Head for the Darkling Inns

Hang on? A shortcut through the forest? That sounds dangerous. No, shortcuts are very often bad. What if something happens and nobody is there to help you? No, that's way too dangerous. You should rather head for the village. You take a deep breath and then walk off.

You leave the village behind you and slowly go all the way around the forest. This was a good decision. It's much safer and who knows? Maybe, it's also even faster to go around it. After all, here you have a clear defined path to go. In the forest it's likely to get lost faster than one can say "lost". Suddenly you see a wagon at the horizon. It's pulled by a horse and a peasant is sitting on the wagon. It looks as though he's transporting some sort of goods. Slowly, it is coming in your direction.