Pleasure. Warmth. Happiness.

Raelza could feel the emotions washing over her as she gently polished the toughened hide of Wreath. A soulbond connected the two of them, allowing them to feel the sensations of the other. A mystical technique employed by those attuned to nature.

She had raised the young thornshield from an egg, and thus was well suited to forming such a bond. It wasn’t done often, as the downsides were difficult to deal with. But to two dedicated partners? That was well worth it. Still, the instincts were rather annoying to deal with as a humanoid herself.

Just as Wreath would gain a measure of her, she would him. Whenever his mating seasons rolled around she got a bit competitive and aggressive. Their kind fought for dominance in complicated headbutting rituals. Him being a prey creature, she was typically always in a state of alertness. That was just how their instincts worked.

On the flipside, her partner was significantly more intelligent than most thornshields. He was less prone to violence, had more of a herd behavior, and approached situations more smartly. He could even open doors and perform tricks.

Not that she made him do so since you could only test Wreath’s patience so much.

Most importantly of all, it linked their minds together and formed a magical link. They could communicate over long distances and always knew where the other was. During battle the bond would deepen, allowing them to fight as one. Quite useful.

During times like these, she allowed the bond to wash through her. She ran the brush along his skin and the two enjoyed a pleasant spring morning together. It was good to relax and simply enjoy each other’s company. Life couldn’t always be combat and travel, she’d learned that lesson long ago.

The newest addition to their little pack raised his head, ears twitching. Being a rusthound, Thorn had quite the hearing. Focusing her own elven ears, Raelza could just barely hear the sound of footsteps on wooden planks. Shortly thereafter, a knock was heard at the door to her room.

“Come in,” she replied, giving Wreath one last scrub on his neck.

Opening the door, an older woman appeared. The burgomaster, Hilda, cast a glance into the room. She smiled slightly before reassuming a professional appearance. “Ahem. Miss Raelza. I’ve been told you’re quite the ranger and I have need of your services.”

“You can call me that,” the drow replied. “I know my way around a forest. Or most other biomes.”

“Right. I’ve got a bit of a scouting mission for you. My foresters have returned from upriver with a bit of news. They’ve been hearing the crashing of falling trees across the river. Just to the west, maybe a few miles. We’re not sure what exactly is making all that noise, but it’s got my lumberjacks spooked.”

“And you want me to check it out?” There weren’t a lot of reasons for trees to fall on their own, but she could guess it was something big.

“That is correct. I’ve spoken to your leader and he’s given his blessing. The choice is up to you, though.”

Raelza thought about it for a moment before patting Wreath on the neck. “You could use a bit of exercise, yeah?” The creature gave a snort. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re gonna get fat with all the lazing around we’ve done.” Extracting herself from the pile of fur and scales, she performed a kip up and stood. “We can check it out.”

Hilda gave a nod. “Good. Ulgrin will hand you the pay when you return with news.” The two of them haggled for a minute over the price for such a service, ultimately coming to a reasonable deal. A bit of extra spending money. Perhaps she’d buy something nice.

The ranger gave a whistle for Wreath to follow her. It took a bit of maneuvering to get him through the halls of the inn, but he was just small enough to fit. Thankfully his claws weren’t sharp enough to marr the floor or else she would receive quite the ear about it. Most innkeepers required quite the convincing in order to let such a big fellow inside their establishments.

Spotting her friend Saezz in the kitchen, she gave a wave. “Making dinner for us? I’ll be sure to return quickly.”

“Saezz wishes you good luck on your tribulations. A meal is the best way to celebrate such things.”

“You’re not wrong,” she replied, guiding the thornshield out and into the daylight.

Finding someone to ferry her and the big guy across wasn’t difficult, only requiring a few coins. Thorn watched excitedly from Wreath’s back, happy to be outside.

Soon they were across and entering the forest. Experiencing it from both a humanoid’s perspective and a beast’s was always something else. Subtle as it may have been, the two of them saw the world differently. Mixing the two flavors into one canvas always resulted in the most beautiful picture.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

At least in her opinion. She wouldn’t give up their bond for anything.

Once across, she mounted up on Wreath’s back.

“Ready? Let’s go for a bit of a run.” She asked, running a hand along his crest. The thornshield gave a huff, digging his legs into the forest floor.

Then with a grunt, he launched forwards and began sprinting through the woods. Branches and bushes whipped past them as they picked up speed. Wreath leaped over obstacles with great agility. While not quite as quick as a horse or gallimimus, he was well suited to difficult terrain.

Wooded areas like this were his kind’s bread and butter. The two of them slowed down slightly in order to maintain stamina, but made quick time through the woods. Birdsong mixed with bugsong to create a natural orchestra. It was calming to be in her element.

Soon enough, however, they began to hear the sounds of something disturbing the ecosystem.

A tree falling is a loud, unnatural sound. Slow, yet an unstoppable force. A series of low and deep cracks before a thundering crash meets the wood. By this point, most creatures have fled the area or hunkered in their burrows. The forest is too quiet, leaving the sound even more out of place and contrasting.

Raelza pats her companion and gives a shush. “Let’s keep it quiet. Thorn?” The dog’s ears perked up from where it had buried itself into her side. “Hush. Silence.” It gave a little whimper, but obeyed.

Moving forwards, the two crept towards the sounds.

A titanic figure bellowed deeply, moving quickly despite its profound size. She watched in concern as it crashed into a tree with momentum, causing another series of harsh cracks to fill the air. Then a final crash as it fell to the ground with enough force to quake the earth.

