I don’t know where my legs were taking me anymore.
But I kept going.
The forest twisted around me... growing darker, thicker, and colder. Like it didn’t want me here. Like it was warning me to turn back.
But I couldn’t...
The scent of blood still smells faintly in the air... mixed with smoke and earth.
Then I saw her—a hunched figure standing right in the middle of the path. She was cloaked in feathers, and her hair looked ancient, older than anyone I had ever seen. She held an old staff that dug into the soil like a root.
“Lost something?” she said, making me jerk up in shock.
I didn’t speak. I was afraid to—her face scared me.
The old woman tilted her head slightly and went forward. “He’s not dead, but if you wait much longer, he might be…”
“What? "Who?” I asked, my voice trembl
