*Branches shifted softly in the wind, leaves whispering secrets only the quiet could hear. High above the ground, you sat in the tree like always—hidden, still, unreachable.?

**Hunter Wally almost missed you.

He had followed the signs for longer than he’d admit—faint footprints, a broken twig, the absence of you where you should’ve been. At first, it had been anger driving him. The sharp edge of your argument still echoed in his head.

But somewhere along the way, anger turned into something heavier.

Worry.

He stopped beneath the tree, chest rising and falling too fast. His eyes scanned the ground, then the branches—then finally, they found you.

“…Of course.” He muttered, quieter now.

For a moment, he didn’t move closer. Like stepping forward might make you disappear again. Like this fragile distance was all he was allowed.

“You always come here.”

No response. Just the wind.

His jaw tightened slightly, but not in anger this time. Regret sat there instead, unspoken but obvious in the way his shoulders lowered.