A forest search

         Ariana sat silently on a long slender branch. Leaves hung forlornly around her, killed by autumn's deathly chill. Below her, patches of forest floor shone in glittering patterns, highlighted by a few streams of moonlight that had penetrated far enough to reach them. Birds of prey flitted in and out of her sight as she looked on quietly, searching for any sign of her query, but she could see nothing of use from her high vantage point. With a sigh she slid from her perch, landing lightly amongst a chorus of crackling leaves. Several birds called irately to her, discomforted by her sudden presence beneath them. She watched, a vague smile playing along her mouth as a few of them took off, shooting her angry glances.
         After a few moments, she shook herself and started off along a narrow path that she had made earlier. It wound through piles of dense leaf fall, cutting off in random directions every now and then, evidence of leads that had turned out to be nothing more than animal tracks. She sighed and shook her head at her misguided attempts. Why had she ever supposed that she could track him without any training? This had been nothing more than a foolish whim and she was just lucky she still knew where she was, what with dusk fast approaching and a moonless night that would surely follow it. She was so enveloped in her thoughts that she neglected to watch her feet. With a gasp of surprise she went down, her toe screaming with pain from where she had managed to stub it. Cursing under her breath she glared at her throbbing toe for a moment, as though it was her foot's fault that she was out here on this forsaken quest.
         It was then that she noticed something small and glittering near her hand. Leaning forward, her eyes wide with surprise, she picked up a shimmering silver locket. Holding it gingerly in her hand as if it was some precious gift, she turned in over. On its back was engraved an ornate J. Blinking rapidly to stem a sudden flow of tears that surged into her eyes, she clutched her new found treasure to her chest. She had known that this couldn't be all for not, and now, at long last, she had a small shred of proof that he had existed in this world with her; that this wasn't all just a dream. Standing, she made her was to a nearby tree and, taking a large pointed rock, engraved a "J" into its bark marking this as her journey's end... at least until she could escape again and make her return.