Chapter 4 — Fragments of Danger

Terrie

The forest seemed to hold its breath, the usual symphony of rustling leaves and distant howls muted beneath a heavy, oppressive stillness. Shadowpine’s towering pines stretched endlessly into the dim morning, their branches knitting a canopy that blotted out the light. Terrie’s boots crunched softly against the forest floor, each step deliberate as her sharp green eyes scanned the underbrush. Something wasn’t right. She could feel it in the air.