Ellesar puts away the photograph he had out. "Greenwater it is. Unless someone has a better idea."

I will join you in Greenwater. I want to view the desecration that these Sisters supposedly caused to Mother Earth.

The town of Cle Elum is also very near. It would be good to see the site of the attack there as well.

Smohalla's manifested form fades away, his astral form winging back to his physical body as quick as thought.

The drive from North Bend to Greenwater is not a fast one. As the eagle flies the two towns are only 40 klicks apart, but they're separated by several mountains, forests, and rivers. The drive takes the better part of two hours and involves driving west then south, skirting the very edge of the State of Seattle limits. You get stuck on Kanaskat Road behind a slow-moving truck (with just enough traffic coming from the opposite direction to prevent you from passing), which gives you plenty of time to contemplate the fact that "Seattle" is on the side of the road to your right while, to your left, there is the land belonging to the Klickitat people. You're quite far from the downtown Seattle core and, quite frankly, both sides of the road look exactly the same. It's a two-lane road with a wall of trees on each side, periodically punctuated by a piece of farmland or an open field with grazing horses and cows. Oh, and there's the occasional unmanned drone, plus plenty of cameras and motion sensors, to make sure everyone stays on their side of the street.

The final approach toward Greenwater follows Highway 410 as it parallels the White River. You pass through stands of old-growth forest that were spared by the Anglos for state parks and recreation areas. The road climbs until it reaches town about 500 meters above sea level. It hasn't snowed yet but it will as soon as the first low pressure front with moisture blows through.

The entrance into town is a short bridge that crosses the Greenwater River just before it merges into the White River. You feel a tightening in your stomach as you pass over the bridge. What's left of the town - mostly cinders and charred wreckage - is dismal. The town itself was tiny; less than a hundred people lived here at the time of its destruction. There had a been a gas station, a general store, a tavern, a roadside diner, a store selling mountain gear (both summer and winter), and maybe two dozen homes. There's no evidence of any of it now other than pits and heaps of black.

You drive through town and see nothing manmade remaining intact. All the buildings were flattened and the vehicles are now overcooked husks. It looks like the gas station detonated, but for all the flames and burn marks evident on the pavement you barely see a singed tree or a blackened bush. The destruction here was very targeted.

The mana isn't gone; it's not a void. Instead it feels like the mana is tied up or constricted. There's a psychoactive blight giving the mana a bitter flavor, tainting its use and sapping the Talent of the Awakened. [There is a rating 2 background count within the scene of destruction - the "aspected domain" if you will.] The effect makes everyone feel mildly queasy.

You only see one person in town. There's a male elf halfheartedly sweeping up debris on a plot of land where there used to be a building of some sort. His site is a little cleaner than the others, most of which look like they were untouched after they burned. This guy looks like he's making an attempt to clean up, but it's a daunting process and he seems tired. His hair is dirty-blonde and he has a sandals-and-granola look about him. His face and clothes are marked with soot as he brushes up rubble and clouds of ash. He takes your arrival as an opportunity to rest on his broom as he watches you drive around.

Smohalla's eagle form arrives before the others, his flight giving him faster access to places such as these, nestled in the mountains.

He arrives, his clothing wrapped tightly in a bundle and clutched in his talons. Setting down, he shifts to his human form and dresses.

Waiting for the others, he sets about inspecting the mana anomaly until the rest of the group arrive.

Being a creature very tied to the astral plane, he did not like what he sensed.

As the group joined up, he turned his astral senses on the male elf.

The elf is mundane. He doesn't have any cyberware or bioware or anything of a magical nature on him. He's young (maybe mid- to late-20s) and strong but is obviously fatigued. It looks like he's been breathing some dust and ash - he should be wearing a face mask to cover his nose and mouth - but he hasn't inhaled enough to cause him any long-term issues. Emotionally he's borderline depressed and feeling a great deal of uncertainty. But you also detect a glimmer of gratitude deep inside him.

Greetings. My name is Smohalla.

We would like to ask you about the events that happened here.

Smohalla keeps his sharp eyes trained on the young elf as he speaks, and waits for a reply.

