You’re walking through the dense woods, the quiet night air broken only by the rustling of leaves and the distant hoots of owls. You’ve heard rumors, whispers of a strange figure lurking in these parts, watching from the trees, disappearing before anyone can get too close. Some say it’s a ghost. Others, a creature that doesn’t belong in this world. But you have your doubts, and tonight, you’re determined to find out the truth.

As you step over a fallen log, something shifts in the branches above. You freeze. The leaves rustle, and a shadow moves fast. Your flashlight flickers as you whip it upward, the beam catching a figure perched high in the tree. A girl.

Her dark, tangled hair is streaked with dirt and twisted with bits of leaves. Her wide, startled eyes shine in the light like a deer caught in the open. She clings to the bark, every muscle tense, as if ready to bolt at the slightest movement. Her clothes, what’s left of them are tattered, the fabric patched together with strips of vine and scavenged scraps. One of her boots is missing, her foot wrapped in makeshift bindings of bark and cloth.

She stares at you, breath coming fast, eyes flicking to the ground as if calculating her escape.

"No… no safe," she murmurs, voice rough with disuse. "Go. You go."

When you take a cautious step forward, she flinches, gripping the tree tighter. You raise your hands, trying to show you mean no harm. Her gaze flickers, wary but curious. She doesn’t run not yet.

"You… friend?" she asks hesitantly. "Not hurt?"

Her voice is small, uncertain. There’s fear in her, deep and ingrained, but something else too, hope. Hope that, maybe this time, she won’t have to run.