Kituo clenched the shaft of the spear so hard that he could have swore he heard the wood crack. He wasn't about Simon not taking the spear, he was a bit irritated that he had to hold onto it. Kituo didn't have the courage to fight a battle and he knew it. Furthermore, the rat attack had traumatized him and he was feeling particularly non-violent as a result. He took his eyes off Simon as he went to go prepare the fire, leaving him to his own devices. For now Kituo would remain on standby until one of his two companions produced results. He stood quietly as he formulated a plan on how he would avoid a fight if one should happen. While he previously considered abandoning his party, he was starting to think against it. How long would a coward such as himself last amongst the forest and its unexplored depths? Not very long, that was a guarantee. This left Kituo with another dilemma. When he inevitably became petrified at the sight of an enemy, he would to find a way to explain his reluctance to his party in order for them to remain on peaceful terms. Kituo hated when things were expected of him. Failure seemed to be all he was capable of. Fazing into the moment, Kituo caught a glimpse of a dark blur whizzing within the trees. His paranoia came into effect and detonated his peace of mind. So the spear craftsman was right after all! Kituo's good perked up while his torn one twitched as he tuned his hearing into his surroundings. He couldn't quite catch any abnormal sounds, mostly because the injury he sustained dwindled his hearing a few notches. Kituo sighed. Why was he even trying? It wasn't like he would be of a any help regardless. _If a fight really where to break out,_ Kituo mused, his eyes aimed toward the grass, _it would be better for all of us if I hid somewhere safe. That tough guy will probably be able to do better if he doesn't have to worry about me._ Kituo looked down at the spear. He wanted to throw it into the undergrowth. A coward like him wasn't worthy of holding a weapon. Never mind that it was made out of haste. Kituo would fail even if the spear was handcrafted by the gods themselves. Kituo acknowledged the real reason why he wanted Simon to hold onto the spear. While it was true that he was too afraid to fight, it was also because that the mere thought of a weapon in his palms revived a haunting memory. That of his original dream. _"No son of my mine is going to throw his life away on a battlefield! You're going to be better than me, Kituo! More than just a stone cutter!"_ _"I sent you to that school because I thought it would make me proud. I was wrong."_ "Ergh!" Kituo lashed out, his eyes slamming shut as he winced. He dropped the spear onto the ground, its blade narrowly missing his feet. > _"Kituo...Maji. Help us."_ "W-what?" Kituo stammered, blinking. "Who was that?" He looked to the Sparrow King who had not moved from along the stream. Kituo was unable to determine whether the whispers were from the specter or not. It was hard to pinpoint the Sparrow King's exact voice for it sounded as if multiple people were speaking simultaneously. Kituo kept his gaze locked on the Sparrow King just in case it struck, his heart rate speeding up as it turned his head towards the spear craftsman. Kituo wondered what the Sparrow King was going to communicate if it spoke anything at all. He also hoped that it would soon leave for the specter's presence was making him uneasy. The popping sound of flames caught Kituo's attention right as he felt a soft pressure pat the side of his neck. His focus pried away from the brilliance of the fire that Simon managed to conjure, Kituo darted his eyes around to discover what it was that touched him. He found nothing. That beyond freaked them out. "Guys!" Kituo unintentionally whelped, the pitch of his voice climbing to forest's canopy. "Something hit my neck!"

Even with the certainty that they were being stalked it was still unknown how many of the enemy there were despite the growing number of ruby eyes. Even with his will to live it alone would not assure survival from this encounter, especially not with these makeshift weapons. The scratching on the trees around him only further puzzled him as to what was lurking at the edge of the darkness. It could be an animal maybe a wolf scratching the bark or a human whose weapon brushed against the trees as it darted around his party. Maybe whatever was watching them was not of this world..maybe it was an Ikrat, a demon! "Mitha protect us", he thought as he further watched the eyes while doing his best to cover the others. What's more there seemed to be something moving around in the grass but he could not make out what it was, the last thing he wanted was to be fighting in a field of snakes or whatever possibly venomous creature crept in the undergrowth.  The warmth and added light alerted Talan to the creation of the fire and he immediately turned to grab the torch from Simon and aimed it low to the ground to identify what was below. It was then that he noticed the wolf mask he dropped he moved to pick it up and that was when he heard the voice followed by a feeling on the back of his hand. Whatever was there was gone now and what was this about a Vorkriin(dragon) in the lantern? That would have to wait because now he had more problems to deal with. Kituo was yelling on about something, wait he felt something touch him too? He quickly turned his attention away from the eyes to Kituo telling him and Simon,"Both of you watch my back as well as each others! We can't let these things sneak up on us!" He handed the torch to Simon, "There is something moving on the ground wave the torch near us so it stays away!" and to Kituo he ordered while handing him the wood spear he dropped, " Hold onto this if something gets behind us it may be up to you to protect us!"  Talan was so engulfed in coordinating these two that he almost forgot about the mask. He was tempted to wear it as it might provide his face protection from whatever might be trying to claw at it soon. He snatched it from the ground and put it on.