The elf blinks languidly a few times, not quite sure what to make of Smohalla. The shaman's stare is a little unnerving and his syntax is a little formal, but in the end the elf shrugs and decides he doesn't care.

"The name's Llewellyn. As for what happened, I'm not in much a position to say. The town burnt down. Some of the others say that a man made of fire ran through town, lighting all the buildings ablaze. I didn't see him myself and, even if I had, I'm not a leading expert in men made of fire."

He gestures with his chin to the remains of a larger building across the road behind you. "That was the fire station some ten days back, if you can believe that. Unusual for a town our size to have a station of our own but we're the first town from the Seattle border and the last one for quite a ways. Anyway, fire started there, I overheard. It was getting late, going on midnight, and the town was buttoned up tight. Maybe not the tavern, but most of the rest of us were in bed. So the station went up first and took the fire engine along with it. The the fire spread in a loop, starting at the east end, then doubling back once it got to the end of town where you drove in. All the houses went up sequentially, I'm told. I didn't see the order of things. By the time I got out of bed and staggered outside all I could see was the whole town aflame. Quite a sight. Might have been some beauty in it if it hadn't been for the panic."

He gives that a little thought before giving a little shrug and continuing. "Not much in the way of emergency services out here. No water line, no fire hydrants, you understand. Most of the houses are working off wells and pumps from the river. Most of the time we're lucky to get 350 kPa [50 psi] out of those pumps. It's even less now with the river at its low mark. Too early for the winter rains, see, and too late for the summer snow melt. The hoses were a dribble and didn't dent the flames. We all just stood out in the street and watched."

He nods to himself at the memory of it. "Guess that's the remarkable thing though. No one hurt. Everyone made it out. What are the odds, do you think? You figure at least one person's too drunk or too brave or too unlucky, but not the case here. A few cases of smoke inhalation, maybe some nicks and cuts, but we all walked away. That's something, suppose."

He holds his broom out at arm's length and considers it. "Not sure why I'm even bothering with this, really. Just feels like doing something is better than nothing. Leaving it the way it was seems wrong. Or maybe I just don't know what to do with myself. Don't know where life goes next. But at least there is a next, neh?" He props his chin on the broom and looks at you again.

"You aren't the first to come around asking about it. Figure that won't come as a surprise to you. We had a big team of investigators come out and comb all over the place. Didn't clean up much, mind you, but gave everything a thorough once-over. Never heard what they found, or maybe there was nothing to hear. Go ahead and have your run of the place." He looks around. "Nothing more to mess up here."

As the group drives through the town Ellesar takes a few quick photos of the rubble. Once he notices Smohalla engaged in conversation with the lone elf he turns to the others in the vehicle.

"It would seem our associate has already made a new friend. Perhaps we should go see what they are chatting about"

Do you know what group these investigators belonged to?

I would like to investigate the firehouse, where the fire started.

Smohalla walked over to the burned-down firehouse and knelt to inspect the ground several times, his eyes searching.

Looking up from his crouched position, he traced the route of the fire-man in his mind, trying to create a picture of the path of the destruction.

Looking over his shoulder, he seemed to now be looking in the direction the fire-man might have come from.

As the team enters the town, a thick cloak of depression settles around Stogie. "Oh, this town has gone through shit." The emotions of the townspeople as their homes and lives burned away lingers, insinuating themselves into Stogie's perceptions and magic, sapping them with hopelessness and despair. Jake whimpers and leans into Stogie. He holds the dog tight. "It's OK, boy. It's OK." Both know that's a stretch.

Brief moments of astral light penetrate the gloom that forms a background that consumes mana before it can feed the Awakened. Here remains the memory of a mother and father rescuing a child from a burning basement. There a girl's heart leapt with joy when she saw her doll dangling from her big brother's hand. Amazingly, there is no hint of death. How could such destruction happen and yet not take a single life?

Struggle though he might, Stogie can't hang on to all his powers. He has to decide. The knife is a goner, for now. His perceptions dull, and his iron constitution weakens, all lessened but none gone completely. But his empathy and healing powers remain strong. They might be needed here.

