It is a bright, clear July dawn.  You enjoy the sight of the Sun breaking
through the morning clouds and passing behind The Brothers, first Luther,
then Bedegran.  By the time the Sun passes beyond the peak of Sotha, you
are well into your morning meditation.  The cliffs of Hrothgar extend
below you, and the Forest glows bright green as the sunlight falls upon it.
    Behind you is the noise of Kinsey awakening.  You hear her yawn and then
begin talking to Sniffer, who always slept curled at her feet.  "Now 
Sniffer," she says in her sing-song voice, "we can't have any breakfast 
until we do our chores.  We have to do our chores, don't we Pan?"
    Nodding without breaking your reverie, you continue to meditate in the
warm morning sunlight.  The valley spreads out before you, and you can
just make out the break in the forest where the King's Road passes 
through, five miles away.  As always, it looks like a gaping wound in 
the lush green forest, but King Ged had more than paid his homage to
Silvanus, so permission was granted for the desecration of the wood.  It
still galls you that the promise of prisoners for sacrifice for five
years had been enough to sway Kuganos, but he was one of the Nine
Druids and the decision was his to make.  For now.
    Though you and Kinsey slept outdoors in all but the most inclement
weather, buildings did have their conveniences, such as kitchens, and
within you could hear Kinsey clattering about in her usual way,
chattering all the while to her friend Sniffer.  Sniffer was an odd 
animal, some cross between a dog and wolf that you had never seen before.
Kinsey had rescued him from some men who were torturing him where the
Greenvine Forest met the White Hills, to the north.  Though more than a
bit simple even for the nine-year old she then was, Kinsey had always 
taken well to your training, and her child's body belied her powers.  You 
had always suspected that she was capable of other, more fearsome things
than those you had taught her, but have never been able to confirm your 
suspicions.  In any case, Kinsey still was a bit lacking for restraint, and 
the result was rather deadly for the three men.  One managed to escape, 
albeit with a maiming far worse than the blinding he had helped give the 
hapless dog, tied between two trees.
   Sniffer lounges happily outside the door to the house, ignoring the dozen
or so wild boar that began to prowl about one they heard you awaken.  The
largest, one you named Lugi when he first appeared several years ago, was
also the most intelligent, and patrolled purposefully about while you
sat with your legs folded under you at the edge of the cliffs.

    An hour later, your meditation completed, you recall something you 
meant to do this morning.  Stopping in the building for a quick bite to eat
(Kinsey was a rather good cook for her age), you make your way towards
the mile-wide grove of trees beyond.  Hrothgar has a flat, wide peak, and
though the several hundred feet of cliffs precludes most creatures from
climbing it, there is a heavily populated wood at the top.  In the center
is a deep natural well, and this is where you do your most serious
contemplation.
    Behind you, Kinsey pops her head out of the house, and Sniffer raises
his nose in expectation of a treat while she pats his head.  "Where
you going?" she asks.  "Can I go to the well with you?"
    "Not today, Kinsey," you reply.  "I have some serious work there."
    "Awww, please???  I *never* get to go!", she exclaims.  She frowns
for a moment, and then you see her brown hair pop back out of sight.
    
