A great many women of the village considered Phoedra quite lucky when she was betrothed to her husband.

She was only slightly older than him, but was considered by some to be unworthy of his coveted affections. He was very handsome and undoubtedly worked very hard to purchase the comfortable estate the two of them shared. He was patient and kind and treated her well. When he had gotten on his knees and asked for her hand, she had joyously accepted.

After they had wed, however, he would often come home smelling of drink, attempting to force himself on her, and becoming angry when she did not respond favorably.

He then began neglecting her and the love that she thought she had for him soon turned to loathing and finally indifference, and her husband soon began finding comfort elsewhere, as men with wicked hearts so often do.

At first, Phoedra felt like her heart would break, but once she realized that she had never truly loved him at all, but the man she had hoped he would be, she merely felt cheated; cheated of the joyful life she could have had without him.

It took some time, but she did eventually rediscover who she was in the days before the marriage had nearly ruined her, and began taking long walks and revisiting her favorite books. She initially walked around the streets of Cholerny, but since the death of the Kaplan, a strange sickness had begun to have a curious foothold in the village. Many thought that it was a curse, but Phoedra could feel that it was all part of a storm of a larger and much more terrifying kind.

Soon, she began passing almost daily through the village gates and into the forest that surrounded it. She would pack a small lunch for herself, stopping to read and relax at the nearest welcoming spot.

She gradually felt more comfortable traveling deeper into the dense foliage, where she could experience a peace that her unsatisfying life could not afford her. Every time she entered, it felt as though the forest itself was welcoming her into it's leafy green embrace.

It wasn't long before strange events began to befall her.

They started out innocuously enough, with occasional unusual noises and the feeling that she may not be alone. She didn’t feel threatened by this presence, so she continued her ever longer journeys daily.

The strangest event of all occurred when she had found a very comfortable place to relax, passing the time enjoyably eating and reading until she was drowsy. Though she knew it was unwise, she felt safe in the warm arms of the forest, and closed her eyes to rest for a moment.

When she awoke, it was dark and she was terrified.

Phoedra had never stayed in the forest after suns