Show Me My Silver Lining

Galena felt like it was ages before the water finally stopped flowing. It stilled, leaving forest debris scattered everywhere, the remnants of water slowly meandering down the rest of the way. Mud was smeared everywhere and she didn't see any sign of Tsuga. Galena whimpered, shivering on her branch as she called out in her raspy, squeaky voice. "Tsuga? TSUGAAAA!" Galena coughed at the cold air. The wind was moving through now making the cold worse and she knew she needed to get down out of this tree but she was still so petrified she couldn't quite bring herself to let go. Peering down into the dark a beam of moonlight fell on a rocky outcrop below the pine tree where she saw a woman laying there.

Galena's stomach flipped. Oh spirits, was it a body? Her ears flicked back and she swallowed hard. Galena shifted in the tree to get a better look but as she crept out beyond her branch it suddenly snapped. Galena screamed as she fell, landing on the woman's chest with a thud. Water burst out of the woman's mouth and she started to cough.

"Oh! Oh! I'm so sorry, I-I th-th-th the tree!" Galena wailed as she scrambled off the older woman, trying to get her words to come out in the right order.