoon, when the sky began to darken, a call echoed through the village. A short, firm signal, impossible to ignore. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ The conversations stopped. The doors began to close. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ My heart raced. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ “Come in,” my mother ordered, gripping my arm tighter than necessary. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ I obeyed. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ Before the door closed completely, I looked once again at the forest. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ The wind blew through the trees, making them creak softly. And for the first time, I had the uncomfortable certainty that… something had awakened. ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ And that my life, as I knew it, was about to change.