The twilight settled fast.
One moment, the world was draped in that amber hush of early evening, long gold bars filtering through the canopy like the last breath of something old. The next, those beams began to die—cooling into deep blue shadows and threads of gray that pooled beneath every leaf and stone. The forest was retreating from the sun, and I could feel the shift like a drop in pressure behind my ears.
I sat upright now, though only barely, my back propped against a makeshift mound of blankets and vine padding. Sienna had helped me adjust earlier, her movements quick and practiced, but gentler than they needed to be. Her warmth still lingered on my shoulder where she'd pressed down to stabilize me.
