As Eleanor continued on, a subtle change began to unfold. The river on her side slowly narrowed. The trees were no longer packed into a solid wall, but opened into gaps between their trunks. The large, dark-barked giants were increasingly interspersed with younger trees, their leaves a lighter, brighter green. More sunlight reached the ground, nurturing thickets of bushes and clusters of wildflowers.
Then, quite suddenly, the forest ended. One moment she was beneath the dappled shade of the trees; the next, she stood under brilliant sunlight. She stepped forward with confidence. Behind her, the woods rose like a fortress… dark, deep, and humming with a secret life of their own.
After walking on for a few minutes, Eleanor felt the constant predatory gaze upon her begin to loosen. She halted and looked back. The Gulon stood at the forest's edge, watching her in silence.
