Episode 1

Siena

The cold morning wind whistles through the cracks in the broken windows of the Saint Peter's Orphanage. I pull the thin blanket around my shoulders, feeling the icy air invade the small room.

I am awake before dawn, as always, to have a moment of peace before the daily chaos begins. Life in the orphanage is hard, marked by the fleeting hope of adoption, which never materialized.

But soon I get up and after doing my morning routine and putting on any old dress, I go down the stairs silently, making my way to the kitchen, where I find Jasmine, the little girl with golden curls and big, curious eyes, already awake. I smile when I see her. Jasmine is the only company I have and, in a way, my only family.

“Good morning, little one,” I say, picking Jasmine up. "Are you hungry?"

She nods, her eyes shining with expectation. I prepare a simple breakfast for us, the most I can do with the few resources available. As we eat, I can't help but think about the conversation I overheard the night before.

Hidden behind the director's office door, I heard whispers of a terrible plan. The authorities, tired of funding an orphanage with only two children, decided that the best solution was a tragic "accident" that would get rid of the problem once and for all.

Horror washed over me as the words echoed in my mind. "Fire...no survivors...it will look like an accident." I know I can't tell anyone, because I have no one.

The only option is to run, but where? The answer comes immediately: the Black Forest. That place shrouded in dark legends is the only place where we can be out of their reach.

“Jasmine, we're going on an adventure today,” I say encouragingly, trying to hide the fear in my voice. "Let's go to a special place."

The little girl smiles, excited by the idea of an adventure. Little does she know the danger that is approaching. Quickly I start packing a backpack with what I can carry: some clothes, some food and a bottle of water.

The sun had barely risen when I held Jasmine's hand tightly and we both headed for the back door of the orphanage. And to my sadness, I come face to face with men pouring flammable products around the orphanage. Apparently, they decided to go ahead with the plan.

One of them, seeing me, stops for a moment and shouts:

“The girl! She saw us!"

All the others look at me and, with my heart racing, I run off with Jasmine in my arms.

“Let's get them! We can't let them live!” shouts one of them.

"They are coming, Sie..." says Jasmine, terrified.

"Calm down, little one. They won't take us, I'm with you, I'm with you,” I say desperately.

Ahead I see the Black Forest, its aura seeming macabre, but more macabre is what these people want to do to Jasmine and me. I enter the forest, and I see that some of these men, even with some apprehension, also entered the forest.

“Sorry, Sie... I wish I could run that fast so you wouldn't have to carry me,” says little Jasmine, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Jasmine. You are a child, and you are my best friend, my sister of fate. We are together,” I say, already out of breath, but I fight with everything I have, I can't stop.

“Why don't they like us, Sie? Why did everyone abandon us?” she says crying.

I swallow hard and can't hold back the tears, because that's the same question I always ask myself. "Why God? Why were we forgotten? Why didn't anyone want us?" It's a lot of pain.

I trip over a branch, my vision blurred by tears, my heart torn and with thoughts that won't leave me. I fall to the ground with Jasmine.

"You're okay? You're okay?" I ask desperately, assessing her body.

"I'm..."

She is interrupted by two of the men approaching us, reaching us.

"It's over, end of the line, you little rats. Your story ends here,” says one of them, pointing a gun at us.

I hug Jasmine, saying through tears:

"We're together, remember? One day we will be very happy…” I whisper to her, the wind carrying my words like a prayer, full of pain.

Then, as if in slow motion, he appears. A huge wolf leaps over Jasmine and me. My eyes widen as I witness the scene, disbelief washing over me. Without delay, the black wolf, with eyes blazing with fury, does not hesitate to protect us.

His muscular body moving with agility, every movement a deadly dance against those who threatened us. The men, taken aback by the creature's sudden appearance, barely had time to react before being knocked down by the wolf's overwhelming force.

After defeating the men, he turns to us with calculated and determined steps. His intense eyes gleaming with a mixture of ferocity and curiosity as he slowly approaches.

My heart pounds in my chest, fear and uncertainty paralyzing my movements. Jasmine, trembling in my arms, hides her face in the crook of my neck.

"Sie...I'm scared," she whispers, her voice almost lost in the murmur of the wind between the trees.

“Shhh, I'm here, I'm here with you,” I murmur, trying to convey calmness as I stroke her golden curls.

The wolf stops inches from us, its large, black muzzle slowly approaching. The air around us seems to freeze as he sniffs us, his nostrils widening and contracting. I close my eyes instinctively.

"Please, please don't devour us... I beg you," I whisper softly, my hands shaking as I hold Jasmine tighter.

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