[…] I also remember a research carried out by a fellow scholar. He stuffed a poisoned pig in a nest of Aracnes and waited. At that point, we didn’t know yet that those spiders keep their food in web cocoons for days, or even weeks before consuming their prey.

After a few days, my colleague thought that the method had failed and that he would not be able to capture Aracnes without the help of professional warriors. Months later, he returned to the village with his group and, only then, discovered the legend of the forest spirt that had killed an entire nest full of Aracnes, only to protect the village.

In the end, the scientist got his sample of Aracnes and the populace got yet another legend to be passed out through generations.

Diana of Brim

*

Nafaester is a nymph who lived most of her childhood as an orphan with her brother as her only companion. Together, they survived many situations that would put adults in graves. Since her childhood she was used to the pain of an empty stomach, the pain of an incurable wound and the pain of the absence of parental figures. With her brother, she learned to steal and cheat to satisfy her hunger, to treat her wounds and to ignore the absence of her parents. After some time, she learned to fight and to take down enemies in order to survive.

And even though, over the years, she developed combat skills and learned magic, part of her existence was also dedicated to the studies of education and etiquette. After all, from the moment they brought her to the Glade, her life changed and everyone treated her like a princess because of her abilities. Through the teachings of the Oracle and the entire Council of the Great Forest, she was also taught to behave as an important member of society, able to maintain appearances and demonstrate control over countless creatures. She learned how to dress and how to behave at the table. How to choose the right words and what tone to use in order to convince others to bend at her will.

Over the years, she has not only learned, separately, the art of battle and the art of diplomacy. Growing up in contact with two different worlds, she developed a refined taste for the combination of both and that is why she became such an important member of the Council. In battle, she was able to defeat many enemies and, yet, she was the last to choose a fight over a conversation. A meeting, for her, became a fun game of chess and the Council was gradually transformed into her beautiful, private puppet show.

That is, until she discovered that her own arms and legs were also manipulated. That someone’s hand insisted on telling her where to go and who to talk to.

However, even though she felt like a puppet, her role and appearance remained the same within the Glade. Her way to talk and walk was still the junction of war and peace.

And it is because she has so many characteristics of fine treatment that it hurts her to realize how far she is from that position. It is because she has a sharp mind and a distinctive touch for finesse that she can see the change in her entire body.

Her hands have cuts caused by scratches in contact with wood and stones. Her feet have bubbles inside her shoes – from the constant walks and runs. Her face is a mess of dirt and sweat. Her hair is a tangle of leaves tied in a ponytail. Her smell is a disgusting mixture of the odor of the forest and her own perspiration. Her clothes, once elegant hunting pieces, now are little more than rags in a messy set, serving only to protect the decency of her figure.

She would not recognize herself if she was looking in a mirror. The “Princess”, as so many called her in the Glade, was reduced to less than a wild creature. Even her brother was in better shape, since his physical constitution was more adapted to extreme situations like this.

But for her, a nymph, the change was obvious. Grace and elegance are inherent to her species. The absence of these characteristics shows how much she has worn out in favor of the success of the plan.

-The river. – She points forward, making an effort to stop her brother from giving her the constant look of pity. – We need to cross it.

-Is this the best point to cross? – He tries to analyze the current and the depth of the waters. They are a few meters away from the other side.

-It is not, but it will leave some of our pursuers behind. Or, at least, it can slow them down. – She says. – Can you carry me?

He nods, lowering his body and extending both arms.

-Here.

Nafaester’s small body easily fits into the werewolf’s long arms. She keeps a watchful eye on the surroundings, looking for signs of abnormality.

Gaenar gets up, leaning forward and preparing to jump. In front of him, some points of the river have stones that appear on the surface. Some creatures would not be able use them to cross, given the distance between them. However, Gaenar was strong enough to use the momentum in his advantage.

Although neither of them spokes about it, both siblings noticed the danger in that situation. If both fell in the waters, it would be hard to return to earth. On a normal day, with some effort, they could swim, but now, the strength they still have need to be saved for a possible confrontation. They need to cross the river safely and continue without spending too much energy.

-Are you ready? – He asks, hesitating one last time.

-Yes. – She authorizes him to start his run to the river’s edge.

