As the gathering wandered further into the thick woodland, the air developed weighty with expectation. The tangled undergrowth surrounded them, creating ghostly shaded areas in the fading light. A feeling of premonition lingered palpably, and the quiet was broken exclusively by an intermittent stir of leaves and the murmur of the breeze.
Emilia, the Witch of the Forest, started to lead the pack, her staff shining with a delicate, consoling light. Her eyes examined the environmental factors, looking for any indication of the way they expected to follow. She had cautioned the gathering about the charms that protected the core of the woodland. Assuming that they wandered excessively far from the correct way, they may be lost perpetually in the labyrinth of Destiny.
