= Amara =
We stopped just short of the tree line the moment we reached the entrance to the Moon Forest. The land rose gently beneath our feet, the slope subtle but deliberate, as if the earth itself were guiding us upward. The air changed instantly—cooler, heavier, laced with the unmistakable scent of damp soil and leaves soaked in moonlight.
Ahead of us, the Moon Forest loomed in quiet dominance. Towering trees knit together overhead, their massive trunks and interlacing branches forming a living wall of shadow and silver glow. Moonlight filtered through the canopy in fractured beams, illuminating mist that clung low to the ground like a held breath. The forest didn’t feel empty. It felt aware. Watching. Waiting.
Behind me, Caryl shifted, adjusting her grip on the woven basket. The so
