Chapter 3

Once the last ray of sunlight vanished, the mistvine plants bloomed in droves. Miasma crept toward me across the ground, and soon it rose above my boots.

I opened my herb satchel, ripped open the pouch of moonleaf grass, and tossed some into my mouth. After chewing it thoroughly, I tucked the paste under my tongue, then ripped off a corner of my shirt to cover my nose and mouth.

I couldn't push the stone gates open from inside the forest, and the walls were too high for me to scale or jump over.

The miasma released by the mistvine plants scrambled one's sense of direction, so my best chance of survival was to find moonleaf grass growing in the forest. By following where they grew, I could avoid the areas where the miasma was thickest.

I tried to call upon my wolf spirit, but a wave of dull ache spread through me from deep in my bones. I knew this meant that the miasma toxin had already seeped into my blood.

Deep in my mind, my wolf spirit threw itself against its confines in agitation, yet no matter what it did, I couldn't shift.

In the distance, a horn blared from the farewell ceremony.

"Please welcome the trainees' representative, Nora Brighton!"

The emcee's voice echoed over the mountain as he called my name, followed by a round of applause.

As everyone bid farewell to the trainees departing for the faraway Stonefang pack, nobody knew I was trapped in the Graywoods.

There was no phone signal here, and as breathing grew increasingly difficult, I could only try to contact Arthur through my mind link.

Yet, the miasma stabbed into my consciousness like countless tiny needles, causing the sliver of mental energy I had just sent out to be instantly shredded to pieces.

I was no longer connected to the team link. Besides that, what little bit of Arthur's scent that had remained on my neck had long since been washed away by the miasma.

By the third fork in the path, my legs were growing heavy.

My herb satchel slipped from my fingers as I dropped to my knees by a clump of moonleaf grass. The sharp edges of the leaves immediately sliced open my palms.

It had been the same years ago, when I was 18.

At the time, Arthur had shifted for the first time after a wandering Rogue attacked him. The bite was serious, tearing straight through his abdomen.

Unfortunately, the treatment center had just so happened to run out of moonleaf grass. So I took the chance, when the elders weren't paying attention, to sneak into the Graywoods alone.

I managed to fill my satchel with herbs, but when I looked back, I realized I had gotten lost and couldn't find my way back.

Arthur had been suffering from such a high fever that he couldn't even recognize people properly, yet he had still followed my scent into the forest. He had carried me out of there on his back, only to collapse the instant we arrived at the gates.

Upon seeing us, Carl had burst into a breathless, ragged sob, while Lucas had dashed away to call the elders with only one shoe on. As for Ethan, he had taken off his scarf and hastily wrapped it around my nose and mouth.

When I finally regained consciousness, I saw the four of them crowded around my bed.

I had told them with a smile, "From now on, I'll be your healer. No matter which one of you gets hurt, I'll be able to treat you!"

Arthur had clasped my hand in his, his palms radiating an intense, burning heat. "Then we'll make you a promise too. From now on, none of us will ever allow you to enter the Graywoods alone."

I was pulled out of my trip down memory lane as the miasma surged down my throat. The moonleaf grass beneath my tongue had long since lost all taste.

Using a tree trunk for support, I slowly got back on my feet. Then, I continued forward once again, following the faint scent of the moonleaf grass.

My legs grew heavier with every step forward, and my satchel slipped from my fingers several times, forcing me to stop and pick it up again.

Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through the air from the path winding around the mountain.

It was Carl.

"Arthur, are you really going to register as mates with Nora after she returns from the Stonefang pack?"

Arthur's voice drifted through the miasma.

"We'll see."

"But you've already agreed to be with her and promised her that you would go through the marking ceremony with her after she comes back."

"If I hadn't given her something to look forward to, she definitely wouldn't have agreed to sign up for the training. While I accepted her confession mainly so that she would go to the Stonefang pack without any worries, it's also to prevent males from other packs from pestering her. Once she's settled in, I'll slowly clear things up with her."

In an instant, all the strength drained from my fingers.

The snap of a tree branch breaking rang out before Ethan's voice spoke up lowly. "Hold on, I think I smell Nora."

I opened my mouth, trying desperately to call for help. Yet, it felt like I had swallowed a mouthful of gravel, and nothing but a short wheeze left my lips.

Ethan took a step toward the forest, but Arthur called out to stop him. "The forest has been sealed already. She couldn't have gone inside it."

"But, her scent…"

"The farewell ceremony just ended, so the wind must have carried her scent over from there. With how scared she is of this place, there's no way she would've entered the forest voluntarily," Arthur said with absolute certainty. "Come on, let's go. She can't possibly leave us, so even after going to the Stonefang pack, she's bound to return here to us."

After a tense silence, the footsteps finally receded, suggesting they had moved away.

I staggered forward two steps before dropping to my knees in the mud, having lost all feeling in my legs.

"Arthur…"

Nonetheless, nobody turned back for me.

Then, I heard Beth speaking, her voice coming from even further away. "Once Nora leaves, I promise to throw myself into training to be a healer. From now on, I'll take care of you guys!"

Lucas replied with something that made the others burst into laughter.

Eventually, their laughter faded into the distance too.

At the same time, the convoy blew a horn to signal that they were departing. The deep sound echoed through the air, one sonorous note after another.

The miasma crept up my knees, also covering the clump of moonleaf grass by my hands.

I lay prone on the cold, wet, muddy ground, listening to my own heartbeat slow down more and more.

The last thing I heard right before I lost consciousness was the chiming of the bronze bell the forest patrol members carried.

Someone parted the undergrowth and reached out, placing a finger under my nose. When he spoke, his voice carried a note of panic.

"There's somebody here! She's not breathing anymore!"