We traveled peaceful for two days and since the lake there were no more trees to be seen, but on the third day we met a beast, Ulf called it a leogriff, it had the body of a big cat and the head of a bird of prey and also it was a bit bigger than a wolf. We saw it in the distance, eating a goat . Over the next two days we looked out for it, so it could not suprise us. We were prepared should it deem us as prey, but we never saw it again.

On the evening of the next day we came upon a valley with a thick forest inside. Ulf warned that we should travel at it's edge, because most likely something dangerous lives there. I could understand his reasoning, because if i look around i see a lot of rocks, some smaller bushes and some patches of grass. That valley was full of trees and most likely full of animals, so it was not without reason so supect a bigger predator in there.

We about to make a fire and cook something to eat, but then someone talked to us:

"I will bring you wood, don't come into the forest and take it yourself."

It was a deep and rough voice and we both looked into the forest, trying to find the origin of the voice. We were both tense, Ulf touched his dagger and i held my bardiche, we decided to just wait and see.

It didn't took to long before we could see someone walking towards us. Under one arm he had, as promised, wood for the fire and under the other he had some rabbits.

Walking towards us he spoke with his deep and rough voice:

"Good you didn't take any wood from the forest, let's eat and talk some."

While walking closer i could finally see what he looked like. He was tall, i would say around 2,5m , his hair was black and really long, he also wore some simple clothes of fur. Now standing before us, he dropped the wood and rabbits and stepped back.

He said, "You make the fire and the meal, then we talk" before sitting down and drinking from a wineskin.

It did seem he was a friendly guy, but we both remained on guard. Ulf made the fire and i skined and disemboweled the rabbits.

We began eating and talked.

"You can call me Sylvan and i live in this forest. You can relax i have no ill intentions."

Before we could respond, something swooped down, took a rabbit and the flew away. It was the dragon like thing we met face to face at lake a few days back, now it only had a faint glow. It flew to the top if a nearby mountain and remained there, most likely eating.

Sylvan said, " Ohh you guys are lucky, he took your food, which means he gives you both his blessing"

It seems Sylvan knew what it was, so i asked him about it.

"My name is Falko and he is Ulf, we want to traverse these mountains and we saw it a few times. Could you tell us what it is?"

Sylvan laughed and said, "It's a Gluhschwanz, they are a very special existence. They give gifts to good people and also fly in circles above the houses of evil people, so that the other people know they are evil. They often fly very high and are often mistaken for shooting stars."

"We saw him circling in an area in the west, does it mean someone evil lives there?" , i asked.

"Good to know and to answer you question, yes that is what it means." , answerded Sylvan.

I thought that the gold coin is maybe a gift from him and it could be important to find out what the writing on it means, after all Sylvan said they are special.

Now, near the light of the fire, i could better see what Sylvan looked like. His wild and long black hair reached all the way down his back and was covering his face except his big red nose. His skin was dark brown and his only clothes are a fur shirt and pants.

I then asked, " If you don't mind me asking, why are you living alone in the middle of the mountains?"

Sylvan looked stunned and the laughed before answering.

"Are you thinking i am human or something similar, but i can say, you are wrong."

Dumbfounded i looked at him. I have to remind myself, that this is another world and legends and mythological creatures are very real here. I thought he was human because he looks like one, but Ulf looks also human, but a part of him is a lupus. Besides the full lupus form the Purity Cult i met also looked mostly like a normal human.

Ulf interrupted my train of thought by saying:

" Sylvan are you a Fae or some form of spirit?"

Sylvan answered, " Yes , i'm some form of a forest spirit and in no way a Fae. Because the Gluhschwanz likes you, i will tell you more about myself, also i need the help of good people right now and you can maybe be them."

He took a bite from the rabbit and then told us about him.

" I`am bound to this forest, if the forest dies, then i die, if the forest is alive, then i am alive. As you can see, this forest is only in this valley and no other forest is near here. I can't go to far from the forest so i know a lot about a small part of this whole mountain range, but of the rest i nearly know nothing. "

He sighed and the continued:

"Recently something evil is coming to this valley. It always destoys a few trees and if i arrive there it has already disappeared. With more eyes i hope i can at leat find out what it is and then maybe stop it. Can you stay here for a few days and help me look out for it?"

I looked at Ulf and he said:

"I'm ok with staying a few days and if we find out what it is and we could not even dream of stopping it, then we can still go. If that is the case then we will not help anymore, is that ok Sylvan?"

He nodded, then i nodded and we agreed to help Sylvan.

We then asked Sylvan to tell us all he knows about this evil thing and to show us one of the recent sites of it's attacks, so we maybe can find tracks.

The only noteworty things he could tell us are the following things.

First some kind of acid remained in the broken trees.

Second it always attacked around twilight.

Not much to go on.

Sylvan agreed the keep watch over us while sleeping and to wake us before twilight.