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creaked in the wind and the leaves scattered, drifting onto my cloak. I shivered and stared up at the stars. If I focused on picking out the constellations Mother had shown me as a child, maybe I could dispel my fears and fall asleep. But any memories of my mother shot poison through my veins.
    How could you and Father betray me like this?
    Unbidden tears splattered down my cheeks and spotted my nightgown, mingling with the twigs and dirt. I leaned my head back against the rough bark of the tree and felt it scratch my scalp. At least my anger and sorrow consumed me, drowning my fear.
    A heavy thud jolted me out of my despair and wrenched my eyes wide open. Standing, I pulled the cloak close about me and searched the forest. It’s nothing, you fool , I thought, but I couldn’t dispel my terror this time.
    My breath caught in my throat as two large, reptilian eyes appeared in the blackness. Gleaming bright gold, cold and intent, they fastened on me unblinkingly.
    Panicking, I stepped backward, my heel slamming into the tree. I suppressed a cry of pain and staggered around the trunk, unable to tear my gaze from the eyes that were still studying me. Move. Run . I had to plead with myself while my body struggled to catch up with my mind. Blood pounded through my head. Did I dare turn my back on this creature? Now , I commanded myself.
    Spinning around, I darted through the trees, winding my way around underbrush, leaping over roots and branches. Leaves flew up around me as my sore muscles found new life. I heard nothing behind me—had it changed its mind? Or was it that quiet?
    I didn’t dare turn to look. My chest burned; my throat was on fire. Though my body was warm and coated in a layer of sweat, my hands were cold and clammy as they pumped at my sides. Keep. Going . I begged my legs to go faster, faster, faster.
    Sweat snaked down my brow. I leapt over a fallen tree and my knees almost buckled underneath me as I hit the ground. My breaths came in uneven gasps, so loud that I knew I had to be alerting every beast around me that I was weak and half-starved.
    I will not die here , I resolved.
    I couldn’t hear any sounds over the hammering of my heart, the thudding of my feet, the wheezing of my lungs. In a surreal burst of perceptiveness—perhaps to make up for the fact that I heard nothing, or maybe to appreciate the beauty of the world one last time—I became intensely aware of every sight around me. Ahead, the sky was grey and starless, and I realized it was almost dawn. Around me the forest was thinning: the underbrush was scraggly and sparse, and the trees stood further and further apart.
    Then the canopy of branches spread wide and the sky was open above me, swirling with soft clouds. Just beyond the trees stretched rolling, green countryside dotted with farms, fields, and pastures. At that instant light sprang over the horizon: a warm glow piercing through the grey, edging the easternmost clouds in pale gold. The sun followed, peeking over the edge of the earth and flooding my eyes with light. Hope burst inside me.
    I sprinted forward, plunging out of the forest into the tall grass, and collapsed. I tumbled sideways, rolling down a soft descent until my momentum died and I slammed onto my face. For several minutes I lay there, too exhausted to move, fearing the creature would pounce.
    Seconds inched by. My heart slowed until I could no longer feel it pulsing in my ears. I raised my head from the grass and stared over my shoulder into the forest, but there were no eyes gazing back at me. Sighing with relief, I staggered to my feet. I set my gaze ahead, scanning the farmland. There was a cabin nearby…if I could force my legs forward a little more…
    I staggered toward the cabin, nestled against a hill and belching a welcoming curl of smoke from its chimney. As I drew nearer, I noticed a boy close to my age in the yard, stacking wood blocks from a pile into his arms. His clothes were made from simple homespun