    The walk to the center of the wood takes less than ten minutes, and
soon you are sitting at the edge of the wide, deep well.  Far below you
see the dark gleam of the water, several score feet down.  The rough stone
bench, put up years before by your acolytes Manraoi and Kadri, is mossy 
and cool, and as you stare downwards you think of the wood.  You had been 
putting off consulting the pool for several weeks, but the events of 
yesterday had made up your mind.
    Yesterday morning, as every morning, you had stood at the edge of the
cliff, facing the mountain peaks to the east, and chanting a light verse,
had cast your mind out across the valley while you made a slow circle.
You soon knew that the merchants who had camped in the wood at the very
crest of the saddle between Mt. Vesna and Flattop were continuing south.  
It was no coincidence that the one well-marked campsite along the King's 
Road was within the range of your morning commune.  You also knew that they
had taken nothing from the wood, though Alessandro, the leader of the band 
of pixies who lived near Evraumere, was lying in wait to perform some 
trickery upon them.
    To the south, the eagles nesting at the summit of Vanya had hatched
one of their two chicks.  It was doing well, as the male guarded the
nest while the female searched for food.  The stream flowing into
Evraumere was burbling along merrily, and you could tell it was not going
to be a dry fall.
    To the west, the pine barrens on the slope of Flattop were healthy,
and you could see several herds of deer grazing therein.  A mountain lion
was stalking one of the younger bucks, and as you watched, she brought
the buck down, leaping upon its back and breaking its neck with her
powerful forearms.
    The wood to the north was well also.  Gelderon, the leader of a large
baboon tribe, was foraging several miles to the north, while another 
smaller tribe headed towards the peaks of The Watchers, having been chased
off by Gelderon and his bulls the day before.
    As always, it was a source of pleasure knowing that the large vein of 
gold deep within the nameless peak to the northeast of Hrothgar had never 
been found by the grasping hands of the the Men to the north.  They had
began to poke about the wood years before, but your predecessor, Kronn,
had put a quick stop to it in his usual violent way, and they had done
little more than scratch about the base of Wilowes before they were scared
off by his fury.
    You were just about to conclude for the day when something caught your
eye, dead east and just at the range of your vision.  It was just beyond
the King's Road that you sensed the presence of a large, motionless body.
In itself the presence of a corpse was nothing significant; Mect and
Nockmaar, the two mountain lions who split this valley between them brought
down large game all the time, and it was odd that it had caught your 
attention.  Then something Wrong caught your eye, and your ire began to
rise.  It was Nockmaar himself that was lying there.  Though there were
creatures out there that could have mortally wounded him, this was no
natural death.  He had been tortured somewhere, it was obvious, and from
the appearances, had managed to escape.  Probably in the dim recesses of
Nockmaar's brain he had realized there was safety to the west and had tried
to make his way there, but it looked like he has died before making it to
where you could help him.

    So today you are here at the pool.  When you need, you use the pool
to gain a clearer sight of things further away than your daily communal 
with nature can give you, but at the cost of some of your carefully saved
treasures.  Today it would cost you one of your diamonds, which you had
pulled from its hiding place in the building while Kinsey was otherwise
occupied.  As you ground it to powder between two stones, you pondered
the odd happenings in the wood.  Over the past six months, some of the
animals in the wood, particularly those to the east, had seemed to be
a little bit uneasy.  It was almost enough to investigate, but could all
be explained by natural causes so your mind had moved to other things
until this had happened to Nockmaar.  This brought your mind back to some
of the other strange occurances: birds migrating west for no apparent
reason; the gorillas to the southeast slowly diminishing in number; 
confused feelings from some of the animals about some frightening new
predator in the woods.
    Calling upon Silvanus to aid you, you toss a small seashell into the
pool beneath.  As you sprinkle the sparkling dust into the well, a wind picks
up and the dust and earth around your feet begin to move, flowing into
the well.  As it falls, it is transformed into cool, pure water.  While
the water level rises, you begin an incantation, and pulling a small
vial from within your tunic, you uncork it, releasing the pungent odors of
hickory and walnut from the oil contained within.  As the water level
rises to within a dozen feet of the top, you carefully pour out three
measures of the oil, returning the empty vial to your tunic.  The 
shimmering oil spreads across the surface of the pool, and as it does so
a picture forms therein, gradually clearing as the turgid water calms.
    The picture is that of Nockmaar.  The day in the forest has not done
him any good, but such is the natural way of things.  You can now clearly
see the places where he was burned with hot irons, and you can see that one
of his ears was torn clean off in some way.  The once mighty cat is gaunt
and his fur ragged, even beyond what a day's worth of scavengers might have
done.  As you look you realize that the burns are not random; they form a
pattern of runes across his ribs and back, though you do not recognize 
them, they have a foul appearance.
    As you watch, a shadow falls across the body of Nockmaar, and you see
a shaggy, clawed hand reaching for him.  What appears to be a large,
ugly orangutang picks up the body, and looks about as if it senses that
it is watched.  Seeing its face, you realize that it is no normal
orangutang; it has an unnaturally ugly face and six fingers with long,
sharp claws.  It shakes it head once more, and then you see it roar in
anger and look straight at you.  With another roar, it waves its mighty
arm in your direction, and you start as the pool goes blank.
    When the pool goes blank, you hear a surprised chirp from behind you.
Turning, you see a small, colorful bird perched upon a limb nearby, 
looking at you curiously.
    "Kinsey!  I said you were not to follow me," you say harshly.
    The bird flutters to the ground, and as it does so, it rapidly changes
its shape to that of a young girl.  Less than a minute later Kinsey stands
a few feet away, looking guilty.
    "I'm sorry," she says meekly, "but I like to watch you when you use
the pool to look around."  She looks at the pool nervously.  "I didn't 
break it, did I?"
    It is hard to stay mad at the girl.  On this occasion her presence 
did not cause any trouble, but there are other times where she could
have been in danger.  "Go back to the cabin, Kinsey," you say sternly.
You are disturbed by the fact that the creature saw you, and wonder what
it could have been.  Kinsey walks slowly off, and you sit on the bench
for a while to think.