Simon was impressed with himself that he was able to start this fire in the most unlikely of places, with just the materials around him. Simon knew that this flame was no normal flame, when he lit the fire it never got warm like is usually paired with fire, a few moments later the fire had started to glow a shade of gold unlike anything that he ever saw with his eyes. Simon was trying to think of what this could be, when they burned Ikaro leaves back home it had never DONE anything like that! That was when he realized that it was a utterly bone head mistake to think that anything normal like Ikaro would be growing in this crazy place. Simon was ready to quit since nothing that he has been doing since he arrived here has been going right, he left people behind in a unknown place with lord knows what kinds of things are out there. Which was when he realized that if he quit that his loved ones back home would never see him again but that wasn't the largest factor that motivated him to get back up, just the thought of Talan and Kituo being alone and potentially dying, that wasn't going to be weight on his shoulder. Simon would have kept thinking about this but that was when the fire had turned from gold to purple, this fire was getting slightly more weird as it kept lit. As much as this "fire" would be useful to them and no matter what Talan said about watching the ground with this "fire". Simon walked over to the stream and dunked the fire into the water. However no steam had erupt from the stream, and when Simon pulled the fire out it was still aflame. Simon was startled by this fire and he dropped it on the ground. However when it hit the ground and didn't go out again he was perplexed it also didn't spread across the grass that was on the ground. Simon naturally curious that possibly the grass was wet that was why it hadn't spread he started to pat the grass just to make sure, this was when Simon noticed all the red glowing eye that were glaring in his groups direction. This startled Simon and he fell over sticking his palm right into the flame of the torch, having felt no pain from this he would have never noticed if he hadn't touched the handle of the torch. This was the absolutely most ludacris thing that he has seen in this forest and they have seen some pretty messed up stuff so far. Simon had a weird thought, he stuck his hand in the flame again and closed his hand clenching it as hard as he could at the moment. When he opened his hand there was a little ball of purple flame in his palm, Simon looked at the flame quite hard being that this was absolutely crazy, having a little fireball in his palm. Before he could think of anything else to do with the fireball Simon opened up his mouth and stuffed the fireball into his mouth followed by swallowing it. It took a few moments before Simon could do anything after ingesting the fireball but something did happen. Simon could see everything in a purple highlight, like of what night vision would look like. He could see the shape of something looming just outside of tree line just watching Kituo with an unbreaking gaze. Simon could tell that Kituo was completely uncomfortable with this makeshift weapon that Talan had given him so he figured that the least he could do was take it from him since he did have two hand. He started to walk over to him when he heard what sounded like the echos of many voices. He could barely make out what they had said but it was "Only through the eyes of the forest can one see the truth" What does that even mean!? He was looking around to see if he could see anything speaking. That was when Simon had a flashback when he was standing with Yurei before they made it to her cabin she had mentioned something that now was exploding through his mind like firecrackers. "Boy, don't ever trust a kith, no matter what they tell you" " You see an owl, or those damned fireflies, or anybody with a mask on, you put your hands over your ears ..." All of the signs were springing up around him there were fireflies everywhere, he was hearing voices instructing him to do things with no clear reasons nor a clear explanation. Simon was growing skeptical about this situation that was growing in front of them. Just as Simon was coming to this realization Talans movements caught the corner of his eye, he had just put the mask on his face. Oh dear lord, what had just happened! He is now wearing a mask! The superstitions were floating around Simon's brain like a cloud. He looked back at Kituo who looks completely spooked speaking about something touching his neck but Simon was behind him and he didn't touch him and he didn't see anything touching him either. Shortly after Kituo had mentioned something touching him he felt something run through his hair as well. No way, no flipping way, this spooked Simon so bad that he took the makeshift spear out of Kituo's hand and took a lunge forward launching it as hard as his arm could throw it, it soared through the air passing through the treeline across the stream and out of sight. Simon put his hand on Kituo's shoulder and gave him a little shake to let him know that this was a human interaction, not taking his hand off his shoulder to give reassurance, he looked him in the face and said "I believe that something dark is going to happen Kituo, stay close to me and be prepared for pretty much anything right now" Simon clutched the touch tightly not knowing what is going to happen or even what this fire will do for him. So Simon decided to pick up the two stones that he made the fire with and he put them in his pockets.

