Chief Skylong muttered under his breath after she left his hut, "What kind of human dare leaves me before finishing our discourse."  But instead of chasing after her, he decided to remain in his hut and think about what he would say or do next.  He could mutilate the human into obedience; he could send a few elves to scare her; or he could put her on the back of a wolf and let the rough rider's friends bring her anywhere randomly in the woods.<br/><br/>He remembered feeling this way before, when what seemed to be a king of great importance came through the woods.  His sister, Spring, was fascinated with the gentleman.  She fawned all over him; he had told her he smelled trouble, more so than any of the other human royal persons that had ever been in the woods.  The gentleman looked like a dignitary, but he seemed, spiritually, a coward!  Perhaps he used his charm on others, but in the woods - you needed to know the difference between charm and authenticity.  It was the only way to survive in the forests.  "Oh, Sky, he's different.  He's invited me into his kingdom."  Skylong had gotten angry when he heard those words.<br/><br/>His memory remembered her kind and gentle touch; she was the healer of the camp.  Quite frankly, they were without a healer and the mystic's magical abilities would make him the more tired the more he used them.  He stuffed back the memories; he didn't want to think about the day it happened ...<br/><br/>Stomping out of the hut, Skylong turned his head upward, imagining the cities of the sky he so longed for.  He gave a loud howl and the other members of the tribe followed in suit, though slightly less majestic than Skylong.  The wolves would not join in until the moon became full; but, the wolves had not howled for a while, even on the appropriate night.  It was something that worried Skylong.<br/><br/>Moving in the direction of the human's makeshift house, he thought he should march right in when he wondered if the human was well enough to continue.   She had been bleeding, some obvious war wounds from the knots around her wrist.  He had hoped the other elves had given back her belongings; they usually put the healing plant in rooms for refreshment.  Slowing his pace, he noticed the parts of his small village that were falling apart.  The common store house had to be moved; the branches in the eastern part of the camp became brittle, no longer filled with life.  Trees were not supposed to be brittle when it was not winter; even then, hibernation was different than being killed off.  The woods were being killed off, and he was unable to do anything about it ... until now.<br/><br/>Stopping short of the hut's entrance, he raised his voice to the human.  "Now I know you are a leader of some sort of tribe; for only a leader would snub the presence of another leader!  Many questions from you, but almost no time to answer them.<br/><br/>"Your rules are complicated; tons of people in, what did you call it - hierarchy?  Humans, maybe you, I don't know, waste time building kingdoms which will be toppled in a few generations; you train warriors, mages, merchants, even laborers to coexist in a system that seems to fund nobles that are really cowards.<br/><br/>"But YOU!  You are a leader of a tribe; so don't hide it from me.  Human who waste time with their governments and mundane lives don't have the patience to connect with animals.  I know your eyes; they look like someone who has seen an creature’s soul.  Nightfall, the white wolf who met you tonight, also sees this in your eyes.  You have seen what, dare I say, all humans have never seen.  A whole other dimension of the world.  Which is the reason why you are under my protection now."<br/><br/>He picked up stones from the ground to see if any of them could be turned into magic orbs for the Mystic; he may need some as it was the only way to remember important information.  "Leaders of tribes connect with animals; you connect with animals.  The mystic told me you can help me.  So let's be clear what the ultimatum here is; you can choose to walk the path as the Chief you are, or ... I'll let you to try to fare well in the woods, and the elves that catch you can treat you like a criminal charged with spying on the true guardians of the woods with intent to bring our ways back to your comrades.  A spy!  You see, no one disobeys Skylong!"  He had no clue if his intimidation would betray the fact that he was scared of losing her; scared that the solution to his tribe's woes would be gone.  He could feel himself getting worked up, and he wasn't sure what the human was thinking.  It was then he lost track of his words, and thought he was speaking to his sister!  "And Spring - you are not to go out back to the woods again!  Do you understand?  You are my sis ..."<br/><br/>How did he lose his train of thought?  He was not talking to his sister; he was talking to a stranger.  A stranger that may or may not have responded, but he let his temper get the best of him.  Suddenly, a familiar voice startled him with frightful words.  It was Eyes!  "My chief ... I smell death ... I am sorry, it smells as if another wolf has died.”