Chapter 1 / Prologue
That evening, we were on our way home. The sun was setting, barely visible above the treetops. We were exhausted after two days of council meetings, and all we dreamed of was returning home to relax in our forest. Our territory, one of the largest in the region, was well-managed by Simon. The vast forests brought a sense of calm and safety.
As I was lost in these thoughts, a ball of fire suddenly appeared in the sky before us. It soared over the forest and landed somewhere nearby. This meant danger. Fire in the forest during summer was never a good sign, and Simon reacted instantly. He stopped our jeep, jumped out, and shouted:
“Let’s go see what’s happening!” He left me to follow behind him.
We ran, sniffing the air and scanning the surroundings, but there was no fire to be seen. After a while, we heard the cry of a baby somewhere nearby. Growing more concerned, we resumed our search. By the time our eyes caught sight of a small, white bundle—weakly trying to let out a cry—quite some time had passed.
“What the hell is this?” Simon muttered, kneeling on the ground.
“A baby? Alone in the forest?” I was genuinely shocked.
Our territory’s security was flawless, always vigilant, never missing anything—and now, here was a baby in the woods.
Simon picked up the small bundle and held it against his broad chest. The child whimpered, sighed, and then began crying again.
“Whose baby is this?” Simon asked, now genuinely worried.
“There are no babies this age around here,” I replied. “And even if there were, we’d know who they belonged to by their scent.”
“Exactly,” he nodded.
“But what if the parents are nearby?” I asked, scanning the area.
“And they’d leave an unprotected baby in the middle of the forest at dusk?” He handed the baby to me. “Hold her. I’ll check around.”
As I held the tiny bundle up to my face, I first saw her bright blue eyes, then her very light, almost white hair.
“Where’s your mommy?” I whispered softly, but the baby just pouted and cried again. “Alright, alright, calm down,” I murmured.
With Simon nowhere in sight, I sat down on the ground, laying the baby across my arm. Feeling a dampness on my pants, I laughed.
“What did you do there? Hold on, let’s see what we can do about this.”
I opened the wet swaddling cloth and was surprised to discover a tiny baby girl. White as milk.
“Oh, little one,” I chuckled, “It’s nice to meet you.”
Having no other option, I removed my shirt and wrapped the baby in it. She let out a soft murmur. Holding her close to my chest, she smacked her little lips, clearly showing she was hungry.
“I can’t help you with that, sweetheart. I’m out of milk. Hold on a little longer; Simon will bring your mother soon.”
But Simon didn’t bring her mother. What was even stranger, he couldn’t detect a single scent that would suggest the baby had been left by her parents in the forest.
“We’ll have to take her with us and look for her parents later.”
“What if we don’t find them?” I asked, worried. “And by the way, she’s a girl.”
“Oh,” he smiled.
“Listen, Simon, if we don’t find her mother, can I keep her? Please?”
“Olija, you already have two wild boys. A third would complicate your life. Not to mention your work and duties.”
“But they’re boys—they’re already running around. And this is a little girl, and you know we’ll never have one of our own. She needs a mother. Please… We can’t just leave her in an orphanage.”
“Olija, you have such a big heart… Don’t get too attached. If we find her parents, it’ll be hard to say goodbye.”
“But promise me—if we don’t find them, she stays with us, as our daughter. Alright?”
Simon sighed, offering me his hand to help me stand. Then, removing his shirt, he handed it to me, and, taking the baby into his arms, he headed back toward the car.
