The druidic commune of Shallow Brook was much busier than it had been on their first visit. People were milling about back and forth, and even more were entering and leaving the vast clearing, all armed to the teeth in case they met trouble on their way. Falynn had seen it busy before, but nothing quite like this. She stared around with wide eyes at the commotion. They’d actually been forced to wait at the side of the entrance for several minutes because a force of guards was being briefed at the gate before being sent out.

“I’ve never seen them this aggravated,” Roni commented, watching the armed figures finally taking off to the west to man the boundary of the forest. “The hornet’s nest has been kicked, and the swarm is moving out.”

“No entry to outsiders,” the guard said gruffly. He was a powerfully built man in stylistic hide armor, and he towered over even Taiki and Leonov. “We’re locking down the commune until we can be sure that the nearby threat is gone.”

Falynn moved to the front of the party, frowning slightly. “Come on, Drakis. You know me.”

“Oh, Falynn,” the man said, looking surprised. “We didn’t expect you so soon. Of course, you are welcome. This is your home. Elder Shaso will be pleased to see you.”

Falynn nodded her acceptance of his words and walked through the gate. When the party attempted to follow her and Drakis drew breath to stop them, she added, with a surprising hint of authority in her voice, “They’re with me, Drakis. Let them in.”

“But, Lady Shaso, I-”

“They’re with me. They are not a threat.”

And he had to accept her word on the matter, it seemed. He stepped aside with a quiet word of apology, and gestured them inside. Once past the gate, they could see that they weren’t the only outsiders let in with special circumstances. Either that or the small crowd of obvious city folk had been taken as prisoners. But apart from their nervous expressions, they seemed to be fine. Like the party, they watched the comings and goings of so many armed people across the commune.

“Let’s not waste any time,” Roni suggested. “We need to speak to your mother directly.”

But Falynn shook her head. “My mother will be in meetings all day and won’t be free to speak. We’ll talk to my father instead. He’ll be giving the orders in her place and can tell us where to make ourselves useful.”

It didn’t take them long to find the man in question. He was surrounded by an ever-growing crowd of grim-faced people, giving out orders at a rapid pace. Each person he spoke to gave a quick nod or a bow and hurried away. Nobody complained or tried to negotiate the job they were given, and for good reason. Now was a time to follow, not question. The forest and the people inside it had to be protected.

The man showed no sign of surprise when he saw his daughter’s face in the crowd. “Good, you’re here. I need you to go to Leaping Glade and give Elder Kromstone my orders.”

Like the others, Falynn nodded at once. “Of course, Father.”

They embraced briefly, then Falynn turned to move away. Before the others could follow, her father pointed directly at Roni. “You there. Speak to the Master of the Hunt. There are beasts in the forest that have been corrupted and must be hunted down.”

“She’s with me, Father,” Falynn said at once. “We cannot do both jobs at once.”

“Yes, we can,” Roni said, her eyes shining with glee at the challenge. “What part of the forest should I go to?”

“The Master of the Hunt will be able to tell you,” The man said. Then he turned to another group, greeting them by name and continuing to give orders. Roni looked as though she wanted to ask something more, but Falynn gripped her arm and started tugging her back. Despite both of them being fairly thin women, Roni was tough to move at first until she gave a short sigh and went along.

“We don’t have time to do both jobs,” Falynn said once they were far enough away from the babble to make speaking easier. “Kromstone’s territory is in the middle of the forest, to the south. Any beasts that need hunting will likely be outside of our territory.”

“You don’t know that,” Roni said obstinately. “I’m going to speak to the Master of the Hunt. And she broke free of Falynns grip with ease before the druid girl could comment and stalked off to a different, smaller crowd of people. The others took note of the spears, daggers, and bows that the people there carried. Hunters.

“Agh!” Falynn growled, her frustration with the hunter evident. “Does she ever think of anyone but herself?”

Taiki could only shrug. Leonov was uncharacteristically quiet, which caught their attention at once. Looking over at him, they could see that he was eyeing a group of civilians clustered towards the edge of the camp. The civilians were casting very dirty looks at him and muttering something to each other. Leonov showed no sign of nervousness and returned their glares with a deadpan, uninterested look. Now four or five of the civilians were storming over, their faces angry.

“What are you doing here?” One of them asked, their voice louder and more aggressive than the moment deemed appropriate. “You and your King have caused enough trouble. Get out of here before we settle this problem ourselves.”

Falynn, shocked by their sudden anger, stepped forward. Even Taiki moved, and the two placed themselves on either side of Leonov. “Back off! What is wrong with you? This man hasn’t done anything wrong?”

Her annoyance only served to increase the stubborn glare of the civilians. “Hasn’t done anything wrong? His people attacked us! They nearly destroyed Milagre before! Now he’s finally succeeded, and he’s walking around like he owns the place?”

“He didn’t have anything to do with what happened to Milagre!” Falynn said, looking indignant. “We don’t know that it was Attos, so how can you say that?”

