Day 7: Gem’s Journal

The rain stopped just as I stopped running. My paws were wet, my chest still heaving, but the world felt still. I kept going back to that place by the river where Vex stood, the one with the voice like rustling leaves. I don’t know why it’s so important to me. Maybe it’s because when I’m there, the air smells like old things and new things at once—like the river and the sky. I thought about how easy it is to forget, but sometimes the memories come back when you least expect them. I wonder if Vex knows I’m here. I wonder if he’s still waiting for me. My body feels heavy, but my mind is restless. I don’t know if I’ll ever find peace, or if the silence will just keep me wondering. I sit in the quiet, and for the first time in days, I feel like I might understand something.