By the next morning, hunger gnawed at me like a living thing. Not the dull ache of missing a meal, but the deep, hollow kind that left my hands shaking and my mind drifting in and out of focus.

I needed proper food.

Not bitter leaves.

Not scraps of roots.

Something with substance-something my body could store.

I followed the stream deeper into the woods, hoping to find a larger clearing, or signs of wild fruit. The forest shifted around me as I walked-pines thinning into maple and birch, needles giving way to soft, rotting leaves. The air smelled richer here, warmer, with the faint hint of life hidden beneath winter's early breath.

As I rounded a bend in the trail, my breath stopped.

A thick cluster of bushes filled a small clearing, each one heavy with dark purple berries glistening under the early sunlight.

My knees nearly buckled from relief.

I moved toward them slowly, scanning the ground first. No animal tracks. No broken branches. No signs of recent foraging.

I reached out, plucked one berry, and examined it carefully. Smooth skin. Slightly oval shape. No white sap. No sharp, almond-like scent.

Safe.

My stomach made a desperate noise, and I didn't wait any longer. I popped the berry into my mouth.

The taste burst bitter and sweet across my tongue, the acidity making my eyes water. But hunger overpowered everything. I grabbed another handful and ate them slowly, focusing on the rhythm of chewing instead of letting myself devour too fast.

My body felt greedy, but I forced myself to pace each bite.

When I finally stopped, I sat on the ground, leaning back on my elbows as I breathed through the unfamiliar feeling of actually being full again-at least for now.

As the dizziness faded, a soft rustle stirred on the opposite side of the clearing.

I froze.

My heart thudded painfully as I pushed myself up onto my elbows, breath caught in my throat.

The bushes shifted again.

Not a rider.

Not a wolf.

Too light. Too cautious.

A small deer stepped out, its coat dappled with sunlight, ears flicking nervously as it scanned the air.

I stayed completely still.

The deer turned its head toward me. For a moment, our eyes met. Wide, dark, uncertain.

Animals never approached me this closely before-not in my last life. They always sensed the scent of Draven's court on me. The throne room. The warriors. The metallic tang of steel and power.

Even when I scrubbed myself raw, the smell clung.

But now...

The deer took a small, tentative step toward the berry bushes, keeping me in sight the entire time.

I lowered my gaze slightly, not wanting to intimidate it. My pulse softened as I watched it nibble the berries, its delicate jaw working gently.

Something inside my chest loosened.

A knot made of years of fear.

Memories of being "watched" by the castle wolves, their eyes sharp with a knowledge I didn't understand.

This was the first creature in a long time that didn't recoil from me.

For a moment, I let myself breathe.

The deer flicked an ear once, then darted away with a soft thud of hooves.

When the clearing fell quiet again, I swallowed the tightness rising in my throat.

Being treated like prey... was nothing new.

But finally not being treated like a threat?

That was new.

I wiped berry juice from my fingers, leaving faint stains on my skin.

If animals weren't avoiding me, then Draven would sense nothing unusual either. That was a small blessing. His palace hounds could track a scent across frozen rivers and snowstorms. If I carried even a whisper of his aura, his men would've found me already.

But I wasn't connected to him yet.

Not marked. Not claimed.

I was just one girl among thousands.

My hands trembled with the weight of that relief.

I gathered more berries into a piece of my torn nightshirt, tying the fabric into a makeshift pouch. As I worked, I kept scanning the trees, trying to shake off the eerie stillness that had crept in since the deer left.

The silence returned.

But not entirely unnatural this time.

More like the forest was settling again.

I stood, slinging the berry pouch over my shoulder, and prepared to leave the clearing-but then I paused.

Something was off.

A small detail.

A prickling sensation along my arms.

There-on the ground near the far bushes-was a patch of freshly turned earth.

Not from deer hooves.

Too precise.

A hand dug that.

My breath lodged in my throat.

Someone else had been here recently.

Not long ago.

My eyes swept the clearing more carefully. A snapped twig. A small indentation in the soft soil. A faint track-human or not, I couldn't tell.

I backed away slowly, each step deliberate. My fingers tightened around the walking stick as I retreated into thicker trees.

For a long moment, I stood hidden, watching the clearing.

Nothing moved.

No shadow. No breath of wind. No watching eyes.

But that patch of disturbed soil wouldn't leave my mind.

Someone was here.

Someone else living-or hiding-in these mountains.

Not the Alpha King's riders.

Someone who knew how to move silently.

Someone who dug into the earth with their hands.

My pulse quickened.

This valley wasn't as empty as I'd hoped.

I tightened my grip on my walking stick and turned back toward the thicker forest. Survival meant adjusting to new truths quickly.

I wasn't alone.

And that meant I needed to be even more careful.

Even more silent.

Even more unpredictable.

With my berry pouch bouncing lightly at my hip, I slipped back into the shadows of the trees, never letting my steps fall too loud.

