Captain Diana held the worn parchment map before her, squinting at the faded landmarks as they trudged along the overgrown path. The silver moonlight filtered through the leaves overhead, casting eerie shadows across her determined face, the pointed tips of her ears just visible beneath her disheveled silver hair.
"We've been making reasonable progress," she announced, folding the map with practiced precision. "After over a week and two days of travel, we should reach the border of Thornvale by midnight."
Elira stumbled over a gnarled root, catching herself against a nearby tree trunk. She cast a longing glance behind them, where the distant spires of Vylonia were no longer visible through the dense foliage.
