The fire spread voraciously through the forest, devouring everything in its path. The thick smoke burned their eyes and choked their breathing. Drica and Felipinho, caught between panic and adrenaline, drove the carriage as best as they could, the sound of burning trees cracking loudly in their ears.
— "Faster, Felipe!" — Drica shouted, clinging tightly to the edges of the carriage.
Felipinho, his hands trembling on the reins, struggled to keep the horses on the trail, but fear clung to him like an invisible enemy.
After a frantic ride, the trail ended abruptly at a deep cliff, where a turbulent river twisted far below. The wind from the abyss brought a cutting chill and a heavy silence.
— "We're trapped..." — said Drica, her eyes wide in fear.
Felipinho carefully guided the carriage along the cliff's edge. The ground looked ready to collapse at any moment. It was then that he spotted, up ahead, an old wooden bridge swaying in the wind.
— "Look! A bridge!" — Drica shouted, pointing.
Felipinho's eyes widened in despair.
— "I don't think we're going to make it!" — he cried out.
— "You'll never know if you don't try, Felipe!" — Drica responded with courage.
Without thinking twice, Felipinho yanked the reins, and the horses charged toward the bridge.
The crossing began. The wood groaned beneath the carriage; each step of the horses seemed to announce imminent collapse. When they reached the middle of the bridge, they heard only the desperate neighing of the horses. The intense heat hit the structure: the forest fire had reached the bridge.
The ground gave way.
The carriage, the horses, Felipinho, and Drica plunged into the void.
The impact with the water was brutal. The current dragged them with force. Felipinho struggled to swim, but the river's strength pulled him under. Darkness enveloped him. It seemed everything was over.
But suddenly, he felt something warm and soft against his lips. He coughed, spitting out water. He opened his eyes and saw Drica, kneeling beside him, panting.
— "How did you save me?" — Felipe asked, still in disbelief.
— "Lucky for you, I won several swimming championships back in school," — Drica said, flashing a tired smile.
Felipinho was impressed... and grateful.
— "And the horses?" — he asked, looking around.
— "They drowned..." — Drica replied, her voice breaking.
— "And the carriage?" — Felipe continued.
— "Destroyed..." — she murmured.
— "Is there nothing left?" — he insisted, still trying to cling to some hope.
— "Actually... luckily, a piece of the back part washed up over there," — Drica pointed.
Quickly, they made their way to the wreckage and rummaged through it. They found an almost intact crate of apples, an old blanket, an ancient compass, a map of the region, and several pieces of wood.
— "We hit the jackpot!" — Felipe exclaimed, animated.
Drica nodded, too exhausted to smile.
— "Now we need to find shelter," — she said.
They stumbled along the riverbank until they spotted a cave hidden among stones and charred trees. Gathering their belongings, they decided to take refuge inside.
Inside the cave, they found a spot where the ground was softer, where they sat down, sharing some apples.
Felipe couldn't hold back his tears. He thought about Marina, about Diego, about what could have happened to them. Seeing his despair, Drica comforted him:
— "Calm down, Felipe... we'll figure something out. We're going to find them!"
Drica's words brought him a small measure of comfort. A spark of hope.
After eating, they went to the river, drank some fresh water, and returned to the cave, exhausted. But the cold was unbearable. Shivering, they decided to remove their wet clothes, awkwardly, and spread them over some rocks to dry.
Drica wrapped herself in the blanket but noticed Felipe was still trembling violently.
— "Let's warm up..." — she said, her face blushing.
Without a word, they lay down together, skin to skin. Felipe felt his heart beat slightly faster. Under the moonlight that illuminated the cave's entrance, they closed their eyes and fell asleep.
The intense daylight hit Marina's eyes.
She woke up beneath a gray tree with lilac leaves swaying gently. In front of her stretched a beautiful garden of white hydrangeas. She tried to move but realized iron shackles bound her ankles.
Her stomach growled with hunger. Her throat was parched. A deep despair washed over her as she thought of Felipinho. She dragged herself to the tree and leaned against it.
— "Where am I...? Is Felipinho very far away?" — she wondered, her heart aching.
Suddenly, a shadow leapt from the tree and landed in front of her.
— "Hahaha! You should've seen your face!" — mocked a masked figure.
Marina gasped in fear and murmured weakly:
— "NO... please..."
The masked she-wolf rolled her eyes, half-disgusted:
— "Relax, princess! The master said to keep you alive... Don't ask me why."
Marina noticed the she-wolf was carrying a sack of bread and a jug of water.
— "Here... eat," — said the wolf, dropping the food on the ground.
— "Thank you..." — Marina replied, tears streaming down her face.
— "Humph!" — the wolf muttered arrogantly.
Marina ate desperately.
— "What's your name?" — asked the wolf.
— "Marina," — she answered, still trembling.
— "You were summoned, weren't you?" — the wolf asked suspiciously.
— "I think so... but I don't really understand what that means," — Marina said, confused.
— "Judging by your clothes, you're definitely not from around here..." — the wolf commented.
— "Do you know how I can get back home?" — Marina asked hopefully.
— "Sorry... I have no idea," — the wolf replied.
— "And my friend who was with me?" — Marina asked anxiously.
— "Friend?" — the wolf raised an eyebrow. — "I thought he was your boyfriend, girl!"
Marina burst into laughter:
— "My boyfriend? Are you crazy?!"
— "I don't know... he seemed pretty into you..." — teased the wolf.
— "Hahaha! You couldn't be more wrong! He's not my type," — Marina said, still laughing.
— "Aw..." — the wolf sighed sadly.
— "What's wrong?" — Marina asked.
— "I'd give anything for Rudy to like me..." — said the wolf, her eyes full of sadness.
— "Rudy?" — Marina asked, curious.
— "He's the most gorgeous prince in this world... Ah, my Rudy..." — the wolf sighed dreamily.
— "Wow, a prince? You're seriously in love," — Marina teased.
— "I'm not joking! He's the heir and future leader of the Pack," — the wolf said proudly.
— "Leader of the Pack?" — Marina repeated, intrigued.
— "Yeah, the Pack is our group. And our leader is called the ALPHA," — the wolf explained excitedly.
— "It sounds like something out of a fantasy book..." — Marina murmured, amazed.
— "Rudy has true wolf blood, you know? His whole lineage had it... Now he's the last one. He's the only one who can succeed our leader!"
Marina was impressed but even more curious.
— "Well, I told you my name... but you didn't tell me yours. What's your name?" — Marina asked.
The she-wolf removed her mask and hood, revealing long red hair, bright green eyes, a pointed nose, and many freckles. Striking a proud pose, she answered:
— "My name is Lupita. Nice to meet you!"
— "The pleasure's all mine," — said Marina, sincerely.
— "Oh, and sorry again for the way I treated you before... We thought you were from the Kingdom," — Lupita said, a bit ashamed.
— "It's okay... that's all in the past," — Marina replied kindly.
— "Well, anyway, back to your friend..." — Lupita resumed.
Meanwhile, Diego opened his eyes.
He found himself lying on something soft, resembling a sofa covered in flowers. He was in a small room inside a tree. The sound of birds singing filled the air.
He got up, disoriented, and stepped outside.
And there he saw him: the Master — the tall masked wolf — standing with his back turned, his arms raised so that little birds could perch on them.
Panic seized Diego. He looked around. On a nearby rock, he spotted a dagger.
Without thinking, he ran, grabbed the blade... and trembling, pointed it directly at the Master's face.