Oh, the immortals. They forget that it is precisely because we are ephemeral that we know the real value of life. They forget that it is because we can die so easily that we live our lives to the fullest. That it is because we know the pain of a final goodbye that we do not waste our stay. If they knew what we know, precisely because we are mortals, they would live as madly and perhaps more desperately than all of us. They would fight in order to discover, before the end, the meaning behind their existence. Before becoming part of the incorporeals and departing to the ghost continent, they would need to know what they could take advantage of. And, being always incomplete, we, the mortals, are even more complete than those who think that their nature dictates what they should become. Oh, the immortals, with their wisdom and arrogance, hardly know that in their eternal life they have never really lived!

Marco Stelvio – The Life of a Human

*

The werewolf’s grunts of pain sound like an anguished cry, suppressed to the maximum while the nymph struggles to cauterize the wound with fire magic, taking all possible precautions not to damage the tissue around the wound.

Sweat runs down her neck as she sees the blood that runs through her fingers and the image of the insides of her brothers’ body. The wound is deep and the impact cracked two of his ribs, causing each movement to produce a shock of pain on him.

And Gaenar, although he tries to suppress the groan of pain that comes to his mouth, is uncapable of containing it in its entirety. Although his physical constitution allows him to withstand greater amounts of injures, the pain is still real. The anguish at seeing the wound is the same as that of a smaller creature.

Nafaester’s hand compresses wound, using all her strength to stop the bleeding, murmuring over and over again.

-Everything will be okay, you’ll see. The wound is closing. Look, the blood has stopped flowing. Stay awake, Gaenar. Please, don’t close your eyes. You have to stay awake. It’s going to be okay. Look, it’s much better than it was before. You’ll see, everything will be just fine.

And although she uses her best tone to console her brother, the words are said to try and convince herself that, if she keeps trying, he will be fine.

-You must… Go ahead. – He struggles to say those words. – I will not be able to keep the pace… The pace that we need to keep.

-No. – She shakes her head, without taking her eyes off the wound. – I won’t go without you, brother.

-You must. – He mumbles. – You have to go without me.

She does not answer. The werewolf raises his hand, trying to reach her face. The nymph’s face, dirty with mud and sweat, sways from side to side, expressing the pain she feels.

-No! – She does not restrain the sound of her voice. – I will not! Not without you!

He wants to argue, but two things stop him: The pain, which inhibits any action; and experience, which taught him that Nafaester’s temper would not allow an immediate discussion.

At that moment, the siblings are too distracted to notice any small signs of movement nearby. Although they may notice a wild animal or the approach of a human, their senses, in a moment like this, would not allow them to see the hooded figure, hidden behind a tree, holding a piece of leather and memorizing the position they hold.

*

-One of them is hurt? – Rinlia’s question is asked with the elf already on the horse, riding at full speed towards the river.

-Yes. – Yvanna replies, riding alongside the elf, being careful that her horse does not hit Galaaz, who runs alongside Rinlia’s horse. – You’ll see. Up to the river, I had only the smell to guide me. However, on the other side, I found obvious clues about the path they followed. It seems that one of them had to run along the bank of the river.

The horses go fast to the river, without caring about the obvious destruction of the tracks along the way. That was a secondary concern at the moment.

-Something must have happened when they were crossing the river. – The commander narrows her eyes as they get to the west side of the waters. – And now they are weakened.

-How are we going to cross the river? – The vampire dismounts the horse, guiding it to a nearby tree.

-Let’s leave the horses here. It would be too much trouble to cross with them. – She announces. – Lancelot. – The wolf is nearby. – We have three horses that will stay on this side. Leave three wolves here, looking after them. The others should come with us.

The wolf doesn’t need to give orders to comply with the elf’s request. With a gesture of his snout, three wolves step forward and stand to the right of the group. Rinlia, Thiago and Arthur dismount and hand over the reins to two of the wolves, who bite the leather and guide the animals for a reasonable distance from the rest of the group.

-I’ll use magic to help us cross the river. – The elf announces. – Arthur, you stay with me. You can do as we did on the lake. Do you remember?

He needs a second, but finally remembers the way they transported themselves during the monster’s attack on the lake.

-Yes.

-Great.

Rinlia raises her palms and closes her eyes for a moment. The forest’s silence seems to get more intense while they wait. While keeping silent and with a calm face, Rinlia strives not to show the necessary effort to transport that number of creatures – even if it is for just a little.

-Use the wind to jump over the lake! – She announces, gesturing to Yvanna so she can go ahead.