The angry form of a Woodland Drake’, or otherwise known as an Evergreen, stomped through the area. A four-legged draconic creature with a long neck and longer tail. Taller than a house, its body was a deep shade of viridian. Shelves of bark-like mushrooms grew up its chest and down the back. Vines and creepers crawled through the cracks. Small saplings grew from the bare spots, each piece of plant life in harmony with the creature.

She watched it whip a tree-trunk like tail around to turn a patch of briars into little more than sticks.

For a moment she was unsure why the creature was so angry. Normally, these creatures were inherently peaceful. They didn’t hunt for food, merely relying on the greenery and fungus that coexisted with them to provide energy. Additionally, she knew they primarily fed upon the leylines below their feet to acquire the rest.

But then she noticed the creature limping, flinching at every step. Its left forelimb was injured in some way, causing it to bellow in anger.

As it raised the foot, she saw the source of its displeasure. A shard of metal stuck inside its broad foot. The same substance they’d discovered at the ruins. Had the explosion sent fragments of it flying everywhere? A sap-like substance leaked from the wound with every step. It had to be in a lot of pain.

Raelza took a deep breath. She was no true Druid, herself. She lacked the dedication to submit herself fully to the wilds, always feeling the call of civilization. But she did ascribe herself to some of the tenets.

“Thorn. Go and hide, we’ll handle this. Wreath. You need to get its attention. Stay out of its reach.”

The thornshield nodded and lowered its body for Thorn to hop off. The rusthound gave a glance back to them before fleeing into the underbrush.

That done, she hopped off and dashed forwards. Not even noticing her, the Evergreen continued its raging. That is, until Wreath stepped out and into the open. He let out a low call.

Pausing, the drake turned to meet him. Then a roar filled the air, easily surpassing Wreath’s own attempt. Shying back only slightly, the thornshield braced himself before running towards it. Angered by this, the Evergreen reared back to stomp. Wreath darted away, quickly making a turn to avoid the thunderous smash.

Approaching from stealth, Raelza watched in apprehension as her companion narrowly avoided death. Even a glancing blow would cause grievous injuries, but she had to trust him to do this.

Several moments passed before she grew close enough. She waited until the right time before dashing out and leaping onto the creature’s tail. It groaned, suddenly aware of a weight behind it. Scrambling up the dragon’s back, she dragged her way up its fungal armor.

Wreath darted in to distract it again, allowing her just enough time to reach the creature’s neck.

“Get back!” She yelled, before wrapping her arms around it and closing her eyes. What little magic she possessed began to swirl as she focused her energies. She reached out with her soul, attempting to connect the two of them. It recoiled, furious, trying to buck her off.

But she held on for dear life, gritting her teeth and not backing down.

Their spirits met. A connection was formed, tenuous at best. She focused on emotions of peace. A torrent of anger and pain met her in response. She quivered for a moment, barely able to hold. Then, she felt her companion. Together, the two of them met the Evergreen’s feelings.

Slowly they managed to calm it, taking on the pain and hurt. The forest grew quiet.

Raelza opened her eyes, looking up to see a pair of intelligent eyes staring back at her. The Evergreen gave a low, pained rumble. She sent her intentions to help it across. The dragon gave a grunt before lowering itself to the forest floor and rolling onto its side. Leaping off, she gave a sigh of relief.

“That was close. Thanks, Wreath.” She held up a hand and rubbed the thornsheld’s neck. He pressed into it, happy they’d managed to convince it to calm down.

Now for the hard part.

She approached its leg, grimacing at the splinter of metal going deep. “Alright. This is gonna hurt a lot, so bear with it big guy?” She knelt and grasped the metal with both hands, gloves going taut. Then she began to pull.

Loud. Almost too loud. The roar filled the forest, but she ignored the pain in her eardrums and kept pulling.

Bit by bit, the object was pulled free. She gave one last vigorous tug and fell onto her back, an object as long as her arms in her hands. She grunted, narrowly missed by the Evergreen’s flailing limbs. Then it grew quiet, now free of the terrible pain. It let out another dull rumble.

“Feel better? That’s good, big guy.” She reached into her pack and drew a potion, splashing it onto the wound. Flesh knit itself together and the dragon seemed at ease. It stood, testing the limb.

Satisfied, she felt a good deal of happiness and relief through the link.

“Right, go on. Back to the forest with you. Try to avoid that area from now on, ya hear?” She felt the link beginning to fade as it stood to its prodigious height. The Evergreen nodded, grateful. Then it turned around, titanous steps carrying it deeper inwards. She watched it go, in all its splendor.

It was times like these where she felt the most respect for nature. Creatures big and small made it their home. It made her feel tiny, but not as tiny as she would have been alone. Wreath stood by her side, watching it leave.

“Well…” She yawned, stretching. “Let’s head back. Whatever he was cooking, Saezz has got something good for us in store. Let's not dawdle, yeah?” Wreath nodded, nudging her onto its back. Together, they left the wonders of nature behind. She only visited this land, hesitant to step further.

But she would always return to her world. The lights of a hearth pulled her like a moth to a flame. She was satisfied, knowing she could experience both.

Raelza and Wreath are very cute. Thorn, too! I've always been a fan of Rangers and Druids. Having a cool animal companion is always a plus to any d&d class. Together than make something greater than the sum of its parts. Next chapter will be the final interlude for Granite.