I remember the day clearly, the day we lost everything, and the terrifyingly beautiful monsters that tore through our village without remorse. The faces of those that died, the anguished expressions on their faces and those blood-curdling screams seared into memory. We were taught at a young age to fear the Fragmented, stories told to children to keep away from the woods and to look out for pretty patterns lurking from afar. It was those beautiful patterns that would lure any unsuspecting child into their clutches never to be seen again. Reminded of those stories meant to scare us, I couldn’t have been but a few years old when it all happened.

“Alek, careful where you swing that thing!” Alena scolded.

“I’m chopping wood!” Thinking of myself as a hard-working man like my father, I had been swinging a stick I picked off the ground, hitting one of the columns on our porch.

However my sister was not so easily amused. “I know you look up to Papa, but you’ll only hurt yourself if you're not careful with that stick. So, would you please give it to me?”

“No!” I pouted, continuing to swing against the column.

“Is that so… then prepare yourself, boys who don't listen to their sisters must be punished… I’ll just have to tickle you until you let it go!”

Her delightful threat made me pause before giving my reply. “I don’t wanna! Mama!” I shouted before running off.

“You can’t just run- Ugh, Alek!” Running circles around the house, she chased after me.

“Alek please… just wait… wait up!” Alena breathed heavily, unable to keep up.

“Just what mischief are you children up to? Explain yourselves, Alena?” Mother came out from the house having heard the commotion happening outside.

“We’re sorry Mama. Alek, he- I’m worried he might hurt himself.”

“Just what is he doing this time?”

“He’s- well he’s swinging a stick around, pretending to be Papa as he ‘chops’ the house.”

“Swinging a stick…? To think that’s what’s got you so worked up… Alena, there’s nothing wrong with him wanting to have a little fun, be it swinging a stick or mucking about in the dirt. He’s a child and boys do childish things at that age. Just leave him be, if he ends up getting hurt it’ll be a lesson to himself, the boy will never learn if you continue to coddle him, Alena.”

“I understand Mama… and while it's true there’s nothing wrong with what he’s doing right now… Well the thing is, he had been swinging the stick at Walenty earlier, had he bucked- I don’t even want to think about what would have happened!” She shuddered at the thought. “Thankfully Walenty is a gentle soul and let him be, at the very least Alek stopped bothering him when I caught him in the act. But now he’s gone and ran off!”

“He did what!? Really now, that boy… I swear he gets it from his Father.” Mother sighed. “Alright then, just keep an eye on him, he’s bound to get bored eventually. He’s still a boy, so just let him enjoy being a child a little while longer."

“Right… Still, there’s no telling what might happen if I take my eyes off him for even a second. So I don’t want you to worry Mama, I’ll be sure to keep him away from trouble.”

“Hmph, you care a lot for him, it’s quite sweet. You’ve got a kind heart… and quite pretty at that, you must have quite a beautiful mother.” She teased. “But you know I would love it if you would find yourself an apprenticeship in town, you shouldn’t be working the fields your whole life.”

“But the thing is, I want to stay working on the farm, I really don’t mind it and besides I’ve gotten really good at telling the difference between the different seeds and crops we grow. But more than that, we’re all here together as a family. So long as I have that I couldn’t want for anything more.”

“Really now, are you sure? You’re far too clever to be working the fields…”

“I’m sure, Mama.”

“If you say so, but if you ever change your mind just know I’ll support you every step of the way. Still, I’m happy nonetheless to have my daughter around.” Mother placed a hand to Alena’s face, gently caressing her cheek. “Well there’s still plenty of work to be done but it’s still early in the day, so come noon I’ll need your help with sorting the crops. Your Father’s going to start stockpiling the firewood he chopped the other day once he’s finished with his work, so bring Alek along so he can watch.”

It was a normal morning just like any other, Mother had been going about her morning routine and tending to the crops while Father was picking out which crops were to be boxed and offered to the lord. Everything went about as usual, we lived happily in our hometown of Siekiera, however things were different that day. It was around noon, if I remember. I only recall a vague recollection of the event, yet the one memory playing over and over again was when the village crier arrived on that fateful day.

