The facade has fallen. The beast is already in the air when it gets scorched by fire. The Ent’s eyes are wide with panic. Of course, the tree saw everything happen but could not predict that Astrid would finally have the power needed to create such a large fire. The Ent feels naked and raw without the magic keeping it hidden within the fake meadow.

Astrid falls to her knees as the beast stumbles away. The Ent is beating the beast with a branched arm. Red flames trail across the beast's body as it singes into its skin.

“What did you do? He is not the enemy!” The Ent booms while continuing to beat the beast. “He is not the enemy!”

Astrid does not understand this. The beast ran at her. He growled in her face. Even lunged at her before getting burned. Maybe it is not the Ent’s enemy but that thing is not her friend that’s for sure.

It killed the snake.

Astrid stands up as the Ent stops hitting the beast. If it isn’t an enemy then why attack it? The Ent confuses her the more she spends time with the tree.

“Are you aware of who that was?” The Ent asks her, picking her up off the ground again.

As the Ent lifts Astrid up she notices the beast limp pathetically behind the Ent. What is it? The child of this damn Ent?

“That my dear fireball, is Dotonis.” The Ent shares this information and nothing else. The sound of cracking and snapping echoes through the silence. “He is a shapeshifter sent here with me to find the creature.”

Dotonis walks out from behind the Ent. Completely naked, covering his genitals with one hand. Astrid looks away. Face blushing red in an instant. Dotonis does not notice or regard Astrid’s reaction. He is hundreds of years old and truly annoyed at her for being in the forest. His face is frozen in frustration.

“There is no reason for her to be in these woods,” Dotonis states to the Ent. “It seems like you know her and you led her directly to me. Why?!”

The Ent swings around to look at Dotonis, shifting Astrid around as well.

“She has business in these woods and I thought she might be of use. Better send her to you then to the creature.” The Ent smoothly states.

This makes Astrid's jaw drop. The Ent told her that the snake was leading her to where her brother was last seen. Did the snake know that the Ent had other plans?

“So you make her my problem? Her snake tried to attack me. One bite and I could have been seriously injured.” Dotonis angrily states.

“You better have not harmed that snake.” The Ent booms.

The snake is definitely dead, Astrid thinks to herself. In no world would it have survived whatever lengths Dotonis threw it. She definitely did not land softly.

“That snake is fine, somewhere in the woods. If it’s smart then it won’t ever come back to you.” Dotonis snips.

Astrid looks over at him and realizes that neither the Ent or the man are looking at her. Dotonis is standing confidently while staring the Ent in the eyes. He’s a large man with dark skin. Thick muscles form his body. There are patchworks of pale skin to mark the wounds he has endured over time. As Astrid stares at him there’s an uncanny value to his appearance. His body stays solid but his face and hair aren’t static. As he moves the shape of his eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, jaw, and ears all shift differently. Like looking down through clear water at the stones at the bottom of a creek. The form is there but the detail is lost. Even Dotonis’ hair moves in a way that depicts different colours. If Astrid doesn’t look directly at him, his hair stays long and black but when she moves to look at him she realizes that the colours and lengths change.

“She is NOT coming with me,” Dotonis yells frustrated at the Ent.

Lost in her own thoughts about Dotonis she misses their conversation.

“You must go to Zeynith which means you must take her with you. We can’t let her be free with the fire inside her. She will cause havoc more than she will help us. Each time she gets scared she will burn down another village.” The Ent states. Lowering Astrid next to Dotonis. A look of realization and familiarity flashes on his face.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“This is the one who burned down a village?” Pointing his finger at her as his eyes narrow in confusion.

Astrid almost falls on her ass as the Ent lets go of her. Procuring her dagger that she didn’t even know she lost. Dropped when she dropped onto her knees after creating a wall of fire.

“Who says I want to go with him?” Astrid croaks out. Voice stuck in her throat. Clearly intimidated by Dotonis and his abrasive nature.

“What?” He steps forward. Still naked. A head and some inches taller than her. He leans his ear towards her. “Speak up.”

“I don’t want to go with you.” She states more loudly. “The Ent is making decisions for me as if I’d want to follow you anywhere. You killed the snake and all she wanted to do was take me to where my brother disappeared.”

“You killed the snake?” The Ent picks up Dotonis now. Pulling him close to his eye.

“Oh put me down Firmfir.” Dotonis hits at the branch that pulled him up. “Don’t make me poke your eye out.”

