They left early the following day. The ranger called it morning, but Arn thought it wasn't quite there yet. Alas, it wasn't up to him to decide. Their breakfast was quick and efficient, consisting of dried roots and fruit, warm tea, and whatever was left from the day before - 'we don't have time to prepare a meal like civilized people, you'll get back to that once you're at the capital' she said.

The brightest stars were still visible in the dark sky. Definitely not morning; stars are part of the night, he thought. Pale warm light only just began to glow behind the eastern mountains and the night's mist still hung about the forest. Ekalin - so she introduced herself at breakfast - walked fast. Much faster than his father did. She knew each root, rock and branch on the road and perhaps even the entire forest as far as he could tell.

They packed enough supplies for two days, and he wondered why she didn't just give him those supplies - it'd probably have been enough to get through the pass. He watched her nimbly move over the uneven terrain of the forest as it descended towards a valley, far off between the mountains. She stopped by one of the trees - one of the largest he'd seen in the entire forest.

"What are we doing?" he asked when she put her hand on the trunk and stood in silence.

Ekalin ignored him. He sighed. The trees of Aaro Woods were taller than the forests around Nysaros, he noticed. The one the ranger leaned against would rival the eastern tower of the old fort. It must have been centuries old.

What is she doing? Arn wondered.

Ekalin closed her eyes and touched her forehead to the rough bark. Arn felt the urge to look away; a distant sensation, not quite clear enough to grasp, flowed outside of his thoughts. Something was taking place, though he couldn't understand it.

"Hey!" she called suddenly.

Arn realized that he stood much closer to the ranger, though he didn't recall approaching her.

"What is the matter with you?" she snapped at him.

"Nothing. What was -" Arn motioned at the tree, "what were you doing?"

"My job," she said.

He waited for more, but only silence followed.

"With a tree?"

"With a," she looked up at the sky and shook her head. "Are you going to ask what you plan to ask or play these dimwitted games with me?"

Arn's face felt warm, just as ambers of anger rose in him once more. He clenched a fist, then let it go.

"What was that thing with the tree?" he asked, sharper than he intended.

"Is this how you always talk to women?" before he could respond, she waved her hand at him. "Don't get your whiskers in a braid! I was, in fact, doing my job," she said, then put her hand on the tree once more. "I am the caretaker of the forest, and these are its senators who speak on its behalf."

"The trees? They speak?"

"Yeah, imagine that right?" she mocked him.

"Is this real?" he looked at the tree, brows furrowing.

"This is the thing you question?" Ekal said. "After how I found you, and what you went through?"

What? What does she mean? Perhaps he talked in his sleep? She can't have known what his father did.

"What did I say about those whiskers? Unbraid them this instant. I can see them practically twisting on their own," she said and twirled a finger at him.

Arn reflexively patted his chin and upper lip, still adorned by the soft fuzz of youth. He grimaced.

Ekalin took pity on him. "You must have heard old stories of the rangers who came from ancient Vule Sunal and all their secret arts? Well, I don't know about all that, but we do speak to the trees, after a fashion."

"I've heard some stories," Arn lied.

"Oh, you did, didn't you," she chuckled. Once more, she saw right through him. "It's an art, not unlike what you do when using one of your devices, such as the firestarter, or that talisman around your neck."

"I don't use the talisman," he said, then put a hand to his coat beneath which the talisman hung.

Ekalin looked genuinely surprised. "Well, then it isn't for me to discuss, but you see my meaning with the firestarter?"

"Hold on, I can use the talisman? How?" Arn asked.

"I didn't sign up to be your teacher, so move all the way back from this."

Arn pouted, curiosity burning within him for the umpteenth time during this journey. She only glared in response.

Later, he thought. "The Firestarter, yes - so do you do the same thing with the tree?" he reached out towards the bark.

The ranger smacked his hand away with a lightning-fast strike. It throbbed, even through the coat.

"It is not," she paused, "the same thing."

"Ouch."

Ekalin ignored that. "The art takes years to master and requires delicate control. Don't disrespect Truntriun with your bumbling touch."

"Truntri-what?" he asked, stifling a chuckle.

"That is the senator's name. They all have names. Enough with the anthropology lesson; we must hurry. You haven't collected an ounce of supplies yet," she said, then turned and trodded on without waiting for Arn's response. He had no choice but to follow.

