“Where are the children?” the leader asked, barely containing his anger.

  “We lost them.”

  “Two little brats?” he hissed through his teeth. “How utterly useless are you?”

  “Forgive us, sir, but they’re quick. Just when we thought we had them, they vanished, like they’d sunk into the ground. We searched the whole area, even reached the town. They’re nowhere to be found.”

  “It’s obvious they’re hiding somewhere!”

  “We’ll keep searching.”

  “We don’t have that kind of time,” the leader waved dismissively. “Tell everyone to return.”

  “What do we do now, boss? They saw us.”

  “We continue. We can’t retreat when we’re this close. There might not be another chance. Get ready! We act according to the plan!” The man gestured sharply, and the armed group returned to their ambush positions.

  Meanwhile, the girls, running from the men who looked so dangerous, had squeezed themselves into a narrow ravine at the foot of a small mountain. Thick vegetation concealed the entrance so well that one would notice it only from up close. Ignoring the insects, the sisters pressed into the crack between the rocks one after another, crawling a few meters in until the space grew unbearably tight.

  Such crevices were often home to poisonous creatures, including snakes. Drawn by the warmth of their bodies, insects began crawling over the girls’ skin. At the brush of thin legs, Xue and Mingzhu shivered but dared not move. Cold crept along their legs, and tears streamed down their cheeks. The fear from their recent escape mixed with the dread of the creeping things around them.

  Time passed excruciatingly slowly. High above their heads, the sun continued its path across the sky, and soon its rays reached the crack in the stones, scattering part of the crawling life. By then, the chill of the rocks had become unbearable, and the insect bites burned and itched. Deciding that enough time had passed, the girls crawled out of their hiding place, furiously shook off and crushed every bug they found on their bodies.

  “Where are we?” Mingzhu asked through sobs.

  “I don’t know,” Xue answered.

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  “What should we do?”

  “Let’s look for a path… to start with.”

  “Maybe there are berries here? I’m hungry.”

  The sisters looked around carefully but saw no sign of a trail, so they decided to follow their own tracks back. Broken twigs, scattered leaves, and flattened ferns pointed the way. Judging by the straight, blade-like cuts on the grass and bushes, dangerous people had tracked them even this far; they simply hadn’t found them.

  Afraid of stepping on a snake or stumbling upon a wild animal, the girls moved slowly. When they had fled from the frightening men, they hadn’t thought about it, but now, they moved with caution.

  “You’re limping! Does it hurt?” Mingzhu asked anxiously.

  “I think a snake bit me,” the older sister admitted.

  At first, she had tried to endure it, not wanting to scare her sister, but with every step the pain grew worse. Although they had walked only a short distance, her breathing grew heavy, and sweat appeared on her forehead. She looked down at her swollen leg. The skin around the bite was red and tender, even the lightest touch sent a sharp pain through her.

  “Let me see! You’re so pale! What should I do?” the little one fussed. “Oh! The old hunter said you have to suck out the poison. Sit down.”

  “Just don’t swallow it by accident!” Xue warned, lowering herself onto the grass.

  For a while, the girl tried to draw out the venom, spitting again and again, until blood began to flow from the wound. Then she took a leaf of a medicinal herb from their basket and pressed it to the bite. Xue and Mingzhu only vaguely understood the healing properties of plants, they could barely read, but they couldn’t simply do nothing.

  “Stay here, I’ll be quick!” the younger girl jumped to her feet.

  “Watch your step,” Xue said anxiously.

  “Mm-hm.”

  Leaving her sister to hold the leaf over the wound, Mingzhu wandered off to search for berries or anything edible to ease their hunger. They had often roamed the forest, sometimes with other townsfolk, and had learned to recognize edible plants by copying the adults.

  Her sharp eyes spotted piles of fallen branches, wild berry bushes, and patches of crunchy roots. She had never seen such an abundance of nature’s gifts. It felt as though no human had ever set foot in this part of the forest. After circling the area, she gathered her apron full of food — including a couple of large russula mushrooms.

  “Does it still hurt?” she asked immediately upon returning.

  “A little. But not as much,” Xue shook her head. Her face was pale, her lips nearly white as cloth.

  “I heard the sound of a spring over there,” Mingzhu pointed with her finger. “It smells damp… like water. Let’s go. We need to drink.”

  “Mm-hm.” Leaning on her sister, Xue stood up and limped across a carpet of ferns, wincing from the pain. “We won’t make it out of the forest before dark,” she said, trying her hardest not to sound afraid. “We’ll have to spend the night here.”

  “All right. I saw a good spot — on that rock.”

  “Really?”

  “Mm-hm,” nodded little Mingzhu, who had spent most of her life among the trees. “I’m scared to sleep on the ground. What if there are beasts… or bugs? There’s a hollow up there. We can hide inside.”

  “Then let’s get some water and go back.”

  A quarter of an hour later, they truly found the spring. Water flowed over smooth stones, glimmering in the sunlight, its gentle murmur spreading through the air like the melody of life itself. Moist air gathered dew on the leaves around them, and the nearby hollows smelled of mushrooms and rotting wood.