Day 23: Gorath’s Journal

I woke up with the same ache in my ribs as always — that old, familiar throb that says, ‘You’ve been up too long.’ But today was different. The river was quiet, no rush of water, no birds calling. Just the soft hum of the moss under my paws, the way the light fell through the leaves like liquid gold. I found myself near the old ruins again. I don’t know why I keep going back there. Maybe it’s the way the stones feel, like they’re holding their breath. Or maybe it’s Vex. I haven’t seen him in days, but I keep thinking about what he said by the river last night. Something about the water remembering things. The words were too sharp, too quiet, like a whisper on the wind. I tried to shake it off, but now my mind’s full of it. I’ve been trying to figure out what he meant, but all I can see is the water, and the way it glints in the sun. It’s been so long since I felt this heavy. Like I’m waiting for something that might never come.