Unfortunate, then, that two siblings find themselves within it searching for a rumored witch based on the vaguest of directions.
The evil witch of the Gravewood forest. It's been said that sometimes, if you get very lost deep in the Gravewoods, a figure donning a black robe and a pointy hat might emerge from the shadows. They will help you get back to town, however their assistance is not free. That witch doesn't ask for money, no, there's no saying what that price might be. And if you refuse to pay, it's said the witch uses their glowing yellow eye to curse you. Old Maggie said that when she was a little girl, she saw a boy run into the woods and didn't come out until nightfall. When he finally came out, he was missing one of the fingers on his hand. Plus, everyone knows what happened to One-Eyed Aaron... his hair never grew back.
"Pause," June says, stopping in the middle of the root-lines forest pathway. May reflexively stops next to them and braces her shoulders as her sibling leans against her, panting slightly.
"It really itches," June mumbles. They rub their walking cane against the side of their left leg, where pine bark grows out of bare skin. The feeling is irritating, like sun-dried mud baked onto their skin over an assortment of scratches and bug bites. The top layer of bark flakes off a little when the cane hits it a little too harshly, making them wince. "I'm okay," they quickly follow, "just need a break."
Supported by their sister's shoulder in one hand and their cane in the other, they lift their leg off the ground and give it a little twist. They don't flinch through the ache that shoots up their nerves, far too used to this kind of pain. This walk was absolutely killing them; the constant maneuvering over tree roots, ducking under hanging branches, and trying to keep up with May's naturally quicker pace all making their limb sore from toe to hip.
"Do you need to sit down?" asks May, who watches her sibling carefully.
"Probably soon." Not like there was anywhere comfortable to sit. No sight of any stumps or benches, and getting up off the ground would be worse than just standing still. "This was a dumb idea."
May shrugs. June's hand shifts to her upper arm. "You didn't have to come," she says.
"It's my leg. Of course I had to come. Besides, what if you got lost?"
"We don't know where we're going anyways," May points out. "All we know is that this witch is in the Gravewoods somewhere. And what do you know," she gestures to the monochrome trees surrounding them, "we are in the Gravewoods!"
It was true. No matter how far around one looked, all that could be seen were tall trees decorated with silver leaves that bounced heat away from the ground, giving the forest its spooky eternal chilliness. Midnight black leaves that had fallen from above skittered against the ground with every breeze, breezes that felt like a ghost passing through you.
June rolls their eyes. "Doesn't matter, we're both here now. Let's just get this over with." They release their grip on their twin and gently set their foot back down. It hurts, but not as bad as before. The wonders of stretching.
The siblings trudge on, scanning for anything that looks like where a witch might live. A hut, maybe? A cabin? The trail twists and turns, yet June keeps track of where they've been with the same intrinsic acuity of a bird aligning with the planet's magnetic poles. June is distinct from their twin by one major difference: they were born a greater earth elemental. It's not all as great as it sounds despite the title. The only "powers" they have are the abilities to walk slowly and wack people with their cane. Well, there's a few notable additions, such as having a spectacular sense of direction and, say, growing an entire vegetable in mere days. They have the suspicion they could also turn into a tree if they truly wanted, but it would likely be extremely uncomfortable - especially the reversal process. Besides, judging by the forest they're now in, that doesn't seem like that great of a power.
An insect skitters across the path: an Odontotaenius disjunctus, or horned palassus beetle. June grips May's shoulder again, this time in excitement. "Pause!"
May's feet still. "You good?"
June points at the scurrying black bug. "Beetle!"
"Oh my gods."
The Odontotaenius disjunctus disappears back into the foliage as May carries on walking. June hobbles a step to keep up but doesn't let go, borrowing May's balance with some relief.
As much as June wishes that May took more of an interest in the natural world, they can understand why she doesn't. Not everyone can eliminate the instinctual fear that races through one's body when they see a spider, scorpion, or wasp. Not everyone likes to spend their free time studying the diet and habitats of creatures that live in the dirt. Not everyone wants to keep an entire wall of terrariums dedicated to these creatures. June knows that the terrariums might disturb their twin, but the feeling of caring for something that others deem "unsafe" soothes a part of June that they would rather leave uninvestigated.
They can understand a lot of things about May, actually. Like why she has two hundred contacts in her phone but never seems to have any notifications. Or why she dyed her hair pink of all colors and started wearing bright green contacts.
That little uninvestigated feeling in their chest only gets stronger when they think about their sister.
So lost in their thoughts is June that they don't notice the particularly large root sticking out in the middle of the path. May steps lightly over it, but June isn't so lucky. The ball of their left foot stubs against the root, shooting an inferno through their entire leg and twisting their stomach in a blaze of nausea. Their knee buckles and they go down, clutching their leg in agony.
"P...pa..." they struggle to get a single word out of their mouth, but May doesn't seem to hear. After a couple of deep breaths the pain dissipates into a static. "Hey, why didn't you..." June starts, looking up and glaring at their sister, hurt that she wouldn't even try to help. But May isn't there. They turn their head, but she's gone. She isn’t behind them either, or in front, or on either side. June finds themselves kneeling all alone with only the silence of the silver woods surrounding them.
"Maaayyy?" June calls out, "Could you come back and help me uuup?" ...but nobody came. June can feel the lack of her presence with just as much clarity as the cardinal direction they've been walking in. In other words, May has definitely left the scene.
A short while passes, and eventually June is able to stand up by themselves. They lean heavily against their cane, its four feet keeping them steady against the rugged terrain of the forest path. Looking around, they spot no movement in the woods, not from squirrels or birds or their sister. Dread starts to pool in their stomach, and a shiver tickles their spine.
"Alright, no big deal. Just left alone abandoned in the middle of the Gravewoods," June mutters to themself, feigning a kick at the guilty root.
They peer ahead at the trail, which winds on and goes around a bend. Is it possible May just went around there? Not really, but where else could she go? There's still a good few hours before nightfall. June takes a deep breath and begins the lonesome walk.