Beneath the Silent Trees

When they broke camp the dawn was dim. The blaze reduced to white ash and frost had collected at the edges of all blankets. It was all quiet in the forest, though the stillness was no longer a sense of peace. It felt like waiting. There was the burden of expected snow in the air.

Tightening the pack straps, Annabelle pulled the pack higher. Her fingers were numb with the cold, and her breath was in little froths. She crept from form to form, waking them all. No one ...