They emerged from the ravine, Raven’s body aching from the fall earlier. As they made their way through the dense forest, the branches seemed to target her with precision, smacking against her already tender bruises. She grumbled and complained, her exhaustion weighing heavy on her.

In those moments, she struggled to find the same spark of energy and determination that had carried her through their earlier challenges. Dante was already ahead, leaving her to fight with the brush. Determined to catch up, Raven quickened her pace through the thick woods. But as she pushed aside one branch, another struck her tender bruise, eliciting a sharp cry of pain.

As she stumbled forward, Raven felt the pain radiate from her side up to her shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat, and she was filled with a sense of dread. 

I can't breathe!

She felt panic begin to rise But before she could fully process what was happening, Dante appeared at her side, his eyes scanning her for signs of injury.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice calm but urgent.

"You’re going so fast.," Raven snapped. "These branches keep hitting me, and I can barely breathe."

Dante sighed before a serious look settled on his face, "I’ll adjust, but we must hurry."

Raven felt a pang of embarrassment. Annoyed that she was unable to keep up. She had always prided herself on her independence and resilience, but now she felt weak and vulnerable.

However, as Dante readjusted her bandages with swift, confident movements, Raven calmed down as she felt her body relax. The pain was still there, but now it was manageable.

"Thanks," she muttered, feeling a bit sheepish.

 Dante nodded, his eyes softening. "It's my duty."

A moment of silence passed, as Raven was unsure of how to respond to his statement. But soon they continued forward, and Raven felt a renewed sense of determination. 

Once again, Dante began his quick pace through the woods. It did seem as if he was being more careful to clear branches away, making a clear path for her to follow, but now her feet began to ache.  

Dante resumed his quick pace through the woods, but this time Dante seemed to be more considerate, clearing branches away to make a path for Raven. However, despite his efforts, Raven's feet began to ache, and she fought the urge to stop and rest. 

"I'm so sick of this," Raven muttered, smacking her face to swat away an insect that had landed on her cheek. She felt the tingling and itchiness of the new mark on her skin, adding to her discomfort. Dante continued onward, seemingly ignoring her complaints and grumbling.

As Raven struggled to keep up with Dante's increasing speed, her heart rate began to rise. After an hour, she finally let herself fall back, but still kept a close eye on Dante's path. "I guess he's in a rush. He seems super focused," she thought to herself, wondering if he had noticed how far behind she was.

As they journeyed deeper into the woods, Raven couldn't help but be struck by the natural beauty around her. The air was rich with the smell of damp earth and decaying leaves, and the soft rustling of leaves and chirping of birds created a peaceful ambiance. “Oh how wonderful,” she thought, slowly taking in the scene around her. 

She heard the gentle sound of water flowing beside them as they made their way through the forest, the gurgling reminding her of the simple joys of life. However, as she panted for breath, the sound of water became a tease, reminding her of her thirst and the fact that she hadn’t had a drink of water since they started walking. “If only I knew I would be going on a hike,” she frowned and rolled her eyes, remembering that she was supposed to be having the time of her life.

Instead, the thought of their vulnerability made her feel exposed and uneasy. Despite her discomfort, she pushed herself to keep up with Dante's quick pace, the ground beneath her feet uneven and rough. Occasionally a few lingering branches of the trees would brush past her legs, the rough bark scraping her skin, leaving a trail of tingling behind. She wanted badly to rest, but the sense of urgency in Dante's movements urged her to keep going. “I might as well make the most of this,” she thought, remembering the lovely scene around her. 

Pushing forward, she decided to try to relax and enjoy the scenery. She was thirsty and tired, but the beauty of the woods captivated her. Raven always felt a deep connection with nature, but her busy schedule rarely allowed her to take a break and appreciate it. The sound of water flowing nearby had a hypnotic effect on her, as she followed Dante's path at a slow pace. Lost in thought, she considered stopping for a moment to quench her thirst, reasoning that she would still be able to follow Dante's trail. "Hmmm," she thought, "I could take a quick break and drink some water."

