The way back was silent. No one wanted to talk about what had happened, nor say anything else for that matter, not that Feyrith was surprised. The Council had rejected their plea for help, and now they had nothing else that could help with the situation. If nearby villages were getting attacked to the point of destruction, then Sunwood would be attacked eventually as well unless they did something to avoid that fate. But what could they do? They had no magic users on their side, they didn't even know what was causing the sudden change in the behavior of the beasts.

So while Feyrith was glad to see the silhouette of Sunwood's walls when it appeared in the distance, he also felt great sorrow and shame for coming back with such awful news. The High Elven Council did not care about their plight. The elves' divine mission was not important enough for the Councilors to leave Aendor. And while Feyrith knew they'd all done maximum to make it happen, he still felt like this was yet another one of his failures.

Feyrith sighed as they approached the gate, surprised to see it closed because no beasts seemed to be attacking. But given the situation, he couldn't say he was too surprised.

"It's us!" Arbane called, waving his hand at the person guarding the gate from above. As the gate began to open, letting them through, Feyrith barely managed to hide his discomfort at the people on the other side, their eyes hopeful. But none of them had to say anything to make it clear to everyone who saw them that they hadn't been successful. Their gloomy disposition was more than enough.

But now came the thing he dreaded most of all. He needed to notify the Town Elder about not managing to get aid. Feyrith wasn't sure what to make of the woman, but she intimidated him. Still, not warning her was irresponsible, so he had to.

He split off from the group, heading to the large house in the middle where the Elder resided when he noticed Lanna trailing after him on Stomper.

"I'm not letting you put this on yourself," she said, shocking Feyrith, but he said nothing, just giving a grateful nod. He was glad he wouldn't have to do this alone, and he didn't disagree that it was technically not his fault, but he felt responsible. If not for the outcome, then for giving the humans false hope.

He'd just been so sure he was right. He felt like a fool, and yet it was still difficult to wrap his mind around the fact that the Council had just...refused to help.

Sighing again, he stopped his quasir in front of the Elder's house, climbing off it. He hesitated before the large door, however, not sure how to approach. Lanna did not seem to have a similar problem, though, as she walked up next to him and pushed the door open, walking inside.

Feyrith followed, feeling his heartbeat spike. If only he could be as calm as Lanna, but ever since losing his magic he was much more likely to panic or get anxious, which was highly uncomfortable and inconvenient.

There were many people discussing things around the table in the middle of the room, among which were a few of the newcomers, with the Elder in the middle of it. She seemed visibly troubled, which was strange for her. Feyrith had never seen the woman express her emotions so openly, which only showed how dire the situation was.

The talking stopped when they noticed their arrival, but the somber atmosphere did not lift.

"Were you successful?" the Elder asked, her tone surprisingly gentle. She must have already at least suspected that they hadn't, not that it would be difficult to figure out from his and Lanna's lack of enthusiasm.

"No. The Council refused to help," Feyrith admitted, his heart heavy. They needed an alternative plan now, but he couldn't think of anything.

"Of course they did," came the mocking voice of someone standing farther away from the table. Feyrith already knew who it had been before his eyes found him, though—the new elf, Ayd. A sudden burst of intense frustration and anger burned inside of Feyrith, but he managed not to say anything.

All of the insults at the tip of his tongue were centered around Ayd being Cursed, and he couldn't point that out. Not only because after meeting Edwyr, he was starting to think maybe there was more to the Divine Curse than they'd thought, especially when it could be cured by taking magic from another elf, but also because Feyrith didn't want Ayd to know Feyrith wasn't Cursed. Or at least that he wasn't until very recently. He was sure the other elf would mock him endlessly for what he had let happen to him.

"I appreciate you going to Aendor on our behalf nonetheless," the Town Elder said, and though she did sound disappointed, at least she didn't seem to be disappointed in him, and that did make Feyrith feel a little better.

The Elder waved her hand at them, beckoning them closer, and so they both walked up to the table and sat down, joining the others. Feyrith recognized all of the eight people in the room that came from Sunwood, but he didn't know the names of most of them, just that they were experienced fighters, decision makers, or both. He supposed it mattered little, though.