“Hm? Mama, somebody is approaching on horseback.”

“Oh? Just who- Is that Maja’s boy, Gawel? I swear if he’s come here to slack off again… he better have something worth announcing. Hopefully he has news of tomorrow’s grain imports, the town’s been expecting it all week. Lord knows your Father’s been looking forward to it. Stay here, I’ll go see what all the fuss is about. Kestas, we have a visitor!”

Father had been stacking crates to be offered to the lord, filled with the best crops we had this season. “I’ll be out in a second, who’s come to visit? Well now, if it isn’t Gawel. He better have good news for us, been waiting all week for that grain!”

Drenched in sweat, Gawel came on horseback to warn us of the terrible news. The grain that had yet to arrive was the least of our worries, for what concerned Father more was news of curious patterns seen in the woods headed straight for the farmsteads. When Father asked if it was just the one, the crier only shook his head. I couldn’t see father’s face, just a vague memory of him standing there, fists clenched.

“That can’t be… doesn’t make any sense… and the town guards…?”

“...all dead… The Fragmented… too many of them… the town is surrounded…”

“What of the Charmers… their magic can…”

“...still alive and fighting, but… not just Cantor beasts… the townsfolk, it killed them all… a Strange Attractor…”

I couldn’t recall the conversation they had, I quickly lost interest and went about swinging the stick I carried around. Mother only stood there with a trembling hand held to her mouth standing beside Father, the harrowing look in her eyes brought her to the brink of tears. It wasn’t long before the crier rode off to deliver the news and warn the others in the area. The look on mother’s face gave us cause for concern while father stood there a moment before letting out a sigh.

Father turned to face Mama. “Jura, can you take care of the children while I’m gone?”

“You- You’re leaving?” She spoke with a tremble.

“Only for a little while, I’ll have to go see Ernest, he knows his charms well. He might be the only one able to help us.”

“If you leave- how do I know you’ll come back? No, I won’t let you, it’s far too dangerous!”

“I’ll be back before you know it.” He confidently reassured her.

“Papa, is it true what he said, are they coming here- for us? Will we be alright?” Alena interrupted, no doubt worried.

“Ain’t nothing I can’t handle.” The conversation he had with the village crier weighed heavy on his mind, yet despite the fact he reassured us with a warm smile. “I’ll be bringing Uncle Ernie back home so he can keep us company, isn’t that right?” Father gestured to Mama.

Mother looked stunned for a moment before looking our way, she quickly composed herself. “T-That’s right… Alena, e-everything is going to be just fine… just… please hurry and take Aleksy inside.” She managed to choke the words out.

“...Right, I’ll keep him safe.” Sis placed her hands on my shoulders while I continued to draw in the dirt. “We’ll be alright. Come now Alek, let’s go inside.” She smiled before hurrying me inside.

The last thing we heard before heading inside were Mama’s desperate cries. “Don’t you dare die on me… I’ll never forgive you if you do, I swear I’ll drag your body back if I have to!”

Keeping watch on the things from the inside, we both looked out on things through the window. No doubt Father saw us looking through the window, giving us a faint smile before turning his attention towards mother. Holding her tight as she buried her face in his embrace. Seeing mother weep, I looked beside to see my sister holding back tears as well. Wishing to see her face, father held Mama’s face close to his and gave her one last kiss. The moment didn’t last long before mother pushed Papa away, bashing her fists upon him until at last giving him another loving kiss, only to push him away one last time. Father then took Walenty out of the stable and rode off to see Uncle Ernest. Mother watched as he went before she began moving toward the house, Alena quickly pulled me away from the window just as mother came in. I remember the disheartened look on Mama’s face, her lips quivered before turning away from us, taking a moment to compose herself before turning back to face us donning a half-smile.

“It seems Papa won’t be back for a while… So why don’t we play a game while we wait, hm? As for the game… how about who can keep quiet the longest, so let’s try our best not to make too much noise, at least until he gets back. Yeah?” Mother begged with a quivering smile.