The forest around me whispered nothing, but my instincts screamed the truth:

I was being watched.

The further I moved from the berry clearing, the more the forest shifted around me-trees growing older and taller, branches stretching overhead like protective arms. The air grew colder, the shadows thicker, and the quiet deeper.

Every few steps, I looked over my shoulder.

That disturbed patch of soil haunted me.

Whoever had been there was careful. Skilled.

Not a wandering villager.

Not a child.

Not a lost traveler.

Someone who knew how to move without being seen.

Someone like me.

I didn't want to think about it too hard, so I focused on following the stream uphill again, weaving through brush and ducking low branches. I let my feet carry me while my mind churned.

I had escaped Draven.

I had outpaced his riders.

I had reached a hidden valley deep in the mountains.

So why did I feel like I wasn't the only one running?

After an hour of steady climbing, the trees thinned again, revealing a small ridge overlooking a stretch of forest far below. From this height, the canopy looked like waves-green and gold, stirred by the wind.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to steady the rapid beat of my heart.

The mountain air was sharp and crisp. Much cleaner than the forests near the villages-no smoke, no horses, no sweat from armored men patrolling the woods.

For a moment, it felt like I was the only person left in the world.

Then the wind shifted, carrying with it a faint, acrid smell.

Smoke.

My eyes snapped open.

I scanned the treetops carefully, searching for any sign of fire. It took almost a full minute before I found it: a thin, wavering column rising just above the lower forest line. Barely visible through the thick trees.

Someone had built a fire.

Not in the valley.

Not in the open.

But close enough that the smoke drifted across the mountainside.

My skin prickled.

Riders wouldn't make a fire in a search grid-they were trained too well for that. Only someone stationary or hiding would risk it.

But who built it?

Someone living off the land?

A hunter?

The one who dug near the berry patch?

Someone searching for me?

My stomach tightened painfully.

I crouched low behind a boulder, watching that thin column of smoke for a long time.

It flickered.

Dissipated.

Reformed.

Too faint to be a group camp.

Too controlled to be an accident.

One person.

Maybe two.

My mind raced through possibilities, but none of them felt safe.

I pulled the berry pouch tighter around my waist and slipped back into the forest, careful not to leave a trail. I moved quietly, placing each step with purpose-on roots, on stones, on soft moss that wouldn't betray my weight.

Minutes passed.

Maybe an hour.

Time blurred into the rhythm of movement.

But no matter how far I walked, the smell of smoke clung faintly to the air.

Whoever had lit that fire wasn't far from my route. In fact... the more I walked, the more convinced I became:

They were somewhere in the valley, or just outside it.

They knew these mountains well enough to hide a fire.

Well enough to dig quietly near a food source.

Well enough to linger near my sleeping place without being heard.

The drizzle of fear down my spine was cold and electric.

I wasn't alone.

And whoever else was here was watching the land as carefully as I was.

Eventually, the forest thickened so much that the smell of smoke faded again. I let out a slow breath, then perched on the edge of a fallen tree. The bark was soft with age, covered in a thin layer of moss.

I took out my berry pouch and ate a few more, letting the sweetness calm my nerves. The forest hummed softly-wind rustling leaves, water trickling nearby, small animals moving through underbrush.

Normal sounds.

But then-

A faint snap echoed in the distance.

Not from a small creature.

Heavier.

A footstep.

My hand tightened around my walking stick as I lowered myself quietly off the log.

I crouched, listening.

Silence.

Too much silence.

Then another snap-closer this time.

A branch breaking under deliberate weight.

My pulse hammered against my ribs.

I moved backward slowly, keeping my breathing shallow. I scanned every shadow, every flicker of light between the trees. Was it an animal? The unknown person? A lost rider who'd wandered off a search path?

I didn't know.

And the not knowing made it worse.

The snap came again-then stopped.

The forest froze.

Not a single leaf stirred.

Something-or someone-was nearby.

Watching.

Waiting.

I swallowed hard and backed away until the trees grew thick again, my steps light and silent. I braced myself against a trunk, trying to steady the shaking in my hands.

My breath fogged in the cold air.

I couldn't stay here.

Not with someone stalking the woods.

Not with smoke rising not far from my path.

Not with footprints near the berry patch.

The valley was not empty.

Someone else had claimed part of it.

And the thought twisted deep inside me:

Were they hiding from the world, too?

Or were they hunting something-or someone-in it?

I turned sharply toward the steeper side of the valley, determined to put distance between myself and whoever moved in those shadows.

Hunger forgotten.

Thirst forgotten.

Survival first.

My steps grew quicker, more focused. The forest grew colder and denser with each passing moment, branches reaching low like skeletal hands.

But I didn't stop.

Couldn't stop.

Not until the smell of smoke faded entirely.

Not until the forest felt normal again.

Not until my lungs burned and my legs trembled.

Only then-only when the trees around me settled back into familiar rhythms-did I let myself breathe fully.

