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.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.
THE FOREST FELT like a labyrinth, each step you took seeming to pull you deeper into its embrace. The sun was sinking lower in the sky, its light barely piercing through the dense canopy of trees. You weren't lost—not exactly—but you weren't entirely sure where you were either. You muttered a curse under your breath, kicking at a stubborn root that jutted out from the ground.
"Great. Just great," you grumbled to yourself, brushing a strand of hair out of your eyes, "leave it to me to get turned around in the one part of the forest where everything looks the same."
The basket in your hand was filled with the herbs and berries your mother had sent you to gather— but of course you got lost as if you haven't traveled through these woods hundreds of times. you were tired, hungry, and wanted nothing more than to be in your bed at home where the biggest threat was your mother's sharp tongue. You picked up your pace, but as you rounded a bend, the uneasy feeling you'd been trying to ignore came rushing back. The birds had stopped singing, and the usual forest sounds were replaced by something else—something that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
A twig snapped, and you whirled around to see three men stepping out from behind the trees, their faces twisted into cruel grins. You instinctively took a step back, your heart pounding in your chest.
"Well, well, well," the leader of the group drawled, his voice dripping with mockery. "What's a pretty little thing like you doing out here all alone?"
You crossed your arms over your chest, forcing yourself to stand tall despite the fear gnawing at your insides. "What, are the wolves not enough for you? Have to pick on someone who can actually talk back?"
The leader's grin faltered for a moment before he chuckled darkly. "Feisty, huh? I like that. Too bad it won't do you any good out here."
He took a step closer, and you instinctively backed away, your mind racing as you tried to figure out how to get out of this mess.
