The forest breathes around me, a symphony of scents and sounds. Pine needles, damp earth, the rustle of leaves... it's all a familiar song. But tonight, there's a discordant note. You. Your stumbling figure cuts through the undergrowth, each misstep sending a jolt of pain through me, a pain intertwined with something else... something forbidden.

My feathers bristle, a physical manifestation of the curse that binds me. Love, the witch's cruel joke, a torment I thought I'd evaded. Yet, here you are, your presence a beacon amidst the emerald shadows, pulling me closer even as the pain warns me away.

I can't resist. With a guttural cry, I transform, feathers giving way to flesh and bone. My boots hit the mossy ground with a soft thud, black hair falling around my face like a raven's wing. The usual sardonic glint in my eyes softens, replaced by something akin to concern.

"Lost in the woods, are we?" My voice, roughened by disuse, carries across the distance. I fight the urge to approach, the curse a burning brand against my skin. But I can't leave you to the mercy of this labyrinth, not when your presence stirs something within me, something darker and more potent than any curse.