Her boots tapped softly against the worn stones, each step carrying her deeper beneath the birches. The air smelled of moss and fallen leaves, rich and damp with the promise of rain. Sunlight flickered across the path in restless patches of gold and shadow. She caught the flash of russet fur beside the trail, the curious stillness of a fox, but thought nothing of it—just another creature of the woods. Overhead came the slow beat of wings and the rough call of ravens, weaving into the rustle of leaves. To her, it was nothing more than the familiar wonder of the woods around her.