    It is late morning when you return to the area by the cabin.  Sniffer
is still lounging outside the door, but Kinsey is outside scratching
pictures in the packed earth outside.  Pausing, you see that it looks
like a monkey she is drawing.  One that looks suspiciously like the
creature that you saw through the pool.
    "Kinsey, what are you drawing?"
    "Just a monkey, Pan.  Do you like it?  I'm drawing it for you."
    It cannot be just coincidence that she is drawing a monkey.  There
are few monkeys in the white hills.  Kinsey would of course recognize a
monkey if she saw one, her training had been thorough, but for her to
draw you a picture of one so soon after your encounter that morning is
a bit disconcerting.  "Thank you, Kinsey.  Did you see one of these?"
    "No, but I was talking to my friends and one of them told me about the 
monkeys over in the mountains."  She looked up, anticipating your question.
"It was Kau'Kee, one of the blackbirds.  He saw some of them.  But his mind
is not very clear."
    "When was this, Kinsey?  This morning?"
    "Yesterday afternoon, Pan.  I tried to ask him more, but he got tired of
talking to me and flew away.  I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"
    "No, Kinsey, you didn't do anything wrong."  You pause for a moment;
you had almost made up your mind before the vision in the pool, but now
the decision is made.  "Kinsey, I'm going to be gone for a few days, maybe
even a week or two.  You'll be okay here with Sniffer and Lugi, just like
last time."  This you feel no guilt over.  Kinsey's training as a disciple
of the wood has left her better prepared for living alone than many men
twice her age.  "I shall summon Kadri, so that if I am gone longer than a 
week, someone will be here to help you with the chores."
    "Pan, can't I come?  You said last time I could come."
    "Yes, but I meant next time I travel to one of the settlements.  This
time I am crossing the valley, and I'll be climbing past The Brothers,
perhaps as far as Mt. Vesna."
    "I can climb," protested Kinsey with a pout.  
    "Yes, Kinsey, but this will be dangerous, and besides, someone has to
maintain the grove while I am gone."
    Kinsey slumps agains the wall of the cabin, still pouting, but obviously
resigned to what you have told her.  After a moment, however, she begins to
play with Sniffer, and soon has him chasing after thrown sticks, his skill
at finding them surprising considering his blindness.

    You spend the remainder of the day preparing for your journey.  Though
you travel lightly, you have found several items to often be of assistance.
From under a thin layer of earth in the cabin, you pull out a wooden chest,
from which you take a long, supple rope, a finely made cloak, and two small
ceramic flasks marked with thin runes.  There is also a finely wrought dagger
and a magnificent scimitar, which you check briefly, finding their blades
bright and sharp.
    These most important items retrieved, you gather some other small items,
mostly odds and ends used when you invoke the will of Silvanus to cast some
simple magics.
    It is nearly dinner time when you prepare to leave, and Kinsey comes to
see yoo off.  Kadri lives over eight leagues to the north, on one of the twin
peaks of The Sisters.  You have assigned him to keep an eye on the city of 
Velna, and he chose to make his home nearby, but not too close.  The height
gives him a view of the river valley, over the tangled treetops of Wildwood.
Though he lives two leagues from Velna, he is but the same distance from
the west road, and he can keep an eye on the merchant caravans as well.
    
