Nevar

The crack widened the further she inched until her fingers cradled the edge of the opening and she pushed herself out. Selina had only been stuck in-between the fissure for a few minutes, but her breath had grown shallow and sweat slicked her skin from the close proximity in which her body had been squeezed. A welcome breeze passed by as she was finally able to exhale comfortably.

A dense forest welcomed her. Unlike the valley, with sparse clusters of trees dotting the open landscape, she was surrounded by a never-ending terrain of hickory and oak that stretched as far as the eye could see. Soft green grass did not rise between her toes, instead her soles crushed brittle leaf litter covering the ground.

And it was quiet. Very quiet.

The birds did not sing and not one creature made a sound. An eerie feeling washed over her body, and she debated going back home through the crack in the rock, but when she looked back, it was gone. Only the same symbol she saw before was left.

"What?" she muttered in confusion, feeling the rock for any crevice or crack. Her way back to her valley had disappeared!

A lone howl pierced the silence, startling her. Selina whipped around, planting her back against the rock wall. What was that? Suddenly frantic, she peered through the trees, but she couldn’t spot movement.

Another long howl echoed through the forest and like a frightened hare, Selina took off. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she ran with no clear direction, heart beating like a drum in her chest. She couldn’t hear anymore howling through her heartbeat roaring in her ears, but glanced back to see if she was being chased. Again, the forest was still behind her.

She felt pain shoot through her foot as she tripped over a rock, landing headfirst in the dirt.

“Ptew!” She sputtered, spitting out the glob of filth that she nearly swallowed. Using her left hand, she wiped the dirt off of her face the best she could and quickly stood up. The howling had stopped, but she was still on edge. Whatever was out there could still be nearby. She needed to keep moving.

Looking around, she spotted strange tracks, two curved shapes with two dots beneath them, pressed into the ground leading further into the forest. Whatever animal made them was big. Was it a smart move to be following…them? There were multiple tracks of the same variety, as if in a group. She would be outnumbered.

The sound of running water caught her attention. There was a break in the tree line to the west that could be a creek. If so, Selina could bathe herself and drink to her heart’s content, then follow it until she came upon someone. There had to be others around, right?

In the distance, rising towards the sky, was a mountain ridge. Climbing there she would be able to see the world and maybe find home again, but it would be a long and arduous journey. Who knows if she would even make it.