The vampire runs towards the lake at the same time that a strong blow of wind passes through everyone, producing an audible buzz even for those who were not paying attention.

With ease, the vampire, moved by the wind, jumped over the waters of the lake and fell gracefully on the opposite bank.

-We will cross without using magic. – Lancelot announces at the same time that Thiago runs to jump. The soldier fell and rolled on the ground full of branches on the other side. Not as graceful as Yvanna, but he managed to safely get there. – We appreciate the offer.

-We won’t wait for you. Proceed as you wish and, if you hear anything, hurry up to be our backup. – She wouldn’t offer help twice. Their refusal was the perfect opportunity to save some energy.

The wolf nods and turns to his pack. The only one who hesitates not to use Rinlia’s magic is Galaaz, who take a moment before lowering his head to the leader, following him.

-Arthur, come here.

He approaches the elf, who allows him to put his arm around her waist. After a look and a nod confirming that he is ready, she looks at the river. Arthur keeps his eyes at the elf’s feet, waiting until the moment she moves her legs. He imitates the gesture, taking the necessary impulse to jump, thus allowing both to stay in the air for a moment.

And, immediately, the wind gets stronger and their bodies seem to lose weight. The magic carries them with some speed for several meters, allowing both to fall at once on the other side.

The movement makes so his arm comes loose from her waist and he falls face down on the ground, needing some time to compose himself. She, on the other hand, calmly lands, flexing her knees to cushion the fall.

-If we’re all ok, let’s go. – She waits for Arthur to compose himself, hiding the smile she wants to let out after realizing the boy’s effort to look okay. – Yvanna, show us the way.

*

The dryads were called in an emergency, brought from various corners of the Forest to report to a camp. The open area was usually used for training, as many dryads are designated for hunting and guarding the borders because of their natural abilities in combat.

That means that a special call for dryads is a sign that great events are about to occur.

At least that is the thought that goes through the mind of each dryad gathered in the camp. It is the thought that causes each of them to enter Ann D’moss’s cabin with a concerned look and it is the reason why the commander needs to give orders with the same calm and care every time.

-Is the mission clear enough? – She consults the documents at hand. - Ohana? Did you understand the desire of mother nymph?

The dryad sitting in front of her has a sullen countenance. Her tanned skin is covered with the leather of wild animals – an unusual costume for a dryad – and her face has a cut at the height of the cheek – the mark of a scar that extends from the thin lips to the corner of her eye, close to the ear.

-Why are we sending dryads to this mission?

Ann frowns. At first, she doesn’t understand the reason for the question and that makes her slip. Instead of reaffirming the order as she should, Ann asks:

-Why do you want to know?

-Because you just said that it was an order from mother nymph. Why isn’t she sending nymphs to the eastern territories? Why are we sending dryads there?

When she understands that the dryad is dissatisfied, Ann immediately changes her tone, rising from her chair, showing an irritated look even if she was not angry. After all, the question makes sense. But things in the Forest were never simple.

-We are the dryads of the Great Forest. You can’t forget our purposes, girl. Otherwise, we do not deserve our place on the Council or in the Forest. It is our duty to obey the orders when they come. Or do you want to see our sisters without a territory to live in? Without the Council to protect us? Without the Oracle to guide us?

The young dryad lowers her head without saying a word. Despite not answering, she clenches her fists, dissatisfied with the answer.

Ann realizes that and decides to approach her while complementing her speech.

-We are warriors, child. And we are many. To send any other species would be the same as to sacrifice the weak. You also know how easier it is for us to pretend to be humans on the roads. How many others can serve as messengers so safely? How many others could defend themselves as well as we do?

She puts her hand on the dryad’s shoulder, who looks at Ann’s face with teary eyes. The dryad, once again, is confused by the reaction.

-Child, what’s going on? – She worries. – Are you afraid? We cannot-

-I am not afraid. – The dryad tries to restrain herself, but the tears continue to fall. – Not for me, at least.

-So…?

-I fear for my sisters’ safety. Our mother said that she was also chosen to be a messenger.

Ann’s gaze shows the moment she understands Ohana’s reasons.

-And where are we sending her?

-To the East. – She does not try to restrain the tears anymore. – To the Eastern Continent! That place is at war and everyone says they are preparing to attack this continent. And my sister is going there! She will die!

Ann takes a deep breath, trying to find a way out of the situation. She looks at the floor for a moment.

-Ohana… That’s the mission. It is part of the vision mother nymph had. We have to serve destiny, otherwise, who knows what can happen? What kind of dark future can come over our forest? It’s all for the good of the place where we live.