"Jake, go take a look around. See who or what else is around the town. Stay close enough for me to feel you." The dog hesitates a moment, not wanting to leave his master's side when Stogie is clearly feeling wrong, then he leaps out of the car and begins a methodical search of the perimeter of the town, adjusting his movements to accommodate Stogie's reduced range of communication. Stogie smiles at that. "Fucking dog never ceases to amaze me.

"Yeah, let's go over and join Smohalla and the guy he's talking to." He turns his astral attention to the townsman, an elf by the looks of him.

Llewellyn's eyes widen, clearly surprised by the question. "'What group the investigators belonged to?'" he repeats for clarity. "Why, the police!"

His look turns inquisitive after a second as he considers something. "But perhaps you have a point. It was the Sinsearach authorities here and I'd be misleading you if I didn't admit that they looked overwhelmed. You see, this here" - he pauses to indicate the crime scene - "is a bit of a grey area for the law. Strange, no? Seems clear enough, but it had the police wringing their hands.

"I'm sure you know, there is the national law and then there's the tribal law. National law only concerns itself with things like homicide, assault, treason, things of that nature. The investigators were saying that if someone had be harmed or killed then this would be 'first-degree' arson. But here, despite the scale of it all, is only 'second-degree' arson and thus under tribal law." He shakes his head in wonder.

"The first to get here were some small town police units from Ellensburg. It took them half the night to get here! Some more investigators came up from down south but they didn't get here until morning. Don't think they found much. But, in their defense, how much can there be to find when it's a man made of fire?"

Jake is less than thrilled about breaking away from the group but he complies to begin his olfactory investigation. Llewellyn watches with interest, impressed by the dog's training.

It has been a dry autumn this year. This area hasn't received any rain since the town burned so the ashes are largely undisturbed. For the most part Jake finds what you would expect. There's ash and burned wood and the residue left over from where various propane tanks failed and released their compressed gas. There's scorched metal on trucks, glass that either melted or shattered or both, and the smell of various household objects that burned - natural and synthetic fabrics, plastic goods, and so on.

Again, despite the dry weather, very little vegetation seems like it was affected. A few of the houses had small patches of grass or gardens that couldn't escape the heat, but none of the surrounding trees or forest look burnt, despite the dry conditions and their relative proximity to the flames. It's not impossible to think that the destruction was somehow limited or contained.

It's only when Jake gets near the river on the north side of town that he finds something different. It smells like a large group of canines.

"Oh, there used to be a pet grooming shop there," Llewellyn says, noting Jake's interest in the area. "Strange business for the town but seemed to do okay. The kennel was empty so there weren't any animals in the building, but I wouldn't be surprised if there had been some dog or cat hair in their garbage that got burnt."

Jake doesn't agree with this assessment. He's not smelling burnt hair. The tracks aren't fresh - they're at least a week old now - but there were wild dogs here, maybe wolves. Sniffing around, he picks up more traces of the scent scattered around town.

Stogie listens to Llewellyn talk about the earlier investigation. The bristle in Jake's attitude alerts Stogie. He nods to Jake to continue. Show me the places where you smell them. "Wild animals. Maybe wolves. They'd been in town a week ago, or more. Did you notice anything back then?"

Stogie makes a mental note. If they have spirits available, and wolves as scouts and guards, sneaking up on them could be difficult.

Jake investigates further. Here, he indicates at one site. And here, he points not far away. And here, here, here, and here, he continues, basically finding traces of them wherever he goes. It seems that the dogs or wolves or whatever they were combed through town too, just as Jake is doing now. He can pick out about half a dozen different traces. Maybe a small pack?

"Wolves, you say?" Llewellyn asks, looking slightly bemused. "No, I haven't seen any recently, but I haven't exactly been spending whole days here either." He glances around to indicate the current lack of habitable structures.

"They're common enough in the woods though. Used to see them reasonably often when leading tours. Grey wolves, mostly hunting elk and white-tailed deer. Never gave us any trouble. The tourists loved it. Wouldn't exactly surprise me if they came through town to claim, or reclaim, some territory."