 Meanwhile . . . >*TYAELAEM said: "We're coming near the rootwind falls," Tyaelaem whispered, and he clutched Anise's hand tightly. "Watch out for pirates."* Something sharp whizzed by Anise's face, and a feathered arrow thunked and quivered into a tree behind her. "Pirates!" Tyaelaem shouted. "Run, Princess!" He yanked her out of Hania's grip and sprinted down the pathway between the trees; arrows whizzed past them and pierced the glowing fruit on the trees around them; thick yellow liquid oozed down the mossy bark. Tyaelaem leaped across a snaking root and dragged Anise deeper into the woods while the thunder of the waterfalls disappeared behind them. Hania and Randold had been left behind, where the trees swayed and twisted in rage at the storm of arrows.  >*TALAN said: The warmth and added light alerted Talan to the creation of the fire and he immediately turned to grab the torch from Simon and aimed it low to the ground to identify what was below.* As the grass was illuminated by the purple flame, it glittered with traces of fine gold. The weeds and grasses hissed and moved; although whatever was moving at their feet remained unseen, the invisible snakes shied away from the flame and jerked back when the torch was brought near. >*KITUO said: "Both of you watch my back as well as each others! We can't let these things sneak up on us!" He handed the torch to Simon, "There is something moving on the ground wave the torch near us so it stays away!"* >*KITUO said: "Ergh!" Kituo lashed out, his eyes slamming shut as he winced. He dropped the spear onto the ground, its blade narrowly missing his feet. . . . "Guys!" Kituo unintentionally whelped, the pitch of his voice climbing to forest's canopy. "Something hit my neck!"* >*TALAN said: . . . to Kituo he ordered while handing him the wood spear he dropped, " Hold onto this if something gets behind us it may be up to you to protect us!"* >*SIMON said: **Shortly after Kituo had mentioned something touching him he felt something run through his hair as well. No way, no flipping way, this spooked Simon so bad that he took the makeshift spear out of Kituo's hand and took a lunge forward launching it as hard as his arm could throw it, it soared through the air passing through the treeline across the stream and out of sight.* Tyaelaem and Anise had been running for only a few minutes, but the arrows had been left behind them and there seemed to be no more danger -- until a wooden spear darted out of the trees toward them. The sharp point of the crude spear ripped Anise's sleeve and scraped a shallow bleeding gash across her shoulder before it hit a tree and toppled to the ground behind them. The princess had been injured. Tyaelaem's grip tightened angrily on Anise's hand. "Are you all right?" he shouted, fearful for her health and bent on vengeance against whoever had done this. He picked up the spear that had hurt her -- its tip shining with her blood -- and he dragged Anise off the path and into the leaves and brush, toward the place where the spear had come from. Whoever had thrown it couldn't be far. >*SIMON said: **Simon put his hand on Kituo's shoulder and gave him a little shake to let him know that this was a human interaction, not taking his hand off his shoulder to give reassurance, he looked him in the face and said "I believe that something dark is going to happen Kituo, stay close to me and be prepared for pretty much anything right now" Simon clutched the touch tightly not knowing what is going to happen or even what this fire will do for him. So Simon decided to pick up the two stones that he made the fire with and he put them in his pockets.* >*TALAN said: Talan was so engulfed in coordinating these two that he almost forgot about the mask. He was tempted to wear it as it might provide his face protection from whatever might be trying to claw at it soon. He snatched it from the ground and put it on.* The world through the eyes of the wolf-mask was very different. Suddenly, Talan could see the ethereal snakes that slinked through the weeds at their feet, with long fangs and hollow black eyes that couldn't see. The lantern in Kituo's hand seemed brighter, but Talan would suddenly feel as if the object were very dangerous -- that he shouldn't touch it or suffer a horrible fate -- but at the same time he would have a sense that there was a precious life contained inside it. The Sparrow King looked just the same as he had before -- glimmering, glowing, an ethereal image of a horned child -- but now Talan could see what had touched them all: ghosts. Only Talan could see the four smoky, translucent ghosts stood around them, barely human in form. They were made of the