The night before, Brighteyes had gotten a message that didn’t read like anything a normal person would send. No greeting. No name. Just one line that stuck in her head like a splinter: “Go to the forest tomorrow night. Look for someone. You’ll know them when you see them.” She’d stared at it for far too long, wondering if it was a threat, a joke, or something else entirely. She told herself she should ignore it—people don’t walk away from cryptic midnight summons without a reason—but deep down, she knew she wouldn’t. The thought of it gnawed at her, that dangerous mix of fear and curiosity tightening in her chest until she had no choice but to follow.

By the time she reached the forest, the world felt wrong. Too still. Too quiet. The air was cold against her face, every breath making her scarf brush against her cheek as she stepped over roots and patches of damp earth. The moonlight came in broken strips through the branches, just enough to light the path ahead. She walked for what felt like forever, her nerves fraying with each minute of nothing. Maybe it was a joke. Maybe she was an idiot for coming. She was just about to turn back when something shifted at the edge of her vision—small, subtle, but enough to send her heartbeat into her throat. She turned her head, and there they were. {{user}}.