The sun barely pierced through the treetops, and the dense forest air felt heavier than usual. I was lost in my thoughts, my gaze fixed on the ground, when I saw Ava returning. She held Lyra tightly against her chest, but her expression had changed. Something in her face didn’t align with the calm young woman who had been with me just moments ago.
Her steps were quicker, shorter. She was tense, as if the air around her were a minefield.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, leaning slightly forward in my makeshift wheelchair.
Ava stopped in front of me, not answering at first. She adjusted the blanket around Lyra and, as she looked at the sleeping baby, her face softened for a brief moment. But when she lifted her gaze again, fear flickered in her eyes.
“It’s always the same,” she murmured, almost