The werewolf jumps over the nearest stone. Without wasting time and taking advantage of the momentum, he jumps on the next stone, repeating the gesture in order to maintain his inertia and reach the next point of contact.

He repeats the gesture three more times. The bank of the river is close and, perhaps due to tiredness, perhaps due to anxiety, the closeness to land makes so the wolf does not pay full attention to the next jump.

This causes his balance to be imperfect on the wet rock. He struggles to gather as much impulse as possible in the one lag that does not slip on the stone and jump, desperately, towards the shore.

He knows that he will not reach the other side safely. However, that was not his goal. What he really wanted was to prevent the nymph from falling into the river with him.

This is the goal in which he is successful.

With both arms, he throws the nymph to the safety of the river bank and because she did not notice his slip on that stone, it takes a second before she can understand why he throwed her.

-Gaenar! – She screams, turning to the river and seeing the wolf’s arms hitting the surface, its body fighting against the flow of the river that, mercilessly, takes him away.

*

Since the day of the stop next to the statue, Rinlia has had a sullen look on her face. The wolves’ insistence on maintaining traditions while she wanted to continue her mission was unacceptable for her.

Usually, she would not mind and even encourage the Lupines to maintain their traditions. However, each second within the Great Forest meant one more second away from Fiandel. She needed to return soon and finally finish her mission.

And, of course, there was also the fact that every unscheduled stop was an extra second of the Henco siblings’ trail cooling down. They could not afford that luxury if they wanted to succeed in their mission.

Not only that, but also it has been two more days since she left the Glade and every second inside the forest was one extra second of danger.

-Did you find anything? – It was the second time that Yvanna approached her after analyzing the surroundings.

-No. – The elf brings her thumb to her mouth, biting the tip of her nail.

The lack of clues was another nuisance. It has become more difficult to find clues of the direction they took. Even though they had experience in that kind of task, the two had been struggling for some time to find any faint sign of creatures passing through those parts.

-They must have been more careful. – The vampire looks up, admiring the rays that pass through the leaves.

-Yes. At this rate, we will have to increase the radius of the search. Do you have a problem with going ahead while the wolves and I search the surroundings?

-No. – Yvanna seemed to have predicted the question. – There is no problem.

-It is not recommended that we spread too much for now. – The wolf’s voice appeared close to them. Despite having felt the presence of the leader of the wolves, Rinlia had chosen to ignore him until that moment.

-Why? You are here to protect us, aren’t you? – The elf raises her eyebrows, irritated by the simple fact that he intrudes on her conversation. – That is, as long as we don’t pass another statue on the way.

The wolf remains silent for a second, as if calming his own mind. He closes his eyes and wiggles his nose, controlling his tone as he speaks again.

-I brought part of my pack here because it was a request from the Oracle and the Council. Do not take my cooperation as servitude. I am not your subordinate and you are not my protégé.

The elf’s first impulse is to release all her frustrations from recent events on the wolf. However, she doesn’t want to make an enemy at that moment. Experience has taught her that such action is pretty frequently not advisable. So, instead of saying what she wants, she just sighs audibly before starting again.

-What is the reason for the warning? Why shouldn’t we distance ourselves?

-Some wolves found signs of Aracnes in that direction. – He points his snout to northwest of their position. – And, as far as I can tell, our route will pass near the place where they noticed signs of several of them. Besides, if we go in that direction for too long, we will also end up in the golems’ territory and they are not part of the alliance.

-Are they still out of the control of the eight races? I thought you guys had overcome that.

-The eight races have total control over the forest, but the golems are unintelligent creatures. Even if they don’t attack any of the races of the forest, if they see humans and soldiers here, they won’t hesitate to attack them, thinking they are invaders. We won’t even have time to explain things in a way they can understand.

-And what do you suggest we do? The clues were pointing in that direction before.

-I suggest that we keep the group close enough to hear an eventual call for help. If someone needs to do reconnaissance ahead, they shouldn’t go too far. – He turns around, making a move to return to his position at the rear of the group. – That and some luck should be enough to keep us safe.

The wolf moves away, leaving the two alone.

-What do we do now? – Yvanna asks.

The elf looks around, thinking about the possibilities. Finally, she gestures to Thiago.

The soldier approaches. Despite the long walk, he doesn’t look tired.