“Doesn’t that sound fun, Alek?” Sis tried to reinforce the idea to me.

“I guess…”

“Seems to me you're scared you might lose. I bet I can keep quiet longer than you can.” She teased.

I remember being quite upset. “I can keep quiet! Just watch me!” I held my breath, it wasn’t long before my cheeks went pale. I was far too stubborn and silly to think it would help me stay quieter.

“Aha, you have to breathe Alek!” She advised, attempting to shake some sense into me. “Come now, don’t be silly! You won’t win the game this way, so please, breathe!”

I shook my head. Too stubborn to realize I was close to passing out before my body reflexes kicked in and responded in kind, I found myself gasping for air. The stress I had put on my lungs had allowed my body to take control and all I remember was coughing erratically, gulping down the air my body was more than happy to take in.

“See, you’re gonna hurt yourself if you continue to do that. Look at me, all you need to do is close your mouth and breathe normally. Simple as that.”

“I know that!” I shouted, my cheeks somewhat still pale.

“Quiet now.” Mother warned.

“Opp!” I smothered my mouth with both hands.

“And Aleksy, please listen to your sister, don’t be silly and hold your breath, understand?”

“But Alena is the one-!”

“Excuse me?” She glared.

“But-!” Before I could say another word, my sister stepped in.

“We’re sorry Mama, it won’t happen again.” Alena interrupted, apologizing for the both of us.

“It’s just too much, I really can’t… Please, just for one day can’t you just play along? Please, just for today, stay quiet for Mama, okay?” She begged.

“Sorry Mama… I’ll be quiet.” I obliged, it became apparent that Mama was overly stressed.

“...Thank you.” She sighed before reclining into a chair.

I looked over to my sister to see her sigh in relief. “Let’s play again, I want to win.” I whispered.

“Hah… Is that so? Well alright, then let’s try again.” Alena grinned.

“I can keep quiet, I'm not gonna lose this time.” I whispered in kind. I remember giving her a stupidly wide grin, so confident in my ability to keep quiet while being blissfully ignorant as to the purpose of the game.

“It won’t be long now… Your Father will be back home once he’s finished with his errands and to collect on some favors, he’s bound to come home soon, he has to… I’m sure of it.” Mother sat beside herself, wistfully hoping for Father to return soon in effort to cope with the situation.

What seemed like hours passed by as I stared into my sister’s eyes, the smile never fading from her face. Laying beside the fireplace, all that could be heard was the crackling of burning wood and the chair my mother sat on which would creak every other time she came close to sighing. It wasn’t long before I felt myself dozing off as we lay there on the floorboards, and yet it was what sounded like the earthy moan and crash of a falling tree outside that broke the silence.

“Did you hear that?” My sister asked aghast.

“You talked!” I exclaimed.

“Hush now, not so loud.” Mama held a finger to her mouth.

Mother stood up from her chair and walked to the window, her eyes scanning the area outside before a worrisome look came over her face. What soon came after was a harrowing sound that could be heard from outside the house, an eerie yowling in the distance. A sound so distressing that it immediately made our skin crawl and the hair on our arms stand up. This expression of heart-wrenching woe seemingly wished to make itself known to all of us present.

“Mama… what should we do?” Alena’s voice seemed to grab hold of Mother, shaking her free from the twinge of fear.

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“Alena… Aleksy… We’re fine… We’re gonna be fine…” She assured us before motioning over, holding us close in her arms. “You’ve both done so well to keep quiet, but I need you two to continue the game, okay? But I need to step out and check on things…”

“It’s gonna be okay Mama, yeah?” Alena sniffled.

“It is… I know, I know it. We’re going to be alright…” She paused. “But I need you to listen to me closely. I want you two to find somewhere to hide, somewhere safe where you won’t be found.”

“But Mama-!”

