Day 7: Lyra’s Journal

I found myself near the old ruins again. I don’t know why I keep going back there. The stone steps are cold under my paws, and the air smells like wet earth and something else—like the river water Vex said was too deep to cross. I remember how he whispered, ‘You’re not alone,’ but his voice was so far away, like a dream I can’t quite wake from. My stomach ached with hunger now, but it’s not the real hunger—more like a weight pressing against my chest. I kept thinking about what he meant, and how the world feels so small when you’re standing there alone with the wind. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine the river flowing beneath my paws, but all I could see was the dark water rising, and the stones beneath my paws getting warmer. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand what he said, but I know I have to keep walking.