The vines covered everything. The stone houses, the storage caves, the fire pit, everything was tangled in a mass of stems and leaves. Aethelwyne stared in shock, dread rooting her to the spot. Another attack, so soon? But they were usually at least ten suns apart! She ran into the village. "Is everyone safe?" She spotted Aldrich, the village leader, who was helping the villagers pull down vines from the prophet's home. He was frowning, but seemed more angry than weary. Aethelwyne stopped. "Aldrich? What's wrong?" He looked down on her, his anger melting to sorrow. "The prophetess is dead." "What?"

Back in her small hut, Aethelwyne closed her eyes. Kadija had been the best seer the village had had in centuries. She had warned them when the monster first appeared. She had told them that the creature was vengeful, that it would attack the village. And it had. The vines strangled the livestock, and even a few villagers. It trapped people in their houses, and left villagers too injured to work. Then, after fifty suns, Kadija had announced that she had found the way to appease the forest monster. A human sacrifice. And not just any random villager. Aethelwyne in particular had a death sentence on her. Just her luck. She supposed it was good, in a way. She would be no great loss to the village. She was not a talented builder or forager, and hunting? Forget it. Nor would anyone miss her when she was gone. Her mother had died giving birth to her, and her father...Well, it was doubtful that he was alive, since he had vanished eight summers ago. And now, the villagers saw her as the cause of the attacks. The only reason she wasn't dead right now was because Aldrich had been friends with her father. And even with the village leader on her side, Aethelwyne knew that the day would come when Kadija's words would come true. Aethelwyne sighed, but climbed into bed. She told herself that she would worry about that tomorrow. She did not know how right she was.

It was night when Aethelwyne woke with her hands and feet bound. She opened her eyes and her heart sank. The villagers were staring down at her. "What is the meaning of this?" She asked, trying to sound brave. It didn't work, mostly because she knew exactly why they were here. A man named Abhiyan glared at her. "Kadija is dead. The forest creature killed her." "I heard." Aethelwyne hardened her voice. "That does not explain why I've been ambushed and tied up in my sleep." Abhiyan's wife spoke. "We will not let the monster kill any more. We would all have been safe long ago if not for Aldrich and his misplaced sentiments! We will give the creature it's due, and it will leave us alone." Aethelwyne laughed. You really think it will leave in peace simply because you left a helpless girl fifteen summers old to die? You are a fool." The woman looked unsure for a moment, and Aethelwyne prayed that she would suddenly rethink her plan. Then Abhiyan turned to the mob. "Take her."

Aethelwyne was tossed roughly over someone's shoulder. She kicked and hit at the kidnapper, but it did no good. Failing to break the villager's back, she tried to break the ropes, but only succeeded in giving herself bloody ankles and wrists. She didn't bother to try untying the ropes, knowing from experience that it would only chip her fingernails as well. Eventually she gave in, simply watching as the villagers carried her deeper into the forest. Finally, the procession slowed to a stop, and Aethelwyne felt herself lowered onto soft moss. She waited for the mob to leave, but instead, she felt her bruised and bloody arms pulled above her. Aethelwyne looked up in time to see her wrists tied tightly to a large oak, leaving her with no way to untie herself. "What's this?" She asked the villagers scornfully. "An extra precaution to make sure I die, is that it?" No one answered. "You could at least untie me. If you are going to leave me for the monster, the least you could do is untie my hands and give me a weapon!" Abhiyan smiled thinly. "Goodbye, Aethelwyne." He turned, and the villagers followed him. "Cowards!" Aethelwyne screamed at the villagers backs. She screamed until she could no longer see the faint fire of Abhiyan's torch. Only once she knew the villagers were gone did she allow herself to fall to her knees and cry, her tears shining in the moonlight.

After what felt like a thousand moons, the sky began to brighten. Aethelwyne welcomed the light. The cold of the moon chilled her limbs, and the darkness left her vulnerable. Several times, she had been startled by a deer or fox, and at one point, she even saw a wolf. It had stalked up to her, baring it's fangs, but once it had come within five feet of Aethelwyne, it had froze. The wolf had flattened its ears, whimpered, and fled back into the forest. While Aethelwyne was very pleased to not be eaten by a wolf, it struck her that the wolf had probably sensed her connection with the forest monster. That dampened her spirits effectively.

The dark also gave her time to think about the forest creature. From what she'd heard around the village, most people thought it had the head of a wolf, the body of a bear, and the horns of a stag. It was said that the creature's power over the earth was dark magic, stolen from the forest. Aethelwyne shivered. She would find out if that was true soon enough.

