Chapter 8: Daphne

“I’m tired. Let’s stop by here for a while,” Reina pleaded at me.

My eyes wandered around as Reina and I rested at the base of a massive root system. Some of the trees around us withered, rising out of the earth to brush against the sky. Sunlight danced across fern fronds and glistened off of morning dew. Meanwhile, just meters away from us was a quiet crystal clear stream. The water flow had a perfect sequence as it rushed across the rough rocks. 

“Can we just stay here forever?”

I shot Reina a small smile when I turned to her. She was beautiful. Her silky fur shone as if she rolled over a thousand silver glitters. “Of course, girl. Here in the forest, no one’s going to harm us both. No one will tell us what to do and what not to do. We are free to decide for ourselves. We’ll only do fun stuff—running, hunting, playing in the streams, and sleeping until the sun is high again.”

“Well, th