The rough-shod terrain of the mountain path gave way to greener turf as Casnie pulled even farther ahead of her two companions. For the first time she was bearing witness to the thick strands of trees that composed the Lakara Wood. Aside from the mountains behind her, she was surrounded by an endless ocean of green. She found herself wondering how Aisen and Terakiel had managed to navigate such a maze.
She couldn't begin to imagine what it would be like to be stranded in the middle of these vast woods with no guarantee of food, water, or shelter. How could one hold onto their sanity in such a situation? The Wilder must have gone through quite the ordeal to throw away his safe home--and family? What else did he leave behind? And why? She remembered things--or rather, she had fragments of the man's memories, but she couldn't quite put them together. She thought he must have done something terrible.
The weather was very different in this place. In Sidea the climate was balmy but mostly pleasant. She was not entirely accustomed to the bitter chill lingering in the air of Lakara but her long cloak was a small comfort in that regard. She supposed it might have been polite to offer it to Terakiel, whose clothing situation was rather more dire--but she allowed herself this one small privilege. After all, she'd been brought here against her will!
Casnie heard the sound of damp leaves crunching beneath her shoes as she advanced a small ways into the forest. Initially, she thought it might be a good idea to scout ahead to figure out a good path to take, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that no such path existed. The trees were thick and showed no signs of thinning out for as far as she could see. Even now she was having to squeeze in between trees to make her way.
Even if Terakiel had a vague idea of where to go, it would be a tough path. It was clear this section of the forest had not been touched by humans in a very long time. It was overgrown with trees and other vegetation. Very few branches and twigs littered the forest floor and the sounds of small woodland animals could only barely be heard. This area was seemingly abandoned by all forms of life.
When she heard the sound of crumpling leaves and the twisting of branches behind her, she could only assume her two companions had finally managed to catch up. As she turned around to face in the direction of the sound, she discovered that she was very wrong.
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