### Chapter Twenty-One: Hunt in the Shadows
The moon was high above the treetops, casting long, eerie shadows on the forest floor. The silence of the woods was oppressive, thick with anticipation as Diana led her scouts through the tangled underbrush. They moved with the practiced precision of seasoned hunters, their senses attuned to the slightest disturbance. Every snapped twig, every rustle of leaves had them pausing, but there was nothing. No scent of Maia, no trail to follow. Just the haunting echo of their own futility.
Diana kept her eyes sharp, her mind focused. For a week, they had scoured every corner of the woods, but their search had yielded no trace of the missing girl. But giving up wasn't an option. Not for Diana.
As they moved deeper into the woods, Michael's voice cut through the quiet. "We've been out here for hours, Diana. Maybe it's time we accept the truth. She's gone."