"I told you the Council wouldn't send anyone," the woman with graying hair sitting next to the Elder said, shaking her head. A disappointed murmur of agreement filled the room. Feyrith looked down at the table. He understood why the humans here didn't like the Council, but he had a hard time explaining this decision away. It had made sense to him until now that there simply weren't enough elves to help everywhere, but the Council itself did nothing to help the humans themselves. The elves needed leadership, it was true, but that didn't mean that the strongest magic users had to stay on Aendor all the time.

"It was worth a try," the Elder said, leaning on the table with her folded arms. "Now we need to decide what to do."

"The beasts come mainly for our livestock," a woman, Sunwood's smith Teri, said. "We have to shelter them."

"Yes, good idea," the Elder said, nodding. "Do we have enough weapons?"

Teri frowned in thought for a second before nodding. "I need to finish making arrows still, but yeah, I think so."

"If these attacks continue, we aren't running out of food anytime soon," the man next to Feyrith said. "But we should try to reinforce the walls somehow. Maybe the houses, too."

"It's too risky to go gather stone right now. Even during the day," Lanna argued, but Feyrith had started to tune the conversation out by then as Lanna reminded him of their experience near the jungle. What was happening wasn't natural, he was sure of that, and so he was sure there was a way to stop it. The problem was that the answer lay within the jungle, likely deep within the jungle. He didn't think it was viable to go inside and survive, but it was still worth sharing.

"I believe there is something of magical origin disturbing the beasts," he said, only then realizing that he'd interrupted whatever they'd been discussing, but no one seemed to mind as they all turned their curious eyes on him. Feyrith tried not to feel nervous about that. "When Lanna, Arbane, and I were exploring, looking for a possible cause, I felt an earthquake coming from within the jungle. And then a group of beasts flew out of it."

"So, you think something in there is causing these attacks?" Ayd asked, stepping closer to the table and into the light shining from the candles on the chandelier above. Feyrith's immediate thought was to get annoyed again, but for once the other elf didn't seem mocking or dismissive.

"Yes, precisely," Feyrith nodded. "But I have no idea as to what exactly is causing it. Or where it is."

"Aside from it being somewhere within the death trap that is the jungle," Ayd added quietly, looking somber for the first time. Feyrith was surprised by the fact that the elf was being so serious, but he wouldn't complain. It seemed that as long as they weren't discussing Aendor or the Council, Ayd would act civil.

"I was hoping the Council might help us find it if they sent elves to help us."

"Did you mention this to them?" the Town Elder asked. Feyrith couldn't tell if she was angry with him or not, seeing as Feyrith hadn't mentioned this to anyone until now, but he hoped she wasn't.

"No," Feyrith admitted, looking down at the table. "I assumed they would not believe a claim like this coming from me, and it would only make them less willing to help."

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Ayd shook his head, muttering something about Cursed elves, but Feyrith didn't think it was insulting toward them.

"I wanted to mention it after they sent someone to help. I did not think it was possible that they would say no to even that."

A heavy, gloomy silence settled in the room for a moment before it was broken by a cry from the outside. Someone was yelling words Feyrith couldn't understand, but he did catch the most important one. Bloodfeathers.

"Here we go again," said Ayd, glaring, his bow already in hand. Feyrith frowned at the fact that the elf had had a weapon on him the entire time, but so had he, he supposed, so he didn't question it. Instead, Feyrith drew his own bow, hurrying outside to help immediately, Lanna and the others following him.

Knowing that bloodfeathers—the oriam—tended to stay in the sky and swoop down as much as possible instead of staying on the ground for any considerable amount of time, Feyrith immediately began to climb on the roof of the Elder's house to give himself a vantage point, choosing that particular roof both because of proximity but also because it was the tallest building in Sunwood.

It was dark now, even darker than when they'd arrived, the night sky inky and cloudy, but Feyrith could still see the many dark shapes circling above. There were at least four, which was unfortunate, but Feyrith would do his best not to let that fact discourage him. Reading an arrow, he pulled back the bowstring, aiming.