Suddenly, Aethelwyne heard a rustling in the bushes. She froze, peering into the shadows, and saw the yellow eyes of a wolf. The head of a wolf, she remembered. Was this the monster? She shrank back, and the eyes moved forward until she could see a shadowy figure much larger than a wolf. It has found me! Aethelwyne thought wildly. Her heart beat fast and she closed her eyes, praying that her death would be quick... "Are you ok?" Her eyes snapped open. Had she imagined it? No, that voice-that very human voice-had come from the creature! She studied it's wolf eyes warily, not daring to answer. "You're hurt." The creature said. "Hold still, ok?" Aethelwyne felt movement by her knees and recoiled in horror. The same vines that had strangled Kadija and destroyed her village were creeping up her her arms and legs. They wound themselves around her bleeding arms, and Aethelwyne winced as they twisted around her wrists. And then, they stopped. Aethelwyne felt the pain leave her hands and feet, and then, gently as they came, the vines untangled themselves from her body and shrank into the ground. Aethelwyne looked at her wrists in astonishment. The blood had vanished, and the purple bruises had left her pale skin. She felt warmer too, and less shaky. "Better?" the creature asked.

Aethelwyne nodded. "Um...yeah. Thank you." "Why are you tied up?" he (At least, Aethelwyne thought it was a he) asked. Aethelwyne looked at him. "My village is being attacked by a-a forest creature, one that strangles people with magical vines. They left me here as a sacrifice for it." The creature was silent. Aethelwyne waited, hoping she had said the right thing. At last, he spoke. "I don't need a sacrifice. I'll untie you." He stepped out of the shadows.

Aethelwyne was surprised. While she didn't quite expect a wolf/bear monster anymore, she had not expected this. The boy's skin was brown like the forest floor. His hair was as green as a new blade of grass. Tiny antlers sprouted from his head, and his clothes were made of bear fur. But the strangest thing about him? He could not have been more than fifteen summers old.

The boy worked with nimble fingers, untying her from the tree and then starting on the knots around her ankles. Aethelwyne watched him curiously. This boy seemed kind and helpful. How could he be the one strangling people to death and destroying villages? "I don't mean to hurt them." Aethelwyne started. "What?" "Your people." The boy explained. "I don't mean to hurt them." He reached up to untie her hands, and she stretched out her legs. "Why do you do it then?" Aethelwyne could not stop herself from asking.

The boy glared at the ground, his fists clenched. "I have to." Aethelwyne saw his reaction, and noticed the trembling vines, but she still had to ask. "Why?" The boy looked up, and Aethelwyne shivered at the sadness etched on his face. "If I don't, I will die."

Once he had untied her, the boy led her to a hidden glade, surrounded by silver birches and blanketed with tiny yellow flowers. They sat by a trickling stream and watched as the deer wandered to and fro. "The animals don't seem to be afraid of you." Aethelwyne observed. The boy laughed. "Of course not. I protect them." "You do?" Aethelwyne asked. He nodded quietly. "I'm not a-a monster, you know. But...I'm not human either. I'm a spirit. A forest spirit. I guess you could say I'm the guardian of the forest." Aethelwyne listened quietly. She had never heard of a forest spirit before. "What do you do?" She wondered. He smiled. "I mostly just make sure the plants are safe, the animals are happy, things like that. It's fun." "It sounds fun!" Aethelwyne responded sincerely. "There's one thing though," He continued. "I feel what the forest feels." Huh? Aethelwyne thought. He looked at her and sighed. "I'll show you. Pick one of those flowers." "Ok." Aethelwyne did as she was told, reaching down and breaking one of the stems. She turned back to the spirit and gasped. A thin red gash had appeared on his face, right by the side of his mouth. As she watched, the vines twisted over his face and then receded, leaving no trace of the cut. Aethelwyne stared in horror. "It was just a flower." The boy assured her, a bit too quickly. "Easy to heal. But sometimes it's much worse. And when I'm hurt really badly, I can't always control the vines that well. That's why..." "Why you attack the villagers" whispered Aethelwyne. "That's terrible." He shrugged. "It's not that bad. You get used to it after a thousand summers or so." Aethelwyne frowned. Don't you get lonely, out here by yourself?" "Lonely?" He laughed. "I have the forest. What more could I need?" Aethelwyne raised an eyebrow skeptically. The boy flushed. "Yeah, it gets lonely" He admitted. "I guess it's hard to make friends when you're like me." "Well," Aethelwyne replied, "You're not the only one. Most of my 'friends' tied me up in my sleep and left me to die." He looked at her sympathetically, and seemed surprised to see her grinning. "At least I have a real friend now." Aethelwyne said cheerfully. "So, friend, do you have a name?"