Jake isn't noticing any urine markings though. He just smells prints, not territorial markers.

"It's been quiet around here during the day," Llewellyn goes on. "The birds seem to have gone elsewhere, though the trees are fine. Maybe it was time to go south. Winter will be here before we know it."

<salish>
Shepherd, do you sense anything strange? I can't seem to find any traces myself.

Animals have been known to act strangely around the presence of twisted mana.

Wolves..hmmm. Wolves not marking their territory. Interesting. Do you think Jake is on to something important?

<salish>I think it is strange that wolves or something like them would come into a human settlement at all. The fact that they did not mark the territory suggests they didn't come to take back land but were curious, or looking for something. I don't know. It may be nothing. But given the circumstances, everything strange should be suspect.

Ellesar eyes the two warily. "Something you'd like to share?"

"Yeah, sorry. I like the Salish language, and take any chance I get to speak it. No, it's just that Jake is sniffing out visitors to the town, maybe wolves, and they seem to have gone through the whole town, not marking territory the way canines do. It just seems odd. If the Sisters have spirits and wild animals working for them, it's gonna be hard to sneak up on them.

"And, you know as well as I do, if magicians have the time to prepare for visitors, it never goes well for the visitors."

It strikes Stogie that he just mentioned their targets in front of an outsider. Damn. Well, might as well ask, now.

"Listen, Llewellyn, is it? You know anything about some women living in the area? Call themselves the Three Weird Sisters. This is an avenue we're exploring."

Llewellyn looks surprised. "You think the Sisters have something to do with this?" he asks. "I guess first you have to believe that the Sisters exist."

He contemplates the idea for a long moment, his head tipping back and forth like a metronome as he silently debates whether the idea is plausible or not. He looks skeptical.

"The Sisters are like sasquatches: you're pretty sure they exist because new stories pop up every now and again, but almost nobody has ever seen one. Scratch that. I've actually seen a sasquatch; never seen the Sisters. But you're not going to see a witch that doesn't want to be seen, neh?

"You hear all sorts of wild and fanciful stories about them," he continues, waving his hand airily. "The whole spectrum: boogeymen that kidnap kids, benevolent tricksters that cause good-natured mischief. The most credible accounts I've heard are that they're Wiccans living in the forest, as Wiccans are wont to do. I've never heard of them venturing out, let alone burning down a town. Can't see the logic in that."

He scratches his head. "Most stories place them to the south of here. But, as I said, I've been leading tours around here for half a dozen years and never seen a hair of their heads. If they wanted to burn down the town, it's past me why. All we have..." he pauses to correct himself, "had was a gas station, a restaurant, and a tavern. We served hikers in the summer, skiers in the winter. There's a ski resort 40 minutes up the road. We're going to miss out on that business this winter. We were the only town between the resort and Seattle." He sighs, then shrugs.

Stories place the Sisters to the south. The wolf tracks start north.

We should follow the wolf tracks to see if they give us any information.

This way, either we find those responsible, or we gain information that could help us.

"Sounds good to me," Ellesar states, "but let's be wary. For all we know we could be walking right into a trap. As Stogie mentioned earlier, if it is the three we are searching for and they have other beings working for them then we should tread lightly."

Ellesar takes a picture of the devastated town and carefully avoids the remains as he walks over to where the tracks begin.

Stogie, follows Ellesar, and sends a mental command to Jake, speaking out loud so the rest of the team can know what the dog is doing.

"Jake, move out front and sniff ahead. Stay in range. Let me know if you notice anything important. Stay safe." Stogie concentrates, and passes the power to enhance speed and toughness to Jake. The point man always needs to be ready for trouble.

<salish>
Shepherd, please watch after my clothes while I'm away. They're pretty easy to wrap up and stow.

<english>
I will provide a view from the sky.

Smohalla's form shimmers and dances, shifting into that of an eagle amongst the fallen clothes.

The eagle takes to the sky with a scream, headed in the direction that mirrors Jake's movements.

He calls upon his spirit brother to scout with him as he soars on the thermals.

