The morning sun shining through Lucinda's window was enough to waken her from a restless slumber. In a flurry of action, she leapt from her bed and got ready for the day ahead of her. Once dressed she picked up her prepared pack, grabbed her staff, and made her way downstairs.

She ate a meal of buttered bread, being far too anxious to start her task for anything more complicated. Her parents were still asleep, and likely would be for another half hour at least, as the temple day shift didn’t start at the crack of dawn; something she had been extremely grateful for during her time there. Hunger satiated, she cleared away the mess her breakfasting had caused, gathered her things, and left the house.

As she made her way through town to the north side, she went over her plan for her first day of searching for the Druid, Waflaw. Since getting an idea of the layout of the land, Lucinda had considered her options at length, but in the end, she had decided to go with her initial idea: the river.

To that end, she made her way towards the western side of the forest line that ran somewhat parallel to town. From there she would head north through the forest until she reached the river, then follow it deeper, eventually turning back sometime before she reached the opposite end of the forest.

Before long Lucinda reached the edge of the forest. A sense of foreboding overwhelmed her momentarily, wandering the paths around the town alone was one thing, entering a forest filled with dangerous creatures was an altogether new experience for her.

There’s no need to be afraid. I can handle this.

Steeling her resolve, Lucinda entered the forest.

She’d entered close enough to the western end of the forest that she could still see outside the forest in that direction as she travelled. Lucinda had initially been worried she might not be able to keep track of her direction if the forest canopy was too thick, but as she realised this wasn’t the case, she began angling herself deeper into the forest.

It didn’t take long for Lucinda’s fear to give way to joy, as she continued her way deeper into the labyrinth of trees. The cool breeze blowing through the air, and the sound of birds chirping all around quickly improving her mood. But, she didn’t stop being cautious, she knew a smile wasn’t likely to stop a hungry wolf after all.

It took about two hours for Lucinda to reach the river, by her best estimate from the position of the sun she glanced through holes in the canopy above. Already she’d encountered a number of animals on her journey, but thankfully nothing that might have viewed her as a tasty snack. The only one of which that might have been trouble was a large grey boar which had chased her away from a berry bush, but to her relief it let her be once it was sure it had control of the food source.

As she reached the river, Lucinda decided to take a moment to rest, sitting down on the forest floor with her back to a small tree. The forest floor slanted upwards as it moved away from town making the journey hard work.

All that time spent in the temple has made me soft… Something I can soon remedy now that I’m free from that!

After taking a drink from her water skin and consuming a few nuts from her pack, Lucinda continued onwards, following the river deeper into the forest.

She’d been walking again for some time, when from around a tree a creature came into view. Lucinda stopped with a start as she noticed something, assuming the worst, but relaxed as she realised it was only a deer. The deer in question, who had been lapping at the river, noticed her approach at almost the same instant, and looked ready to bolt.

Lucinda kept still and focused her mind in the familiar way she’d been taught, trying her best to project a sense of calmness towards the deer in front of her. She waited a short moment after that before starting forwards towards the animal.

The deer kept an eye fixed on her as it continued to drink from the river, but didn’t flee as she approached.

“Hello,” Lucinda called out quietly, as she reached the deer, going down on one knee as she did.

The deer turned to face her as she spoke, but soon went back to lapping at the river.

Setting her pack down in front of her, Lucinda slowly pulled out some of the berries she had managed to gather earlier before the boar had chased her away. Carefully, she held a few out in her palm and offered them to the deer.

The deer stopped its drinking and turned to face her again, sniffing the air as it caught the scent of the berries. Slowly and cautiously it moved closer to her, eventually moving close enough to eat the food Lucinda was offering.

Lucinda broke out into a wide smile, as she watched the deer eat up the berries in her hand.

It’s so beautiful… I should have come here sooner.

Lucinda offered the deer a few more berries, and as it began eating them she moved her free hand to stroke the deer’s back. She felt it tense as her hand made contact with its soft fur, but it soon relaxed allowing her to continue petting it.

