The Heartwood Hopping through the forest

There were times that Galena had been so lost, physically, that her mental state had drifted far from her true position. Moments where things got so difficult for her, that she had doubted the urge to run; but they were fleeting. No matter how forlorn she felt in her loneliness, the foreign woman forced herself to be strong. There was no point in dwelling on her life before, as it was over. She had made her choice — but all children doubted. Galena was not wise or filled with any sort of common sense. She knew exactly as much as she needed to get by; nothing more, and nothing less. But still, the girl was conflicted.

If she had stayed at home, she would not be so hungry. If she had paid more attention during her lessons, she would not have gotten lost so often; her ability to speak to strangers was debilitating enough, thanks to her nature. It was worse that Galena had not learned as much of the common tongue as Matej. If he had followed her, perhaps they would have succeeded.

Perhaps they would have settled somewhere together. A sibling duo that could prove to their parents, just how strong they were. But it had not gone that way.

Galena was alone, in this place. The forest was isolating in it's silence. It was something that disturbed her greatly; more so than anything else on her mind. Nothing stirred but the shifting of her own body — at times, the branches of the trees would shift in the wind. It added an sombre ambiance, and somehow, the soft sounds urged her to stop moving. Galena stood awkwardly — head lowering towards the earth, where she casually sniffed at the dirt.


There was nothing here. She couldn't even find a strong scent of prey; or, maybe she was just really bad at hunting? The girl shifted her weight and gave a small chuff of dissatisfaction — then, she lifted her head and began to stride along again. Oblivious, in every possible aspect, that there was a stranger on her tail.