When you get close to the tracks, you see immediately why the thief woman's mind would have said "dog"; but you can also see just how wrong she actually is. It turns out that the gigantic (proportionally, anyway) tracks actually belong to a common Arctic Fox... and only to the hind feet. On the bright side, that means there's no gnolls about. On the not-so-bright side, the fact that there's only hind-foot prints means that you're probably dealing with a lycanthrope of some shape or form...<br/><br/>Whatever it is, though, it left you with a clear trail to follow. And while it takes Kara a moment to get herself up and running (awkwardly as it may be,) it's not long at all before you and your companions are wandering deep into the garden's heart. The scenery, for the most part, is starkly impressive... holly and tough vines, evergreen trees as big around as three Togalis back to back, and a field of flowers so white they make the snow itself look muddled. It's all very pleasant... but not what you're looking for, not at this point in time.<br/><br/>However, Kara stops you as you reach a turn, and her head practically<em>snaps</em>to the side.<br/><br/>"Lisra..." She murmurs, and starts to walk off the path. You follow her eyes, and immediately see what it is that's grabbed her attention: an ancient fir tree, larger than any other that you've seen. Or, to be more specific, the rune-covered stave that seems to be embedded in the trunk. "I... I think that's it. That's the Firedancer's twin..."<br/><br/>Mesmerized, intrigued, and almost absorbed, the woman starts to step forward into the clearing... and your eyes catch a sign of motion beneath the snow, as if attached the tree's roots had begun to snake towards the woman beneath the snow. In the back of your mind, you recognize those motions... a plant that consumes the living, the Assassin Vine. Or at least a cousin... a very, very big cousin...