It had been a full forty hours since I left my kingdom.
Exhaustion, hitting me every second. As the sun began to rise, I pulled my cloak back over my head. My eyes stung from lack of sleep, and every breath felt heavier than the last. My legs trembled from all the climbing. If only those stupid shadows hadn't taken my powers. If I were still able to shift into a bat, I would've reached Lunaris by now.
Up ahead, my eyes widened. Thousands of shadows drifted across the path as if a storm had passed.
"What caused all of this? Are they looking for me? Or did the shadows attack Lunaris too?" I whispered. "I better not get too close."
I pushed myself into the thick bushes.
"Ow!"
A sharp sting burned my leg. I looked down just in time to see a spider scurry away. Great. Just what I needed. I brushed it off and kept going. I was defenseless like this… I had to find a way through.
When I broke out of the bushes, I spotted two possible routes. A narrow, covered path to the left quiet and empty. And the path to the right was completely submerged by shadows.
Yeah. Easy choice.
I slipped into the covered path. A moment later… THUNK!
Something smacked me in the face. I stumbled back, rubbing my nose. Above me hung a low tree branch. Perfect. Just perfect.
But then I noticed something else, a small cave entrance ahead of me… with a paw print carved into the stone. Another way in, maybe. I couldn't help the small smirk forming at my lips.
I dropped onto my hands and knees and crawled inside. The cave was cramped and narrow, the rocks scraping at my knees. The dirt was uneven beneath my palms, and it was so dark I could barely see inches in front of me.
One wrong move in here could be the very end.
"Come on, Lyra… keep going. You're close. Don't give up now," I whispered to myself.
Time stood still.. Minutes… maybe hours. The only light was the faintest glow slipping through cracks in the stone. My eyelids grew heavier with every crawl forward. My body screamed at me to stop.
This wasn't ideal honestly it wasn't even safe but it was sheltered. The safest place I'd found since running.
I sighed and gave in.
I pulled off my cloak and wrapped it around myself like a thin blanket. Curling onto my arm for a pillow, I let the exhaustion finally take me.
Not too long after, I drifted into sleep.