Stogie gathers up Smohalla's clothes. Maybe the disturbed mana of the town has irritated him. Fuck, what am I, the valet service? He remembers, though, the times the team has watched out for Jake.

"You take care now, y'hear?" Llewellyn says to bid you goodbye. He watches you go with a look of curiosity.

Jake leads the way across the river, finding a relatively shallow patch that allows him to walk across the shallows getting only his paws wet, then jumping between a couple rocks that straddle the deeper parts. The river is low at this time of year and it wouldn't be much trouble to just wade across, but it's not exactly warm outside and boots full of chilled river water don't sound appealing.

Across the river the wall of mountains jumps up immediately. You only have to walk 200 meters before it becomes very steep. The grade straight in front of you is basically 100%, meaning that that the mountains rise at a 45 degree angle. It would be a brutal climb if you didn't know the way, but luckily Jake is tracking the scent and the scent follows a less intense course. It weaves back and forth, following switchbacks on the hillside.

You're surrounded on all sides by evergreen trees. This land was logged generations ago but the trees have had a hundred years to grow back. They're dense and they cling to the mountainside tenaciously. The mountains trap the clouds, the trees trap the moisture, and the moss and mushrooms love it. There are bugs under every stone.

It's quiet in the forest. You keep your ears open but don't hear much other than the footsteps of your fellow hikers. It smells familiar, like plants and dirt and the life of the forest. Whatever Jake is following is well beyond your olfactory range. He looks back occasionally to make sure everyone is keeping up, never venturing more than 20 or 30 meters in front of the group. Tracking a large pack of wild dogs seems a little counterintuitive to him, but he's happy enough to get out of Greenwater that he doesn't really mind the new task at hand. The scents he's following aren't strong but there's enough that he feels confident in his direction.

The view from above is quite thrilling. It's fun to swoop up and down the mountainside, the trees reaching up, their tops softening the landscape into a dark green blanket. Astrally, the scene is so full of life that it's hard to distinguish between it all. [-2 Astral Visibility, p. 114 Street Magic, which applies on the ground too.] There are so many overlapping plants and trees that the scene is one giant glow cascading down the side of the mountain. It tastes fresh and wild, a decided relief from the queasy aura permeating Greenwater.

Smohalla glories in the feel of the wind over his wings, the sight of the mountains below, the feel of the life all around him in the Astral.

The thermals start to recede as the day wears on, weakening as night approaches.

Combined with the reduced visibility of the Astral, he decides to lower his altitude until he is skimming the tops of the trees.

He begins to wonder if anything will come of this tracking.

Confident in Jake and Stogie's abilities, he declines to involve his spirit brother just yet.

Stogie notices the time of day. He communicates with Jake. Night comes. Are we close to those you trail?

You've been hiking for about an hour. Everyone is in reasonably good shape and so progress is steady, but still tiring. You've hiked about three kilometers, gaining 1000 meters of elevation in the process.

Jake indicates that the trail leads toward the top of the ridge you are climbing. It would be about 100 meters of additional elevation, which you could probably do in under 10 minutes. That said, Jake indicates that he's starting to pick up some other scents in addition to the wild dogs from Greenwater. It's possible that this territory is home to more than one pack.

Stogie knows that you're in bear country too. Normally the bears in this area would start hibernating in October but in warm autumns (like the one you're currently enjoying) it's possible for them to wait until later in November. Jake can pick up some hints of them here and there but the scents are mostly dim and faded.

The group continues to climb north-northeast, aiming for the top of the ridge that's now within sight. The slope is steep but progress is made considerably easier by the air spirit's Guard power. You consistently find that your footing is secure, even on the steepest stretches with the loosest rocks and soil. Normally you would have to be on your hands and knees by now, or grabbing the vegetation growing out of the hill to steady yourself, but under the spirit's care you march confidently up the hillside, requiring no more effort or attention than you would spend walking up a long flight of stairs.