But even as I rested beneath a low branch, my heart refused to calm.

Because no matter how the wind shifted, no matter how far I walked, no matter how much silence the forest offered...

I couldn't shake the feeling:

Someone had seen me today.

And they wouldn't forget it.

The forest was silver with early dawn when I finally allowed myself to stop. The air held that familiar bite of cold, the kind that settles deep into your bones and makes every breath sharper than the last. I found a shallow hollow between two fallen trees, their roots twisting like knotty fingers above me. It wasn't much, but the branches overhead kept the worst of the wind away.

I curled into the space and drifted into a fitful sleep.

It didn't last long.

Something woke me-a shift in the air, a faint prickle against the back of my neck, like being watched from just outside a dream. My eyes flew open.

The forest was still.

Quiet.

Gray light filtering through broken branches.

For a moment, I thought I'd imagined it.

Then my breath caught.

Something was different.

Wrong.

I crawled out from between the trees, pushing aside damp leaves-then froze so suddenly my heart nearly burst out of my chest.

Footprints.

Fresh, clear footprints pressed into the thin layer of morning dew.

Not mine.

Not animal.

Human.

Barefoot.

My pulse leapt painfully as I knelt beside the closest print. It was small-smaller than mine. The toes spread unevenly, as if the person walked with caution... or fear.

The dew on the edges hadn't evaporated yet.

Whoever left these prints passed by less than an hour ago.

Right by where I slept.

Right beside me.

My hands trembled as I touched the cold earth around the track. The print pointed away from me-toward the deeper forest.

Someone had come close.

Very close.

And left without waking me.

Why hadn't they approached?

Why leave without disturbing anything?

My throat tightened.

I replayed the moment I'd first woken-the faint sensation of being watched, the prickle on my neck. It hadn't been a dream.

Someone had been here.

Someone had stood close enough to touch me.

The forest suddenly felt too open, too quiet, too aware.

I backed away from the prints, scanning the trees. The branches overhead creaked in the light breeze. A raven called distantly, its cry echoing through the valley like a warning.

Footprints in the dew.

Not the large, heavy tracks of a grown man.

Not the loud, stomping prints of a rider's boot.

Not the delicate trace of a woman.

A child.

My mind flashed to the boy I'd glimpsed near the stream the other day-the one with wild hair and bare feet. But he would've had to follow me far, too far, deep into a valley no child should know how to navigate.

And even if he had... why track me?

Why come close?

Why run away without a word?

My skin prickled cold.

There was only one answer that made any sense:

The child wasn't alone.

Someone older-someone dangerous-had sent him. Or watched him. Or lived here with him.

And they knew now that someone else was in their territory.

I rose slowly, keeping my breathing tight and controlled. I needed to leave. Immediately. I gathered the berry pouch, checked my walking stick, and slipped into the shadows of the trees.

Every step felt heavier than the last.

Every sound sharper.

I moved silently, placing my feet where the ground was firm, avoiding twigs and brittle leaves. But even as I distanced myself from the footprints, the unease stayed coiled inside me.

Someone had found me once.

It could happen again.

My thoughts spun with growing dread.

I couldn't outrun Draven. Not forever.

I couldn't outsmart whoever lived in the valley unless I knew who they were.

I couldn't trust the forest when it was full of eyes.

I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder. Instead, I focused on the path ahead. The forest thickened into a maze of roots and moss, the canopy blotting out most of the early light.

As I moved, I found something that tightened my chest even more.

Another footprint.

Smaller. Smeared, as if the child had stumbled.

Fresh.

Then another, deeper one-larger than the first.

Not a child.

An adult.

My blood ran ice-cold.

Two sets of tracks.

Two people.

And they were following the same path... not far from me.

I crouched behind a fallen tree, heart slamming so hard it hurt.

I strained my ears.

Listened.

Waited.

A distant sound floated through the forest: the faint snap of a twig. Not close. Not dangerously near.

But close enough to know I wasn't imagining this.

Someone was moving parallel to me.

Shadowing.

Watching.

I crouched lower, pressing a hand to my chest. My heartbeat felt too loud. Too fast. Like the strangers could hear it if they were close enough.

For several long minutes, I stayed perfectly still. A cold breeze swept past, brushing the hair on my arms. The smell of damp leaves filled my nose. A bird flew overhead, its wings beating softly.

Finally, the forest settled again.

I didn't wait another second.

I moved fast, pushing deeper into the western slope of the valley-the rougher side, where the trees grew in thick clusters and the ground rose unevenly.

Every step echoed with one relentless truth:

I wasn't alone here.

Someone else walked these mountains barefoot.

Someone else moved quietly enough to get near without waking me.

Someone else had their own reasons for hiding here.

Reasons I didn't want to discover.

I needed to relocate.

Find higher ground.

Stay hidden for real this time.

Because whoever had left those footprints...

They weren't searching blindly.

They knew exactly where to look.