[h2]Moira[/h2]
[h3]Somewhere in the forest[/h3]
[IMG]http://i64.tinypic.com/334s1au.png[/IMG]

It was quiet in the woods, almost completely silent, but in the way that only the deepest of deep woods could be. Life here had long since learned to move with caution rather than speed, and to listen rather than to announce its presense. Even the trees were mute, neglecting even to creak and groan as trees in smaller, milder woods normally would. Truth to be told, the silence was deafening. At least to those not accustomed to its impenetrable nature.

Moira had felt numbed by it when first she came here, almost as if she'd been struck by a heavy blow. Then it had made her feel uneasy, paranoid even. She would look this way and that, her forehead moist with tiny beads of sweat, always anticipating a sudden snap or a heavy thud to break the spell. Nowadays she welcomed it. It was her ally, and she too had begun listening, and moving gracefully. No need to wake the sleeping giant. No need to make oneself known.

She was currently investigating an intruiging mushroom, one she had never seen before. It would have looked like any other uninteresting thing to the unwary explorer; brown with a flat cap and thin stalk, but Moira was not unwary. She held one in her hand, turning it this way and that, taking in the details of its appearance. Her breath was slow and shallow, unaudible even to herself, as she sat on her knees and inspected the find. She would have to bring it back to her home in the village for studying, no doubt. She lacked the proper tools and conditions for her to learn anything out here.

Satisfied with the days expidition, she pulled a cloth from her satchel and carefully wrapped the mushroom in it. Having placed the treasure back into the satchel she stood up, slowly and patiently so her knees wouldn't pop. She could not remember which direction she had come from before arriving here, but it did not trouble her. She knew she would find her way back eventually, as she had done many times before. Having stretched out for a few moments, she started walking off over the thick moss. Into the dark depths of the woods.

Little did she know that she was observed.