Reason To Stay

. The sound of snapping branches and heavy footfalls behind them spurred them on. The rog

look back!" Elena shouted, her

own voice a mix of fear and resolve. "We hav

len leaves. The moonlight provided scant illumination, casting eerie shadows that danced in their

eril. Her muscles burned, but she pushed on, matching Elena's pace. The bond between

o this!"Elena nodded, though the strain was evident on her face. They were

nd mingling with the wolves' menacing cries. She stumbled, her hand instinctively going to t

neath their feet. They tumbled down the steep, rocky incline, their bodies colliding with the unforgiving terrain. The world

soil. Elena's cry of her name echoed in her ears, a haunting reminder of their shared plight

exist as the blackness consumed them both.⸻Vanessa's consciousness drifted in the void, a place where time had no meaning and the pain of her injuries was a distant mem

iend's presence, a faint but comforting echo.Sl

mp ground beneath her. The sharp sting of cuts and bruise

ut she ignored it, focusing instead on the one thing that mattered."Elena," she croaked, her voice barely more than a whisper. "El

replied, her voice gaining strength. "We made it. Somehow, we made it."Elena nodded, struggling to sit up. "We need to move. They might still be

ogether, they could survive whatever came next."Let's go," Vanessa said, determination hardening her voice. "We have

ced it together. With each step, they left behind the darkne