Tree senators with names? What is going on here? He thought while doing his best to keep up with the ranger.

Hours later, he stumbled onto a clearing among the pines, his heart beat furiously, and his lungs just barely drew in enough air. Ekalin moved like a forest beast, like a caribou - no, a wolf rather. She didn't look like prey to Arn. She lowered her pack by a large log and set about preparing a fire. Her breathing was as even and unlaboured as though she took a pleasant stroll.

"H- how? How are - are you - the breathing?" he panted.

"Years of practice," she said.

His panting finally subsided, and he sat on the log beside Ekalin's supplies, dropping his own backpack at the same spot. He'd collected a good quantity of mushrooms, winter berries, and even a small amount of nuts, which surprised the ranger. He looked back towards her hut, or where he thought it was since they had long since lost its sight.

Evergreens stretched up the foothills; the mountain itself loomed large above them. How far had we descended? He then realized that they'd have to climb all that way up when they returned.

"This is just a breather and a refresher," she said, offering him a cup of something hot, "fireball tea," she added. Arn took it and brought it close enough to catch the aroma. Crisp spiciness wafted from the tea, mixed with a foresty scent. It steamed pleasantly in the chill air and warmed Arn's hands. He sipped it slowly; the flavour matched the aroma, though it was sharper. Finally, he made an involuntary sound of satisfaction. The ranger chuckled. Arn blushed.

"As I said, just a breather. We'll move on soon and eat at the next stop," she said.

Arn couldn't get the thought of the necklace his father gave him from his mind. What did she mean when she compared it to the firestarter? How could he use it? He didn't dare try now; who knows what would happen.

Ekalin seemed nice enough, though only as long as things went her way. Unfortunately, something told him that whatever he would do with the talisman wouldn't be considered 'her way.'

Before he knew it, their break was over. The tea did its job; Arn felt little fatigue despite the efforts earlier. He shook his legs and arms; they felt fresh and spry.

"Good, we are going to pick up the pace from now on," she said cheerfully.

"What?" he cried, but the ranger was moving once again.

A few hours later, he again found himself out of breath near a log; Ekalin was already halfway through the setting of a fire. He thanked Elar'Saga for reaching this clearing when they did, for his muscles weren't going to cooperate much longer. They were still descending down the foothills, though the ground evened out some miles ahead of them.

"Anymore - " he panted, "any - tha," he took a couple hurried breaths, "fire tea," he gasped.

"All in good time. Come, sit, take a load off," Ekalin patted the log to her right. The fire was already lit by a device, not unlike Arn's own firestarter, he noticed. Not exactly the same, though.

"I saved the best for last!" she said excitedly.

Arn nodded, still in the process of recovering his breath.

"See over there?" she pointed down past where the ground evened out.

Arn squinted but saw nothing except the evergreen forest. "It's the Emberwood," she added, her voice gained a dreamy quality.

"The stuff they burn in the Ahotharo Pass campsites?" Arn asked.

"No, that's emberwood, the wood, this is Emberwood the forest. It's where the wood comes from."

"Why is it called the same? It's confusing," Arn frowned.

"Why -" she shook her head. "I thought I asked you to back all the way off?"

"About the tree, but -" he noted her grim expression and reconsidered his next words, "yes, you're right. Sorry."

"Look at that; you do learn," she said, then patted his head. Arn wasn't sure how he felt about that. He expected to be angry, but instead, he felt warmth and relief.

"Don't get too comfortable. A long way is still ahead," she added.

They ate some of the same stuff that he had collected earlier today. Ekalin went into great detail about her cooking and preserving methods, and Arn suspected that the trip was to teach him rather than gather supplies.

"Beyond all other cautions, don't eat snow," she said, then saw his expression. "You ate snow, didn't you?"

He nodded.

"Don't eat snow. You have to boil it first. The spirits know what diseases lurk in unboiled snow water."

Ekalin spoke to several trees on their way. He knew now to give her space and wait patiently. He noticed that she reacted to each tree in different ways - some cheered her up, some not so much, while others made her visibly upset. He wondered whether she would tell him more about this art once they were back at the cabin. Despite her words that it was a speech only after a fashion, it looked like a plain conversation to Arn.