Bc_brooke_belle_159 -

Belle looked at the massive creature, then at her sister's determined face. "You want to walk up to a giant shadow monster and offer it medicine?" "Yes," Brooke said simply.

Belle nodded, standing up and brushing the dirt from her trousers. She was the tracker of the family, possessing an uncanny ability to read the wilderness, while Brooke was the strategist, always thinking three steps ahead. Together, they were a perfect team, but the sheer scale of this task was testing them both to their absolute limits. bc_brooke_belle_159

"Wait," Brooke commanded softly, catching Belle's wrist. She looked closely at the beast. It wasn't snarling or destroying the stone. It looked tired, desperate, and desperately sad. Brooke noticed a jagged, angry red scar running down the creature's side, weeping a dark, thick liquid. "It's hurt. It isn't stealing the light to destroy it; it's using the warmth to heal itself." Belle looked at the massive creature, then at

Belle lowered her bow slightly, her brow furrowing. "But if it keeps holding it, the stone will go dark. Our people will die." She was the tracker of the family, possessing