Cold, dim, and eerie—those were the first words that surfaced in her mind as she slowly opened her eyes. A dull ache throbbed through her body, each movement met with sharp jolts of pain, as if every muscle had been strained to its limit. Her limbs felt impossibly heavy, weighed down by exhaustion and the biting chill that seemed to seep from the very walls around her.
She lay on a filthy, ragged bed, the thin, worn mattress doing little to shield her from the cold air that hung thick in the chamber. The faint flicker of a single lantern cast long, eerie shadows across the stone walls, the light barely enough to cut through the oppressive gloom. The dimness only deepened the suffocating sense of isolation.
The air was thick with dampness, heavy with the stench of mildew and decay. Every breath tasted of rot, each inhale a reminder of the neglect that permeated this place. The walls, made of rough stone, were slick with moisture, streaked with grime and mildew that dripped down in slow, maddening patterns. Rusted iron bars lined one side of the room, unmistakably marking it as a prison cell, while the floor was littered with old straw and debris, long abandoned to decay.
Where am I? She thought, her heart pounding with growing alarm. The cold was relentless, creeping into her bones and wrapping around her like a shroud. She pulled the thin, tattered blanket closer to her body, but it offered little warmth against the chill that seemed to rise from the stone beneath her.
Her breath emerged in shallow, barely visible puffs, and she winced as she shifted, her muscles protesting with each movement. The pain, sharp and biting, made her gasp, reminding her of how far she had pushed herself.
In the distance, the faint sounds of screams and sobbing echoed through the stone corridors. The voices, though muffled, were unmistakable—a constant reminder of the suffering that filled this place. Their cries sent a shiver down her spine, mingling with the cruel laughter of soldiers somewhere beyond her cell. Their voices, harsh and mocking, twisted through the air like a cruel song, a stark contrast to the agony that surrounded her.
She lay still, her thoughts sluggish as she tried to piece together what had happened. The last clear memory she had was of running—running for her life through the woods, her kidnappers close behind, their laughter echoing in her ears. She had been desperate, her legs barely able to carry her any farther. And then… something had intervened.
A creature—a large, dark figure had appeared. A wolf rather, massive and fierce, had come between her and her pursuers. But now, as she lay in this dark, freezing cell, doubt gnawed at her. Had the wolf meant to save her, or had it been something else entirely? Was it real? Or had it all been some desperate dream?
The more she pushed herself to remember, the sharper the pain in her head became, clouding her thoughts. Her memories were fragmented, slipping away like water through her fingers. The scene blurred together in a confusing haze, the details lost behind a wall of pain.