He waited with bated breath for one of the oriam to get closer, but not close enough to pose a threat to any of the humans below. He could hear someone else climbing up after him, but he didn't pay attention to them. Not until an oriam flew right where Feyrith had been aiming. He let the arrow fly, feeling a grim sense of accomplishment when a pained squawk filled the air.

The beast didn't fall to the ground, but it did start flying away, and that was enough for Feyrith. As long as it didn't return tonight, at least. He wished he had managed to hit its wing, his arrow striking its side instead, but Feyrith was glad he'd hit the animal at least.

"Nice shooting," said a voice from behind him, almost making him flinch in surprise. He'd thought that the person who had climbed up after him had been Lanna, but standing there, arrow in hand, was none other than Ayd. Feyrith had no idea what to make of that, but he was glad for Ayd's presence. From here they could each focus on one half of the town to defend.

Feyrith didn't even have to say anything for Ayd to make his way over to the other side of the roof, taking position there and aiming at the oriam flying their way. It was on the other side of town still, but it was rapidly closing in.

Ayd released the arrow as soon as the huge bird was in range, but just as it was about to hit, the oriam turned, the arrow only grazing its wing. The oriam did retreat, but it would be back soon. From here, the beasts were visible, but unfortunately, he and Ayd were an easy target also.

Feyrith nocked another arrow, taking a quick shot at an oriam that was hovering over the stables, but he missed, the beast too far for him to aim at properly. Thankfully, someone on the ground managed to strike it instead, driving the beast off.

"I'm sorry for being so short with you, earlier," Ayd suddenly said, making Feyrith pause halfway through reaching for another arrow, but he quickly got over his surprise and pulled it out of his quiver. He wasn't sure why the other elf thought bringing it up now was a good idea, but Feyrith couldn't let it distract him.

"I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you," Ayd continued, his words followed by the swish of an arrow. Feyrith took a shot of his own, unfortunately once again missing, before responding. He wasn't certain what to do with this conversation. It was touching that Ayd apparently felt a need to apologize, but this truly was a bizarre time to discuss it.

"It's...all right. I understand."

Feyrith took a few steps along the flat roof as he readied yet another arrow, drawing the bow back as far as it would go, and letting the arrow fly. Feeling a sense of accomplishment at the roar it had produced, Feyrith watched the oriam he'd hit lose altitude, struggling to stay in the air with an injured wing, but the humans on the ground immediately took their chance, and the beast fell to the ground as a few more arrows buried themselves in its chest.

"Okay," Ayd said, sighing as he took another shot. He didn't seem to be paying his full attention to defending the town, and yet his arrow struck true almost every time. Feyrith had no idea what to make of that. "I just wanted to apologize now. In case we die tonight."

Feyrith wanted to point out that they were doing a good job of driving the oriam away, but just then he noticed several other dark shapes in the distance, flying right for them. This was not good at all. But Feyrith tried not to get discouraged, continuing to shoot arrow after arrow at the oriam attacking the town. He could hear people yelling below, some in pain, but Feyrith forced himself to stay put. He was the most useful up here with a bow. He couldn't heal people anymore, not in any significant way.

But he was so focused on his task that all too late he heard the flapping of huge wings behind him. Ayd yelled at him to look out, but Feyrith had no time to do so as a split second later he was being thrown off the roof by strong, sharp claws. Feyrith cried out, pain stabbing through his shoulder before landing with a groan on the hard ground.

Feyrith gasped as his breath was pushed out of his lungs, clenching his fist around his bow and scrambling to get up onto his feet again as he desperately tried to ignore the horrible pain in his right shoulder when he moved his arm. The oriam who had thrown him off the roof must have cut him with its claw.

"Come on!" Ayd jumped down next to him just as Feyrith had regained his footing, albeit he was unsteady on his feet. He let the other elf push him against the wall and under the roof just as another oriam swooped down at them, its sharp beak snapping closed barely a foot away from Feyrith's head.

Feyrith stood there, frozen in shock, his heart beating in his ears even as the oriam flew away again, shrieking into the night. That had been far, far too close.

"Are you okay?"

