"I want to go home."
But where does one return to when she was never allowed to belong?
Her fingers brushed the satchel at her side.
If she could not find a home among men… then perhaps she would find the truth instead.
A bell rang faintly from the distant village.
She didn't move toward it. Instead, she stepped back into the trees
The forest welcomed her without question, its shadows stretching wide like open arms.