The deer quickly overcame any remaining caution and as it finished the berries in Lucinda’s hand, it stuck it’s head inside her pack, looking for more food.

“Oh, I see how it is,” Lucinda said with sudden amusement. “You just pretended to be afraid so you could eat all my food!”

The deer emerged from her pack as she spoke, but only to bleat at her before diving straight back in.

Lucinda couldn’t stop herself from laughing as the deer continued rummaging through her belongings. She wasn’t worried about food, she could always get more from the forest, and she wouldn’t be there long anyway. Instead, she let it do what it wanted as she continued running her hands through its glossy coat.

Unfortunately, the moment couldn’t last forever. With a sigh, Lucinda stood up, and gently pushed the deer away from her pack. She still had a Druid to find after all, and she was certain the deer wasn’t it. But, just as she reached down to pick up her pack a piercing howl reached her ears.

She tensed, as did the deer beside her. It didn’t sound close, but she now knew wolves were about. Lucinda looked about trying to determine which direction the sound had come from. Unlike her, the deer didn’t hesitate and darted off, heading away from the river with haste.

Aww, it’s heading away from where I need to go next… That could be a problem. How good are deer at detecting wolves I wonder?

As quietly as she could, Lucinda picked up her pack and continued onwards along the river. She didn’t really have much of a choice, it wasn’t like the Druid was going to just plop out of the sky at her feet. Having her staff ready, keeping aware of her surroundings, and praying the wolves weren’t hungry, was the best she could do.

To her immense relief, Lucinda wasn’t beset by hungry wolves as she followed the river further. Nor did she hear any more howling. In fact, after her meeting with the deer, things were quite quiet. She met a few smaller animals, including a fox, a hare, and another much smaller and less hostile boar, but they all ran as soon as they noticed her.

Sometime later, around five hours total since she’d entered the forest as best she could tell, Lucinda was thinking about taking another short rest, when a sudden chittering sound echoed around her.

That doesn’t sound good…

Moving as slowly as she could, Lucinda began looking around, trying to find the source of the noise. As she scanned her immediate surroundings, she decided she didn’t appear to be in any immediate danger, but as she looked further into the distance she saw something.

Oh crap, giant spiders! What are they doing here? I thought they only lived in caves? Oh…

The webbing she spotted in the trees, some hundred paces or so away, was what had given away their presence. Moments later she became aware of a single spider, moving about close to a mound of dirt, likely a cave containing more spiders within. The spider she spotted looked to be quite large, almost as big as the boar she’d met earlier, it’s body appeared to be a silvery colour, but she was too far away to make out any other details.

Of course caves aren’t only found at the foot of mountains… Well, time to be moving on I think! Nice and quietly…

Summoning every bit of stealth she could muster, Lucinda crept slowly away from the river and the spider’s lair opposite. She couldn’t go too far, lest she risk losing sight of the river entirely, but she had no intention of becoming spider food. After putting some more distance between her and the eight-legged terror, she continued following the river.

One thing that had been bothering her was just how large the forest was. The map she’d found had given her a rough idea, as well as the layout and the borders, but knowing the forest stretched from town to the nearby mountains didn’t help when she didn’t know how far away the mountains actually were. Given how much time she’d already spent in the forest, she had been fully expecting to have emerged from the other side, even with the non-direct path she’d taken.

Oh, well. I guess I can keep going. It’s not ideal, but I can always sleep in a tree if I have too. Though Mother won’t be happy when I get back…

A while later, Lucinda’s pleasant stroll through the forest was interrupted by another howl. This time it seemed to be quite a bit louder and closer, and coming from somewhere behind her. Lucinda increased her pace in response.

It soon became clear she’d been targetted, as the sound of stalking animal footfalls reached her. Glancing back, her fears were confirmed as she spotted three wolves, tongues lolling as they chased her. Lucinda broke into a run, hoping to lose them, but the trees were still too dense for her to reach a decent speed.

She kept up her run as long as she could, with the wolves waiting patiently for her to tire. Then, as her stamina started to wane, she began looking for a place where she could make a stand.

