Shael stared at the army below, belly down on the branch. The other Wardens spread out resting on the thick leafed boughs of the Elder Trees. The fires had finally died past noon, leaving behind the blackened remains of the Newling woods. Auril gnashed her teeth beside Shael.

“Don’t be a fool,” Shael said tersely to the sylf’s obvious thoughts. “They outnumber us in the hundreds.”

“We could easily kill a hundred,” Auril hissed.

“And at what price?” Fenrith spoke softly crouched down behind them.

“Quiet.” Shael commanded. “Something’s happening.”

Figures that could be blocked out by their thumbs below made their way past the army of men, cloaked so bright in color they could be seen from their blistering height.

Gods’ blessed, Shael thought. But not gods themselves. A wooden sled with four circular wooden parts pulled by Tauri passed the cloaked figures.

There were two leaders circled by their followers into two loose rings side by side. The wooden sled stopped, and Shael saw the cargo it held, a giant double edged blade that rose slowly above their heads towards a nearby tree trunk.

The colossal blade dug into its mighty bark with a shattering groan that even they could hear. The mages swayed their arms in rhythm with the tree’s destruction.

“They mean to cut down an Elder Tree,” Auril snarled. “We must stop them.”

“Auril, no!” Shael whispered fiercely, too late. The younger Warden had already nocked and released an arrow focused on the gods’ blessed, followed by the others that let loose a shower of arrows which halted in their path towards the figures.

An ear stabbing sound echoed through to the treetops as the humans from below replied in kind with their weapons that shot forth fire and death.

The Wardens crouched low above the cover of the thick limbed branchworks. Wood chipped and splintered off the great bark of the Elder Trees from the weapons of man. Sylven continued their assault, losing focus on the gods blessed as their attention was drawn to the easier compacted targets of their godless.

Fenrith took Shael by the arm after she loosed an arrow. “You must go and warn the others of what is happening. We will distract the gods blessed.”

Shael jutted her chin out in defiance. “I will fight alongside my kind!”

Fenrith shook his head.

“You are the fastest among us. Only you can reach the arboreal in time. You must go, you know this. But first.”

Fenrith suddenly pressed his forehead to hers to which with fleeting surprise she accepted the connection, hands cupping each other’s faces.

“I would follow you to the ends of Orr, Shael Evandriel,” he breathed.

Beneath all his merriment, all his foolish mirth, she felt the depths of his feelings flow between them. An endless well of adoration and devotion towards one thing: her. Deeper still was a vision ingrained in his hopes and dreams. Suns' light shone above the open sky, rays obscuring the form of a sylf wearing a silk mothrai dress.

Soft pattering footsteps were heard, and a smaller form walked unsteadily towards the sylf. The sylf turned and bent down to carry the figure in her arms, raising the newling above laughing. She was now visible from the light, showing Shael's own face, radiant in the clear blue sky. She paused to look at the viewer, a faint smile forming.

The vision was over in an instant when Fenrith jerked his head back, giving a reassuring grin as he winked at her.

"Go now, we’ll be fine. I still have yet to call another Ravshi. Go!"

Shael ran and jumped past the branchworks, everything a blur. A thin coat of tears welled up in her eyes, drifting away from the wind of her momentum. All that had transpired, was over in moments. The best hope for the others she had left behind was a swift death. She hurried back to the arboreal, the day's light fading to indigo night as she continued her path. By daybreak she searched for an open hollow to replenish her body.

Shael kicked off her boots, blisters dotted her callused feet, muscles burned achingly with fatigue. It took over an hour for her minor wounds to heal and her stamina renewed. Shael wondered if Vath had granted the Wardens a swift death then whatever dread fate awaited them at the hands of man. Whatever the case, she would avenge Fenrith and the others, but deep down she despaired at the hopelessness of its cause.

What would I be then, if just another human, trapped in their cycle of suffering and death? She gathered herself and rose, restored. A pair of Wardens squatting down in the distance padded towards her as she rushed to meet them.

“Shael,” one vanni said, brow furrowed with worry. “Where are the others?”

“Gone. They are gone. I must speak with the chieftain. The humans are razing our woods as we speak.”

The Wardens nodded and ran in front of Shael in escort. They reached the chieftain’s home, the farthest hollow away from them that lay closest to the Center Tree. One of the vanni jingled the string of palm sized cran shells dangling outside the entrance.

