Tree by the Fire

Willie drapes damp clothes over low branches to dry in the campfire's heat. Firelight dances across gnarled bark and leaves, casting long shadows in the night air thick with jungle sounds. She reaches up to retrieve garments, yanks a stuck sleeve—branches rustle violently as a giant bat erupts, wings thrashing, claws slashing in sudden attack. The tree stands amid the campsite's fragile circle of light, where warmth meets lurking peril, forcing Willie from solitude to the group's protection.