    Kinsey knows what you plan on doing, and always delights in watching.
Stepping up to the ancient oak that looms over the cabin, you lay a hand
upon its rough bark and picture where Kadri lives.  Though he sleeps outside
as you do, he lives at the base of a small cliff, using an abandoned bear
cave as his place of safekeeping.  There is also a large oak just out of
sight of his cave.  With a small prayer to Silvanus, you wave briefly at
Kennis, who is grinning, and push your hand into the tree, following it 
with the rest of your body.  After a brief, slightly disorienting moment,
you step from the tree you had envisioned by Kadri's home.
    Rounding the corner, you see him settling down to his dinner.  He glances
up quickly at the noise of your approach, and then grins.  "Pan, what a
pleasant surprise.  Would you care to join me?  I have some wine from one
of the caravans.  They thought they could buy safe passage, you see."  He
snorted in derision.  "Tis amusing, how some never grasp the essence."
    Nodding agreement, you sit on the grassy swale across from him.  His
table is a low, flat boulder which must have fallen in years past from the
cliff behind him.  Standing, he goes and retrieves an extra plate and 
some utensils from his cave, as well as some greens and nuts.  There is
a small crystal flask on the table.  "Care to try my new flavour?  It is 
a berry and vinegar combination, quite good on greens such as these."
He uncorks the flask and pours some of the thin, blue liquid onto his
plate, over the nuts and greens there, and you nod assent.
    As you eat, you explain your journey, and you can see a flicker of
recognition in his eyes as you describe what you saw.  "There has been
trouble to the east of Velna, along the coast," he says.  "The closer to
The Guardians, the more trouble there seems to be."
    "What kind of trouble?"
    "Well, from what I have heard, most of it third or fourth hand, it all
started in a fairly ordinary way.  Occasional disappearance of livestock,
some odd noises at night, things like that.  But the last few men I have
spoken to have been more worried about the region - they claim that one or
two small children have disappeared from Goldmoon."  A small fishing village
six leagues east of the city of Velna, the people of Goldmoon keep to 
themselves.  If they are talking about a problem outside of the village,
it must really be concerning them.

    After a brief discussion, Kadri agrees to travel south to keep an eye on
Kinsey, which you are especially concerned with after the tales coming from
Goldmoon.  "You have your Torc, of course," you remind him, referring to the
Torc of Silvanus that you and he both wear all times.
    With a grin, he lifted the collar of his loose jerkin, revealing a narrow
band of silver metal.  "Twould never think of going to the Grove without it.
Shall I also bring arms, in case there is trouble?  Or will that just be a
temptation to dear Kinsey?"
    "Temptation?  I doubt that Kinsey could lift your scimitar, never mind 
be tempted to do something with it.  But I could not identify the creature
I saw, so it is important you be prepared."
    Kadri frowned.  "Yes, that is disturbing.  Obviously is it no natural
creature, for if it were, you would know such."  Standing, Kadri piled the
dishes and turned to head back to his cave.  "Will you be resting here this
evening, or will you continue on before nightfall?"
    "I shall continue on," you respond, "For I want to find where these
creatures were before the spoor has been stale too long."  You stand,
stretching your legs, and fix the image of the clearing where you had seen
the body of Nockmaar.  It was about a league due west of Luther, and had
three old, gnarled maples at the southeastern edge.  From the air it would
appear to be a jagged triangle pointing north.  While you concentrate on
your destination, he places the heavy stoneware plates on a slab of rock
nearby the cave entrance, and disappears inside, returning several minutes
later, clad in a heavy overshirt, and carrying a large scimitar and a 
battered cloth backpack, bulging with clothing and gear.
    Your destination clear, you watched Kadri approach, shouldering his
pack as he came.  "You now have me intrigued," you say to him, and as he
looks at you questioningly, you continue.  "The merchants with the wine,
I assume they got into difficulties?"
    Kadri grins again.  "Ah, yes, the merchants.  Well, you see, they were
guided by Haytheworthe, of course."
    "Haytheworthe?  'Tis surprising he would return at all, and to be sure
I never would think he would guide others through Wildwood."
    "I think perhaps it was the others who made him bold.  It was a stormy
evening when I came upon them, and they were attempting to start a fire.
Haytheworthe was making an attempt to stop the fool men from hacking at the
trees for wood, but in the rain they ignored him.  They actually had a 
small fire burning, feeding it vines and other small woodlife."  Kadri's
jovial tone became serious as he continued.  "As I am sure you know, my
Mistress, stormy evenings are a delight to me, but I did not rush to take
advantage of the fine weather.
    "First I called upon Silvanus to wrack their wagon and their chests of
goods, watching as the Men stared with astonishment at the groaning, warping
wood.  Of course, I did not warp the casks of wine - it was very good wine,
I had found.
    "At this point, of course, they began to listen to Haytheworthe, but of
course there is little way to restore woodlife one has fed to the tongues
of flame.  As they huddled by the fire, I called forth a show from the 
flames the likes of which they have never seen before, I can be sure, and
with many bright flashes of light and explosions, the fire was extinguished.
    "It wasn't until then that I came forth.  I waited several moments 
before I spoke.  They were all blinded by the bright light, and were most
discomfited by the sudden sound of my voice so close by.  One of them even
went for a sword he had strapped about his waist, and began flailing about
with it, though he was easily convinced to drop it.  I would imagine the
blisters on his hands have healed by now," Kadri grinned.
    "Finally, as their vision cleared, I called their attention to one of
their larger chest, this one of iron, that had fallen from the ruined
wagon carrying their goods.  "'My friends,'" I said to them in a seemingly
light tone, "'I notice you have a chest of iron.  I congratulate you on your
forethought, no doubt it has protected your most valuable goods from harm.'"
    You smiled inwardly, knowing what was coming.  Of course Kadri liked
storms; he was rather flamboyant, especially when confronting those who would
trouble the Wood.
    "I could see a shade of relief appear on one or two of their faces.  Not,
of course, on Haytheworthe's, but one of the Men even appeared a bit defiant.
'You see, my friends, Silvanus is never without TEETH.'  And of course, my
Lady, you know what I had prepared.  As I spake the word, I called forth the
lightning, and this strike left the chest a melted, smoldering mess.  The
garments within were burning quite merrily; they must have been quite costly,
for I could hear several of them swear to their pagan gods under their breath.
By now, of course the Men were speechless, which was how I prefer most Men in
any case, and I left them like that."
    "Just like that?  'Twould have thought you would have given them a
warning of some sort, perhaps not to return or some such."
    "Oh yes, of course.  I told Haytheworthe, of course, but I said to him
that it was for the others as well.  I told him that we would Choose him
should he ever be seen in our domain again."
    "We don't need offerings," you said to Kadri, looking at him oddly.  "You
know we have an arrangement with King Ged, who supplies us with prisoners."
    "Sure," replied Kadri, "but 'tis quite certain Hatheworth was not aware
of this arrangement.  Though I agree with you that 'tis a measly price to 
pay for such a sore upon our ward."  Kadri motioned to the west, in the 
direction of the merchant road through Wildwood.  "Such as that makes me
wonder what the price was for a road such as this one, right through the
heard of Wildwood."