I’ll have to stand and fight, I can’t outrun them. If I can injure one, they might decide to go after something else. I have to try!

Her eyes fell upon a small, nearby clearing within the forest, devoid of trees, where she would have plenty of space to swing her staff about. She turned mid-stride, heading towards it, but as she did so she tripped and fell sprawling to the floor.

Spinning quickly onto her back she saw what had caught her leg, it was a large fallen log that had been mostly hidden from sight by the surrounding trees. She didn’t have much time to berate her failed observation, as the wolves were slowly closing on her location. Climbing to her feet, she got ready to fend them off.

But, just as the first wolf reached the clearing, the log moved.

“Eeep!” Lucinda cried out, before clamping a hand over her mouth.

It turned out the log was not a log, but in fact a bear covered in mud and leaves. As she watched it with wide eyes, the bear sat up before yawning loudly. Even sitting down it was huge, easily as tall as she was.

The wolves didn’t seem to have noticed the large animal and instead steadily closed in on her, one coming right at her, while the other two hung back. As it lunged, Lucinda took a swing at it with her staff. Unfortunately, her hit glanced off its side, as the wolf changed direction to avoid her attack, before backing off.

As soon as the wolf moved away, Lucinda began backing away steadily from the sitting bear that still seemed to be half asleep. Thankfully, it wasn’t looking in her direction, but she knew it was only a matter of time.

Please, don’t eat me! Eat the wolves instead!

Lucinda got ready to defend against the next attacking wolf, when the bear suddenly sneezed. This caused the nearest wolf to spin around and growl menacingly at it, which unfortunately for the wolf turned out to be a very bad idea.

In one swift motion, the bear leant forwards and swatted the wolf aside with one of its large paws, sending it careening into a nearby tree with a loud crunch.

Lucinda had to quickly shift her attention away from the bear as the next wolf charged her. She took another swing as it approached, but missed completely, while the wolf managed to catch the outside of her upper left leg with its teeth.

“Ahhh!” she cried, then gasped as the bear turned to look at her.

Oh shit!

The bear quickly stood up on its hind legs, towering above her, and let loose a mighty roar.

As the bear’s roar faded, the forest lapsed into silence as every animal with any shred of survival instinct tried its best to hide from the mighty predator that had just announced its presence.

The wolves were no different, they took once glance at the gigantic brown beast and fled. Unfortunately for them, only one managed to escape, as the bear lunged forward and using its momentum picked up the closest wolf, spinning it around its body before slamming it back down into the ground.

Lucinda was again trying to quietly back away from the bear before her, fearing for her life.

Yes, eat them instead, please!

But, to her horror, the bear turned away from the dead wolf at its feet and looked directly at her. Standing back up on its hind legs, it began slowly moving towards her.

Lucinda quickly forced her panic aside and tried to focus her mind and project her emotions in a last-ditch attempt to stop the beast. The sheer terror she was experiencing made it difficult, but it was all she could think of. The bear eventually stopped a few paces from her, and Lucinda closed her eyes against her seemingly inevitable demise.

It didn’t come. Opening her eyes once more and looking up at the creature standing before her, Lucinda saw it was looking right at her, and as their eyes met, it extended one paw and waved at her.

“Hello?” Lucinda replied, thoroughly confused.

Then before her very eyes, the bear’s body seemed to shift. It shrank rapidly, the claws retracting, the fur thinning and shortening, its height decreasing to something considerably less bear-like. And in just a few short moments the bear had been replaced by that of a human male.

“Hello. You must be Lucinda,” said the man.

“Oh, thank Hefnopt!” Lucinda breathed.

Lucinda gradually calmed down after her apparent brush with death. The man in front of her was of approximately average height, and was dressed in a brown robe, underneath which she spotted leather armour. His face was slightly weathered, though with his entirely black hair – which was short and slicked back – and his keen brown eyes, Lucinda was quick to decide it was from being out in the sun, rather than a sign of advanced years. It was still clear that the man was a fair bit older than her, and that he was a fair bit younger than her parents, but it was also equally clear that he wasn’t bad looking by any means.

