Blackfeather Woods praying for the faithless

The boy spat dirt from between his teeth, and realized a moment later he wasn't alone. The scrambling, the sucking mud, and all the chaos of trying to get free had distracted him from her temporarily. She looked familiar - and as he returned to himself, gathered his wits and his breath, he recognized her from around the forest. She seemed genuinely concerned and to ease her worry, he nodded his head sharply, quickly. I'm alright, he was saying. But he was still so cold.