our little angel

The Whispering Woods - Part 7

Age 12
Words 247
Summary: Raven nearly died form the pain.

Mattheo raced through the trees, his heart pounding. Abigail clung to his robes as he carried her, leading him through the winding path she had taken to escape.

Then—he saw her.

Raven lay motionless on the ground, her body twisted at an unnatural angle. Blood stained her robes, pooling beneath her.

Mattheo’s breath caught.

“Raven!” He dropped to his knees beside her, his hands shaking as he reached for her.

She was barely breathing. Her skin was ice-cold, her pulse weak. Too weak.

“No, no, no—stay with me, baby,” Mattheo murmured, his voice shaking. He ripped off his cloak and wrapped it around her, trying to stop the bleeding.

Raven’s eyes fluttered open.

“…Dad?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“I’m here, princess,” Mattheo said quickly. “Just hold on, okay?”

She winced, her tiny hands gripping his sleeve. “It… hurts.”

Mattheo clenched his jaw. He knew pain—he had seen it, inflicted it, survived it. But this—**seeing his daughter like this—**was a pain he had never known before.

Tears burned in his eyes as he pulled her closer.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he promised, even though he wasn’t sure it would be.

The shadows around them shifted again, watching. Waiting.

But Mattheo wasn’t afraid.

He was furious.

Whoever—whatever—did this to his daughter was going to pay.

But first, he had to save her.

And he had to do it now.