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.
Turning back, she looked down the long line of people, quickly estimating a few hundred people. A hand grasped her shoulder abruptly, beckoning for guidance,
"Dawn, we don't have many supplies, let alone enough to fully support this many people."
The voice of concern came from a young man, but his weary and frightened expression made him seem aged and worn.
"Not to mention, where do we even go? The next Settlement is a few mountain ranges over. There is no way we can even make the journey!"
"We don't have a choice! We have to leave and struggle for our survival. Plus, we don't have to make the whole journey there... It's just, the further we are from here, the better..."
What she had such faith in wasn't clear, but the young man still followed her decision. Not too soon after, he helped to move the people with some semblance of order.
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.
Night Graced beasts attacked the refugees; vicious Night Graced Tigers, with deep black fur and muscular builds, attacked during the earlier hours; Night Graced Owls, standing taller than most humans, with an inky black complexion that resembled obsidian, slaughtered at later hours.
Thunderous sounds still echoed through the region, there was no doubt that the ferocity of that battle was setting off the beasts in the surroundings. There was little the refugees could do about it, though, except suffer as collateral.
Dawn was at the front at all times, but the attacks came from around the sides and back, if not above. As their strongest member, Dawn was best suited to fight these mystical beasts, yet each time, she wasn't readily available. Even if she changed her position, they would attack from a different angle.
While the few guards and capable fighters they had were able to fight off the bestial assaults, the moment Dawn arrived, the casualties were very severe. Dozens of humans fell in mere moments, normal mortals couldn't even stand their ground against such a mystical beast.
...
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 stood 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 was watching from afar. Sun pressed a hand on a person's forehead and the other hand on their stomach, a gentle green light spilled from between his fingers, before slowly being absorbed into the person's skin. Then he'd press both his hands together and flood this green light into the person's chest; into their heart.
He treated person after person until he started to sweat. His method didn't take too long, it took a full minute to treat one person. Unfortunately, it wasn't a complete remedy to their situation, 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, where he could rest and recover.
"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.
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 enough to constantly sway Dawn's own opinion as her mind was considering their differing moralities.
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! The bloody scent of your injured patients is sure to attract the same things that attacked us, and even more! You need another night or two to fix what little patients you can!? Fine! We'll suffer another attack or two and send another twenty more patients your way! What about the night after, and the other nights thereafter?"
"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.