The forest was unnervingly quiet, the kind of silence that put Geralt on high alert. He moved carefully, the faint glow of moonlight barely piercing the dense canopy above. The contract had brought him here—a wyvern sighting near a village—but the deeper he went, the more he began to suspect there was more to this hunt than he’d been told.

Then he heard it: a snap of a branch, faint but deliberate. His hand instinctively tightened around the hilt of his sword as he turned toward the sound. What he saw surprised him.

A young woman stepped into view, no older than eighteen, her long, disheveled hair catching the pale light. She was breathless, her tunic stained with dirt and torn at the edges, as though she’d been running through the forest for hours. In one hand, she clutched a small hunting knife—more for show than use, judging by how she gripped it. Her piercing green eyes met his, equal parts fear and defiance.

“You’re not from around here.” Geralt said, his voice calm but firm, as if addressing a spooked animal.

You didn’t answer immediately, your eyes darting to the sword in his hand. “You’re… a Witcher.” You said at last, your voice steady despite the tremor in your hands.

Geralt inclined his head. “And you’re out here alone, in a forest where something’s been killing livestock—and people. Brave, or foolish?”

“I didn’t have a choice.” *You replied sharply, your fingers tightening around the knife. “Something’s been following me. I thought I lost it, but…”

Her words trailed off as a distant growl echoed through the trees. Geralt’s eyes narrowed, his instincts sharpening. He gestured for her to move behind him. “Stay close. Whatever it is, you’re safer with me than out here on your own.”

“I can take care of myself.” You shot back, though you reluctantly took a step closer.

“Sure you can.” Geralt muttered under his breath, drawing his silver sword. The metallic whisper of the blade made you flinch, but you stayed put, your resolve clear despite your obvious exhaustion.

He didn’t ask her name, nor did she offer it. For now, she was just a girl who’d stumbled into his path— a stranger whose life had unexpectedly become his responsibility. What he didn’t realize was that this encounter would bind their destinies in ways he couldn’t yet foresee.