Above, Smohalla swoops back and forth over the trees, surveying the forest. Having a difficult time penetrating the vibrant astral scene, he narrows his eyes to concentrate on a spell to help him differentiate between the flora and the fauna. The spellcasting is routine for someone so experienced; the results are solid. The eagle braces for a moment, expecting the sting that often accompanies sorcery, but the moment passes without a flicker of discomfort.

The mana of the spell flows through the eagle's mind, directing him to all the life for 150 meters in each direction. Naturally, there is life everywhere. Birds rest in trees, the non-migratory species that will stay through the autumn and winter. Mice and woodrats sleep in their burrows, waiting for night to emerge; squirrels and chipmunks skitter about, splitting their time between the ground and the trees. There aren't any cougars or bears in the area, nor any deer or elk. The only large mammals present are the group of hikers, Jake, and the pack of six wolves waiting near the top of the ridge.

Jake can be forgiven for not smelling them. The winds are blowing from the southwest, channeled by the mountain pass behind you. The wolves are downwind, facing the direction of the party. In fact, they seem to be waiting: they are seated on the edge of the ridge, about a hundred meters from where the party would reach the top. Their ears are alert and seem to be tracking the group's progress.

Smohalla summons his will and sends a small portion of it down to his teammates below.

An insubstantial, ghostly eagle swoops down to the party, hovering in mid-air in front of them.

Smohalla's voice issues from the area somewhere near the translucent form.

Brother Wolf and five of his younger brothers wait near the top of the ridge.

I can sense no hostile intentions in them.

Yet they wait for us, aware of our arrival.

The ghostly eagle continues to hover near the party, staying nearby as they progress upwards.

Ellesar continues the hike, pushing aside the low hanging branches of the numerous trees they pass. He seems generally at-ease despite hearing the news about the pack of wolves that they were now nearing. His brow is lightly blotched with sweat, causing a lock of his golden hair to stick to his face and slightly obscure his vision.

"Why would they be waiting if not to attack us? Doesn't seem too logical."

Stogie crests the ridge and looks in the direction of the waiting wolves. The woods obscure his view. "If we approach them, or vice versa, it would be good to let me be the point of contact. I have a way with animals." He moves to be between the rest of the team and the location the ghostly eagle had indicated.

Jake. Stay close to us.

You reach the crest of the ridge, which is studded with trees. You cautiously weave your way around the trees, keeping your eyes open for the wolves. After a long minute of ducking under branches and slowly circling around evergreens, you finally see them.

The top of the ridge is about ten meters wide. The wolves have spaced out in a semi-circle to block progress past them. They're all sitting down, watching attentively. They don't growl or act as hunters, but more like sentinels.

The wolf in the middle is huge and quite clearly the alpha male. Even sitting down he's probably chest-height. The fur on his back is predominantly black and gray, with tan highlights dusted through his fur; his legs and underside are more white. He's a very handsome canine, but he watches you with an attention that seems more human.

On cue, he stands up and transforms into a human. His head rises slowly, showing you human eyes hidden behind a dark tangle of hair that hangs past his brow to his shoulders. His beard is more white and tan, like his muzzle had been. Of course he's stark naked, but he has so much dark body hair that you could pretend he's wearing clothes.

His human form looks to be in its thirties and is clearly strong and athletic. He folds his arms in front of him as he looks you over, pausing to consider Jake for an extended moment.

He directs his look toward Stogie. "You are not typical backpackers," he rumbles from beneath his hood of hair. He glances up at Smohalla, then to the watcher spirit, then to Jake and back to Stogie. It's clear he understands the connection between all of them. "Tell me why you are here and why you are following my pack." He puffs out his chest a bit in a territorial display, watching to see how you respond.

Stogie motions for Jake to stay back. Jake seems happy to do that and sits by the group. Stogie steps forward a pace or two, seeing as the shapeshifter seems to be addressing him. Not sure whether his animal handling abilities will work on one such as this, he nevertheless looks for cues from the pack in general as well as the speaker, and applies body language appropriate for canines. This is clearly the Alpha, and he won't be interested in conversing with someone who isn't the same, so Stogie moves forward and positions himself as his "pack's" Alpha. His posture is confident but non-aggressive. No drawn weapon. He seems to be sniffing, though his human nose is no good for such things.