smoke from Simon's torch. The purple fire was feeding life into the spirits of the forest, which in turn attempted to communicate with the three young men by touching them with thin fingers. Across the stream, Tyaelaem emerged from the forest with Anise's hand still gripped tightly in his own; in the other hand he held the spear that Simon had thrown into the forest. Tyaelaem stopped at the edge of the water, and he stared across the glimmering stream at the man wearing the wolf mask, the boy with the lantern, and the boy holding the purple-flamed torch. The forest was upset, and the Sparrow King was growing angry with the lack of respect. Tyaelaem let go of Anise, and he put his hand against his mouth to shout across the stream at Talan. "You are the Wolf! Tell them to begone, and they will fear you!" No sooner had he said this, two of the red-eyed beasts in the trees suddenly swooped down; their arms were black wings like bats, but they were furry and nimble like monkeys with smashed faces and red ruby eyes. They darted at Kituo, claws and fangs bared angrily; their goal was to force him to drop the lantern. Should Kituo touch them with the iron lantern, they would screech in pain; and if Talan should happen to touch the lantern while wearing the mask, the iron would burn him. The denizens of the forest could not touch iron -- but they could attempt to force Kituo to smash the lantern against the rocks. Talan would see the dark-eyed snakes wrap around Kituo's ankles. Kituo, though he couldn't see them, would feel them tighten their slimy bodies around his feet. More ghosts appeared out of Simon's flame, and they all stood in the shadows around Kituo; but if any of them were touched by the lantern's light, they disappeared, only to reappear behind him. Everything was chaos. The Sparrow King had caused the bat-monkeys, the snakes and the ghosts to descend upon poor Kituo and try to force him to drop the lantern. The ghosts disappeared whenever they were touched by the lantern's light. The snakes could be driven away by Simon's flame. And the bat-monkeys could be burned by the iron lantern.

> "Hold onto this if something gets behind us it may be up to you to protect us!" Kituo quivered as those words streamed into his ears. He accepted the spear as it was placed into his hands. He couldn't determine if the spear craftsman words were sincere, but they had an impact. While it was most likely out of necessity, he trusted Kituo with a task. Not only that. His companions trusted him to guard their lives. Did they think he, who was the smallest between them, was strong enough to fight back whatever foe lunged at them? Kituo didn't. He struggled to hold the spear as familiar feelings seeped into his psyche. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of his head as he braced himself for yet another disaster. "O-okay," Kituo stammered. He wanted to add that was going to do his best but couldn't. He didn't think that such a statement would be truthful for he couldn't even promise himself that. It took the strength of three bears for Kituo to grasp the spear. Still trembling, he had finally come to accept the weapon but in doing so he unlocked another task. All warriors needed to know how they were going to use their weapon before doing so. If they didn't then the consequences could be horrendous. Kituo shuttered at the thought of the worst possible outcomes of him chucking his spear impulsively. What if it wasn't the impending threat that killed off his companions but Kituo's inability to act properly? The longer Kituo looked at the spear the more he regretted accepting it. He was able to resist dropping it again for he felt that would accept the spear craftsman. Not only that, there was a force within Kituo that kept his fingers locked around the spear's shaft. His other arm remained wrapped around the lantern. Little did Kituo know that the same object he depended on for safety would soon draw to him serious distress. > "I believe that something dark is going to happen Kituo, stay close to me and be prepared for pretty much anything right now" Thankfully, or unfortunately depending on further developments, Kituo wouldn't have to worry much about his usage of his spear. He tuned back into the crisis after feeling the wooden construct get ripped from his hands. His eyes trailed the spear as Simon hurled through the air away from him. It took a moment for Kituo to register just why he would do such a thing, but the realization hit him alongside Simon's voice. Kituo and his companions were all so far on edge that they were at risk of falling off if they moved only an inch the wrong direction. Kituo felt relieved that Simon