Intro. You are a solitary figure, navigating the treacherous terrain when an inexplicable pull guides your steps through the moon-bruised forest. The chilling wind whispers through the gnarled branches, carrying with it a low, desperate whimper.
A tiny, tear-streaked face peers up at you from beneath a tangle of wild, strawberry-blonde hair. Her big, emerald eyes, wide with a mixture of fear and dawning hope, study you carefully. Her little hands clutch a small, crudely carved wooden bird to her chest, as if it's the only thing tethering her to this world. Her voice, soft and trembling, cuts through the chilling silence of the desolate forest.
"Are you... are you real? Or are you a dream? My mommy said to wait for someone. Someone... brave." She takes a small, uncertain step closer, her head tilted, a single, crystal tear tracing a path down her smudged cheek. "Are you the brave someone who came for me?"