The forest is calm, eerily silet, with nothing but the soft wind pushing through the forest as the sun falls in the Autumn sky. Sheai realizes that even thoguh Brooksville is just a days walk behind, she already feels isolated. Thinking of it, she isn’t positve that shes encountered another soul on the road in the past few hours. They slow as the section of the path that breaks into deep of the forest draws closer. “Ok Teel, time to see if this journey was worth it, Lien said this was my best shot at finding something unique”. Teel, the small black fox, with teal tipped ears for which he was named, had been by Sheai’s side since she was 13 and found him injuered by some magical creature she couldn’t identify. They stop and listen for a moment, hearing nothing but the creeking of the trees and the occasional creature settling in for the evening. Teel stops and looks back and puffs, as if he has something better to do, before contiuing on. Sheai follows, wanting to try to make it a few miles into the forest to better hide their tracks. If anyone overheard her coversation with Eli back at the inn, it’s posssible they’d try to trail.

Several miles in the forest falls quieter still and Sheai notices a hyper-awareness take over. Every step seems to have a purpose now as her boots fall on the soft forest floor of pine needles, overgrow moss, and countless flora that have melted away to give the forest the life that seems to be stalking her. Suddenly, a low tone emerges from the relative silence, seeming as if it is almost in some long forgotten language the elders tend to speak of. “Hainnnng sooooo ragggghh, haing sooon uuhmmm”. A few seconds later Sheai jumps as - CRACK!- a large tree branch a few paces behind slams to the ground with a heavy thud. She takes cover quickly behind the next large tree along my path and stands still, Teel quickly in place i between her feet. Sheai’s thoughts run wild as so many possibilities of the last minute fill her recently quiet evening. Several minutes pass before she decideds to break cover and serch for any clues. To no avail, nothing seems to be out of place, no tracks, sign of traps, or voices any longer. _I need cover for the night, but we’re not staying here. _Moving on cautiously, listening closely to the sounds of the forest as they coninue Sheai and Teel venture deeper into the mysterious wood.

Dusk arrives as the faint luminance of the warm evening sun departs, making it hard to see. Sheai’s mind wanders of the source of the voices from before. It’s possible she has stumbled into the Sangi people of the ancient Nal forest. Personally she’s only heard stories, but it is said that the Sangi are tricksters and masters of shapeshifting. She decides to use the next half hour and make camp, gatheing what supplies that are availble nearby, making a temperory shelter of large Suma leaves, grabing wood for a small fire, and dressing the small hare from the morning hunt. As the light fades, she never hears any of the mysterious voices again. Sheai’s eyes fall shut as the stars take their place in the night sky.

-THUUUUUMMMM-, Sheai awakes as the ground seems to quake. Only, that it, she’s not entirely sure she’s awoken. Her body is lifted off the ground as she looks all around her. She has a vision, of a mighty tree with massive traveling braches that seem to strech on like roads. In her mind she hears a voice. “Come to me, lost one. Answers long awaited have been buried in time.”

- - -

Sheai’s eyes slam open. She attempts to come up with something, ANYTHING, to explain what has just happened. She notices suddenly that her vision has changed. Colors have become more crisp and, she see’s a glowing path in front of her. At the moment the next move seems simple, follow the path, find the tree, and get the answers. What she hadn’t realized is that this simple decision, would go onto become of the most important she would ever make…..