The sky was gray, dark, and the clouds moved quickly. Far too quickly. I wasn’t going to be able to linger here for much longer.
So much for catching the wolf.
As I started to turn, I could’ve sworn I saw movement just inside the treeline again.
Stepping into the trees, the darkness of the forest swallowed me. The air had a different texture to it. The air seemed to be thicker, as if the humidity of the forest was amplified. There was no breeze, and yet I could hear voices whispering on the wind.
I waited, looking for signs of movement. I couldn’t have imagined it. When nothing else came, I shook my head muttering to myself, and started to make my way back toward the edge of the forest when something caught my eye on the ground.
It was a footprint.
There was no mistaking it. It wasn’t a wolf’s pawprint, and it wasn’t from any of the other strange animals I knew existed within the forest.
One of the Djarn.
There was no way it could be anything else.
I traced the footsteps through the forest. It brought me away from the edgedeeper into the trees, and I paused to ensure I could find my way back.
So far, I was certain I could. At least for now.
At some point, there was the risk that I would end up too deep into the forest andget lost. Too many had been lost in the forest over the years. The denseness of the trees made it easy for one to get turned around, and it was easy enough to get quickly disoriented, finding that there was no way to get free.
I had the footprints to follow for now, but if it started to rain then they would wash away. I pushed those thoughts from my mind.
This was the first time that I had seen any sign of the Djarn within the trees, other than the half-glimpsed view of a face I could’ve sworn I’d seen. I continued along, and then suddenly the forest thinned ever so slightly, the trees not quite as close together. Though the massive trunks suggested it was more a matter of the trees needing space than a lack of life. It was just enough for me to navigate a little bit easier as if a path had opened.
It wasn’t a straight shot, nothing at all like the King’s Road, but I suddenly felt as if I was able to make my way through quicker. I followed the footprints along the narrow path as I weaved through the trees.
This was a Djarn path.
All who lived near the forest suspected the Djarn had their own trails , but no one had ever managed to reach one—and if they did, they were unable to return to it again.
As I walked, I paused every so often, listening for the sound of thunder, noticing it wasn’t getting any closer.
It seemed as if I had some time to explore and see if there was anything else I could uncover. The air crackled with heat, and sweat dripped down my back. It got darker the deeper I went into the woods, and the air carried with it the earthy aroma of damp soil, tree bark, the forest flowers, and the dung of unseen animals.
I paused. The Djarn path I’d been following seemed to branch off, heading in two different directions. Could I really have found a network of paths through the forest?
Should I explore?
Goose bumps raised on my arms at the possibility. There was much we could learn if we had an opportunity to find the Djarn. They’d always been impossible to find. A path that could lead to them and maybe even to one of their cities…
I shook that thought away. Thoughts like that were how my father and brother ended up injured, chasing stories and rumors until they had to be dragged to safety.
This wasn’t the kind of thing that I should explore. Not alone. I knew better than to risk myself exploring in the forest where it seemed to have a power that led people astray. I needed to return, to get back to my family, and to make sure I was out of the forest before the storm came.
I still didn’t see any sign of the wolf or of the Djarn. They must have noticed my presence in the forest. Given that I was an outlier, and had no business being here, that wasn’t surprising.
I turned, following my footsteps in the opposite direction. As I walked, I noticed the Djarn’s steps weren’t nearly as deep, and strangely seemed to be fading the farther I went. My own footsteps didn’t do that.
I had spent some time within the trees, generally hunting along the outskirts, and had never seen any sign of Djarn footsteps.. I needed to mark this somehow.
I paused at one of the trees. Pulling my belt knife out, I scratched at the bark, and began to make markings as I went, until I reached the edge of the Djarn path If not me, I was sure Joran would want to find his way back through here. I could imagine him wanting to explore.
Thunder rumbled again, but this time much closer. I reached the edge of the forest, and I stood there for a moment, feeling the heat wash over me.
If I didn’t get moving, I wasn’t going to get back before the storm came. I would have to reach the King’s Road, and only then would I be able to move as quickly as I needed. Out here on the plains when the rains came, they could come in such a torrent that it would make it difficult for me to slosh through it.
As I stepped forward, a strange growling erupted.
I spun, shifting the knife that I’d been
