Dylan had left early that morning, the sun barely rising over the horizon, its light just starting to pierce through the dense canopy of the forest.
The promise of a feast drove him onward as he tracked the elusive beast core rats, their meat a rare delicacy that the orphanage children seldom enjoyed.
His bow slung over his shoulder and a quiver full of arrows at his side, he moved with practiced silence, a hunter in his element.
By the time he returned, the sun had dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the dilapidated orphanage. The familiar sight that greeted him every evening was not what met his eyes this time. Instead, the orphanage was a scene of chaos and despair. Broken furniture lay strewn about, shattered pottery crunched underfoot, and the cries of children pierced the night air.
Panic surged through Dylan as he dropped his catch and rushed forward. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing the urgency of his steps.