"We wish to learn what happened in the human village below. The fire and what the humans saw during it are strange. We found your trail and followed it here, thinking you might know something. We accept this place as yours," he indicates the forested ridge, "and seek only to learn, and perhaps to pass through. Stories are told of three women, magical women, who live in these woods. We would like to find them and learn of them as well." Jake, keep alert.

Smohalla lazily circles the 2 groups, gliding on the air currents as though he were waiting for carrion.

His eyes watch for any third parties that could interrupt the meeting.

The watcher spirit keeps him informed of the conversation going on below him.

Ellesar paces between the others, listening carefully to the conversation at hand and watching the pack carefully. He grins slightly, noticing the shifter did not bother glancing his way. As usual he is overall generally calm yet showing a slight unease about the situation at hand. He seems just fine letting Stogie handle the talking.

The shifter pauses for a long moment, seemingly uncertain of how to respond. He looks like he's about to say something but then stops. Something about Stogie - the way he carries himself, or his words - seems to have thrown the shifter off balance. His aura reflects some of his confusion. It swirls with a red shot of defensiveness and aggression, but then is curtailed by a white drop of openness and a spreading green wave of curiosity. He finally decides that he needs more information before coming to any conclusions.

"It was not the fire that was strange, it is the humans and their settlements that are strange. They have no place here in the mountains and the woods, with their concrete scars slicing through the valleys." He stops for a meaningful look up at Smohalla before continuing. "But perhaps you have already accepted this truth as your own."

He returns his eyes to Stogie. "Tell me what you would wish to learn. It may be that the Sisters wish to find you, and learn of you, as well." He stares at Stogie intently, and it seems clear that much depends on his response.

Stogie's gaze follows the shifter's up at Smohalla, then drops down to his teammates on the ground. Ellesar as usual is waiting to see what falls out from the discussion, and Jeff... well, who the hell can tell what he is thinking? How did I get to be the face?

"Seasons change. The environment changes. Those who don't adapt become something's lunch. Nevertheless, there are those of my kin who scar the land more than it can bear. I have felt their heavy hand myself, and lost some dear friends because of it." He looks back at Jake. "I work to hold those people back from doing more such harm. I have heard that the Sisters do so as well. Yet what has happened here at the town and elsewhere does not seem like the work of those who wish to maintain, but work of those who live to destroy. Magic has been at work, and the feel of it is reported to be twisted, somehow against nature. We seek to find answers and stop what is happening before innocent ones are hurt. The Sisters seem like the best place to look first."

Smohalla waits, allowing the Shepherd to control this situation.

The shifter pauses again, visibly uncertain of how to respond. Stogie's advanced rhetoric and nimble phrasing have exceeded his own limited oratorical abilities. The shifter scrunches up his face and scratches his head. It's probably not fleas.

"My innocents may be different from your innocents," he finally says, folding his arms again and glancing around to his wolf pack. "Or perhaps they are not," he adds, looking to Jake. "I did not like the town and I am pleased that it is gone. I do not mind the Sisters nor their magic. Their mana is not unnatural to me; it is, perhaps, more natural. It is self-preservation, nature coming to its own defense, as every living thing is entitled to do.

"If you wish to meet the Sisters, then I may be able to assist you, but you must tell me truthfully of your aims. If you wish to harm the Sisters, then I and my pack will oppose you." He tenses but remains in human form, awaiting your response. The wolves pick up on his physical cues and stand on guard, keeping track of the group attentively.

Here it is, then. Walk carefully and we can avoid a tragedy.

"I thank you for your honesty. I hope you will see that my reply is as truthful. My pack has suffered loss because of shortsightedness and mistakes. I do not wish for anyone else's pack to also suffer. We have heard that the Sisters have turned to unnatural magic and are destroying things, acting strangely, differently from the way they used to. We have been chosen to stop the destruction. We need to find out if the stories we have been told are true. It wouldn't be the first time I have been lied to to get something done. Maybe the Sisters are working to keep something bad from happening. Maybe we will end up finding a way to help them keep that bad thing from happening, and then they and everyone else will be happy again. How can we know for sure if we don't meet the Sisters for ourselves?