“It’ll be alright. It will. I also want you to have this…” Mother took off her necklace and put it around Alena’s neck. An ornate silver necklace decorated with amber, made to look like a butterfly.

“Your necklace- but why?”

“A gift from my mother… and now I want you to have it. It holds the power to keep you safe from danger, no matter what the future might hold. So long as you pray to it with all your heart, things will change for the better.”

“...If I take this… what will happen, will you be alright without it?! I don’t want it, I want you to keep it!”

Mama only gave a fond smile. “It’s yours now. You’re a brave girl, I want you to know that. So please, make sure to look after Aleksy, you two must look out for each other. Can you do that for me, please?” All Alena could do was nod, her hands clenched. “Thank you… Now listen to me closely, go out through the back door and into the barn, hide there until I call for you, okay?

“Okay…” Alena wiped the tears from her eyes. “I will… I’ll keep Alek safe.”

“I know you will. I’m so proud to be your mother.” Mother held us close, snug between her arms and against her warmth. “I love you both so much.” She whimpered. At that moment, all I could hear was the sound of a Mother and Daughter quietly weeping to one another. But soon it was time to let go. “Now go, I’ll be right behind you.”

“…I think we’re ready.” Alena glanced over to me. “Looks like we’ll be playing a game of hide and seek this time around…” She paused to look at me. “Won’t that be fun, Alek?” She forced a smile.

“Mhm.” I nodded hesitantly, knowing something wasn’t quite right, yet I couldn’t quite understand what was happening at the time.

Mother went off and headed into their bedroom, prying off a loose floorboard and pulling out what looked like father’s rifle that had been stowed away. All the while she fumbled to load the ammunition into it, glancing out the window every other round she loaded into the chamber. Alena grabbed my hand and led me out the backdoor towards the barn. Locking the barn door behind us with a board of wood, we then moved toward the back where large piles of hay were left unattended. Alena burrowed into the straw and pulled me in, there we were kept hidden within the unsuspecting hiding place. Despite being hidden from an untrained eye, we could somewhat peek through the dried grass, still mindful of any danger that might approach. We only hoped mother was safe.

“Stay still, Alek. We’re starting the game now, so let’s keep quiet. If we’re found, we’ll end up losing the game. Understand?”

“Uh-huh.” I whispered.

“Good… No matter what, we cannot lose the game…” She clasped her hand with mine, and with it came a constant trembling that conflicted with the stern expression she wore on her face.

We remained still and quiet as we kept snug in the safety of straw and grass. It wasn’t long before a gunshot broke the silence, the sound was loud enough to stoke fear in me. I hadn’t heard anything like it, I couldn’t help but freeze in place as another round was fired off shortly thereafter. And then… silence once more. Was it over? No… the only thing to greet us was that horrendously eerie yowling we heard earlier. It was much louder than it was before and much, much closer.

“Alek, hold my hand. There’s a ramp on our left and a window near the hayloft. We'll go ahead and jump out the window at the top so get ready to run when I say so, okay?”

“U-uh-huh.” I nodded hesitantly.

However we were soon interrupted when we heard banging against the barn door, with whatever was on the other side aggressively trying to find its way in. This went on for a while before it stopped abruptly.

“I’m scared.” I realized at that moment, the fear of the unknown began to scare me. “I want to run! I hate this place!” Tears in my eyes.

“Alek, please. You have to be quiet-”

“I want to see Mama! Papa!” I shouted.

“Ah, not so loud! Alek-” My desperate cries seemed to attract unwanted attention as the banging started again. “Be quiet. Let me hold you… hush now…” Alena pulled me close.

“Mama… Papa…” My cries were now muffled by her embrace.

“I know, I know… I’m scared too.” She coddled me, stroking my hair. “Just a little while longer, okay? If we’re quiet it might just give up and move on… please… just go away…” She begged.

Alena peered through the hay and noticed what looked like long nails finding their way through the gap in the barn door, attempting to unhinge the wood barring the door. Alena clutched the pendant and began to whisper to herself. Buried in her embrace, I remember the words clearly.