“Hope I didn’t give you too much of a scare.”

“Hah… It’s okay,” Lucinda replied finally finding her voice. “Thank you for saving me from those wolves.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. You looked like you had them under control.”

“I got bitten!”

“Bah, that’s nothing. Here let me fix it.”

Waflaw reached out and as his hand came close to the gash on her leg, a pale green light surrounded his hand. Lucinda felt the pain lessen as the healing spell hit her, and saw the skin knit back together, leaving behind only a faint trace of blood.

“There, how’s that?”

“Much better, thank you!”

“I’m sure you’ve figured it out by now, but let me introduce myself anyway. I’m Waflaw the Druid, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You too, I’m Lucinda.”

“Good, I didn’t think it too likely there’d be some other young woman wandering about this deep in the forest, but you never know. So, how was your trip here?”

“It was quite exciting. I got chased by a boar, had my pack raided by an over-friendly deer, almost ran into a giant spider nest, and then got attacked by wolves, before being almost scared to death by a large bear,” Lucinda replied with a small smile.

Waflaw laughed back at her words. “That does sound fun indeed. Well, I’m sure glad you found me, I was starting to worry my test was a bit too severe.”

“Mmm, well I only started looking today. I had work to finish at the temple yesterday and the day before.”

“Is that so. Well, I’m impressed in that case!”

“… I got lucky…”

“Hmm hmm, maybe. So anyway, I hear you want me to help you become a Shifter?”

“Yes please!”

“Good good, perhaps first you could tell me why you want to become a Shifter?”

“Oh, well let’s see… Umm, I always liked animals a great deal. As long as I can remember really. I would always jump at the chance to play with dogs or cats I met in town, horses too, oh and I like to lure birds to my window for food. Then a few years ago I heard of a great story told by some passing minstrels, who told of a very heroic man that used shapeshifting to save those in need. So, when Saseligan found out the man was a Shifter, I knew I wanted to become one too!”

“You’re not concerned about becoming a nefarious outlaw?” Waflaw asked with a grin.

“I am concerned, but I really want to become a Shifter. Being a Druid just doesn’t sound as fun, ah, I mean in my opinion. Really, I’m hoping I can just pretend to be a Druid and no one will ever know.”

“Well, that seems to match up with what Saseligan told me, so that’s good. He also mentioned you were going to become a Cleric?”

“Yes… My parents had decided I should become one, just like the both of them. I… I don’t blame them. Who wouldn’t want their child to follow in their footsteps? But, I knew it wasn’t for me. Too much sitting around inside away from the open sky, and surrounded by so many people! I hated it.”

“Ah yes, I know the feeling, believe me. Though I should point out not all Druids have trouble with cities or large crowds.”

“Really? But, Saseligan said that’s what all Druids are like.”

Lucinda’s words brought a short bark of laughter from Waflaw. “I’m sure Saseligan is a wise man, but he is no Druid expert that’s for sure.”

“So, what now?”

“I start escorting you out of the forest I think.”

Lucinda let Waflaw lead the way, away from the clearing and south from there. It seemed the Druid was intent of leading her straight back to town, and not bothering to follow the river.

“So, a Shifter eh,” Waflaw started. “A brave choice, not many of them around these days for reasons you are no doubt aware of, in fact, I know of only one living Shifter.”

“You know one? What are they like?”

“Hmm, oh he’s a decent enough sort. Cares greatly for animals, not so much for most people, though he doesn’t actively dislike them. Haven’t seen him in a while honestly, but he was working as an advisor way up north last I heard. People are a lot less against Shifters up there.”

“Can he turn into lots of different animals?” Lucinda asked, excitedly.

“Are you sure you want to know?” Waflaw replied with amusement. “Or do you want to wait and find out for yourself just what Shifters are capable of?”

“I’d like to know what to expect at least, if that’s okay.”

“Well, that’s easy enough. I can shift into a few different animals myself. You’ll have a lot more freedom though, in terms of selection and relative strength of your shifted form.”

