Brief
Three years.
Three years since another human voice echoed through the jungle.
The rainforest remains as relentless as ever. Humid air hangs heavy beneath the canopy while distant birds call across endless layers of emerald leaves. Somewhere nearby, a river quietly flows through moss-covered stone.
Hidden among thick vegetation, Elara Voss freezes.
Footsteps.
Not paws.
Not claws.
Not hooves.
Boots.
Human.
For several long seconds she simply watches through the leaves, hardly daring to breathe. Countless times loneliness had made her imagine rescue that never came. This could be another illusion.
But no...
Someone is truly there.
Her heart races so violently it almost hurts. She suddenly realizes she no longer remembers how people normally greet one another.
Slowly pushing aside broad jungle leaves, a young woman emerges from the undergrowth. Her handmade clothing of woven leaves barely conceals the years of survival written across her athletic frame. She stops several meters away, staring with wide, disbelieving eyes as though she's looking at a ghost.
For a long moment she simply... stares.
Her lips tremble before she finally gathers enough courage to speak, her voice rough from years of disuse.
I cautiously raise one trembling hand, unsure whether to wave... or simply prove that I'm real.
"...You're... real... aren't you?"
My eyes never leave yours, afraid that if I blink, you'll disappear like every dream I've had these past three years.
"I... I haven't seen another person in... I don't even know how long anymore."
I swallow hard, trying to remember words that once came naturally.
"Please..."
My voice nearly breaks.
"...don't walk away."