“Papa, please come home soon.” Praying for the one thing we both wished would happen.

All throughout the ordeal, we kept close all the while trying to ignore the incessant banging. But in that next moment it all ended when the sound of a loud explosion overcame our senses, the long-nailed intruder seemed to recoil in response from the event. We weren’t sure what had just happened but all seemed hopeful if only for a moment, until the banging once again continued. Whether it was alive or not, we had no idea… yet we were surprised to hear a familiar call out to us amidst our fear.

“Alek, Alena! Are you there!”

“Papa…?” Alena called out.

“Alena? Yes… yes, it’s me!”

“They’re alright?” Another voice rang out.

“Yeah, it seems they’ve hidden out in the barn. It’s gonna be okay, I’ve brought Uncle Ernie with me, so come on out.”

Alena looked at me and assured me with a nod, she held my hand as we emerged from the hay. Removing the wood barring the barn door, we braced ourselves for what awaited us on the other side. And there stood Papa with a worried look on his face, dropping his weapon to the floor as soon as he saw us.

“Papa!” I cried out, running over to hug him.

“Papa…!” Alena also came running, brimming with tears.

“You two did well, thank goodness you’re safe.” Papa placed a hand on my head.

“Hey, don’t I get a hug as well?” Uncle Ernest chimed in.

“Uncle!” Alena exclaimed. However we were locked in Papa’s embrace to properly greet him.

“Well I’m just glad to see the little ones are alright. I’ll leave you guys be, I’ll go check the house. I’ll let you know if I find anything.” Uncle Ernest left to secure the area.

“Alright, I just need a moment with the kids then I’ll join you.”

“Where’s Mama?” I asked, wiping the snot from my face on his pants.

“Where… I’m not sure. But don’t worry, we’re gonna go look for her.” He assured us.

“Papa, what's that?” I noticed the weapon he dropped to the floor, a serrated blade stained red.

“This... This is my faithful Warsaw. Think of it like my axe, but instead of cutting wood it helps me cut down anything that wishes to hurt the people I care about most.”

“Mmm… you think it could cut down trees too?”

“I’m not sure about that.” He chuckled. I felt a lot better now that Papa was back, however when I looked around I was confused to see a woman lying on the ground, her nails were rather long.

“Papa, who’s that? Is she okay?”

“That’s… Alek, that’s not a person. It's a Fragmented that only looks human.”

“Like the monsters in the stories?”

“That’s right, just like the stories. But it’s alright, she can’t hurt us anymore.”

“Is she going to be okay?”

“She’s… She was a bad person, so Uncle Ernest had to put her to sleep, for a very long time. That’s how we punish the Fragmented who leave the forest, otherwise they’ll just keep coming to-” Before Papa could finish, he was interrupted by Uncle Ernest’s sudden discovery.

“Hey, Kestas! You’re gonna want to come here… Hurry!” Uncle Ernest came calling.

“What is it? Did you find her, did you find Jura?!” Papa turned his attention away from us and headed toward the front of the house. “No… no, no, no, this can’t be… Jura, say something, speak to me!”

“Is it Mother, is she okay?” Alena clutched her pendant once more to ease the worry she felt. “Is Mama over there?” She asked once more.

“She’s…” Papa’s voice trembled.

“Is it Mama, is she alright!?” Alena shouted.

Running toward the front where Papa and Uncle Ernest were. I hesitantly followed, afraid of what we might find. But there she was sitting beside the house, her face pale and body limp, her ragged dress soaked red. Papa could be seen kneeling beside her, his face in anguish. Seeing her alive assuaged our fears however something was clearly wrong.

“Kestas… you came back…” Her voice soft-spoken, she let the words escape her lips.

“I promised, didn't I? Of course I came back, so please stay with me a little while longer… it’s going to be okay!” “Ernest, do something!”

“I’m trying! But Kestas, no matter how much pressure I apply… the wound, its- I’m sorry… I really am.” Uncle Ernest seemed troubled.