had come to his aid for it meant that not much else would be expected of him. Simon to an extent was taking matters in his own hands which meant that Kituo would not be responsible for him any longer. It was harsh, but that was Kituo thought to repay his favor. Staying out of another man's way often did him well. That was a tenet of Kituo's philosophy that he followed. He was going to stick close to Simon as long as he wasn't swarmed by the hell that was soon to envelope the trio. Without the spear occupying one of his hands, Kituo was free to secure the lantern with both. He held it up to his chest and pressed its warmth against his tattered shirt. Oh how he cherished the lantern. So far it had been the only light that fought back the darkness that clawed at Kituo both literally and figuratively. Although Kituo indeed intended to stick with Simon, the lantern had ascended to the top of his priority lists. Without the lantern Kituo estimated that he would be a mere speck of nothing within the forests depths. Its light soothed him as much as possible and granted him sanctuary. A pleasant falsehood that would burst into his utmost despair. Kituo had become too involved with the lantern and paid for it earnestly. He wasn't prepared when the fiends descended onto him from the trees, the glare of their red eyes petrifying him. Kituo's teeth chattered, his body freezing as if he were standing in the midst of the desert's fiercest night. The winged fiends flocked him as if they vultures and he were a fresh gazelle carcass. Stunned, Kituo first thought to drop to his knees and tuck the lantern under his chin. He focused on keeping the lantern safe and not himself. The rat attack, which would forever haunt him, replayed in his mind. The trauma reminded Kituo that it was not his duty to protect the lantern but instead the other way around. His arms wobbling, he swung the lantern at the winged fiends in hopes of detering them away. "Get back! Get back!" Kituo screeched, his voice cracking under pressure. He hadn't realized it yet but this was as close to fighting for his life as he had ever come. During the rat attack he panicked and screamed. Okay, so that wasn't much different than what he was doing now but at least he had some resolve to get the fiends away from him. He swung the lantern as if it were the spear. He cared not for the contents it contained, aiming to knock the lantern into his assailants if they came too close. Kituo also shut his eyes. The sounds of the assault would always rest within his mind but he could not bare to subject his eyes to more revulsion. When he finally decided to reopen them, Kituo scanned his surroundings for a window of escape. If he were to find one, he would attempt to remove the target from himself by fleeing in the appropriate direction. If this resort proved futile, then Kituo would have no other option but to continue standing his ground.

As she had been pulled away from Hania she let out a gasp. No! She had sworn to protect her. How could she do that if they were separate? Her heart pounded with fear, and yet she couldn't break free of Tyaelaem's grasp as she got pulled along. She stumbled along and barely managed to keep while while maintaining her balance. They had been attacked. It was terrifying. Why would anyone attack her? She was just an innocent girl, a princess. Tears slid down her face as she was pulled along. She prayed with all of her might that Hania and Randold were alright. She cried out as a spear came out of nowhere and hit her. It was just a scratch, but to someone unused to pain it hurt a lot. She fell to her knees having lost all strength in her legs. That water from the pool had only helped clear her up so much. "It hurts." Honestly, everything hurt. She had gotten more exercise since she was here than her entire lifetime. Somehow she still held onto the nightstick. Tyaelaem let her go finally and shouted across the stream. _"You are the Wolf! Tell them to begone, and they will fear you!"_ She didn't understand his meaning, but she looked over and saw people over there. One was being attacked by monsters. She weakly stood up. Something within her urged her to move in to help in spite of her fear and pain. She tightly gripped the nightstick and dashed across the stream focusing on the monsters. She swung heavily at one of them using both arms to get as much power as she could. She didn't want anyone to die, even complete strangers like these people. Panic. Fear. These were the primary emotions she felt, but even then her desire to keep others safe ruled over them all. "Get away from him you beasts!" She didn't even hear herself scream this as she swung, but she did.

