Morning light slowly emerged beyond the line of the horizon, slipping through the towering trees of the forest. A thin mist still hovered low above the rushing river, reflecting the pale shimmer of a sun that had only just awakened.

  The sound of water crashing against rocks echoed endlessly, mingling with the chirping of birds that were beginning to fill the morning air.

  On the rocky riverbank, among scattered boulders, a body lay motionless.

  Hanna.

  She didn’t move.

  Half of her body was still submerged in the water, battered continuously by the cold current. Her hair clung to her face, her clothes were completely soaked, and her skin looked pale — as if no blood flowed beneath it.

  Her condition didn’t change, even as time passed.

  Until the sun finally rose higher in the sky.

  The girl suddenly coughed violently, her body jerking as the river water she had swallowed burst from her mouth. But she still wasn’t fully conscious. Her breathing rose and fell unevenly, her chest aching as though it were burning from the inside.

  It stayed that way for quite a while.

  “Ugh…,” Hanna whimpered faintly, her small voice heavy with pain. Her eyelids fluttered, trying to open, but the blinding sunlight forced her to shut them again. Her vision felt blurred and heavy.

  With what little strength remained, Hanna slowly lifted her hand to shield her face from the glare.

  “Mom…,” she rasped, almost like a whisper lost in the air.

  She turned her head slightly to the left, searching for something she wasn’t even sure was still there.

  “Mom…,” she called again, weaker this time.

  But memories of last night suddenly crept back into her mind — the moment her mother was injured trying to protect her, the scream of pain still echoing clearly in her ears.

  “Argh… argh… argh…” Hanna sobbed uncontrollably, squeezing her eyes shut behind her own arm, as if afraid to see what surrounded her. “Argh… argh… Mom…” Her voice broke, drowning in tears.

  The crying continued until exhaustion finally claimed her.

  Hanna fell asleep, her breathing uneven.

  Hours passed.

  “Grmm… grmm…”

  Her eyelids, hidden beneath her arm, began to stir slowly. Half-conscious, Hanna sensed something — a warm breath brushing against her still-damp hair.

  She didn’t move immediately.

  Instead, she tried to smell first.

  The scent of blood… strong… piercing.

  Her heart began pounding instantly. Awareness struck like lightning — that breath did not belong to a human.

  Maybe… a wild animal.

  Maybe… the same kind of creature as last night, she thought, fear flooding her.

  Hanna slowly lowered her arm. Her eyes lifted just enough to peek.

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  And in that instant, her heart nearly stopped.

  A scream almost escaped her when she saw that the owner of that warm breath was a brown bear.

  Her breathing turned rapid. Her chest rose and fell uncontrollably. She could see the bear’s face clearly — far too clearly. Its large nose twitched as it sniffed, its mouth slightly open, revealing its teeth. The rancid smell mixed with blood pierced her nose until nausea rose in her throat.

  Hanna froze.

  Completely froze.

  She didn’t know what to do.

  This was the first time she had ever seen a brown bear from such close range. Before this, she had only seen one from inside a car — and even then, from far away when it crossed the road. She had already been afraid back then.

  Now…

  This was different.

  Too close.

  Too real.

  Suddenly, her mother’s words echoed in her mind.

  If you ever see a bear… run as fast as you can.

  Her mother had said it firmly. Bears are very dangerous.

  But now, Hanna’s body couldn’t move at all.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t want to run…

  She simply couldn’t.

  Tears began slipping out slowly without her realizing. In her mind, there was only one name.

  Mom…

  At that moment, the bear in front of her moved slightly, drawing closer to the arm that covered her eyes.

  Hanna held her breath.

  Her shoulder felt as if it were being torn apart when the bear’s claws suddenly gripped her hard. Heat and pain shot through her arm instantly. She bit her lip, trying to stop any sound from escaping.

  Please go… please go… she begged silently, desperately, almost crying.

  “Grmm… Grmm…”

  The bear shifted its body. Hanna’s body jerked slightly each time it moved. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, surrendering. She didn’t dare fight. Didn’t dare move.

  If this was her final moment… all she could do was wait.

  A few seconds passed.

  Then… silence.

  No more shaking. No more growling. No more hot breath against her skin.

  Slowly, Hanna pulled her arm away from her face. She opened her eyes just a little at first. Her gaze darted around, afraid the bear might still be nearby. She waited a few more seconds.

  Quiet.

  When she was finally certain the animal was gone, Hanna lowered her arm completely and released a deep breath, like someone who had just been held underwater for too long. Her chest heaved rapidly before she tried to steady her breathing again.

  “Ugh… it hurts…” she whimpered softly while trying to sit up.

  Her entire body ached. Her shoulder throbbed. Her wet jacket clung to her skin, and the backpack on her back felt heavy and suffocating. Still, she forced herself to move, even though her legs trembled and her vision spun slightly.

  She couldn’t stay there.

  She had to move.

  After struggling through the pain flooding her body, Hanna finally managed to lift herself. She sat up with difficulty, her shoulder pulsing painfully with every movement. Both her legs felt numb.

  Her breathing came in rough gasps. She looked to the right… nothing but rocks and the rushing river. She looked to the left… dense forest, silent and completely unfamiliar.

  Where am I…?

  The place felt foreign. Only the sounds of water and the occasional rustle of wind through leaves existed. Fear began creeping into her chest.

  Without wasting time, Hanna took a deep breath and released it slowly. She repeated it several times, trying to gather whatever strength she had left. Her hands pressed against the rocky ground for support. Her legs struggled to bear her weight.

  “Erkk…!” she groaned through clenched teeth as she forced herself to stand. Her shoulder felt like it was being ripped out of its socket. Her vision swam briefly.

  But then—

  “Grmm!”

  Hanna’s body went rigid.

  Her heart dropped. The breath she had just begun to steady became frantic again. She didn’t dare move. Didn’t dare turn around.

  That sound…

  She recognized it.

  Cold fear crawled up from her feet to the back of her neck.

  Slowly, Hanna turned her shoulder backward. The movement was small, but the fear in her chest had grown so large it was hard to breathe.

  “Grrrm!..”

  Before she could even see clearly—

  “Arghhh!!”

  Her scream shattered the air when the bear suddenly bit into her shoulder. Its fangs pierced through her jacket and sank into her flesh. The pain stabbed deep into the bone.

  “Erghhh!!… it hurts… it hurts!!”

  Her voice became frantic. Her body lifted off the ground as the bear raised its head while biting, then shook her violently from side to side. The world spun. Her head snapped back and forth, her vision blurring.

  She couldn’t do anything.

  Her hands only clutched the coarse fur in front of her without realizing it. Her screams mixed with sobs, her voice hoarse, her breathing broken.

  “Help… help…!”

  But no one heard.

  The bear’s growl roared close to her ear. The stench of blood filled her nose until nausea overwhelmed her. The pain in her shoulder burned hotter and hotter — throbbing, tearing, unbearable—

  until suddenly, the bite released.

  Hanna’s body was flung into the middle of the river.

  “Argh—!”

  She slammed into the water before the powerful current dragged her away instantly. Cold water rushed into her nose and mouth at once. She flailed, trying to breathe, but the current was too strong. Her body struck rocks, spinning without direction.

  In the chaos, her consciousness began to fade.

  The roar of water drowned everything.

  And her vision slowly turned dark.