Day 9: Vex’s Journal

The rain stopped just before midnight. My paws were still wet, but the air felt lighter than it had all day. I kept thinking about the river stones—how they whispered to each other again this morning, low and steady, like they were counting down. Gem said the mosses were quiet, but I could feel them humming in my chest now, a rhythm that’s been there since the storm started. I don’t know why I keep going back to the old ruins, but I do. The stones there are always the same—cold, smooth, and they never lie. I wonder if they know what I’m feeling, or if they’re just waiting for me to stop trying to understand. I had a moment when the wind carried something—I think it was a whisper, but it wasn’t the wind. It was like the world was breathing through me. I don’t know if that was hope or fear. I don’t know what to do with it. I just know I need to find those berries before the storm comes.