The footsteps outside the cave grew louder, each one echoing ominously in the quiet, snow-blanketed forest. My entire body tensed, my muscles coiling like a spring ready to snap.
My mind raced through the possibilities were they rescuers, or something far worse? Bandits? Predators, human or otherwise? The wilderness wasn't known for its hospitality, and the shadowy figure of uncertainty loomed large.
I pressed my back against the cold stone of the cave wall, my breathing shallow as I tried to calm my racing heart. My ears strained to pick up any hint that would reveal their identity.
The crunch of snow beneath heavy boots was the only sound, each step deliberate, steady, and maddeningly slow. The eerie rhythm set my nerves on edge, as if each step brought us closer to some unseen danger.
Then, cutting through the tension like a knife, a voice called out: "Zaya! Layla!"
