The sun remained high in the sky as time passed. Little by little, its light faded, sinking below the horizon, while the sky slowly began to darken. The clouds, distorted into strange shapes, moved along, carried by the wind.
The birds that had been flying through the air scattered in flocks. One after another, they returned to their nests, hiding deep in the trees, knowing that darkness brought with it nocturnal predators. Those creatures eagerly awaited the arrival of night, with the cruel patience of hunters who never know rest.
Under the changing sky, the River of Blood stretched out like an endless scar. Its waters, stained a deep red, flowed in furious currents that carried logs, palisades, and bitten corpses, the remains of animals.
Occasionally, bony fish would emerge from the depths, stalking and hunting unsuspecting birds that ventured too close to the surface.