She hesitated for a moment, worried about what Dante would think if he found out that she had deviated from the path he had set for her. However, Dante had been silent for several hours and was already far ahead of her. Raven grinned mischievously to herself. "I'll be right back," she whispered, before slipping off her shoes and walking towards the hypnotizing sound of the flowing water.

As she reached the water, she realized that she was much higher up than she had anticipated, just like the ravine from before. There was a steep drop in the landscape, and the water was out of her reach. She groaned, her mouth watering at the sound of the water. "Just my luck," she thought, accepting that she wouldn't be able to quench her thirst.

She quickly returned to Dante's path, hoping to catch up with him. She put on her shoes and turned toward the direction of the path. “Oh no,” she thought, her heart beating rapidly. A tingle of fear rose in her stomach. 

Everything looks the same. How is that possible?

She wanted to call Dante immediately, but her embarrassment held her back. "He's going to be so upset," she thought, her frustration mounting. Looking around, she spotted a tree with marks on it and assumed it was part of Dante's trail. Determined not to let the situation upset her, she focused on the beauty surrounding her and walked as briskly as she could manage. Several types of birds flitted above her, tending to their nests. She watched in awe as a brightly colored bluebird placed a shiny trinket in a nest. "So pretty," she thought, momentarily forgetting that she was lost. "It feels right, so I must be right," she thought confidently, ignoring the ache in her legs, the pain in her feet, and the thirst that had gotten her into this situation in the first place.

***

“Are you hungry?” Dante yelled back. Raven was out of his sight, but he knew she was following behind him. He waited a moment for her response, but there was none. He sighed, figuring she was probably upset with him for making her walk for so long without a break. “It couldn't be helped,” he thought, glancing at the sun that was now lower in the sky. They had to get further into the woods before nightfall. He knew it wouldn’t be long before someone caught up with them, so they needed to keep moving.

He took a deep breath, listening to the sounds of the forest. It was quiet, yet filled with noise simultaneously. He loved it. It felt liberating to be away from the politics of his family. His thoughts drifted to his arguing clan mates, angry that he had been the one tasked with retrieving Raven. He thought of all the warring clans in a state of unrest and knew he had to hurry, remembering the promise he had made to his grandfather. "She can't be that upset," he groaned, before calling out again. "Raven! Are you there? I'm waiting for you. I know you're hungry."

He waited, straining to hear her footsteps. He had been so focused on making good time that he had zoned out and lost track of her. After calling for her again and receiving no response, he felt a twinge of panic. Remembering how she had cowered in front of the wolf, he rushed back down the path he had cleared, scolding himself for his carelessness. "This is part of the forest that has a mind of its own. I should know better," he scolded himself mentally as he began to focus his senses, hoping to detect her immediately. He knew this part of the forest was sacred and he had traveled this path his entire life. "I can't expect her to know exactly what to do, even though she is of the forest," he reminded himself, smacking his head in frustration. Suddenly, he caught the scent of Raven and turned sharply left, relieved to have found her.

As he approached her, Dante slowed his pace, taking a deep breath and feeling relieved that he could sense her. Her scent was strong, and it led him straight to her. When he saw her, he couldn't help but smile. The sun was peeking through the canopy of trees, delicately shining on her hair, and the wild curls caught flickers of light like sparkles in the wind. The breeze gently tossed her hair about her face as she kneeled to pick up two purple flowers growing and wrapped tightly around a tree. He watched as she struggled to reach the second flower that was just out of her reach.

“I know I can reach it. I just know it, and then I promise I'll hurry back to where I guess I'm supposed to go,” she said, giggling. “But I've never seen two of these flowers growing at the same time, and I just have to have them.”

Dante wanted to fuss, but he decided to watch her instead, captivated by her beauty. She seemed to glow in the light of the sun. She stood on her very tiptoes, stretching her arm as far as it would go, but the second flower was still out of her reach. Dante smirked and took a step towards her, ready to retrieve the flower for her, but before he could make his presence known, she jumped and gracefully plucked the flower from its place.

"Beautiful," he said as she landed gracefully. She jumped in surprise, unaware of his presence.