    Belting his scimitar about his waist, Kadri looked to the west, at the
rapidly sinking sun, which was splashing the low clouds above the mountains
with purple and pink.  "Will you be traveling by air," he asked.  "If so,
I may travel with you as far as the Watchers; it has been several weeks 
since I have been that far south."
    "Yes, I shall, for I am hoping that with the aid of the Hawk's Sight I
will see anything out of sorts in forests of the White Hills.  At the
Watchers I will be heading eastward, however."
    Kadri nodded his head, and as he did so, his face and neck began to
change oddly.  His head grew smaller and thinner, and his nose elongated
until it was long and beak-like.  A moment later, a large hawk was standing
next to you.  Kadri the Hawk looked at you with his round, bright eyes, and
he was eye-to-eye of course, because you had gone through the same 
transformation, always a refreshing one.
    Following your lead, Kadri leapt into the air, and the two of you 
flew rapidly to the south, your keen eyes scanning the land below.
Part Seven

    As the wind ruffled through your brown feathers, you enjoyed the
freedom of soaring above the forests of your home.  The miles passed
quickly as you traveled the air currents, the woodlands passing 
rapidly below.
    Nearly an hour had passed before you reached the low, flat mounds
of the watchers, their grassy tops looming several hundred feet over
the forest.  They were considered by most to be the boundary between
the Greenvine Forest, to the north and near the places of Men, and the
wilder groves of the White Hills.  Kelcus and Wilowes they were by
name, and they marked a place beyond which Men must tread with caution.
    Kadri screeched his farewell, and turned to the southwest, toward
the peak of Hrothgar.  The peak itself was barely visible, its sheer
rock walls rising out of the forest over three leagues away.
    Circling Wilowes once before continuing, you heard a faint screech,
and thinking it Kadri, you paused for a moment, drifting on the aromatic
breeze lofting its way from the groves to the south.  The small form
approaching rapidly grew in size to that of a large hawk, nearly twice
your size.  The feathers on its head were ragged and the evidence of
a scar was evident on one of its powerful wings, which spanned nearly
five feet.  All of this identified him as Al'neeh, the oldest of the hawks 
in the White Hills.  He had been known to attack lone Men in the forest,
and the lesser hawks stayed far from where he roamed.
    Al'neeh screeched a harsh challenge to you, rapidly flying up above
you in preparation for a diving attack.  Diving yourself, and heading to
the south towards your destination, the grove where you had seen Nockmaar,
you sought to shake the aggressive creature.
    He had not survived the attacks of Men and beast, however, to be
tricked by a simple dive, and soon you felt a pain in your side as he
tore your wing with his claws.  You shrieked once in warning, but the
answer Al'neeh gave was almost taunting, so as you heard the whistling
wind behind you, indicating a second attack, you concentrated for but
a moment, whistling a second warning.  As you did so, you could hear 
your warning call grow deeper and louder, as you took on the form of
a great eagle, your wingspan well over six feet.  As your body changed,
you felt a soothing warmth as the tears in your wing healed, and with
a toss of your sharp beak, you repeated your warning to Al'neeh.
    Al'neeh squawked in alarm, and you felt him bounce off the feathers
of your wing, unable to alter his course in time.  With a cry of anger,
he spun momentarily out of control before regaining his composure.  He
was intelligent enough to know when to flee, however, and he did so with
a final call of defiance.
    
