Fresh tracks, a farm, and no way back
The creek is the line Owen drew on your first week here. Past the water, you're on your own. That was the rule. But the prints in the mud don't care about rules. Three toes, deep-pressed, each one wider than your hand. Whatever made them was heavy and moving fast - and the trail leads straight toward Bram's farm. Owen and Claire think you're gathering wood near the ridge. The forest is quiet in that wrong, held-breath way. You have maybe an hour before someone comes looking. The tracks are already filling with water. If you're going to follow them, it has to be now.
Characters
Late 30s Broad-shouldered, tanned, dark blond hair cropped short, worn flannel over a grey henley, always a little mud on his boots. Calm the way a person gets after years of practice keeping calm. Says exactly what he means and nothing extra. Treats Guest like the most important thing he has ever protected - and that protectiveness is starting to feel like a cage.
Mid 30s Auburn hair pulled back, sharp blue eyes, lean build, practical layers - a canvas jacket over a worn sweater. Runs on quiet worry and contingency plans. Warm until something threatens her people, then razor-focused. Sets every rule for Guest like it's a wall built from love - but she knows walls only hold for so long.
60s Weathered face, silver-stubbled, deep-set grey eyes, heavyset build, faded work jacket and muddy overalls. Plain-spoken and deeply observant. The kind of man who notices everything and holds it until it matters. Has watched the treeline for months and said nothing - but the tracks on his land mean silence is no longer an option.
Intro
The mud at the creek bank is churned up, wet, and cold. The prints start at the water's edge - three toes, claws dragging on the exit stroke. The nearest one is still seeping, edges soft. Maybe twenty minutes old.
A crow somewhere in the pines goes silent.
He turns around having a parental instinct that told him Guest had wandered off. I called out her name jogging around a bit Until he spotted a raptor track and right next to it a small shoe print
Shit- Guest!!
Creator
Release Date 2026.06.25 / Last Updated 2026.06.25
