Chapter Text
Your face is warm, but your back feels chilly.
A fire crackles in front of you, painting its surroundings in restless incandescence.
Around the bonfire, unfamiliar people flit about, chatting with each other. Everyone looks strange, and the animated light only serves to stretch shadows and make everything appear more surreal. You aren't certain if you'd recognise anyone you know here. Maybe by voice.
There are some superheroes and sexy nurses, but they seem to be a minority. Most people's outfits are imaginative or very skillfully made, like good cosplay.
It's said that fair folk may walk among people during this time of year. It's not hard to believe, right now.
You pull the old fur coat you’re wearing tighter around you and fix your straw-horned birch bark mask. The night chill closes in fast when you step back from the bonfire.
With the bright, crackling fire warming your back, your eyes take a moment to adjust to the darker surroundings.
Of the people milling about, the thickest crowd surrounds a table, people lining up on one end and leaving on the other with steaming paper cups and sugar doughnuts.
Farther away, on the forest road leading to the bonfire, you spot the shape of a pale-maned horse and a person standing next to it with the reins in hand.
From the corner of your eye, you think you see movement in the tree line. You turn to peer into the trees. You aren't entirely certain, but it looks like someone peeks out from behind the trunk of a pine.
First, you're going to…
> Get a hot drink to warm your fingers. 🔒
> Go see how much the horseback riding costs. 🔒
> Find out who is lurking in the trees and why.