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Zara dashed toward the hole in the wall as soon as she heard the sound of the soldiers' footsteps receding into the distance, and she jumped through it without pausing to think twice. She landed with a thud on the opposite side and staggered forward before collapsing forward onto her stomach. As she struggled to regain her balance, she felt pain course through the bruised skin on her body. She frantically looked around, but she didn't see any signs that anyone was alive. It was clear that she was no longer in the castle at any point, regardless of where she was.

At that precise moment, someone gave her shoulder a light tap. She jerked her head around in startlement and let out a startled yell. One of the women who she had talked to earlier was now standing right behind her, and she was carrying a basket full of fresh fruits in her arms. The woman wore a friendly smile. "Are you feeling okay? Are you experiencing any pain?"

Zara looked at her in complete silence for a few moments. How much longer will she continue to stand there? I don't understand why nobody else has arrived to assist me yet. Then she recalled how terrified the security guards had been when she first arrived. It's possible that they've already turned me in to the authorities and transported me to an unknown location. In that case, I've got nothing left to hope for.

She was spared the burden of prolonged reflection on that matter, thank goodness. A call for help came from behind her from an unknown source in a frantic tone: "Miss! Miss! Are you okay?!"

One of the soldiers was the culprit! It's likely that he has now discovered where she has been hiding and made the decision to go and get her himself. As she struggled to get herself upright, a sense of relief rushed through her veins. She turned around to thank him, only to find that he had vanished into thin air before she could reach him. She was perplexed, so she frantically searched the area, but due to the low lighting conditions, she was unable to find him. Suddenly, she caught sight of a shadow skittering across the ground and disappearing down a passageway that was located directly behind her. She did what came naturally to her and followed him without question.

After being tucked away securely inside the narrow passage, she waited patiently for the unknown person to emerge from the darkness. However, she did not see anyone; rather, she heard voices reverberating faintly from the opposite side of the wall. She strained her ears and was only able to hear fragments of their conversation despite her efforts. "...found remnants of magic clinging to her garments. Almost certainly a witch..." "When you consider what had previously transpired with those individuals, that makes perfect sense..."

She felt shivers run down her spine as the words were spoken. Who exactly are they referring to? They put the lives of all those innocent people in danger because of me?! Even though she knew it wouldn't accomplish anything, she couldn't help but want to turn around and confront them. In any case, she was powerless to change the situation in any way. She could tell them everything that she knows, and they still wouldn't believe a word she said. It was common knowledge that witches were malevolent creatures that possessed supernatural abilities capable of transforming normal humans into beasts. Because of this, it was necessary for her to maintain her silence while she waited for her opportunity to flee. It appeared as though she had missed out on that opportunity, which was very unfortunate...

One of them remarked that we ought to keep on trailing after her. "I have no idea who or what she is, but after what happened earlier, we absolutely cannot take the chance of losing track of her."

His companion nodded in assent to the statement. "Yeah, you're probably right," I said in agreement.

As a sign of her exasperation, Zara clenched both of her fists. It was obvious that they did not care what happened to those unfortunate souls who passed away earlier. Or perhaps they actually took pleasure in seeing them suffer...? There was no point in trying to convince them otherwise, regardless of the truth that may or may not be involved. If they were sincere in their belief that witches did indeed exist, then there was not much she could say or do to convince them otherwise. At least she had the benefit of being able to transform into whatever she needed whenever it was required. However, it appeared that they did not enjoy her being there at all. This is a disappointing development. She had the impression, based on the manner in which they spoke to her, that they did not intend to kill her outright but rather to kidnap and interrogate her.

On the other hand, I should probably just give up and let them find me. If that happens, maybe they will give up looking for me completely. When they find out that I'm a werewolf, I seriously doubt that they will ever forget about me... And I'll put that time to good use by plotting out my next move...

Zara left the shadowy confines of the alley with this concluding thought in her head as she crept silently out of the passageway and made her way towards the main street. She had to make a conscious effort to keep her cool and collected despite the rapid beating of her heart in her chest. Fortunately, none of the soldiers managed to catch sight of her while she was traveling. As soon as she arrived at the city's front gates, she took a brief break to look out over the landscape that surrounded her. There was no indication that the soldiers or any of the citizens were pursuing the fugitives; neither of these groups was visible. As long as she remained unseen, she was free to move about wherever she pleased, but she had to be careful not to be seen. At least for the time being...

She started her aimless strolling through the neighborhood after taking a long, deep breath and then slowly releasing it. A period of time passed in complete hush until, at some point in time, night fell upon the town. As time went on, the moon rose higher in the sky, casting a brilliant light that illuminated the structures that were all around her. Before continuing on her journey, Zara stopped to marvel at the night sky for a moment before moving on.

She didn't have to wait long before she saw a familiar face.

"Sylvia!"

Instantaneously, she was able to identify her. The young woman was sitting by herself in front of a tavern, intently focusing her attention on the empty bottle that was resting in front of her. Zara cautiously approached Sylvia, uncertain as to whether or not she would flee or attempt to attack her. Instead, the young lady greeted her with a melancholy smile and a nod of her head. Zara was gracious enough to return the favor and sat down next to her. "How are things going for you?"

