Escape into the Jungle
The forest loomed ahead, a tangled mass of ancient trees and creeping vines. Every step she took echoed in her ears, amplified by the deafening silence of the night. Her heart thundered in her chest as she darted between the looming shadows, her breath ragged and uneven.
Pain flared across her side, a cruel reminder of the wound she'd sustained earlier. She pressed a hand against it, her fingers coming away sticky and warm. There was no time to dwell on it. The sounds of pursuit—heavy boots crunching leaves, voices barking orders—grew louder behind her.
Elara stumbled on the uneven ground, her vision swimming with exhaustion. The air was thick, each breath like dragging in smoke. Her survival instincts screamed at her to keep moving, her brother's name a faint echo in her mind.
"He's alive."
Riven's words haunted her. She didn't trust him—not after everything—but the possibility of Kael being out there gave her something to cling to.
The forest itself seemed to shift as she ran, the eerie green glow of moss-covered trees playing tricks on her eyes. Branches reached for her like skeletal hands, scratching her arms and tearing at her clothes. The jungle seemed alive, almost sentient, as if testing her resolve.
Her legs faltered, and she collapsed against a tree for support, her breaths coming in shallow gasps. She was slowing down. Her body betrayed her, screaming for rest when she couldn't afford to stop.
"Keep moving," she muttered, her voice hoarse.
But no amount of willpower could fight the weight dragging her down. She sank to her knees, her head spinning. The footsteps behind her grew closer, voices calling out commands.
The lush greenery blurred as she stumbled forward, branches clawing at her like unseen hands. Her vision darkened, but in the fleeting moments before she fell, she caught sight of something strange.
Her hair.
A strand slipped into her line of sight, illuminated briefly by a faint shaft of moonlight. It was not the icy black she had known all her life. It shimmered silver, with faint blue streaks glinting like a forgotten memory.
Shock froze her in place for a heartbeat before her knees buckled. She hit the ground hard, the impact jarring her senses.
......
Her eyes fluttered open, but the world around her was indistinct, blurred as if she were peering through frosted glass. The lush jungle she had fled into was gone, replaced by towering white pines that reached skyward, their spindly branches weighed down by snow. The soft hush of falling snowflakes was the only sound.
Her body felt like lead, her limbs unresponsive. She tried to blink the haze away, but her vision remained foggy.
In the next instant, movement caught her attention. A shadow passed through the snow-draped trees—a hulking form that moved with an unnatural grace—a wolf, its gray fur tugging at something in her mind that she didn't know what.
Elara's breathing hitched. The wolf was larger than any she'd ever seen, a creature of legends. Beside it walked a man, but her vision blurred further before she could make out his details.
.....
The world flickered again, her awareness returning in fractured moments. She could hear faint sounds now—inaudible murmurs or grunts that seemed to come from the man. His form loomed over her, his movements deliberate as if he were addressing the wolf.
The creature stood still, silent and watchful, its glowing eyes fixed on her. Once again, she felt a tug in her heart.
...
When her vision cleared again, she finally saw him.
The man was disheveled, his silver hair falling in uneven strands that framed a face shadowed by a coarse beard. Though hidden beneath fatigue and grime, his features held a rugged handsomeness. Dark circles marked his face, making the brilliance of his turquoise eyes all the more striking.
His expression was focused, his gaze flickering between her and the wolf as if in silent conversation. His hands worked quickly, binding her wounds with what seemed to be the fur covering him, now stripped to patch her injuries.
Elara tried to speak, to ask who he was, but her voice wouldn't come. Her body was too weak, and the strange, almost surreal sight of the man caring for her while snowflakes settled around them felt like a dream.
Then, as he lifted her into his arms with surprising ease, the last of her strength gave way. Darkness consumed her again as she managed a single hoarse whisper "Brother".