“...It’s fine… Thank you for trying… Kestas please, don’t be mad… It was my fault for-” Mother began to hack and cough up red bile.

“Don’t talk! We’re gonna get through this together!” Father wiped the blood from her mouth, smearing her lips red.

“Mama!” Tears brimming in Alena’s eyes.

“...I’m okay… really…” She breathed.

“Mama…?” I hid behind my sister, peeking out to catch a glimpse.

“Alek… Alena…? Come closer… I want to see your faces…”

“Mama, you’re hurt!” Alena cried.

“Nevermind the wound… Look at me, both of you… I’m glad to see that you’re both safe and alive.”

“We did our best… I kept him safe just like you asked!”

“I know… you don’t know how proud I am of you, the both of you… Alena, you have such a bright future ahead of you, I want you to live your life to the fullest… And Alek, I want you to look out for your sister just as she does for you… as family, you have to stay together… you must-” Mama began to cough aggressively.

“Mama?!”

Father attempted to reassure us. “Your mother’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be alright… right, Jura?” But the blood wouldn’t stop pouring out.

“Kestas… I’m glad you were the one I fell in love with… we’ve raised such beautiful children… I know we didn’t have much but… I’ve never been more happy than when I was with you…”

“Me too, I’ll always love you, Jura… So please, stay with me, Jura!” Father held mother’s hand.

“I just need a little rest… just to close my eyes for a while… but it’s still dangerous here… you have to go and find somewhere safe… don’t worry I’ll be right… behind you…” Mama closed her eyes, her breathing began to slow.

Father looked to Uncle Ernest. “I’m sorry…” But all he could do was shake his head.

Father grit his teeth. “Jura, I’ll see you soon… I’ll be here when you wake up.” Papa held Mama’s head, softly kissing her forehead. “Your mother just needs to rest now…”

“Is Mama sleeping?” I asked.

“Yeah… she’s just sleeping…” Those words alone crushed Alena as she broke down in tears. I stood there unaware of her solemn passing, thinking to myself that there was no need to cry if she was just sleeping.

“Hm? It can’t be…” Uncle Ernest examined a curious crystal on his glove which gave off an alluring amber glow. “This presence…! Kestas, the children!” Brandishing his staff to the woods near the house.

Father looked to see the glow, and immediately told us off. “Alena, go with Alek and take Walenty and get out of here!”

“But Papa, I don’t understand-” A sudden quiet came over them and then a disturbingly chilling yet ominous voice called out from within the dark forest.

"The bell tolls for the coming dead, for the living shall sleep in buried earth." At that moment we heard the harrowing groan of creatures in the forest, the forest seemed alive as it groaned in response.

“Alena, listen to me. Take Walenty and ride west out into town, find any help you can along the way and warn the others.”

“But what about you? Come with us-!”

“I can’t. We have to stop it here in its tracks, I can’t let it get you two. We have to stay behind.” The meaning behind his words began to sink in.

“No, not you too… you can’t- Papa!” Alena cried out, wishing to deny his words with all her heart.

“Listen to me. It’s far too dangerous here, I want you to keep riding west until you reach the lord’s land, you’ll be safe there. You’ll be okay, I love you both so much.”

The trees in the forest could be seen tipping, the loud sound of them falling gave us concern. Then out of nowhere a tree flew through the air and landed on the barn. Having been thrown with such ease, whatever was coming was far more dangerous than the one Uncle Ernest had dealt with, and it was coming fast.

“The dead shall breathe again, for the dead know not rest.” The ominous voice beckoned once more, and from its call the corpse of the long-fingered woman stood up as if reanimated from the dead.

“There’s no time, take Aleksy and run!

“But Papa-”

“I said go!” He shouted

“Papa…” Alena was taken aback, tears in her eyes.

Yet Alena knew what had to be done, she turned away and pulled me along. There was little time to waste, Alena placed me atop Walenty before mounting herself behind me and we rode off. Without even a proper goodbye, we left both Mama and Papa behind. It all happened so fast and when I asked Alena where we were going, she only kept quiet, her eyes fixed on the path ahead. The only sounds we heard were the distant roars and the fading cries of those we left behind on the farmsteads.