"Oops," she said. "I didn't mean to get distracted," she spoke quickly, feeling like a little girl caught stealing plums from a garden. "I was just so thirsty, and I just wanted to"

"Shush," Dante said, cutting her off mid-sentence. "No need to apologize." His voice was serious and filled with emotion. "But I won't let you out of my sight again."

Raven's stomach growled loudly, and Dante smiled. "All I want to do is feed you," he said, taking her hand and racing back towards the path. She struggled to keep up as he practically dragged her through the woods, but she was relieved that he wasn't upset with her for getting distracted.

As they emerged back onto the path, Raven grinned goofily. "There's absolutely no way I would have found this path again," she admitted. Dante chuckled and squeezed her hand, his grip strong and reassuring.

They made it back to the path, and Dante quickly started a small fire before disappearing into the woods. He returned with a rabbit, still kicking, and Raven watched in shock as he swiftly broke its neck. Wide-eyed, she watched as Dante prepared the rabbit for cooking. Although she was starving, she wasn't sure how she felt about eating something that had been alive and kicking only moments before.

As Dante cooked, Raven frowned, thinking about how rough he had been with the animal. "I wish you didn't have to be so rough with the animals. It was just a little rabbit," she fussed.

"Who knew you would be so sensitive?" Dante rolled his eyes before passing her a piece of the cooked rabbit. Raven's stomach twisted between disgust and hunger as she took a bite of the meat, struggling to swallow the thought of Dante killing the animal with his own hands.

“I can’t believe you're so sensitive. I mean, animals eat other animals. What's the big deal?” Dante said, taking a big bite of the cooked rabbit.

“I don't know, I've never seen anyone kill an animal before. Well, other than hitting one with a car. I don't like that either.”

 “There's no way you're a vegetarian,” he scoffed. “Your family would roll in their graves.”

Raven crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Whatever, I'm not a vegetarian. I just prefer not to watch my food being killed right in front of me.”

“Who knew you would be so prissy?” Dante muttered, before clearing the area where he had prepared the rabbit. Then he stood up quickly, looking around alertly before urging Raven to hurry so they could continue on their way.

She groaned as she stood, her legs protesting against the weight of the rest of her body. She was still tired. They had been walking all morning. She could tell that Dante was ready to go, so she kept her complaints to herself before tying up her shoes tighter, waiting for Dante to begin walking. Before she could protest, he grabbed her hand again and began walking forward. “Hey, what are you doing? I don’t need you to hold my hand. I’m not a kid,” She snatched away before he quickly placed her hand back into his own. 

“Hey!,” she exclaimed, again, but this time she was not able to yank her hand away as he tightened his grip. 

“Listen, I just want you always next to me," he said gently. She felt her heart flutter at the sound of his deep, soft voice.

 “I’m sure,” she blushed hard, pulling her hand harder, freeing it from his grip. “Just walk OK? I’ll be right behind you. There is no need to hold my hand or- or- anything like that.  I am umm- actually feeling quite refreshed. Let’s go!” she said, attempting to laugh it off. 

Dante was not sure if he wanted to walk ahead of her again, but pressed for time, he decided not to argue. “OK,” he said. “Please stay closer this time. I understand that I walk fast, but I promise I just want to get you someplace safe.”

As Dante started walking again, Raven monitored him behind, determined not to fall behind this time. She ignored her achy legs and feet, focusing on regulating her breathing and heart rate as she did during her morning runs. After an hour of walking, sweat dripped down her face, and her shirt was damp between her breasts. "This sucks," she groaned under her breath, hoping Dante didn't hear. She had been staring at the ground, watching her feet plod heavily through the forest. The ground seemed to stretch on endlessly, and the light filtering through the canopy was dimming. It was getting hotter and the air was getting denser as they moved deeper into the forest. The trees around them were closer together, and it was becoming harder to see Dante's path. Raven looked up, feeling a sense of unease settling in her stomach.

Oh no!

Raven realized she had fallen behind once again and felt a wave of panic wash over her as the forest became gloomy and darker with more trees blocking the fading light.