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Up ahead, she could see sunlight peaking through the dense trees. Hope came to her all at once in the hope of breaking free of this thick an terrible woods. She pushed herself on harder as she came closer to the light. Breaking free of the tree line she tripped again and came tumbling into a clearing lit up brightly by the sun. She lay on the grass panting heavily, waiting for any sound behind her, but none came. The fear was all in her head. There was nothing following her. She felt silly now, laying there. Why had she been so afraid? She sat up to survey the clearing. It was not that large, and almost perfectly circular. Surrounded on all sides by the dark wood. The narrow path ran straight through it from where she came in, and out the other side. There was one tree trunk laying across it, from a fallen tree at the other end. And there Talon sat. Watching Les from the stump.