Positive Emotions:

As Lena continued to follow the gentle stream of water, a forest came into view, and she knew she was getting close to her destination. She felt a weight lift from her chest as she allowed a sliver of hope to flood in for the first time since her tumultuous journey had begun. Maybe she had a chance to make it out of this alive after all. The path appeared to be clear as the sun’s rays fell through the leaves, illuminating the path ahead.

She was still on guard and wary – who wouldn’t be after the past two weeks she’d had, after all – but at the same time, she finally felt like she could breathe. She walked to a tree just inside the forest, holding a hand against the bark that had looked like it had been there for centuries. She saw a mountain gnome peeking out its head and smiled, promising, “I’m not here to hurt you, don’t worry. I’m the daughter of Galena Rhodes of The Moonlit Coven.”

She knew the feeling of being hunted by predators bigger in size, and her mother had told her the gnomes had been some of their longest allies, guiding them through the forest and away from enemies.

“The gnomes know the forest inside and out,” she remembered being told not so long ago. “With the gnomes on your side, you will be safe, sweet child.”

Oh, how she longed for her mother. She glanced at the path ahead, hoping her journey was coming to an anti-climatic end.

The gnome turned back, speaking quietly and soon the forest came to life, it’s vibrance warming her from the inside out. More gnomes came out, then faeries appeared in the trees. Squirrels and birds appeared shortly after, and Lena knew she had finally found the path home.

It was almost definite: she was going to make it out of this alive.

Negative emotions:

Fog flooded the forest, making it hard to see more than a few feet in front of her. She tried to ignore how it felt like eyes were following her everywhere. Her mother had warned her of the spies in the forest, and while at first, she thought her mother was being paranoid again, now she began to wonder if maybe her mother had been right all along.

She would have pondered the idea more, but she heard a snap of a twig behind her and swiftly turned to face the direction it came from. However, it was impossible to see through the darkness, and the fog didn’t help matters. Her heart began to race, trying to remember exactly what her mother had told her. She had been going on and on about gnomes and faeries and magical trees, but at the time it all seemed delusional. After all, magic wasn’t real.

However, if there was anything she had learned the past few weeks, it was that magic was, indeed, real, and her own magic had yet to fully develop. She was supposed to be The Prophecy, but so far she had yet to be able to control her powers, which only added to her fear. If someone was following her, they likely had the upper hand. And if someone was following her, they probably knew that too.

Her heartbeat quickened as she closed her eyes, trying to listen for the stream of water she had been following. She had lost her way when the fog set in, but she was beginning to get the sense that survival counted on her finding and following that stream. She heard another twig snap and jolted forward, deciding the best course of action was to keep moving forward. If someone or something was after her, she should at least be a moving target instead of waiting for them to catch up. She heard her blood coursing through her veins, hoping she was quick enough and nimble on her feet. She peered down below her, careful not to step on any branches or leaves. The last thing she needed to do was alert whoever was on her trail of her location.

She held her breath, feeling tears well in her eyes. Despite thinking her mother was crazy for most of her life, now, as she realized magic was real and she herself had been the crazy one all along, she wanted nothing more than one of her mother’s all-consuming hugs. As she moved and her breaths became shallow, she wondered if she would ever get one again. She hoped so. But right now, it wasn’t the time to think about her mother’s love.

She needed to focus on staying alive.

Mel Hebert

just a wandering creative

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