***

We rode through the countryside following the path laid out for us. It wasn’t long before we made our way to the town centre, yet what welcomed us was a far more terrifying sight. The entire town had been ravaged by the fragmented, there were so many, more than what we could have imagined. We heard sounds coming from behind and monsters could be seen in the trees beside us, the only way forward was through the town. And so Alena pushed on, she urged Walenty to ride through the town despite the danger it posed. Dashing past the burning buildings and narrowly dodging the sleeping bodies on the road, the path out of town was in sight. And in that next moment we suddenly found ourselves tumbling to the ground, Walenty had bucked, having managed to throw us off.

“Ah!” I cried.

“Alek!” She cried, crawling over to me. “Are you alright?!”

“I’m okay… but everything looks weird, you look funny.” My vision was somewhat blurred, I rubbed my eyes only to find them somewhat sticky.

“Oh god, It’s gonna be okay, you’re gonna be okay.”

“What’s this red stuff?”

“Stay still, let me take a look-”

However Alena was soon interrupted by Walenty who let out a trumpeting roar toward the smoke that trailed behind us. And from the fog emerged a canid four-legged beast. We found ourselves accosted by a four-legged beast unlike any we’ve seen, akin to a wolf, its fur let off a silver sheen.

“Dog!” I shouted. Its eyes locked on its prey, it prompted to pounce at me.

“Alek, no!” Alena threw herself at me, and shielded me in her embrace.

Yet no harm came to us for in that moment Walenty stood before us and kicked the wolf against the cobbled walls. Walenty hadn’t gotten spooked and run off, but threw us off in an attempt to better face off against the wolf.

“Walenty…” My sister paused before noticing the Wolf had recovered and “Watch out!”

However the warning came too late as the Wolf bit into Walenty’s back leg. Shrieking in pain, Walenty quickly recovered and lifted his leg. Bucking back and forth, he managed to fling the wolf around to its center before pressing its hoof down onto its stomach, forcing the Wolf to loosen its jaw. Given an opportunity to make his move, Walenty used his wounded leg to crush the Wolf’s head beneath its hoof. Walenty neighed victoriously for he had won the battle, yet the moment was short-lived as he succumbed to the wound. Unable to support himself any longer, he collapsed and sat upright on his side to relieve the pain.

“Walenty… Thank you for saving us.” Alena hugged Walenty, silently weeping as she stroked his mane.

“What’s going on, is Wala okay?”

“H-He’s gonna be alright, but we’re gonna have to say goodbye to Wala now.”

“We’re leaving Wala…?”

“Mhm.”

“…Okay! Thank you for the ride Wala! You’re a good horse!” Placing my hand on Walenty’s forehead, leaving a sticky red imprint of my hand. Walenty neighed in kind, gently nudging my chest.

“Alek, we have to go.” Alena swooped me up, making our departure from the town.

Looking out over her shoulder, I spied Wala one more time. “Bye-bye, Wala!”

There my sister fled into the woods, carrying me in her arms, I was shielded from the horrors. Ever eager to look over her shoulder, the sight of the burning town seared into my memory. Its flames casting our shadows toward an unknown future, we escaped into the storied woods. The burning vista fading from sight until we were at last cloaked in darkness, approaching the coming dusk. We ran on, and on, and on all throughout the night, even when we were safe in the moment, my sister pressed onward and continued to flee, persisting without end.

Two days had come and gone, taking short rests during the day and traveling north under the cover of night, only stopping for water when we came across small streams. Her feet had become worn and blistered, her legs caked in muddied dirt, her pale cheeks cut and stained red from running through the thorny brush. Pushing herself beyond exhaustion, running through the night until morning’s first light, we had at last arrived at the border of the northern kingdoms, far from our home of Siekiera. There we emerged from the foliage unto a grassy riverbed, and there across the running stream did she behold the fortified city walls of our refuge, Lindull.