shake the feeling that something was drawing her toward the woods. But there was no time to dwell on it-she had work to do. The village was waking up slowly. Farmers shuffled toward their

o time to explain." --- Elira's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Miri, who nodded, her face pale but resolute. "Go. I'll hold down the shop. You don't want to ignore this." Without another word, Elira followed the man through the streets, her mind racing. They reached the outskirts of the village where his horse was waiting, a sleek black steed with eyes that glowed faintly in the morning light. "Where are we going?" Elira asked, her voice tight. The rider handed her a small satchel. "You need to leave the village. It's not safe here anymore." Elira hesitated, but the urgency in his tone made her stomach knot. "Why? What's happening?" "The wolf you saw last night wasn't an ordinary creature. It's part of a larger problem. Something's coming, and we need to stop it before it spreads." --- They rode in silence for miles, the landscape shifting from village fields to dense forest. Elira felt a strange pull toward the woods, a growing awareness that the forest was connected to everything-her past, the wolf, and now this mysterious man. After what felt like hours, the rider finally slowed his horse, pulling it to a stop at the edge of a clearing. Elira slid off the horse, her legs sore from the long ride. "We're here," the rider said. Elira looked around. The clearing was quiet, surrounded by trees that seemed to stretch up endlessly. But what caught her attention was a figure standing in the center of the clearing-a woman with long silver hair, her eyes hidden by a dark hood. Beside her was a tall, armored man with a brooding expression. He looked familiar, though Elira couldn't place where she had seen him before. "Elira Wren," the woman said, her voice smooth and commanding. "We've been expecting you." --- Elira narrowed h