I'm having some issues while writing this arc. an idea did appear and I'm going to follow it. the quality may drop so please tell me if you think so. I may have to rewrite some of the chapters at some points if I dislike the result.

The length of the chapter will be on the shorter end until I gain some momentum in this arc

Luke spent five minutes eating and then stood up. He couldn't stay long in the clearing, he needed to patrol and continue connecting with the trees. Luckily, Steve hadn't found anything out of place. They had discovered that the range of their telepathy was close to ten kilometers. That meant that as long as they stayed inside the forest they could message each other.

“I need to patrol the forest. I could show you around while doing that. Do you want to come?” Luke said. He wouldn't feel good throwing her out due to her special circumstances, but he didn't trust her, even if Druantia vouched for her. So he didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone in the center of his land.

She seemed to get Luke’s worries and quickly accepted to follow. He tried to change the route he used every time he checked, but he usually began from the place where he found the fight between wolves and goblins (not the place where he fought, the small glade where he discovered their corpses). There was a practical reason for this: the pack had the habit of leaving some food for him and Steve there. So if he didn't start from there, the food (normally rabbits) would rot while he patrolled.

He arrived at the place less than a minute later. He was just in time to meet the Alpha as they left the meat. He nodded to the big silver wolf. Curiously, it hadn't grown as big as Steve. It may have something to do to the enemies each one fought though Luke could only guess.

“Do you know how to dismantle a rabbit? I can't leave that rotting there.” Luke said while he grabbed the dead rabbits and went back toward the house.

“I never seen a creature like that before, but I'm used to skinning and cooking my own food. I did leave alone in the forests” Dahani looked annoyed at him. Probably because his question suggested that she couldn't do anything by herself.

Luke retrieved two knives from the kitchen, passing one to her. It took a few minutes to be done. Dahani work was as good as his. He stored the meat. Her face of surprise at seeing the fridge was priceless. However convincing her that it wasn't magic was completely impossible. Even after Luke’s extensive explanations, she didn't believe him.

Anyway, they went from the house in a straight line toward the border of his forest. It wasn't actually a perfect straight line: they went more like zigzagging. Five to ten meters to one side in a forty-five degree angle, and then the same to the other. This way he could scout a larger area while traveling roughly the same distance. This time, he wanted to check in the direction of the valley were the goblins used to be. He made sure everyday that nothing chose that place as its residence. It would be a pain to kill anything in such a defensive position.

Luke regularly looked toward the nature elfess. He found it strange that she spawned alone. Up to now, most creature appeared in small groups. Even solitary ones like snakes came in pairs. This was obviously to give the species a chance to populate the area. He could think of two options, either she was the last one of her species or nature elves weren't born but made.

“So what does it means to be a nature elf? I can't say that I know anything about your race.” he wasn't used to questioning people, so his approach to information gathering could be considered crude at best.

“That isn't strange at all. Even most elves don't know of our existence. It's logical. We are exiled as soon as we are born or transformed. If we aren't killed. Most of the tribes, what you call Subraces, kill us on sight. It has something to do with the fact that we stand against the interest of the biggest tribes. A nature elf is an elf that is closer to his or her environment than to his kind. High elves search for Mana concentration, dark elves for lack of Mana concentration and forest elves live in wooded areas. The three of them think that they are the superior one, and the rest should submit. They also consider all other creatures beneath them. This creates a perpetual conflict with nature elves that are constantly seeking balance between all beings. They hunted us for centuries until few were left. Those few are too powerful for the tribes to attack while they stay in their territories. So now there are elfin tribes flourishing everywhere while those close to nature go slowly extinct. The only reasons that we aren't going to truly disappear is that the tribes hate each other more than what they scorn us. So they could never reach an agreement in how to dispose of nature elves ” Dahani had a sad expression on her face. It was evident that this theme brought bad memories to her.

“I'm sorry to hear such desperate circumstances… what are the differences between each tribe? I don't think I want any elf in my forest. Well maybe yours but that remains to be seen.” Luke asked. He was concerned that the arrival of Dahani would mark the beginning of intelligent races appearing.

“High elves are taller and paler than the rest. They have high magical proficiency. They tend to settle in town or cities. Physical professions are seen in contempt by them. Dark elves have darker skin with eyes completely black. I recommend you avoid looking into them, they consider that a challenge to their honour. They are the antithesis of the previous tribe: they specialize in close combat and assassins. A common saying is that you don't discover a dark elf until you are already dead. Finally, forest elves have the pointiest ears with swarthy complexion. They live in small, family groups lead by a patriarch. They are mostly nomads, meeting only a few times per year to trade goods and intel. They are fearsome in their woodcraft, specially so when they carry the longbows they are famous for. Fighting any of them in their preferred form of combat is a simple way of committing suicide.” Dahani ranted almost without breathing. He could feel her hatred for her ‘cousins' in every sentence. This explanation, however left one doubt in the front of his mind.

“Then how do nature elves fight? You said that each tribe is the best in their style, that doesn't leave much to choose.” Luke said.

Dahani stared at him incredulously for a second and then laughed. “You really know nothing of us, don't you? We are considered jacks of all trades, another motive why we are hated. We aren't as strong as a dark elf, as good at magic as a high elf or as fast and accurate as a forest elf, but we come in close second. That's our strength. With some training we can perdure for a long time against each one in their favored locations and not lose ground. If we weren't a peace and isolation loving bunch, we would have fought back. Instead, we secluded ourselves in forests, deserts or another hard to reach place.” Dahani explained calmly. It was evident that it wasn't her choice.

Suddenly, Luke stopped walking. Dahani gazed at him in askance when she realized what he was looking at. There, in the same spot as the altar, a small town had cropped up.