Phoenix Maplewood No one's ever left me quite this sore

With the sun peeking over the Sunspire range, Phoenix Emberwood was beautiful. Just the right amount of that early split light touched the leaves, lending the entire forest a gentle green glow while still being awash in deep shadows. The wind brushed the leaves ever-so-quietly so that a hushed whisper seemed to travel through the wood, reaching the perked ears of Saena as she plodded through a clearing to the east of the forest's heart.

She paused to savour the rustle, reminiscing briefly of the plateau before returning to her walk. Exploration of the maplewood would come in time but she wanted a head start on it. There were surely treasures hidden within the depths of the wondrous forest, treasures like the beloved waterfall she and Reek had lost at the rise, and she was determined to find them sooner rather than later.

She followed the line of a tumbling river until it formed a small pool, and from there, spilled out over the tiniest fall she'd ever seen. It was almost like a stone slab split in two, with the river bisecting it, and it fell in such a gentle sheet that the very surface was undisturbed. The sound of trickling water was quieter here even than in flatter sections of the river, no doubt because of how it followed the contours of its bank. She smiled to herself and moved closer, picking her way carefully over rocks slick with water and thick, wet moss.