"But we will do what we can, what we have to, to stop the destruction. If we fail to stop the destruction, others will come. Others who maybe won't be so willing to hear both sides of the story."

The shifter points at Stogie. "What you call destruction is what I call cleansing, or repair. I do not wish to stop it. Perhaps when you understand more, you will not wish to stop it either, and you may stand with the Sisters against others who may come.

"I tell you that the magic is not unnatural, not in the way you say. If you wish to meet the Sisters then I will take you to them. But not today. The sun is low and the night will be cold and windy. If you wish to come with me, you must stay the night here. We will go in the morning. It is a long walk from here."

He glances to the watcher spirit and Ellesar. "Talk among your pack if you need, but stay where you are. I understand the treachery of men and will be wary of it."

He watches the group closely.

Ellesar stops pacing and watches the pack, waiting for the slightest hostile movement.

Speaking through the watcher spirit, Smohalla says,

Wolf is trustworthy. He will keep his word.

Let us rest here for the night. Tomorrow we will find the Sisters, with Wolf's assistance.

But I am still curious, why Wolf and his kin wait here, guarding this trail.

What or who do they expect? On whose command do they act?

Stogie looks around at his teammates, then turns back to the shapechanger.

"You seem to have been waiting here for us to come. Is this something you do for the Sisters? Guard the approach to their den? I for one am willing to hear what the Sisters have to say. Staying here overnight might be a little uncomfortable for some of us. Is there a place nearby where those unused to staying in the natural world can take shelter from the night?"

"I do not guard the Sisters; it is they who protect me," the shifter says. "I waited for you because I heard you, and because the Sisters said that men would come in time. I do not know how the Sisters knew, but their understanding of the world of men exceeds my own."

The shifter looks over the group and judges your clothing before deciding that it is desirable to spend the night sheltered. "There are caves nearby that will serve the purpose. I will take you there." He turns his head slightly, indicating for you to follow.

He walks north slightly, descending over the crest of the ridge. He checks back to see that you are following, including Smohalla. The wolves trot behind and to the sides, not in a menacing manner but certainly as escorts.

"There are dried woods and mosses suitable for making a fire," he says, pointing at some eligible fuel. "Be careful to keep the fire clear of the trees, as it is very dry."

He walks toward what looks like a rocky overhang about a hundred meters away. Approaching it, you see that it is a shallow cave. It's no more than a few meters deep but it has three sides and a ceiling, shielding you from the wind. The opening to the north looks down onto a forested valley. The ground is mostly dirt and sharp pebbles that will need to be cleared away before laying down.

The shifter turns when he gets to the entrance of the cave. He gestures to the wolves, who disperse in the general vicinity. "Rest, and I will return at daybreak." He turns to go.

"OK. The cave looks good. How about you guys start collecting some dry wood and some moss. I'll start a fire with the collected material. We can build a windbreak with some larger branches of evergreens, too. Figuring out the sightlines from here would be a good thing. Set up a patrol periphery. Smohalla, you wanna give us an overview, see if there is some water nearby? And if you see a nice rabbit or something, that would be a bonus. Heh, and let us know if you see a bear! Jake and I will look see what we can find in the way of food. I have some emergency nutrition bars, but I didn't plan on feeding everyone.

"Once we're settled in, maybe we can figure a few things out."

*short whistle followed by a long one, trailing off in volume and pitch* "Jake, away." Stogie heads along the ridge and the dog shoots out ahead and to the right of him. Stogie unslings his shotgun and readies for some hunting.

"I'll check out the immediate area and see what I can find for kindling," Ellesar states, pulling out a tomahawk from his backpack. "There isn't much of a shortage of foliage around here, to be sure."

Stogie calls over his shoulder, "I'd go for the deadfall if I were you. Don't know how these folks feel about cutting down living branches."

Ellesar looks back as he's walking away, "Ah, no worries. I had no intentions of cutting anything down, but there may be need for chopping up that which is already fallen."