Chapter 105: Chapter 105

　　Maia

　　The following day I climb a tree near my cave and watch a woman holding a wicker basket. She kneels on the ground, plucks a few mushrooms from the soil and puts them in her basket. There goes my dinner. The woman, unaware of my presence, wanders off, and my stomach rumbles. I'm so hungry.

　　I reluctantly follow the woman, knowing I need food. After a few hours, we reach the edge of the forest, and I watch the woman, with her basket, walk through a grassy field toward a small hill. I freeze at the forest's edge, admiring the clear blue sky, the grassy field, and the small hill ahead.

　　‘I've never left the forest before. I need to know where they’re taking all my food,’ I tell Ember.

　　Taking a deep breath, I step into the field of grass and exhale. I had been nervously holding my breath.