Feyrith nodded, even though he very much wasn't okay. Ayd was concerning himself too much with Feyrith's wellbeing when there were people being attacked around the whole of Sunwood. He should be helping them, not Feyrith.

But Feyrith couldn't say as much when a loud thud and caw sounded just above them. An oriam was on the roof of the Town Elder's house. Which meant that if they moved away from the protection of said roof right now, it would kill them.

But Ayd seemed undeterred, jerking his head to the side before tugging on Feyrith's arm to get him to follow. Feyrith tried to contain a wince as pain stabbed through his shoulder once more. He could feel blood seeping into his tunic, but he paid no mind to it, trailing quietly behind Ayd as they made their way to the other side of the house, not leaving the safety of the roof's edge for a single second.

And then Ayd bolted, drawing his bow and shooting so quickly that Feyrith barely had the time to realize what was happening. The oriam screamed above, its massive wings flapping frantically, only to crash into a nearby house with a loud screech and the crackle of snapping wood. Feyrith stared at the beast as it struggled to draw breath before stilling a moment later. It was only then that he noticed the dark blood running down from it that he realized the oriam must have impaled itself on some part of the house as it had fallen.

But they didn't get to savor the small victory for even a second as someone nearby screamed and another oriam flew by dangerously close, just above the roofs. There were so many of them. How could they fight them all off? Feyrith wasn't even sure if he could shoot with his shoulder injured, let alone aim with any kind of accuracy, but he would do his best.

He ventured out from under the roof, taking a quick look around, spotting at least four more oriam circling above, and the Goddess knew how many there were attacking the town and its inhabitants. Knowing that a good vantage point was crucial, no matter how exposed it left him, Feyrith tried to get up on the roof again, using a nearby crate to jump up from, but as he grabbed onto the edge of the roof, he cried out, falling back to the ground instead of pulling himself up.

His shoulder just hurt too much to be of any more use in this fight. He didn't want to give up, but he knew he would do more harm than good like this.

"You're not okay, Fey," Ayd pointed out, sounding annoyed, though even to Feyrith it was clear the other elf was annoyed that he'd lied earlier when Ayd had asked rather than being irritated that he was injured. "Just stay here, you should be safe. I'll go back up."

But before Feyrith could argue, a burst of fire caught his eye. It must have been at the other side of the town, by the gate, but in the darkness, it was impossible to miss. And then there were more flames, flying up at the oriam in the sky, making them scream and scatter.

How was this possible?

Unable to resist his curiosity, Feyrith ran into the street, following the source of the flames as he passed house after house. Even with barely any light, he could see the damage that had been done. Roofs had holes in them, the walls had been clawed at and cracked with the oriam's strong beaks, and there were injured humans all around. But Feyrith didn't stop, no matter how much it made despair squeeze at his heart, because there was nothing he could do, no healing he could offer them.

But his thoughts turned from gloom to disbelieving hope when finally, as another burst of fire lit up the sky, he saw who was bringing the flames forth. Two elves were standing in the middle of the town now, their staves brandished as they both yelled the magic words to summon fire, sending it at the retreating oriam.

The magnitude of magic use displayed seemed uneven, one of the elves using stronger, more advanced spells than the other, but they were both doing an incredible job of chasing the oriam away. The humans around him seemed rallied and encouraged by the elven presence, aiming their bows once more now that their surprise at this development had passed, and began to shoot arrow after arrow at the remaining beasts.

Feyrith wished he could help, but given the state of his shoulder, he let the humans and elves drive the remaining beasts off, watching as the oriam flew away, heading to the jungle. He was sure they would be back eventually, but not anytime soon.

Once he was sure the danger had passed, he turned his attention to the elves instead, his eyes widening when they removed the hoods they'd had over their heads. While Feyrith couldn't recognize the elf on the left though he'd definitely seen her before, the one on the right was Enaryl. What was she doing here?

"We came to help," the elf next to Enaryl said, slinging her staff over her shoulder. And Feyrith was suddenly plagued by a thousand questions, even as the humans that had gathered around cheered for their rescuers. "Now, which of you needs healing?"