“I can’t wait!”

“I like that eagerness. Though, one pointer I’d like to give you at this early stage, is to avoid showing off your shifting abilities to just anyone. Even for Druids, it can be a problem, as many people just aren’t comfortable with shapeshifting.”

“Oh, okay.”

“There is another more important reason to do so, if it helps. Which is that you shouldn’t reveal more about yourself or your abilities than is necessary. In the world we live conflict is sadly, unavoidable, and the less your potential enemies know about you, the better.”

“That makes sense I guess.”

“You’re probably a bit young to worry about such things really, but it’s better to get in the habit now. Trust me on that.”

“One of the teachers at school said something similar I think.”

“Hmm, is that so. Too bad they neglected to tell you what Druids are, or so I hear.”

“Yes, sorry…”

“Nothing for you to be sorry about, just a sign of the times. Definitely fewer of us around than in the past.”

Lucinda continued following Waflaw through the forest in silence as the conversation died down. Taking a more direct route compared the way Lucinda had earlier, it only took around two and a half hours until the town started to become visible through the thinning trees.

“This is as far as I go,” said Waflaw suddenly, stopping in his tracks.

“You prefer the forest?” Lucinda asked.

“Something like that,” Waflaw replied with a wry smile. “Anyway, you need to start working on unlocking the Shifter class, which requires you to spend most of a day with three different animals or animal groups."

You have gained the knowledge required to unlock class: Shifter

"Oh! I got a message," Lucinda declared happily. It was not the first such notification she had seen in her lifetime by any means, yet it had been close to a year since the last. Reading through it three times, just to be sure, she then dismissed it and affixed the helpful Druid with a pleased smile. "Thank you!"

"Not a problem. But, do keep in mind: anything that flies, or anything that lives in water, is off-limits. At least for now."

“Aww, okay,” Lucinda replied, her excitement diminishing slightly by the apparent restrictions. "I can get those later, though?"

“Absolutely." Waflaw's reassuring smile helped boost Lucinda's mood back to ecstatically excited levels. "Now usually I’d recommend choosing something safe, but in your case I might suggest something different.”

Before Lucinda could ask what Waflaw meant by his statement, the Druid began casting a spell, and when he finished a few moments later, Lucinda gasped as she watched a large stag emerge from the ground right next to her.

“This is Wollow, my animal companion. Now, as to the reason why I summoned him, I want to test something.”

“Oh, he’s magnificent,” said Lucinda. “Can I pet him?”

“Go ahead.” Waflaw grinned.

Lucinda stood up and began stroking the stag’s head and neck, being careful not to snag anything on his large antlers.

“Is he real?”

“I suppose you’re asking if he is a conjured creature? No, he’s a real animal. He’s been keeping an eye out for trouble, that spell just summoned him here.”

“Oh right.”

“Anyway, as I was saying, I want to test something. Do you recall what you were doing when I helped fend off those wolves?”

“Umm, cowering in fear before a gigantic bear?”

“Other than that…”

“Hmm, I was trying to think of a way to escape… then I started trying to project my emotions at you?”

“Ah, that might be it. Why don’t you try that now on Wollow here.”

“Okay, what emotion shall I try?”

“You choose, but don’t tell me what it is.”

Lucinda continued gently stroking the thick coat of the stag as she started to focus her mind and project an emotion, in this case, fear.

“Hmm, Wollow says he feels slightly afraid.”

“Oh! It worked?”

“So it would seem. Could you describe what you are doing for me?”

“Umm, I focus my mind like for spell casting, but then think about an emotion and sort of push it outwards.”

“I see. Where did you learn to do that?”

“They taught the spell casting focus in school, but I came up with the other part myself. I first tried it when a horse started running amok after a fire broke out. Everyone was having such trouble trying to stop it, and even after they cornered it, it was lashing out at anyone that got close. That was when I tried to calm it down, first with words and then without realising it I started projecting calmness. I didn’t really think it had worked until now.”

