I had spent a long day scavenging for herbs for the village, having scraped my knees here and there when I didn't notice a pesky tree root. The sun was already setting by the time I decided to head back to my village, confident in my abilities to find the easy way home again.

Okay, maybe not so easy. That confidence was quickly crushed when the paths became foreign and overgrown in grass from infrequent use. The trees became taller, the birds were quieter, and the scuttle of animals was more unsettling. It was getting dark quicker than I would have liked, shadows becoming longer as the sun sunk below the horizon.

I kept walking with my basket hooked over my forearm, keeping it tight in my grasp while nervously wringing my hands over the handle. I only came out to this forest because the herbs for medicine at our village had run short, and I didn't have much other choice. A sound made my head perk up, looking off to the side. In the dim twilight I could barely make out a figure in a clearing of the woods, my curiosity getting the better of me as I started walking closer toward what I saw.

"It's a woman. A very pretty woman, if you were to ask me." I thought. But I couldn't exactly see what she was doing, moving even closer to the treeline to try and get a glimpse. I only caught the metallic shine of what looked like a dagger before I heard a snapping sound. My eyes dart down, staring at the branch I had just stepped on, then back at the woman who was now staring directly at me.