a's

ght, ther

inch of muscle, bone, and breath as it crawled beneath my skin. My body no longer f

rees with silvery leaves that glistened with gentle blue light let a glim

ing marks-wound around my wrists, up to my shoulders-scrolling across my skin like

t. The descent. The

ing back. My heart was pounding

onger in t

Forest was

that frightened wolves. It was a place that only people wi

e from th

w. The temperature was warm. In res

was a

y in th

hin

mals and hear the wind rustling leaves. Fear didn't make my hear

g else beneath th

st. A burn. From the

d decei

ot merely discarded-bu

as a differ

orest. It spoke to me in a whisper of its own

eer moved be

lew by f

hed me from a n

dn't

e forest shifted as if i

re flared u

d in every breath I too

eng

omething moved. A

sed m

embled a tear in the clou

it was s

ant. With what the damned man let loose. I recalled the claws e

e that warned me that I

s I co

t wasn't

d across my fingers a

inished

another step. The air grew cold, the li

out from amo

asp

was t

Not a guar

s face was thinner than before. I could feel h

een a ghost,

s he said, "Mira."

ined s

ned mot

"I considered... I beli

. "You ensured t

sed his eyes.

e," and the trees shook w

en he opened his eye

err

't make a mistake." "

Between us are a tho

ted, "I didn't

brings y

getting worse." due to the forest's demise.

my lips as I

"You need the woman you broke." "The we

the wolf you've turned in

d with sound before I

ng-free

lf, not a human-came f

ing ha

s a pr

turned to

oved through the tre

and t

ing a fami

chilly gasp as the cr

skin, however, was ash-gray and tightly stretched over bone. Its face had split wide wi

t have h

ned

ilver, ra

mbled

owl as his body partially transf

muttered. In my he

lost went int

ed eve

took a step forward be

oice the

bandon

nt c

ure's gaz

t me die," each word

ered. "You'r

d. "I am what you

ts hands blazed wi

twisted. Furio

ront of us. "Co

a step forward as m

onster erupted in flame

out. The lea

fire, some with eyes like mi

ne gestured

key i

flaming army that was born out of her own suffering. However, what