“Well, well. This is interesting. Without a doubt, this is an innate ability you possess. Are you familiar with the concept?”

“Not really.”

“An innate ability is usually something similar to a class ability of some kind, but usually more powerful or less restrictive. They are fairly rare, and I believe the prevailing theory is that they sometimes appear in the children of powerful individuals.”

“You mean my parents passed this on to me?”

“Hmm, no probably not. This is a Druid ability and I believe your parents are both Clerics?” Waflaw paused until Lucinda nodded to answer his question. “Which probably means it came from a grandparent or perhaps great grandparent.”

“Oh… I never met any of my grandparents. They were dead before I was born, and Mother and Father don’t speak of them.”

“That’s a pity.”

“How did you know to test for it?”

“Ah, well, I felt something when you tried it on me while I was in bear form. Something like a very faint suggestion. Which is no doubt because I wasn’t really an animal, just taking the shape of one. Anyway, moving back to the topic of the three animals. With this ability of yours, I imagine any of the animals within the forest are fair game, as long as you are careful.”

“Really? Ohh, that’s great!”

“So, I think I’ll leave the decision to you. I’ll keep a watch over you for the next few days, but I won’t come to your aid unless things are truly dire. That said, if you wish to contact me I’ll be around here, so feel free to come ask me any questions you might have.”

“Okay, thanks for agreeing to help me, Waflaw. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s nothing really. I’m always glad to help people along the path to becoming closer to nature, as long as they have the affinity for it, which you certainly do. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye!” Lucinda called as she began making her way back to town.

Her thoughts raced as she considered everything Waflaw had told her, but most importantly the upcoming decision she had to make about which animals to choose.

Three animals… I think a deer might be my first choice, that one should be easy to complete and they sure are beautiful. That gives me a whole day to decide what to go for after that too.

Lucinda continued walking through town on her way back home, and by the time she’d reached the front door she’d categorised each option based on what it might provide. She stowed her musings as she entered her house, and was on her way to the kitchen when she heard raised voices.

“…I know! I’ve told the High Cleric repeatedly that executing them will cause all sorts of trouble, but he’s dead set on it,” the voice of her father called out.

“Can’t you reason with him? Or ask Saseligan for help?” she heard her mother reply.

“I’ve tried, believe me, I’ve tried. Saseligan agrees with me at least, good job too, otherwise they’d have the majority. I just can’t fathom why they want to go through with this all of a sudden, it’s not like them, the High Cleric especially.”

“What will happen if a decision can’t be made?”

“Thankfully, in that case we have to bring in someone from Chakog’mar, who will certainly vote for extradition. We just need to hold out until then and the situation will be resolved. Still, this doesn’t bode well for the future,” said her father, before sighing loudly. “Anyway, I better be off, the meeting will start soon.”

“I’ll keep some dinner for you.”

Lucinda had been awkwardly waiting in the corridor as the conversation between her parents went on. Her father gave her a greeting as he emerged and then left the house, prompting Lucinda to enter the kitchen herself.

“Hi Honey, you’re just in time to help me cook,” her mother said as she saw Lucinda.

“What are we having?” Lucinda replied.

“Rabbit, and you can start by cutting up some carrots.”

Once the food was ready, Lucinda joined her mother in eating it, and before long their conversation drifted to Lucinda’s trip to the forest. Not wanting to worry her mother overmuch, Lucinda kept the details vague, apart from her encounter with the deer.

“Well, that doesn’t sound too bad,” said her mother. “You say you're going back again tomorrow?”

“Yes, for the next few days. But, Waflaw will be there too, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Alone in the forest with a strange man… How can I not worry?”

“He’s not like that!”

“Daughter, men are almost always like that! You need to be careful, especially at your age when you don’t have combat experience to defend yourself.”

“Yes, Mother,” Lucinda replied with a barely concealed sigh.

After the meal was over, Lucinda tidied up the kitchen before heading upstairs to her room. Tired from her day of wandering the forest, she decided to pack the things she would need for the next day, and then get an early night.