A casual shrug was given by Sylvia. "Actually, it's not too bad. I suppose it's reasonable for me to assume that you, too, are having a good time?"

Zara gave a confident nod in response. "Yes, I am."

"That's great to hear."

They went a considerable amount of time without exchanging a word. The awkward chuckle that Sylvia gave at the end was finally what broke the silence. "So... uh... how did things work out between you and the soldiers?" "So... uh... how did things work out between you and the soldiers?"

"Well, I'm afraid that things didn't exactly go as planned..."

The two young women sat down together and talked for the subsequent hour and a half or so about their lives since they had first arrived in the kingdom. However, neither one of them brought up the incident that had occurred between the villagers and the werewolves. They came to the decision to keep it a secret from one another through mutual agreement. Zara experienced a sense of relief when she realized that she could share her secrets with someone other than Alba. Even though she still wished she could have honest conversations with her sister, she understood why it was necessary for her to keep certain information hidden from her. After all, she was still a captive in the institution.

After some time had passed, the sun went down, and night fell across the land. Zara let out a loud yawn as the stars twinkled above her head. "I'm sorry to cut our conversation short, but I just can't keep going. It's probably time for bed now..."

Sylvia laughed awkwardly. "Oh yeah? Are you absolutely sure that you want to sleep tonight in your wolf form? Don't be concerned; we won't be bothered by anyone. Since we already live in a relatively unremarkable town, we shouldn't expect an overwhelming number of guests."

Zara nodded nonchalantly. "Okay, good idea. Let's get going then."

She immediately assumed her human form and assisted Sylvia in climbing onto her back, after which she immediately changed back. They proceeded to leave the city limits in complete silence as they walked together. After some time, they made their way into another forest and eventually emerged close to a lake. It was absolutely breathtaking to see the clear blue waters of the body of water reflecting the brilliant rays of the sun. The weather was perfect for swimming because it was clear and relatively cool outside. Before making her way into the water, Sylvia quickly disrobed to her underwear and then jumped in. Zara observed her with interest as she joyfully played in the water.

"Would you like to come with me?" Sylvia asked with a smile.

Zara showed a momentary reluctance before shaking her head. "Not interested. Today, I'd rather not risk getting wet."

"That makes sense. Hey there, are you up for a game?"

Her reaction to the unexpected suggestion was evident in the widening of her eyes. It was intriguing, but she could not conceive of anything that would require her to make use of her physical strength. In spite of this, she conceded that she would give it a shot anyway.

They were doing it together, taking turns tossing rocks into the lake. After they had finished, Zara suggested that they go back to their own homes and get some rest for the remainder of the day. Sylvia agreed to take her up on the offer without hesitation. However, before they parted ways, they made sure to give each other their contact information so that they could stay in touch in case anything unexpected took place while they were apart. Both of the young ladies gave their word that they would get in touch with one another as soon as they opened their eyes the following day. After reaching an agreement with Syliva, Zara hopped back onto her back and the pair continued their journey back to Zara's house. Under the protection of a tree, she snoozed away the majority of the afternoon in complete serenity.

As evening approached, there was a discernible drop in temperature brought on by the arrival of winter. As she lifted herself off the ground, an uncontrollable shiver ran through her body. Her skin became covered in goosebumps as a result of the chilly breeze. She bolted back inside the house without pausing for a second of reflection, and once there, she made a hasty wardrobe adjustment. After that, she made a meal for herself in the kitchen before going to relax in front of the fireplace. She rolled herself into a ball and closed her eyes, waiting expectantly for the warmth to spread through her body and reach her bones. On the other hand, the heat was unable to reach her. She snapped her eyes open in exasperation and fixed her glare angrily on the merry flames that were twirling around in the fire pit. The question is, why isn't this working?!

Suddenly, she became aware of something out of the ordinary occurring within the flames. They flickered erratically, as if they were struggling to burn brighter and hotter, which is what it seemed like they were doing. She moved closer to investigate because her curiosity was piqued. What could be causing these very peculiar responses?

The room was filled with the reverberation of a loud scream. Zara, who had been startled, jumped backwards and came dangerously close to tripping over her own feet. She blinked her eyes rapidly several times, unsure of whether or not what she saw was actually happening. The fire continued to burn without being affected by her presence in front of the flames. Nevertheless, in some way, they were responding to everything she did. Each time she took a deep breath in, they grew more powerful and ran more quickly. They went much more slowly whenever she exhaled, which she did frequently. It was almost as if she was able to direct their actions with the power of her thoughts...

What the heck does that imply...?

The flickering came to an abrupt halt just as she was about to reach the conclusion of that train of thought. She was speechless for a short while, unable to make sense of what had just taken place in front of her. Do you think it was just an illusion? Or could it have been something completely different? No matter what the response was, she had no intention of sticking around to find out what it was. Not after having been a firsthand witness to such a peculiar occurrence. She scurried out the door, but not before quickly grabbing a blanket from the closet that was nearby and wrapping herself in it very tightly.

***