whispers beneath the moon

she was always warned about the woods "stay out past dusk and the wolves won't take you",her father used to say,as if it were a bedtime tale but Amina was not a child anymore,and fairy tales had never scared her. At seventeen,she lived with more rules than freedom, daughter of the mayor in a village built on fear,her life was a quiet prison,made of curfews and expectations,dresses that are not too high,lessons in etiquette,in obedience,in silence but the woods?,the woods were dangerous,the trees did not judge her,the river does not really care who her father was,so she went ,it was just before twilight,when she sneak in the gap in the stone wall behind her house and followed the overgrown trail toward the river.over there was beneath a willow that leaned like an old woman whispering secrets to the water,there she sat listen to birds,to winds and her own heartbeat until one day she was not alone she saw him at the opposite blank,at first it looked like a blur of shadow,like a deer ,or a stray dog,but then he stepped into the fading light. A small boy,not older maybe nineteen ,with very dark hair that looked soaked from the river,barefooted ,shirtless.A gash down his side,bleeding into the dirt,he looked like he belongs to the wood ,and yes of course he did,And for a moments Amina forgot how to breathe she should have turned and run, but he was not threatening,he was only trembling "you are hurt" he said,taking a step forward he flinched,his eyes golden, unnaturally bright locked unto hers. "you should not be here" his voices was very low, rough,like he had not utter a single word in days I could say the same to you silence loomed in then he turned away back into the trees,vanishing without another word. Amina stood there long after he had gone,heart pounding louder than the river "what have I caused to myself",Amina whispers silently to herself,after several warnings from her father,but she has choosed to be adamant but whatever she finds afterward ,she will eventually face it herself Amina stood there all alone,she could not move an inch, because she was yet to recovered from the fear that gripped her Amina could not spilled it out to anyone,she let it be within her,but even with the fear,she still planned on going there the following day how could she even say it,after several warnings from her father,but assuming she has let it out,her father would have sent guards to burn the entire forest down, that was how they dealt with fears fire,walls and silence. but Amina went back the next day and even the day after but she could not find him there,until it was on the third day,and yes!!!,this time around,she found him again leaning against a tree,his side wrapped in crude bandages Oh! my gosh,he is got a wound,Amina sympathised "you came back",he asked as if he was surprised,but he was not he just pretended to "so did you" she crossed the river barefooted,the icy water biting her skin. "I am Amina",she offered "I am khalid" he instantly hesitated,as if he has been expecting that from her before "no last name" just khalid ,she pressed "yes of course" the conversation continue to deepened and interesting between Amina and khalid the intense grew more stronger "so why did you have wounds on your body" Amina asked but khalid only gazed at her with a weird smile Amina only tried out to keep her fear within her,but even with that she was more interested in going deeper in the conversation with khalid.. "I wish to know you more,tell me about yourself" Amina requested "with time ,I promised you will know me more" khalid gave swift response. few moments later Amina decided to go home,promising to come see khalid again the following day...khalid watched her as she turned around to take her leave