Broken

 “Silversun, Kern, Talon, and Terry-Or, all gone. Most of the people we just set free had to be sent to fend for themselves in this forsaken land. It was the only logical way. Can't feed everyone. Can't protect them all either. The happiness of my rescue was short lived. Slash told Tiger and I what had become of them and my spirit broke. Hard decisions were made.

Air seems colder after such loss. Not biting to the skin but radiating from my core, like the deepest bones of the highest mountain. Groups much smaller now. Closer too. Bound by shared trauma and sorrow. Like blood and tears mixing together to gather as stains on cloaks and tunics. 

What trials wait for us at the end of this perilous journey? Blighted lands of decay surround the festering wound called Highport. So full of tension, death, and hate it threatens to boil over at any second. This is where we must go. Diabolical as it is, it's a necessary step to take towards our ultimate hope. The shining beacon on the horizon. The only guide for our travels on a moonless night.”

“Elhonna, Lady of the Wood.

Hear me.

Ease my soul and quiet my thoughts.

Relieve us from cold and help me keep watch.

Tree roots and rocks dont threaten this walk.

Only on the hunt let my arrow unnock.

The Gnarley will wait until my return.

Leaf, moss, and fern ill reach them in turn.”