The chieftain appeared from the moss curtains, his grey tinged dark green mane of hair braided along with his flowing beard. The vanni bowed their respect and trod back to their watch. Grim lines creased Naal’s face upon seeing Shael.

“The humans,” she panted. “The humans came with their gods’ blessed. Auril, the foolish newling, gave away our presence. The others granted me time to escape.”

“These are grave winds. What of the Elder Forest? What has man wrought?"

"The gods' blessed use their power to channel blades large enough to cut down the Elder Trees. The process is long, and takes all of their focus. They cannot possibly mean to cut down the entire forest this way. There must be another reason."

"The fact that they can bring down an Elder Tree is grave indeed. This will not escape the attention of the Orrkin. It may give us enough time for man to meet their kind on open ground for the first time if they continue."

"What of the Elder Forest? Will you allow the sacrifice of the others to be for nothing?!" Fenrith's vision swept through Shael's mind.

Naal's golden amber eyes glared into resin sharp points as he lashed his arm out in the air.

“I will not have more sylven die by my hand! This arboreal is out of their reach, nearly a week's journey by foot! We will bide our time. I must decide what course to take with the other chieftains."

"The chieftain I followed long yearned alongside his people, that we would live under the open sky once more."

Naal turned away, hands clasped behind him.

"It was a dream, nothing more." He said softly. "Not all sylven have been blessed by Vath such as you, Shael. We must come to terms that mankind has settled Orr, and have no plans to leave this world. To openly war with man… would bring about our extinction."

Naal faced Shael.

"Are you fit to journey to the Center Tree?"

Shael bowed her head.

"I am your Spearhand, chieftain."

"Good. But first, we must meet with Elder Natu and tell the Wardens' kindred of their fates."

It was a somber but necessary task. Shael thought of their mates anxiously awaiting their return. It was the hour of the second meal. How many would mourn their loss, seph(fathers), drielle(mothers), perhaps even newlings who would grow without one of the other?

When they met with the seer the three formed a triangle of held hands, eyes closed as the seer conveyed the news of the fallen to their kindred. Seer Natu was first to open his eyes.

“It is done.”

"We feel the weight of their loss, but the time for grieving will come later after we decide what fate lies for the still living."

The chieftain and his Spearhand made their way to the Center Tree once more. The violet deluge of dusk peeked through the dense foliage. Only an Elder seer inhabited the Center Tree, a sacred duty to the tribes. The Elder stood waiting in the meeting hollow, arms held together hidden within his flowing white sleeves. He nodded in greeting, already placing his hands on the knotted living table depicting their forested domain. Naal sat down, Shael taking her place behind the rooted chair.

"I have spoken with the other Elder seers. The chieftains will be summoned soon.”

One by one their forms materialized on the chairs, alongside their Spearhands. The chieftains waited for all to be summoned before speaking. Once the last chieftain, Erul of the Odigwe tribe appeared, Naal being the chieftain to summon them was first to speak.

“As can be seen, the humans have burned the entire Newling Forest. Our fears strike true. Mankind has brought an army. They are able to bring down an Elder Tree through blades powered by their gods’ blessed. The process I am told, though takes moments requires all of their focus and strength. They cannot hope for every tree to be felled in this manner. My people will stay within our arboreal. They have yet to show power great enough to raze this forest.”

“Not every tree has to be felled,” Erul stood up and studied the grey shriveled remains of the Newling Forest from the yet living diorama. “The devious cunning of man cannot be denied. There is a greater plan to this. What of your Wardens?”

“Only my Spearhand returned. One of the Wardens thought to challenge the gods’ blessed.”

Erul shook his head sadly.

“Then it is war.”

Chieftain Quani’s knuckles whitened upon gripping the gnarled arms of her chair.

“You cannot mean to do nothing while an Elder Tree is felled with each passing.”

“I can and I will. Sylven blood has already been shed this day. Any more action will only end in more fallen. We must bide our time for the Orrkin to respond. Have they awoken?”

“The Orrkin have yet to stir,” Erul answered. “Did you not counsel that to depend on their kind would bring our downfall?”

“The number my Spearhand reported is too great in number to face. Their gods’ blessed now stand united, as well as their godless kind. Were we to act with our full strength it would be a massacre on our side. Whatever their plans, it is not enough to defeat the Elder Forest. If we were to instead wait for the Orrkin to answer mankind, we would use them as shields while we harass them with arrow and flank with wolven riders."

