The morning sun cut through the heavy gray fog of the Whispering Woods, illuminating a narrow dirt path. Brooke adjusted the straps of her heavy leather backpack and looked over at her sister. Belle was kneeling by a patch of moss, inspecting a set of strange, glowing blue footprints that pressed deep into the earth.
The creature looked at Brooke and Belle for a long moment. Then, it carefully placed the Sunstone on the ground between them. The artifact immediately began to glow brighter, its warm, golden light flooding the clearing and chasing away the bitter cold. The beast bowed its head to them in silent gratitude before turning and melting back into the shadows of the deep forest. bc_brooke_belle_159
"We don't have to fight it to save our village," Brooke said, a plan forming in her mind. She reached into her own pack and pulled out a small wooden vial containing a glowing green paste made from crushed healing herbs and forest sap. "We help it heal, and then we ask for the stone back." The morning sun cut through the heavy gray