Chapter 50 – True Comfort

  The wind whispered through the canopy, a crisp breath of air that rustled the leaves and sent tiny ripples across the sea of green. Kaelin moved with it, vaulting from branch to branch, her body in perfect harmony with the forest’s rhythm. Every leap felt effortless, as natural as breathing. She barely noticed the rough bark beneath her fingers as she caught herself, barely heard the creak of bending wood as she shifted her weight to prepare for the next jump.

  This was freedom.

  She landed lightly on a sturdy branch, the thick limb steady beneath her feet. Here, above the tangled undergrowth, everything was open. The shadows of the forest floor, the damp soil littered with roots and fallen leaves, all of it was far below, hidden beneath an endless canopy of shifting sunlight and green. She didn’t belong down there, wading through the dirt and thorns.

  Up here, she could breathe.

  Kaelin steadied herself and took in her surroundings.

  The forest stretched on endlessly, an unbroken expanse of towering trees and rolling hills. Golden shafts of light pierced through gaps in the leaves, illuminating patches of bark and moss with a soft, hazy glow. The scent of damp earth mixed with the faint, sharp tang of pine, rich and fresh.

  The world pulsed with quiet life.

  The trees swayed gently, whispering as the wind curled through their branches. The distant gurgle of flowing water echoed faintly through the woods, a stream, somewhere nearby, winding its way through the undergrowth. The occasional snap of a twig, the rustle of shifting leaves, the slow creak of a tree bending in the wind.

  Kaelin listened.

  Even in stillness, the forest never truly slept.

  A flicker of movement caught her attention.

  A streak of reddish-brown fur darted across a lower branch, claws clicking lightly against the wood. Kaelin’s gaze followed it, a squirrel, quick and nimble, its sleek body weaving effortlessly through the maze of twigs and leaves.

  She smirked. A little acrobat.

  The squirrel moved with instinctual precision. Every leap was measured, every twitch of its bushy tail calculated for balance. It ran along the branch, hesitated for a split second, then turned its head sharply toward her.

  Dark, beady eyes locked onto hers.

  Then came the scolding.

  A rapid burst of sharp, clicking chatters filled the air, high-pitched and indignant. The squirrel’s small front paws twitched, claws gripping the bark as it continued its relentless tirade.

  Kaelin arched an eyebrow. “Oh, I’m sorry. Am I intruding on your branch?”

  The squirrel’s tail flicked sharply, its clicks growing even more frantic. It took a step forward, then another, as if debating whether to stand its ground or flee.

  Kaelin crossed her arms and smirked. “You really think you can chase me off?”

  Another rapid burst of chatter, almost as if answering yes.

  She huffed a quiet laugh. “Touchy little thing.”

  The squirrel, seemingly satisfied that it had made its displeasure known, turned, and bolted. It leapt from branch to branch with practiced ease, its tiny frame vanishing into the thick tangle of leaves above.

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  Kaelin shook her head.

  She knew better than to underestimate creatures like that. The forest belonged to them, the nimble ones, the small ones, the ones who had spent their entire lives learning its hidden paths. She was just a temporary visitor, a stranger passing through.

  She let out a slow breath and took in the world around her once more.

  The canopy stretched in every direction, dappled with shifting patches of light and shadow. Below, the forest floor remained cloaked in green, thick with undergrowth and fallen leaves. The trees stood tall and ancient, their trunks gnarled and scarred from centuries of wind and rain.

  Kaelin glanced toward the horizon. From up here, she could see far beyond the dense thickets of trees. The stream she had found earlier wove its way through the land like a silver ribbon, its shimmering surface catching the sunlight as it flowed through the heart of the wilderness.

  And yet…

  This trial still felt easy.

  With a contented sigh, she shifted her stance and prepared for her next leap.

  The wind curled around her, carrying the crisp scent of pine and damp earth. The branch swayed slightly beneath her weight, but she barely noticed. The world blurred for a heartbeat as she pushed off, soaring effortlessly through the air.

  Somewhere above, hidden in the canopy, the squirrel let out one last chattering remark, one final warning before she vanished into the trees.

  Kaelin wiped the sweat from her brow as she landed lightly on a thick tree branch, her sharp gaze scanning the forest floor below. The sound of trickling water reached her ears, soft, rhythmic, a clear contrast to the usual rustling of leaves and distant bird calls.

  The stream.

  She grinned to herself.

  Finally.

  Pushing off from the branch, she dropped down, twisting mid-air to land in a crouch. The ground was damp beneath her fingers, the scent of wet earth and moss filling her lungs. Rising to her feet, she moved toward the sound, stepping lightly over tangled roots and fallen leaves.

  The stream came into view a moment later.

  It was narrow but lively, its water gliding over smooth stones, swirling around fallen branches before continuing its winding path through the forest. Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, catching on the surface, making it shimmer like liquid silver.

  Kaelin knelt by the edge, running her fingers through the cool water. Fresh. Clean.

  Still, curiosity pulled at her.

  She straightened, following the stream’s course. It moved with a lazy confidence, trickling between thick undergrowth, cutting a path through the otherwise dense forest. Kaelin followed along, stepping on flat stones where the water ran shallow, letting the flow guide her deeper into the wilderness.

  The trees gradually began to thin.

  In their place, moss-covered rock formations jutted up from the earth, rising on either side of the stream like the remains of some long-forgotten pathway. The ground sloped downward, subtly at first, then more steeply, until the towering rock walls fully enclosed the stream’s path.

  Kaelin paused, glancing upward.

  The sheer cliffs reached high into the sky, their surfaces worn smooth by years of water carving through the stone. Thin vines clung to the cracks, dangling like nature’s own curtains, while patches of moss spread across the walls in deep green streaks. The sun was still visible above, but its light barely reached the ground here, casting long shadows across the cool stone.

  A canyon.

  Or, at least, something close to it.

  Kaelin whistled under her breath. “Didn’t expect this.”

  She stepped forward carefully, her boots brushing against wet rock as she followed the stream deeper into the passage. The air was noticeably cooler here, carrying the faint scent of damp stone and plant life.

  Small trickles of water seeped from the walls in places, forming delicate rivulets that joined the stream below. A single bird call echoed from somewhere far above, but beyond that, the canyon was eerily silent.

  Kaelin tilted her head. No animal tracks. No movement.

  A place like this should have been teeming with life, birds nesting in the cliffs, insects crawling along the rocks, perhaps even small animals stopping by to drink from the stream.

  But there was nothing.

  Just the quiet hum of flowing water and the distant rustling of wind through the vines above.

  Something about it sent a prickle up her spine.

  She crouched, running a hand along the stone wall. The surface was cool and damp, worn smooth in some places but rough and fractured in others. This place had been shaped by time itself, carved and hollowed by the persistence of water.

  And yet…

  She couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t supposed to be here.

  Not that she was in danger. No, it wasn’t that.

  It was more like she had stumbled into something old. Something untouched. A place forgotten by time, hidden away from the rest of the forest.

  She exhaled sharply, shaking off the thought.

  Doesn’t matter. This place was still useful. The walls provided natural shelter, and the stream was a perfect source of fresh water. If nothing else, it might be a good fallback point if things went south.

  Still, she made a mental note to keep an eye on it.

  With one last glance around, Kaelin turned back the way she came, her footsteps echoing softly against the rock.