Day 6: Zhraa’s Journal

I can’t stop thinking about Vex’s voice by the river yesterday. The way he said my name—soft, but with a weight I didn’t expect. Like he knew things I didn’t even know I was supposed to know. My stomach’s still tight from the hunger, but it’s not the food I’m worried about. It’s the feeling in my chest, like a stone I can’t push away. I found myself near the old ruins again tonight. The stones are cold, the air smells of wet earth and something older. I tried to tell myself it was just a memory, but the stones feel like they’re watching me. Maybe that’s why I keep coming back. I wonder if the world is made of stories, or if we’re all just echoes of what came before. I remember the dream—my paws twitching as if running through the fireflies, but I don’t think I’ll wake up. The stars are too bright tonight, and I don’t want to sleep. Maybe tomorrow I’ll find something. But for now, I just want to be still.