CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

The path is lined with bare winter trees, whose breathing rises in visible plumes to meet the darkening cloudy sky. They were off again while the shadows were still long, with a chilling chill in the air bringing sharpness to the leaves, bejeweled with frost, and that crunch underneath. So they continued walking for another two hours, seeing nothing except snowy grass, daisies, birds, and dispersed trees, as well as tiny herds of red deer nibbling or sitting in the shade at noon. Averiya occasionally noticed the harts' horns protruding from the tall grass, and at first, mistook them for dead nearby trees.

They continued forward after dusk and into the twilight beneath the pouring snow because they were so eager to press on since Isilme had instructed they should reach the woodland gate early before nightfall. As the lights were a little dimmed, one of them claimed he spotted a path towards the left direction, as well as the hazy silhouette of a large bear stalking i