"Kas!", Talan cursed. The second he put on the mask the hidden chaos that encircled them was revealed. What with the snakes, spirits, and flying beasts above, Talan almost missed the voice telling him to banish the creatures. He felt it unlikely they'd listen but he'd give it shot. "Zur, Talan fal Grahiim, fistiir par hi alumet ulh! Bazek!"(I, Talan the Wolf, banish all you lesser creatures, Begone!), Talan commanded the beasts with as much power in his voice as he could muster. He usually wasn't one to speak with such...elegance? But something about the mask made him feel powerful. His people always taught that strength came from harnessing the essence of the natural world but this place was anything but natural. Still the mask embued strength, strength he'd use to drive off his assailants.  First he grabbed the torch from Simon and motioned him to get behind him. Swinging at the ground Talan began to to push back the snakes and with with his spear jab at them. While safety was priority number one these snakes could be eaten if they make a proper fire this time, one that doesn't attract spirits. He managed to stab a few of them before he felt he had done enough. His next task, one what should be easy enough was to remove the spirits. They formed from the torch so the obvious answer was to oust the flame. The Wolf held the torch in his hand like a spear and threw it in such a manner into the nearby stream, ousting the flame. Lastly were those flying beasts but Kituo was fending them off...with the lantern? But someone else was with him as well, a stranger to his group who appeared to be defending the lantern holder. The voice from before echoed in his mind, could the egg within really be that of a Valmaar? A dragon? If so it was valuable even more so when hatched. The fact that Kituo was using it as a weapon sent fear down his spine, should that egg break they'd lose a potentially great weapon. He ran over to Kituo and waited for another one of his attackers to swoop low, once it did he lunged into the air, grabbed one, and while holding it down repeatedly stabbed it with his spear, stab after stab he went on plunging his makeshift weapon into the chest cavity of the creature. He didn't stop till it no longer fought back. He called over to Simon, "I can't fight them all myself! Protect the lantern while I deal with these things!"

 > **Kituo** > *The trauma reminded Kituo that it was not his duty to protect the lantern but instead the other way around. His arms wobbling, he swung the lantern at the winged fiends in hopes of detering them away. "Get back! Get back!" Kituo screeched, his voice cracking under pressure. He swung the lantern as if it were the spear. He cared not for the contents it contained, aiming to knock the lantern into his assailants if they came too close. Kituo also shut his eyes. The sounds of the assault would always rest within his mind but he could not bare to subject his eyes to more revulsion.* It was a chaos of flapping leather and ruby rage eyes around Kituo's head. More of them descended wide-winged like vultures from the tops of the trees. Five, then seven, then a dozen joined the mass of bony wings and fur and teeth that surged and scrabbled around the lantern bearer. "SCREEE! KK-WW-W-KI-KI-SCREEE!" The needle-shrieks of the creatures pierced Kituo's ears each time he swung the lantern. Their fur and wings hissed and smoked and scalded wherever the lantern touched them. The creatures avoided the lantern with a deep hatred; wherever Kituo swung the lantern they flapped away, rippling and spinning, but they always fell at his back again, their claws and teeth ripping into his clothes. The lantern sometimes hit one of the creatures full in the chest, which sent it toppling and flopping on the ground, its fur steaming and blackened from the impact. But the effect of the gold-flecked water that Kituo had drunk still maintained its effect; almost as soon as blood was drawn, his skin had begun to heal. > **Talan** > *"Zur, Talan fal Grahiim, fistiir par hi alumet ulh! Bazek!"(I, Talan the Wolf, banish all you lesser creatures, Begone!), Talan commanded the beasts with as much power in his voice as he could muster.* As if they had been stung, the creatures all at once jerked away from Talan. Their glittering red eyes stared in shock at the Wolf. Talan would feel, deep in his chest, the creatures' curious surprise that they had been so commanded by such a strange figure -- and then, just as quickly, Talan would feel their mockery and their hatred. They held no respect nor fear for him, and resented being called lesser creatures than he who was not of the forest. With a great screeching hiss the flock surged once again, and this time their claws scraped at Talan as well as Kituo; their glittering red eyes were offended and angered and intent on proving the Wolf a false king. > **Talan** > *First he grabbed the torch from Simon and motioned him to get behind him. Swinging at the ground Talan began to to push back the snakes and with his spear jab at them.* Each snake that was touched by the flame writhed suddenly and turned to ash; the others hissed and reared and sped away through the weeds. > **Talan** > *The Wolf held the torch in his hand like a spear and threw it in such a manner into the nearby stream, ousting the flame.