The days that followed were a blur of quiet recovery. I spent most of my time resting, unable to do much more than sit in the corner of the hut and tend to the small fire that flickered in the hearth. The pain in my leg, though still present, had dulled significantly, making it easier to move around. My arm felt better too, though it throbbed with a dull ache when I tried to use it too much.
I kept replaying the events in my mind—the woman in green, her quiet disappointment, the Wendigo's chilling growl, and the dark magic that seemed to flow around her like a heavy fog. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of person she was. She saved me, yes, but the look on her face... It wasn't one of compassion or kindness. It wasn't even the pity I would've expected. It was disappointment. As if she had expected more from me, but I had failed her.
And then there was the letter. La-lan-a Greenberg. Her name echoed in my mind, but I didn't know where I had heard it before. Was she someone important? Or just another broken soul, like me?
The silence of the hut was broken only by the crackling of the fire and the occasional groan of the wood as it shifted. The hours dragged on. The wound on my leg had begun to heal, though the splintered bone still made my movements stiff. I couldn't help but feel a creeping sense of guilt. The wound itself wasn't the worst of it. It was the fact that I was alive and they were not. The ones I had left behind.
I turned my gaze to the window, staring out at the endless, frozen landscape beyond. The sun, though it had risen, barely managed to break through the clouds. It cast a pale light across the snow, highlighting the jagged hills and the ever-present forest.
Somewhere out there, beyond the cold and the shadows, lay the answers I needed.
I couldn't stay here forever. I knew that.
I needed to find the truth. To uncover the secrets of this place—the Wendigo, the woman in green, this hut, and most importantly, what had happened to me. Why was I here? Why had I survived when so many others hadn't?
There was a sound from the door. I froze, heart skipping a beat. For a moment, I thought it might be her again, or maybe something worse. I gripped the spear, my fingers stiff with the cold, but I forced myself to stay still, to hold my breath, and to wait.
The door creaked open, letting in a cold draft, and I instinctively braced myself for an attack. But instead, a figure appeared in the doorway—tall, dressed in heavy furs, with the same deep red hair I had seen before.
It wasn't La-lan-a.
The woman who stood in the doorway looked different, though—her face younger, softer. She was more delicate, but there was a quiet strength in the way she carried herself. She regarded me for a long moment, her eyes scanning the room as if she was searching for something, before finally stepping inside.
"You're awake," she said, her voice soft, but sharp. "You're lucky."
I didn't respond right away. My mind was racing. Another person. Another stranger in this broken place.
"I didn't think you'd make it," she continued, crossing the room with a fluid grace that made me uneasy. She stopped beside the fire, holding out her hands to warm them. "But then again, you're still here, aren't you?"
I wanted to speak, to ask her who she was, what she knew, and why she had come, but the words wouldn't come.
Instead, I watched her closely, my senses alert.
"You're not alone anymore, you know," she said, almost as if she had read my thoughts. "I'm not here to harm you." She paused, her gaze flicking to the door, as though sensing something just outside. "We need to talk."
Her words were an invitation, but also a warning. I wasn't sure what to make of her, but I knew one thing—whether I liked it or not, the answers were closer than I had realized.
I nodded slowly, gripping the arm of my chair as I pushed myself to my feet. The pain in my leg flared up sharply, but I ignored it.
"About what?" I asked, my voice hoarse from lack of use.
"The Wendigo," she replied simply, and I felt a chill run down my spine. "And the magic that brought you here."
She didn't elaborate, but the implications were clear. There was more to my survival than just luck or the woman in green. Something deeper. Something tied to whatever curse I had been marked with.
I swallowed hard, forcing the words past my lips. "What is this place?"
She looked at me then, her expression unreadable.
"You're not the first one to ask that question," she said, almost as if to herself. "And you won't be the last. But we don't have time for that right now." She stepped toward me, her movement fluid and purposeful. "We have a bigger problem. One that needs to be dealt with before it's too late."
Before I could respond, she turned toward the door, pulling her hood over her head as she glanced back at me.
"Get ready. We leave soon."
I opened my mouth to ask what she meant, but the words caught in my throat. Instead, I just nodded, too stunned to do anything else.
As she disappeared into the night, I realized that I was no longer alone in this strange, cursed world. But even with this new companion, I couldn't shake the feeling that something much darker was lurking just beneath the surface. Something far worse than I had ever imagined.