The dawn light filtering through the leaves awoke Eliana from her troubled sleep. Her body was stiff from curling up in the cramped hollow all night. As she crawled out, she was relieved to find the fire still smoldering from the night before. 

 Rekindling the flames, she began to prepare some venison over it. The smoke helped mask her location as she ate, taking stock of her surroundings now in the new day. 

 Finishing her meager breakfast, Eliana set out exploring the forest properly for the first time. Her cunning eyes took in every detail - which plants could be eaten, where water sources lay, potential dangers. Over time she came to know every nook of her woodland realm.

 Wandering down a moss-covered log, something glinting in the mulch ahead caught her eye. Brushing aside layers of decaying leaves, she uncovered a rusted hatchet head stuck fast in tightly wound roots. With great effort, she was able to work it free.

 Though notched and tarnished, its cutting edge was still usable. Eliana beamed at her lucky discovery, knowing full well the gift this hatchet could provide - shelter, fire, defense against any threats. From now on, she would not be as defenseless alone.

 Testing its weight and balancing the unfamiliar tool took the rest of her morning. By afternoon, she had chopped enough fallen branches to reinforce the walls of her oak hollow shelter. The ability to shape her surroundings filled Eliana with confidence in her resilience to survive. 

 Darker thoughts still lingered, but in the light of her newest discovery, hope burned a little brighter in her young heart once more.