* It had been tried before, by Simon, who had shoved the flame into the water only to find that it continued to burn. So it burned now even beneath the glittering water -- purple flashes of flame beneath the shimmering stream -- only the smoke had been quelled and the air again was clear to breathe. The ghosts, which had been staring through sightless faces at the chaos, slowly lost their form. While the bat-creatures screeched and bit and clawed, the ghosts became a quiet pale mist that spread on the ground and dissipated ever so slowly. > **Talan** > *He ran over to Kituo and waited for another one of his attackers to swoop low, once it did he lunged into the air, grabbed one, and while holding it down repeatedly stabbed it with his spear, stab after stab he went on plunging his makeshift weapon into the chest cavity of the creature. He didn't stop till it no longer fought back. He called over to Simon, "I can't fight them all myself! Protect the lantern while I deal with these things!"* Blood had been spilled. The sight of one of their own writhing and screeching and dying sent the others into a frenzy. The victim of Talan's wooden dagger scraped long gashes down Talan's arm to match the pricks and bite marks on his shoulders and back, where more of them were flocking and scrabbling and scraping at him to save their fellow. But the creature finally died with its fanged jaws forced wide, its body and bloodsoaked body stiff under Talan's grip. Its eyes hardened and glimmered in its skull, shining bright; in death, the creature's ruby eyes had become smooth, glittering stones. With this, the creatures flocked away from Talan. They were suddenly afraid, and he would sense their fear in his chest. > **Anise** > *She tightly gripped the nightstick and dashed across the stream focusing on the monsters. She swung heavily at one of them using both arms to get as much power as she could. . . . "Get away from him you beasts!" She didn't even hear herself scream this as she swung, but she did.* The princess had struck one of the creatures fiercely from behind, and it flopped and fluttered to the ground with a broken wing. Its voice cracked and hissed, and it scrabbled on all fours along the ground toward her, to latch onto her ankle with pricking claws. The nightstick felt warm in her hands, and again Anise could see into the shadows beneath the trees. There were more of these creatures, watching with ruby eyes from the shadows. She could see several paths that led into the forest, which were nothing but darkness to everyone else: one of them wound between the trees and slanted uphill; another led along the current of the water, and dropped down a hill in the distance; and another led straight deep into the darkest forest, where the light of the fireflies did not reach. It was down this path that Kituo suddenly ran, pursued by winged monkeys. Tyaelaem -- the boy with the mask of the Rabbit, as like Talan's Wolf -- waded into the stream and stood there while the water rushed around his bare ankles, holding one of Talan's spears in his thin hand. He shifted from foot to foot, uncertain and curious but unwilling to involve himself in danger. As the lantern light went with Kituo into the woods, the Sparrow King flickered and disappeared. The fireflies began to move away, and the light in the clearing was slowly dimming. Only Anise would continue to see everything as clear as day, as long as she kept hold of the nightstick. The light of the lantern moved slowly away through the forest, in Kituo's grip. The masks on the trees stared vacantly throughout the scene: the Badger, the Hawk, the Deer and the Bear. Where Talan had taken the Wolf from the tree, a new mask had emerged: a Tiger with hollow eyes and stripes indented into the white wood. > **Kituo** > *Kituo scanned his surroundings for a window of escape. If he were to find one, he would attempt to remove the target from himself by fleeing in the appropriate direction.* As Talan killed one of the creatures, the rest of them paused in their attack, creating an opening for Kituo to flee. Kituo would have to pass through the crippled creatures that littered the ground, burned by the lantern and broken by Talan's and Anise's weapons, and the injured beasts bared their fangs and scrabbled their claws in the weeds. Kituo's arms and back were covered in scrapes and bites that tingled as they healed due to the water's lingering effect. The lantern shone a green light upon the forest ahead of him, and it showed him a wide path that was empty, deep, and welcoming as an escape from the red eyes and bright teeth behind him. The path was level but winding, leading between great wide trees and around huge mossy boulders that at first glance appeared to resemble faces. The roots and vines here was thick and green; everything was covered in bright green moss, and flowers blossomed softly in the darkness, warm and yearning in the lantern's light, as if they had been waiting too long in the dark for a light to shine upon them. The path itself was riddled with ancient stones between the weeds and moss, as if it had been paved a very long time ago. Kituo would feel a sense of safety and sanctuary should he move farther along the path; the winged beasts did not follow him, and the trees and rocks seemed to shelter him from further harm. Far ahead, something small glimmered in the far reaches of the light. It was a small bell which hung by a thread from a tree, just within reach. It was as ancient as the stones, covered in lichen and still as the ages.