Gentle starlight fell from the black sky above.
Around this time, the stars were dim, faintly illuminating the lands below, but a great mass of clouds floated lazily along the Sky, blocking some light.
The density of this forest further withheld the light, making the brown soil and grounded foliage appear even duller.
A massive group of people trudged along a soil path, walking carefully so as not to trip on stones or tree roots.
Most were clothed in brown or green robes, some wearing ornate clothing, others wearing armour and wielding weapons.
This group quietly but hurriedly traversed through the mountain. There was little organisation leading the group, just a leader and their desperate followers.
Dressed in pale gold and white robes, embroidered with dark golden imagery, a fair-skinned girl was at the front of the whole group.
Her long, dark hair was tied back with an ornate piece, flowing down to reach just shy of her waistline.
Crack!
Like thunder, a terrible sound shook the forest; trees swayed, and leaves rustled in its echo.
The impact of the sound knocked a few people over, the elderly and weak, but those who remained standing were in no better position.
The land quaked again as these thunderous collisions resounded through the world.
Fear. Dread. Terror.
It had all fallen on their faces as they turned to look back from where they came. While the dense foliage and trees hid the Settlement they left behind, it did little to obstruct the fierce battle that forced them to flee.
Dawn looked back as well, solemnity mixed with her fear, she bit her lip in worry before beckoning the people to move again.
Slowly, the people regained their senses, then quickened their pace; the only thing keeping them from running around in disorder was the order Dawn so precariously set up beforehand.
Her gaze lingered in that direction,
'Please, return to us soon...'
Breaking Dawn out of her thoughts was a calloused hand on her shoulders, and a smaller one tugging a fistful of her sleeve.
"What are you doing? We have to leave!"
"These people need a leader, you can't just stand here!"
Her two friends brought her back to reality; although reluctantly, she turned away from the ferocious battle and fled with the others.
...
One night had passed, and the refugee group made progress. Unfortunately, it was also at this moment that difficulties started to assault the group.
Groups of beasts attacked the refugees.
Vicious tigers with deep black fur and muscular builds attacked during 'Early Hour'.
Tall owls with a complexion that resembled obsidian had swooped during 'Late Hour'.
Among them, some wielded mystical abilities that made confronting them worse.
Thunderous Sounds still echoed throughout the region, it was likely this that caused the beast's agitation.
As to why they were attacking Dawn and her people? It could only be a matter of frenzy, likely as fearful as Dawn's people.
Becoming the leader of this group meant that she was present at the front of all times.
Naturally, this prevented Dawn from providing immediate aid to her group.
The guards could only hold them off for a moment before she reached.
She was sickened, not just because of these beasts slaughtering her people, but her inability to help despite being their strongest member.
...
The second night came. The battle resounded from far away, yet it was neither quieter nor gentler.
Dawn stationed the group of refugees around the bank of a river.
It wasn't deep, it also wasn't fast; it was something they could cross just by walking through, but could also be used for respite.
Around fifty people died during the bestial assaults from last night, more than sixty were injured, while the other three hundred or so people sat tiredly along the riverbank.
People drank from the stream, bathed in the lower regions, and stored water for their journey.
Many of the capable refugees began fishing upstream for the rest of the group, the guards stood around to defend their perimeter.
The injured were treated in a separate area, but not too far away.
Sun, one of Dawn's friends, was attending this area, treating the injured and weak.
His hair was a warm beige gold; it was mostly short and free, with a tied portion of his hair that fell to his waistline.
Simple attire of earthy tones, embroidered by pale silver, adorned his figure, a sash of darker brown wrapped his waist, accentuating his tall and lean physique.
Sun was young but capable; at only seventeen, he was second only to Dawn.
Yet, he was not allowed to fight during any of the prior assaults, he was currently the refugees' only medical expert.
He was an asset they couldn't lose.
Dawn watched him from afar.
Pressing a hand on an injured person's forehead and another on their stomach, a gentle green light spilt from his hands.
After a while, he placed both hands on the person's chest and channelled more light.
It only took a full minute for his treatment, but the method didn't fully heal the person.
Simply an aid to their recovery.
After a little more than an hour, all the injured had been treated; Sun came to a stop, breathless and mentally exhausted. Dawn came to his aid and removed him from the area, back to the other refugees.
"What are their situations? Are they in any state to begin moving by tomorrow night?"
Dawn questioned as she lowered him onto a flat stone. He replied unhurriedly,
"No... not all of them at least. Twenty at most, the rest... aren't so fortunate."
"What's worse, we would have to put down those we can't bring, lest we let them suffer in the wilderness."
That third voice was their other, final friend, Selene.
Her appearance was unassuming, with short black hair and simple dark blue robes, although she had a paler complexion than the rest of the refugees.
She appeared abruptly, startling Dawn and Sun as she offered them her own cold words.
"If we plan to move by tomorrow night, we can't bring them all, most will probably die by then, too!"
Her declaration was firm, speaking in an intensity completely unbefitting of her stature.
"The least we can do is put them out of their misery, and not leave them for the forest's animals to savage them..."
It was like getting dunked in cold water; her reasoning, the simple truth, shook Dawn and Sun.
What's worse was the suggestion of slaughtering their people and abandoning the corpses.
Not only would leaving behind the injured lighten their situation, leaving them more capable of fleeing, it would also provide an ample distraction towards the animals of this forest, namely those Night Graced beasts.
The cold and cruel pragmatism made them shudder.
Dawn quickly accepted her reasoning and was already thinking of prioritising the majority, despite the displeasure it brought her.
Dawn was conflicted; it brought her immense displeasure, yet it wasn't an idea she wouldn't consider.
On the other hand, Sun outright refused to do something so vile, he tiredly begged and pleaded for more time, bickering for a chance to save as many lives as he could.
Selene and Sun argued to sway Dawn's own opinion, but she was silent as she listened.
An hour passed before they stopped. The capable refugees salvaged whatever supplies they had and the fish that they caught from the river, and cooked a stew that they could provide to the others.
Everyone was dished small meals, just enough to sate them for the rest of the night.
Dawn and Sun watched from afar, Selene also spared a glance towards the aroma's source before throwing her final argument at Sun,
"We can't remain idle for too long, Sun!"
"Dragging along those injured patients of yours would only attract more beasts!"
"If we give you more time, that would be jeopardising the rest of us!"
"Those sounds haven't been getting any quieter, and we have no choice but to continue fleeing!
"The injured would hinder us and sabotage our escape. It's either we feed them or feed all of us to whatever dwells in this forest!"
"The most benevolent thing you could do is spare them the horror of being eaten alive, and spare us the dreaded fate of your righteousness..."
"..."
Sun had nothing to say, only expressing a grim look on his face...
It was then that Dawn decided on how to handle their situation.