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the
river with the fierce creature.
    The beast stamped his hoof on the ground,
his eyes only mere slits now. Getting up from where she stood,
Elisa stepped out into the clearing beside the river, so that her
opponent might see her clearly. Just as she showed herself, the
ugly creature charged at her, snorting hard as he tried to tackle
her down. Anticipating his charge, Elisa was already swinging
herself up by a lower branch into the tree behind her. These beasts
couldn’t climb trees—this she knew. It circled the tree, visibly
getting slower from the loss of blood. She could see the wound she
had made soaking his black tangled fur, and knew it was only a
matter of time. Grabbing another arrow from her back, she pointed
it down toward the beast and let it fly. This time it found its way
into the creature’s head, killing it instantly. Waiting until his
limbs stopped moving, Elisa finally lowered herself back onto the
ground. She crouched by the dead body to retrieve her arrows, and
cleaned them quickly in the river before moving on.
    There was smoke above the trees not far from
where she was, so she knew the cabin was close. Picking up her
pace, she began to speed through the forest, avoiding the branches
that hung low and threatened her with a serious head wound should
she run into one. It wasn’t long before the cabin came into view,
and she slowed her pace back down. She had never actually been to
this place, having only heard about it from others. It was feared
by most; the road that led to it was overgrown from the lack of
visitors. The woman who lived here never left, keeping to the
forest around her, and avoiding the Capital City altogether. Elisa
could feel her nervousness beginning to increase, but she did her
best to ignore it. There was nothing to be afraid of—Alistair had
assured her of that. Still, the darkness of the night, and the
wildness of the forest around her, made the cabin look that much
more frightening.
    The trees that circled the house were so
tall, even if the moons had been out they would surely have been
covered. The light in the clearing must have always been in
perpetual darkness. The ground was uneven, filled with rocks
half-buried in the earth. A small pebble path led directly to the
front door, although it was hard to see amongst the weeds and wild
flowers. The building itself was a small wood cabin, which looked
like it could have only one room inside. There was a small arched
door in the front, painted a bright red, or at least it must have
been at one time. The paint was flaking in most parts, but some of
the original colour could still be seen. The roof was made of
straw, with a large chimney protruding through the middle of it,
where the clouds of smoke now escaped. There was only one window on
the front of the cabin, to the right of the door, where a tiny
light could be seen inside.
    Taking a deep breath, Elisa began to walk up
the path toward the small red door. She reached out and knocked
three times, very lightly, and waited for the answer. It wasn’t
long before the door creaked open, and inside stood the woman she
had come to see, who was not at all what she had expected.
    Elisa sat in a large purple chair that
smelled like mothballs, and had too many holes in the fabric to
count. She warmed herself by the large wood stove that was situated
in the middle of the room, while the woman bustled about the tiny
kitchen on the other side. It was indeed only one room inside the
cabin. When you entered there was a small kitchenette to the left,
the cupboards an old oak, and the counters made of rough natural
stone. Herbs were hanging all about the ceiling in there, and jars
of items Elisa could not recognize, nor did she want to. On the
other side was the small sitting area, which had the chair she now
sat on, and a small sofa made of the same material. A little table
sat between them. Behind the wood stove was a small bed with
curtains hanging around it. The space was so small, and