-Send me! – The dryad’s eyes change, now moving to a state of internal despair. – I can make the trip for her! Please! I beg you. I can deliver my message too. I swear on my life that I will do it, but, please, let my sister stay here.

Ann tries to harden her heart. From a tactical viewpoint, it would be safer to send two messengers to deliver the messages. However, the delivery to the other continent was something that would be done by several other dryads. They would use various routes and different days to departure. She also knew that Ohana would have to deliver the message to Vivre. Getting there was relatively safe and a second trip was not a problem, but a burden that, usually, no one would want to bear.

The only thing that could prevent her from accepting Ohana’s offer would be some irreducibility in order to reaffirm her authority.

But does not need to do that in order to gain the dryads respect for her authority. She is convinced about that.

-Okay, Ohana. Tell your sister that she won’t have to leave. Tell her to go to the border patrol to assist them. You can go in her place.

With tears in her eyes, the dryad with the scar on her face expires, in ecstasy.

-Thank you. Thank you so much! You will not regret this!

-I hope not. – The dryad tries to hide a smile. – Now go. I still have a lot to do.

*

Gaenar struggles to move. The sound of the river’s waters is reassuring. His feverish mind strives to stay focused on the present, avoiding thoughts about the past or dreams about the future.

-Sister, I don’t think I will make it. – He grumbles, feeling the crumbled words come out between his pointed teeth.

-You are going to be okay. – She says, rubbing his back and offering a piece of meat, still attached to the bird’s bone. – You need to eat. We are going to rest for the day and continue our journey tomorrow.

-We don’t have time to rest. – He accepts the piece of meat and throws it in his mouth. His next words are muffled by the food. – You need to go ahead.

-Oh, of course.

-It’s not a joke. Nafa, look at me. We don’t have time to wait. Besides, you saw the wound. Even if I heal quickly, I won’t be able to run for a few days. You need to go without me.

-I will not.

-It’s not a choice. Or have you forgotten why we’re doing this? The reason we gave up the life we had until recently? Or did you think I would let you start this crazy endeavor if I did not believe in the idea behind it?

-The idea only exists if we are together.

-No. – His hoarse voice sounds hurt. – The idea exists as long as you are alive. I am just your guard. Don’t shake your head when you know this is the truth. I am here to guard you and ensure your safety. If you don’t let me do that…

Werewolves do not choke because of tears, but a cursed werewolf keeps several remnants from his human body. The reflex of trying to hold the tears by interrupting one’s speech is one of them.

-Gaenar, I-

-Promise me. Promise me that, if necessary, you will continue without me. Otherwise, I will turn around and give up.

-Why are you doing this?

-If you are not willing to deal with my sacrifice, it means that you are not as ready as I thought you were. To continue this would be innocuous, because you will not be prepared for what will need to be done when we have to return to the Forest. When it is time to overthrow the Oracle and establish a new order.

Nafaester remains silent. Despite the harshness of her brother’s words, she understands the meaning behind them.

They are not just orphans, but living examples of the chaos disguised as the “Natural Order” of the forest. They are two lucky figures in the midst of the spiral of death and pain that the weaker races go through every day, being hunted and served as food in the name of Nature.

On behalf of the entities.

-All right. – She says. – I… I promise. But only if this is the only way for me to survive. If I have any other option, I will not abandon you.

-That’s all I ask you.

Gaenar smiles. Nafaester too.

And she would continue to smile to her brother if the sun’s orange rays did not illuminate red strings between the leaves of a nearby tree.

The nymph did not take the time to think about what would be the red thing she saw between the leaves. Before she could even think about what she was doing, her body was already moving, standing and drawing the dagger from her boot.

Gaenar did not ask what was going on, nor did he try to rationalize the situation. He just got up, with some difficulty, putting himself in position to fight. Now, both siblings are attentive to movements in the surroundings.

-We don’t have to fight. – Nafaester says, with her calmer tone, keeping her body still. – We’re just passing through here. There is no need to spill anybody’s blood.

-Oh, how I wish things were that simple. – A figure appears, emerging from behind a tree, a few meters ahead.

It is the figure of an elf with blond hair, tied in a ponytail.

-We haven’t started fighting yet. – Nafaester tries one more time, stepping back. The werewolf imitates her.

-Unfortunately, I think a battle is inevitable. – Rinlia replies, placing her hand on the pommel of the sword at her waist. – After all, I’m here to take back the things you stole.

“And you’re not just going to give it to me, are you?”

*

*