Traveling during the day, the forest continues with no end in sight. There’s a path that Solvi follows, which splits off a few times going here and there. The main path itself is easier to tell from the others since it’s wider and has deeper grooves from the wagons that pass along.

Some creatures she sees are new to her; there's a small bird that has the loudest calls she's ever heard. It must be the sonic bird, they're the only ones that can be that loud. Thankfully she isn't going near the spirit lake where there are dangerous animals lurking. The guardians of her village are nothing compared to them. She's heard about them, but the name alone is enough to strike fear into anyone.

The plague croc is known to lurk around the shores of the spirit lake, warding off anyone that shouldn’t be there. Only the Elders and a few others with close associations to magic are allowed to get near the lake without fear. Their size alone is enough to scare off any intruders

Night is falling faster these days. The shadows grow longer and Solvi looks for a good place to make camp for the night. The path grows wider, opening up into a large field that reaches out for a good mile. Walking a little way from the path along the tree line, Solvi sets up a small camp. She silently thanks her mom for teaching her how to survive in the forest as she sets up a small lean-to with some trees nearby. Collecting some twigs for her fire she comes across some round pellets on the ground.

“I wonder what animal these are from? They don’t look like they’re from any animals I’ve seen,” she says to herself.

She used to go out in the forest with her mom during the day and learn everything she could about it. The best plants to use to fix different ailments. What wood will work the best in starting a fire. Even how to read the tracks of animals to have the best success with laying traps and hunting.

Gathering wood for a fire has always been fun for Solvi, but this time it was different. Each piece she picks up, she remembers seeing her home on fire again.

The flames crawling up the walls.

The wood crackling as they burst apart.

Her people, running in terror, and she could do nothing but try to get the invaders out as soon as possible.

She shakes the thoughts from her head and continues to pick up a few larger pieces to keep the fire going for a few hours.

Catching dinner is a success and she returns to her small camp with a cleaned hare in one hand and her bow in the other. The fire starts up after a few tries. She props the hare over the fire to cook, rotating it every so often. While waiting for her dinner to finish, she pulls out her knife and carves two small lines in her bow, right above the handle.

“I don’t know how long it will take to get the Life Seed back, but I might as well keep track of how long I’ve been gone.”

Her fingers run over the small notches as she cleans the loose wood from it. Next, she moves to an arrow, the green fletching still vibrant in the fading light. Her hand moves with a smooth precision as she carves five small runes into the shaft. Each rune symbolizes a different reason that she has come on this quest, but the most pronounced one means retribution. She will finish it even if it kills her.

A twig snaps in the bushes nearby to her. Looking around she sees nothing but the trees and forest. She turns back to the hare and rotates it a bit more.

Crunching leaves and branches make her stand up to see what could be making the commotion. From her new vantage point, a scary sight emerges in the darkness. She bends down slowly, not taking her eyes off the beast, and reaches for her bow. Feeling the wood under her fingers, she picks it up and draws an arrow. Aiming for what she thinks is the head, she takes a breath in, a slow breath out, and releases. The arrow flies true, hitting the beast in the arm. She realizes her mistake quickly and tries the notch another one, but all she finds is her knife.

‘This will have to do for now,’ she thinks as she grips it tight.

The beast lumbers forward, enraged by the arrow now sticking out of its shoulder. In the firelight, she can recognize it as a massive bear, bigger than any other she’s seen before. And far larger than the spirit bear she encountered last time.

The bear rears up on its back legs and swings a massive paw at her. The claws are long enough to reach her, leaving a large gash on her left arm. She grips her arm, holding the blade in her left hand now. Running on pure adrenaline, she ducks under the next swing and aims straight for the eyes this time. An echoing roar rings out, and the bear drops back down to its front paws. It turns and runs from her, the knife still stuck in its right eye.

She collapses against the tree. The fire inside her fades and the pain returns. Her arm burns where the bear cut her, blood running down to her fingertips. Digging through her pack, she finds an old iron blade she uses for collecting herbs. Today it will be the one thing that can keep her from bleeding out.