-Thiago, from now on, keep closer to Arthur. Also, bring him closer to me. We are entering the territory of wild creatures and we cannot risk him separating from the group.

-Yes ma’am.

-If he asks, feel free to explain the reasons, but try not to scare him too much. He is inexperienced and panic can make him take hasty actions.

The soldier’s eyes light up when he understands the reason for the warning.

-Yes, commander. I’ll do my best.

-Thank you. You can go now.

The soldier turns and starts walking towards Arthur. Rinlia, giving the soldier one last look, notices the moment when his boots separate some leaves on the ground, next to a tree.

She had looked at that tree before and also looked at those leaves, but she saw nothing different in them.

Now, however, something has revealed itself on the floor.

-Commander, what is it? – Yvanna’s call does not distract her. The vampire tries again. - Rinlia?

The elf kneels on the floor and carefully picks up the piece of leather that has fallen between the leaves. With the tip of her gloves, she analyzes the track and places it close to her nose.

Elves are not known for their ability to recognize scents. The vampire and the wolves would be dozens of times more competent at following a trail through the smell.

And even an elf was able to distinguish scents impregnated in the piece of leather that, as far as she could tell, got stuck in the tree and fell among the leaves on the ground.

-Yvanna, do you think you can find their trail with this?

-I don’t think I can. – The vampire replies, smiling. – I am sure I can.

*

Nafaester runs desperately along the river, waiting for an opportunity to help her brother. Her energy, which until recently was scarce, seemed to multiply as the adrenaline exploded inside her.

The strength of the river pushes the werewolf among the rocks and tree trunks towards the “Valley of Waterfalls”. The distance is big, since they had purposefully distanced themselves from the valley, however, the waters gradually became even stronger as the valley became closer.

This point of the forest has a rich vegetation and fauna composed mostly by small animals. The proximity to the golems territory makes so no other larger creatures can inhabit that place and that allows the nymph to run with greater freedom, without fearing the attention of predators.

-Come on, come on… - She mumbles, climbing a ledge on the ground.

The nymph wants to jump on the waters, but she was unable to calculate the right place where she should do it. Furthermore, Gaenar was awake and looking for a foothold and, with his strength, he should be able to find something soon.

And, although it was not the way they would like it, the foothold soon emerged.

Gaenar felt the exact moment when the waters threw his body laterally against a sharp rock in the middle of the river. The inertia that had brought him to that point allowed the rock to pierce between his ribs, tearing through the flesh, splashing blood on the river.

At any other time, he would howl so loudly that he would alert wolves and werewolves within a thousand meters. However, even now, his mind was able to recall the necessity to be quiet; that is why he holds the cry of pain inside him.

The werewolf’s body is attached to the stone. His blood flows and the pain blur all his senses. A snarl escapes through his mouth as he clings to the stone, trying, at all costs, to get up on it.

The moment his hand gives in to the weight of his body, the werewolf feels the support of Nafaester’s shoulder under his arm. Staggering, he balances over the stone. The support is slippery and dangerous, but the two creatures are able to calm down and to face the other side of the river.

Without exchanging a word, they look to their right, in the direction that the river flows. Several meters ahead, within sight, is the fall of the “Moss” waterfall, the largest one in the Valley.

They could not afford to fall again.

Gaenar tries to get off of Nafaester’s shoulder, but she does not let him. He wants to talk, to tell her that there is the possibility of him pushing her down if he is not able to jump properly. Her expression, however, is an expression that he knows very well.

She won’t listen to him now.

-Let’s go. – She says, flexing her knees.

The jump is not too big. It is less than two meters to the safety of the other side of the river.

Still, the pain is big and the wound is deep. Gaenar couldn’t say if his body would be able to handle such effort.

And, in that second before he gets an impulse, the werewolf closes his eyes and makes a wish.

With all his strength, he begs the entities to protect them. To make so their bodies can safely reach the other side.

Nafaester, on the other hand, calculates the distance and alternates the weight between her legs. She looks ahead, visualizing the last point of contact between her foot and the stone.

One jump is all they have.

One, two, three.

The jump lacks coordination, but the direction is on point. The spin in the air causes the arms to loosen and the bodies to separate.

The fall is not graceful, or safe, but it is enough.

Two siblings, with racing hearts, land on the bush and the soil on the right bank of the river.

*

*