“It’s what they do!” The man said, raising his voice once again. Now he spoke directly to Falynn, stepping forward so that he loomed over her. “Attos wants to take over the entire world! They attacked us, and they attacked Zaban! How can you defend scum like him?”

A vine appeared out of nowhere, wrapping around the man’s chest, and yanked him back. He was pulled onto his stomach. At first, Leonov and Taiki thought that Falynn had done it. Her face was red, and she certainly seemed angry enough. But she looked just as surprised as any of them, and she was looking around for the source of it, wondering who had interceded.

“I’d advise you not to shout at my priestess,” a voice said. It was deep and gravelly. Leonov and Taiki looked around, seeing no one. Then they looked back at Falynn and gave a start of surprise. Someone was standing there, having moved to her side in the time that they’d glanced away. It was a boy, they saw, with long black shaggy hair and clothing made of simple tanned hides. He was unarmed except for a long dagger tucked into his belt.

The man who’d been grasped by the vine tried to rise to his feet, now angry that a child had bested him. The boy made a flicking gesture with his left hand, and the rude one was sent flying several feet back onto the soft grass at the feet of his companions. They watched the strange druid boy with looks of fear, though some looked awe-struck. Quite a few were even bowing. Was this the proper ruler of the commune? He’d said that Falynn was one of his priestesses, so he must be.

Taiki and Leonov looked between Falynn and the boy in some confusion, wondering how someone so young could be in charge of a large commune like this. They didn’t have the chance to ask Falynn in any event. She’d dropped to her knees in front of the boy and had bowed so low that her forehead touched the grass, and she was almost shaking in excitement.

“Lord Longfang!” She gasped, and what little of her face was visible had turned a deep red in embarrassment. “I am so sorry that you had to see me behaving in a shameful way!”

“Shameful?” The boy asked, arching one eyebrow even as he smirked. “Hardly so. He is a guest in your home. Had you not been offended by his rudeness, I would have been disappointed.”

Longfang… The name took a moment or two to truly sink in for the two outsiders to the druid culture. Why had that name sounded so familiar? Then it clicked into place, and their jaws fell open. This wasn’t a boy. It was Grimr Longfang, the God of Nature. They, too, fell to their knees. The god, and actual divine being, turned his smirk upon them.

“Took you long enough to get there,” he said, his voice an amused drawl. “But get up. There’s no time for any of us to be napping. If I have to work, so do you.”

Leonov, despite his firm dismissal to serve another god just earlier that day, was eager to perform now. “What do you require of us, God of Nature?”

“Nothing so onerous,” Grimr replied. “I’m sure you already have your tasks. I just need to speak to Falynn here, and I will be on my way.”

Falynn looked positively petrified at the thought of being addressed directly. “Y-yes, Lord Longfang?”

He flicked one hand upwards, silently commanding her to rise. She did so, and he nodded his approval. “Your mother and father are too busy to handle this task, so I’m assigning it to you. We need to handle this scourge of beasts running rampant.”

“Of course,” she said promptly. “Roni is speaking to the Master of the Hunt now. She’s learning which beasts we need to hunt. But my father also said that I should go to the Kromstones.”

“The Kromstones can wait,” Grimr said at once. “I don’t mean to disrespect your parents, but there is something more important to handle.”

“It is not a disrespect!” Falynn said at once. “Our family lives to be of use to you, Lord Longfang.”

“Good for you,” the god said, sounding just a little exasperated by the sycophantic worship. “But you will not be hunting any old beast. I need you to awaken the Elderclaw.”

The very mention of the name created a powerful wave of silence that swept across the entire commune. Entire conversations stalled for a second, and everyone looked around, wondering what had caused the random shiver to run down their spines. But, seeing no hint of danger, they returned to their discussions at once.

“Can they not see you, Lord Longfang?” Falynn asked, looking over her shoulder at the nearest crowd of druids. They gave no sign that they could see, or even feel the presence of their god in their midst.

“You are a sharp one,” Grimr said, flashing white teeth in a grin. “You are correct. I am not really here. A friend is projecting my image here. I am in New Tyrman, investigating the burial site where a powerful Ancient had been laid to rest.”

“I see,” Falynn said. She sounded both disappointed and proud. “Well, if it is your order for me to awaken Elderclaw, I will do my best.”

“Good. You know the words and the ritual needed?”

She nodded at once. “Yes, my lord. But I don’t have the key to open his burrow.”

“I’ll give you that.”

And from the ground at her feet, a new vine appeared. This was different from the one that had attacked the vine. It was a darker green, with sections of it that were wilted and black, almost as if it were corrupted. It wrapped around Falynns right arm, glowing with a faint white light, giving her some kind of energy. Once it was done, the vine withered away, and Falynn shuddered nervously. Grimr had vanished from their sight, but his voice lingered in the air for a moment more.

“Make haste, young one. The very fate of Ahya may rest on your success.”