Lost Creek Hollow forfeited

He is steadfast in his mission — to find — but that does not mean he is unaware. The boy remains alert as he travels, tattered ears swivelling in every direction as he picks out the sounds of the forest; the scampering of tiny mouse feet in the underbrush, the flutter of wings in the boughs above, the sound of water rushing over stones. He pauses when he hears a twig crack, though where it came from he wasn't sure.

Drawing to a stop, Mengu lifts his head and tests the air, dark eyes glancing around the darkness of the woodland that now seems to loom over him, threatening to engulf everything in sight. His heart begins to thrum, and the slave begins moving again with a nervous speed to his step.