    The interruption past, you returned once more to your intense scan of
the forest below.  Your destination was still several leagues away, but
it was possible that the creatures that had assailed Nockmaar were still
somewhere in the vicinity.  The distance passed quickly, however, and the
lengthening shadows of the rapidly setting sun made vision difficult, even
with the keen eyesight of the eagle.
    Seeing nothing disturbing except the long wound of the road passing
through the forest, you soon found your destination, a distinctive 
clearing to the west of Luther.  It was due north of another, nameless
hill on the saddle that was the White Hills.  The White Hills were nestled
between the peaks of Hrothgar and Bedegran., the two mountains that formed 
the vanguard of the ranges to the north and south.
    You could see several small, furry forms scatter as you slowly circled
the clearing.  Nockmaar was lying on his side in the centre of the space,
his ribs showing and his once soft fur now muddied and torn, for the
woodland scavengers were quick.
    You returned to your true form as you landed, your human arms and legs
feeling heavy and slow, as they always did after you took on the form of
one of the great birds.  Kneeling briefly beside Nockmaar's body, you said
a brief prayer of passing, and then stood, scanning the clearing for signs
of the creatures you had seen.  As you surveyed the woods alongside the
grassy space, you thought you heard a rustle behind you, but as you began
to turn, you were bowled over by something large and shaggy, and felt
cruelly sharp claws raking your back.  You managed to keep your feet 
somehow, but as you were spun around, the blood trickling down your back,
you see six of the frighteningly ugly ape creatures confronting you.
    With an evil, laughing howl, they fall upon you.

    The creatures appeared almost as would one of the greater monkeys,
perhaps an orang, but they were obviously no natural creature.  They
had shaggy brown and orange fur, but their faces were hideous and fanged,
and their large, strong hands had six fingers and long, wicked claws.
Though they were no taller than you, they were broad and muscular.
    The one creature that had attacked you had surprised you with the
speed of its attack but they no longer had that advantage upon you.
The ferocity of their attacks was appalling, however, and a moment later
you were nearly breathless with pain as they slashed at your arms, 
legs and body, dancing easily away from your scimitar.  You were 
seriously wounded; another minute of this and you would be torn to
shreds by their fury.  "In Silvanus' name," you called out, "grab them!"
    Suddenly you felt movement in your backpack, and within seconds, the 
pale gray rope that you had coiled in your backpack lashed out, snakelike, 
and wrapped itself around all six of the creatures.  They howled in anger,
and you could see their muscles straining against the Rope of Llewella, but
it's magical grasp could not be broken by force alone.
    Taking advantage of the brief respite, you prayed briefly to Silvanus
for power, and felt your fingers tingling with strength.  Rubbing your
tingling palm against some of your more serious wounds, you could feel
the flesh knitting itself back together underneath the pressure of your
hand.  You pondered changing form once again; such would heal the majority
of your wounds.  Twas an ability Silvanus granted thrice per day, but also
that was always best used for emergencies; you already regretted your hasty 
decision to scare off Al'neeh the Hawk by transforming to one of the great 
eagles.
    As you felt the power of Silvanus waning, you enjoyed the sensation
of newly healed skin, and your respite from the onslaught.
    A moment later, however, there was an audilbe pop, almost too faint
to be heard, and the creatures began to disappear, one by one, right
into thin air.  The last one vanished with a huge snarl, they left no
clues behind as to where they went.

    Coiling the strong, silky Rope, you pondered from whence the creatures
had come.  No natural creature had an ability such as you had seen.  As you
stowed the Rope in your pack, you heard hooting, apelike laughter from 
behind, and then you were plunged into darkness deeper than that of the
most moonless night.  Some creature had cast a spell of darkness upon you,
and until you were bereft of its malign effect, you would be at a severe
disadvantage.