|Book 1: Chapter One|
The night faded away. The moon started to sink in the sky, hiding itself beyond the last line of land in the distance. As it disappeared, the light started to shine from the other side. It reflected off the river, the water sparkling with each passing second. The sun rose, waking the day time creatures from their slumbers. Their eyes blinked at the familiar light as they regain consciousness from their dreams. Each creature started to wake up further. A bird would stretch their wings, pressing their beaks together as they stared at the ground looking for some tasty worms. A mouse would scurry close to the ground, hidden by the dark green patches of grass. A snake would slither around, hoping to track their next meal.
Deep in the undergrowth of the woods, in a small cave, a woman snores softly. Her haunting breaths echoing off the cave walls. The coldness of the cave nipped at her skin, and her dead fire stopped sending up smoke signals. The cave was about the size for a family of badgers, but after taking a couple of minutes, the woman practically destroyed it enough for a juvenile bear to rest inside. Her platinum hair would easily be seen inside the cave, day or night. Her arm laid over her head clumsy as she sleepily block out the new birth of sunlight from heating her eye lids. Her legs curled up into her chest as she laid in a ball, relaxing her back against the fragile dirt walls she had weaken in her tired state the night before.
The entrance of the cave was slightly hidden, secretly behind large bushes that gave birth to some black and red berries. Many critters took their adventuring there as they stuffed the planted fruits into their chubby checks or their small beaks. There wasn't any time to bring the meal back for their offspring or hiding alone in the dark to feast upon the meal they collected.
With each berry taken on the bush, the small plant would shake, being pulled one way before it released the other way. The critters scurried away, fearing the rattle of a snakes tails or the yellow eyes of a larger mammal. As the bush became quiet, they would creep closer till they were in reach.
The sound of the woman groaning made an unexpected noise, scaring the small forest animals — the birds took flight as the mouses scurried into the tall grass. They peaked out, wondering where and what the sound was.
The groan was deep and loud. It seemed to go on for hours before everything fell silent again. A little shuffling hit the animals' sensitive ears as the sound had their own floor moving. From the top of trees, the light color of silver or white started to bobble around. Underneath the roots of the trees, a pair of pale feet emerged.
The woman was awake. She lifted her hand over her head, her palm pressing against the wall. Some dirt fell from the ceiling, gently falling into her face. She groaned, rolling her ankles. Her ears bleed at the loud sounds she was making. Her arm was burned by the sun as she moved it from her face. Her chest ached at the missing pressure her legs enforced.
She stumbled. Once. Twice. Her thighs hit the bushes, acting like some barrier between the cave and the outside world. The light trickled across her face. The faint pink scars shined a little bright with each ray of sunshine.
She blinked against the ray, holding her arm up. Her shoulder felt a sharp pain at the movement, and a whimpered escaped her throat. Her voice box snapped, and tears outlined her eyes as she gripped her throat with her dirty fingers.
She swallowed, feeling her spit travel down her throat. It rushed down, putting out the burn she was experiencing. Little by little, she removed her fingers from her skin. Taking a deep breath, she moved passed the bushes, opening the door into the real, unprotected world.
