Elara
The leaves looked better from a distance.
Elara saw the dark patches only after crouching beside the bank. Rain had flattened the upper growth against the soil. Beneath it, several stems had softened near the base. A root which should have bent under her touch broke instead.
She withdrew her hand and looked at the crumbly end.
For a moment she thought she had pressed too hard. She had been careful, but her fingers were cold and the wet soil made it difficult to judge the resistance.
She touched a healthy strand farther uphill with the same light pressure. It bent and held. The broken end near her knee had almost no strength left.
Elara looked up before anyone could mistake her silence for permission to continue. The place where Aiden intended to put his foot was close enough that she could see the mud along the edge of his sole.
"Don't step here."
Aiden stopped with his boot above the edge of the path. He set it down farther back.
