"If you don't mind, I'll buy some of the blue wolf meat before you cook it." Shaala said. "Can I buy ten pounds?" Baris looked at her oddly.

"It won't stay fresh for a long time, and you've already eaten." He said with a slight frown.

"I can use the spell 'Cold'. It chills the meat to near freezing, but doesn't freeze it. That helps to preserve the meat for longer in this heat." She scrunched up her nose. "But that still effects the flavor a bit. Not as bad as freeze though."

"Not a problem. Just a moment." She watched him walk over to the river and drink some water. "Ah, this brook is filled with magical elements, and helps to replenish my magical source energy." Shaala's face twitched a bit.  The water being a rich source of magical elemental energy was not a well known fact, even if the elves knew of it due to the source being from the mountains.

She watched him walk over to the blue wolf, open the belly, and use his knife to cut out a good sized portion of ribs and rear, just minus the leg.

"Damn, I forgot a container. Just a moment." He placed the meat onto the cleansed stone he already purified, climbed his tree, and brought down a portion of hide. "Hm, I wonder if it will work properly. You might have to cleanse the meat again." He frowned slightly.

"No, furry hide will only ruin the flavor. What to do." He thought for a moment. "Maybe magic can do it." Slowly, he nodded. "Shave. No, but I can feel the pull of magical energy. Strip. There. That's it." He nodded. "Tan." He watched the hide's fats shrivel and flake away. "Now, this might not work, since it's from the material processing category. Cleanse. Hey, it worked!" he looked at Shaala with a bright smile. "If you can purify it, then you can be sure it will work as a container."

"No wonder Nuella wanted us to meet you." She said under her breath. "Cleanse!" The hide glowed, but nothing changed. "Seems like your spell works just as well as the purification one. It might only work on materials that you've processed with magic though."

"Makes sense. Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you something." Baris looked at Shaala squarely.

"What bothers you?"

"It's not a bother. It's a direct question. Why are you called a Stallion?"

* * *

Jarbuk had listened and watched carefully, so he could be sure of what he should report to the guild. When Baris asked his last question, he stopped dead, and saw Shaala turn his way.

"Baris, why did you ask her that?" Jarbuk asked him quietly.

"It's on her status. I can analyze people, animals, and some plants if I know what they are. Some information, but not all, is included. She is a fairy, but that is all I see. You are a dwarf, but a forest dwarf. I don't know what that means, and would have to cast analysis magic to get more information. The higher level the person, the less is shown. She is a forest elf, and now that I know what an elf is, Stallion is also shown, but that is it." Baris said, and Shaala sighed quietly.

"Ask." She said, with only a bit of reluctance.

"Shaala, does this mean what I think it means?" He asked quietly.

"It does."  She stood quietly, with her arms folded under her chest, as was her own personal preference.  She liked to draw attention to her assets, as humans were not as well endowed as an elf.

"Elves are an all female race, Jarbuk, but that does not mean we need males from other races to make us pregnant. Stallions are few and far between, but we are the males of our race." She frowned. "More correctly put, we have the ability to make our mares pregnant, but are not males. If you had found a mare to love, you would not have worried about being consumed by your mate on the wedding night." She sighed.

"And Zentha?" He asked. "Why were you so jealous of her?" Shaala blushed a bit.

"She's a mare." Finally, Jarbuk understood all those fights, her jealousy, and her anger.

"You have your answers in regards to Baris, Shaala." He said quietly. "I'll send a message to Steepbell when I've gotten some salt, and will send a few barrels as soon as we have it. You should take Neiren home. She's not a forest fairy now." Shaala nodded.

"Please be discreet, Jara." She asked quietly. "If the humans found out, they would have a weapon against us."

"I won't hurt my people's allies over spite." He said firmly. "I'll just send a message to my people that tells them if they want to pursue an elf, always ask if they are a mare. Otherwise, they are on their own."

* * *

"If you're wondering what that fairy wanted to ask, but was too shy to, she wanted to ask if you could send her some fruits and nuts from home. The fairies could no longer live in the grove due to the sheer number of wolves and bears that have increased around here recently. There were no hunters willing to cull the packs, so they fled to the towns and cities under the protection of the elves." Jarbuk said, and seemed to have a bit of melancholy settle around him.

"Well, I could always go hunting. It's not that far away, and clearing out a few packs will only make me some silver. As long as it doesn't throw things out of whack. Kill predators, and the prey species get too out of control as well. However, it feels like there isn't any sort of rebound against that sort of thing." Baris said.

"It's the repulsion stones. Bears are usually top beast around here, but if wolves multiply, instead of eating the deer, the bears eat the wolves. Too many wolves, and they gang up on the bears. The prey are the ones that pay for it. That usually means us." Jarbuk shook his head. "She would have eaten me too."

"Hey, at least you found out before she could. She was honest when you asked. Mine was not." Jarbuk watched as Baris grew dark and angry. "She was hateful, but not like Shaala. Shaala didn't want to hurt you, but couldn't keep herself away from you. Mine, she didn't mind twisting the knife. She didn't mind cheating with a neighbor, and blaming me for it." Baris shook himself.

"Well, that's been over for over a decade, and she's a world away." He tapped Jarbuk's shoulder. "If you have someone you've had an interest in, and haven't pursued her because you were with Shaala, you might want to think about it now. Don't get stuck in place, Jarbuk. Pull yourself up and away from this muck."

Jarbuk nodded, and followed Baris to the salt deposit.

"Baris, you have no idea how much silver we pay for low quality salt." He picked up a handful and smiled. "This is such a good quality, it's even edible without any processing. This will make some families real happy."

Jarbuk smiled, and realized just how much his life had changed in a short period of time. Maybe humans weren't half bad after all.

"What kind of stuff have they sold you, Jarbuk? This is only surface salt, closest to the shell where all the contaminants are. A few feet in, and you'll find the salt that is only salt." Baris thought for a moment. "Separation magic."

"I've heard of it, Baris, but never used it."

"Do you know what it does?" Baris asked.

"I'm not sure. It either pulls the contaminants out, or it destroys it." Jarbuk said, and frowned as he watched Baris think for a moment. "What's wrong?"

"I feel the pull of manna when I consider using 'Separate'." Baris rolled his eyes. "I just learned it. Well, that tells me how to make magic when I need to. Oh, can you guys use some copper ore?"