"Their kind are unpredictable," Quani spoke. "We do not know if, but when they would turn on us. My riders are fearless, but bravery can become stupidity in the face of such odds."

"Tell your warriors to treat each flanking charge as a lightning strike, retreating and charging behind to attack their weakest flanks, as the raids of old. Once we have weakened their numbers we slip away into the cover of the forest for the Orrkin to finish them off.”

“It is a good plan.” The sylf chieftain relented. “But all of this relies on the Orrkin in time to stand against their armies.”

“They will,” Naal said as if his words would make it so. “They must. For now we can only wait. We must make a choice, fellow chieftains. Will we let the forest suffer, or our people suffer a hundred fold? That is what will happen should we face man’s control over fire and death unaided.”

The chieftains lay still, brooding over their decision. Ythra was first to raise her hand, followed by Quani and Kaelin. Erul finally raised his hand, "Make no mistake, the humans have a plan behind their destruction. Waiting for their next move may bring about our own. If they reach the Elkin arboreal I propose we face them with all our strength, before the Elkin tribe wanes. We cannot let them reach Serendrial's Arbor. The Great Tree must be protected above all else."

"That is madness!" Naal rose from his seat. "The Firstborn of Serendrial have always defended her! Rallying without their aid is certain doom!"

"What would you have us do, Naal? Nothing?" Erul said mildly. "By the time the Orrkin stir a fifth of the Elder Forest will already be lost, and your tribe's territory may well be razed to the ground. It would take millennia for the forest to recover, while your people suffer for untold generations. Your tribe has the most warriors in your ranks. To have your people wither in squalor would be a blow to every tribe in this war. No, we will stand our ground and fight. Because this war will come to us, whether we stand idle or not man has made sure of it. Those in favor?"

Quani and Kaelin raised their hands with Erul, Naal sitting down alongside Ythra.

“It would be a grave mistake,” Naal growled. “The humans seek to face us on open ground.”

“We will only gather our forces should man reach the Elkin arboreal. Your stubbornness already costs us a large part of the Elder forest left undefended to their whims. If they are able to clear a path, we will act accordingly. I recognize the sacrifices you and your people have made Naal to safeguard our lands, but now let us repay that debt. May Vath grant us all his strength, and may Serendrial bestow us her power. May you walk a bright path.”

“And may yours shine brighter,” the chieftains intoned, standing up and disappearing. The Elder Seer bowed to chieftain Naal who nodded his respect in turn.

As they returned back to the Elkin arboreal Naal said, “I want a watch party with a seer a day’s journey between us and man. Should they move forward, we must know. Pick the most experienced left in our ranks. No greenlings, a mistake I shall not repeat again. No skirmish is to be had with man.” The chieftain halted, meeting Shael’s eyes. “You are our first line of defense. Your warning will give us time to muster the sylven host. We cannot afford another transgression as was done before. I leave this task to you.”

Shael nodded. “I am your Spearhand, chieftain.”

“Good. For now you must rest. It will be some time before the humans reach us, if they will. Leave at daybreak, and do not return until they relent in their invasion.”

Shael ambled atop the branchworks to her hollow, not far off from the chieftain’s home. She found her sister Lanni waiting inside, meditating cross legged on the circled moss carpet. She thumped her spear onto the weapons rack along with her longbow and leather pack. The sound jarred Lanni up, who rushed to embrace Shael.

"I heard from Nuë that her mate is gone. But Nuë still feels him, Shael! The others still yet live! I feared you had been taken to some dread fate!" Lanni babbled hysterically.

“I am here,” Shael said tiredly. “I must leave by daybreak.”

“No! Please, you cannot go back after what has happened!”

Her sister held her ever tighter before Shael pried herself away from her constriction.

“It is my duty as Spearhand. Not just to the chieftain, but to the tribe.”

“The others… I heard Fenrith was taken as well. I am sorry Shael. But I cannot bear the thought that you will return yet again in their path.”

“Do not worry, Lanni. The chieftain gave specific orders not to skirmish with man over our borders. I go to warn in advance should man approach the arboreal.”

The sylf wrapped her arms around her sister once more, tears streaking down her face. Shael did not take well to lying to her sister, but it had to be done. For the Warden would not forget the sacrifices her comrades made, and vowed to uncover what man had planned in the coming days.