Dotonis’ hand turns into a long claw. The Ent drops him immediately from the air. He turns into a bird and swiftly lands on the ground. Turning immediately back into a man.

“Dotonis, you will be taking the girl with you. She must meet Zeynith. What you do with her afterwards is not my issue.” The Ent looks visibly irritated. A bird lands on a branch.

“Go now. I need Zeynith to fix what the girl has broken before the creature or something else finds me.” Roots come up from the ground and pull the two of them towards the treeline.

“I’ll get Zeynith but not with this girl with me,” Dotonis argues.

Astrid gives him a dirty look. Both the Ent and Dotonis are speaking about her as if she is not here. As though her opinions on this matter are nothing. Her brother is the one that’s been taken or killed. They were sent here to find the creature by who knows who whereas her brother sent a vision directly to her of what the creature looks like. Neither the Ent or Dotonis look like they want to be here. She does want to be here. Astrid wants to find Arkane. Why go with Dotonis? Why go see this Zeynith person when that does not matter. No one is explaining anything to her.

“Who is Zeynith? Why are you sending me off with this man even though he killed the snake? I can find my way to my brother on my own. I do not need either of you to help me.” Anger bubbles out of each word. Astrid can feel the heat coming off of her body. “I want to find my brother. If either of you will help me then speak up. Don’t send me on a stupid errand with this grunt of a man.”

“Grunt of a man? I’m no-” Dotonis begins angrily.

“You chased me with the intent to kill me without a second thought earlier. Do you really think you’re someone special because you can change into animals? You can’t even get out of the grasp of this Ent.” Astrid spits back at him. Looking directly into his colour-changing eyes.

“The name is Firmfir. Thank you very much. You do not need to have such a temper with us.” Firmfir continues pushing them forward with his roots. “Just go.”

“Did she really just insult both of us?” Dotonis turns his torso to look back at Firmfir. “You expect me to take her to Zeynith? He’ll be outraged at how disrespectful she is.”

“Oh don’t worry I’ll go my own way. There was no respect from either of you from the beginning and I’m supposed to just follow along with ease? I won’t do it. You go ahead to Zeynith, I’ll go on to find my brother. Let go of us so we can part and I hopefully won’t have to see either of you again.” Astrid has grown incredibly frustrated at the two.

This is time wasted. The later the day gets the less time she has to find Arkane before it’s dark. There was a small expectation to reach the lake before it’s too dark to move forward in the woods but now she must create a new checkpoint to reach and make camp there.

“Good. I agree. You go ahead where you’d like and I’ll get Zeynith to fix this.” Dotonis coldly replies.

“No. You two will stay together. Astrid must meet with Zeynith.” Firmfir states.

A circle of fire begins to rise around Astrid. Eyes red with anger and frustration. Her mind swirling with worry about Arkane, about her own safety, about her freedom. It’s as though she is becoming trapped again in a place she does not want to be in with no explanation.

“Why must I meet with him? Why did you even steal my dagger in the first place? Why did you send me to this beast when you knew that he would attack? Why won’t you answer anything?” Astrid bursts out. Firmfir retracts his roots away from her as her fire grows hotter with every second. Even pulling Dotonis away with him, swiftly picking him up from the ground with a branched arm.

This time Astrid can feel the fire pulsating with her. She feels it in her mind and in her body. As if her blood is the fire itself. Taking a deep breath in–the fire rises and falls with the air in her lungs. The facade she pulled down earlier felt like static in the air. Tingling her fingers when she focused on pulling it away. Now this fire feels like energy. The feeling she gets when running nonstop. Playing tag until everything ached–until the world grew clearer and more refreshed. More refined. That is how this fire feels. Like something unlocking and being released with energy. It almost makes Astrid lightheaded.

“Start explaining or I’ll burn both of you.” Astrid calmly says.

This feeling is intoxicating. It’s a head rush. Astrid procures fire from her palm and compresses it into a ball. Molding it together with two hands cupped over each other. The fire sends pleasurable shivers down her back. She closes her eyes to enjoy it. Knowing that Firmfir and Dotonis are too afraid to do anything to her. She revels in this feeling. As a kid, magic never felt like this. Maybe it did in the childish way but she doesn’t remember it. It felt natural back then. Now it feels like strength and glory pulsing through her veins. Courage Astrid never knew she had.