The initial story was something that perked the tremendous cat's ears, as it began in such an off and odd manner that there was no telling just what was in mind. This of course was when the beast could make out what was being said; for a woman who had been so silent earlier, the explosion of such a story upon the ears of those present was a mixture of odd fascination and... quirk, he supposed. The whiskers of his jowls, almost as long as a man's forearm, twitched and his brow grew complicated and drawn up at an angle. It was clear he had never heard anything like it and was so baffled by the proudness of the story she beamed with, he was left to wonder if this was just how she and her kind were from her land.

Men were odd things, as were women, but man as a kind was off in its own right. This was different than that "offness", as though the levity of Harriet and her recounting really did dispel the heaviness of what was their concern. It was not magic, at least not how Lorenthar knew it. Words of course had power, everyone even so faintly initiated in mystic arts and arcana knew that, but this was just a story. The dragon, who came to speak next, would prove as much for those who did not know.

In comparison it was as though the two were of entirely different portrayals, unrelated, but by the mage's account they did actually overlap. What proved to be more interesting, if not useful, was that the man during his display repeated a few terms and retelling the druid had heard before; some "vindication" of a place he knew nothing of. Name and honor, rather importance, were things elves tended to hold in high regard, but this too was different. It was - Lorenthar spent a few moments in idle thoughts adrift - a title, was it not? The dragon had a title? He [i]was[/i] a dragon as it were, a blue one at that, so this seemed to make enough sense in retrospect, but before the beast had time to devote further in understanding, it seems a slight lull came over those present.

"I suppose I have no stories from the cities away, but it would only be fair that since some of the outsiders have spoken their stories that I share with them, and your tribe, a more familiar one." His voice was at first growled as he transformed from tiger to man until it returned to one more mortal.

"Once when the season was of plenty," He remained seated, gesturing only before him with the berry he had been granted by the elder, "And of when I was a cub, I found myself into trouble any young student of the wood should know better to avoid. But I, being with the spirit of a cat, no matter how much smaller then, thought I knew enough to wander by myself."

Lorenthar palmed the small fruit for the moment, seemingly removing it from his demonstration, but only enough for the sake of story. A dim globe of warm, enchanted light appeared before him, beaming with a faint radiance like that of spring.

"So I did, for but a few hours in the warm morning sun. Yet, when it came noon, I had found myself to a berry patch. Out of season as they were, I charmed a few into sharing their bounty with me, but before I could finish using my magic to ripen the fruit of the bushes, I heard an odd whine; almost like a child."

The cry of some small animal came from behind the druid as the free hand worked the minor spell; he specifically made the effort to look back to it before addressing his audience once more.

"And I beheld a bear cub." The man shook his head, certain those present already knew well this was going, "... who had decided for himself that my uncharacteristically early in season and transmuted berries made for an excellent meal. Now any folk of any forest can tell you, this is a time for delicate reaction, to which I responded ably; backing away slowly and being sure not to startle him."

"Yet for all my effort, I backed into his mother, who seemingly had been keeping watch over me and him the entire time. You have likely never seen a cat move so fast and into a tree." Lorenthar continued, adding the startling rustling of leaves to the auditory component and a line of dust drift across the floor to mirror a sprint.

"It took her the better part of an hour to convince me down."

Chuckling for a moment he thereafter sighed, for as an embarrassing of a tale as it was, it likely spoke on a more familiar tone to the elder and the other firbolgs, particularly those of them who had that magical tie to nature beyond just blood. It was a story from another wood, somewhere else other than here the mind could go and feel just as at home, if not more. After all, the thoughts were of warmer seasons and more joyous companionships of the wood than what befell their [i]Gate[/i]. Like the outsiders' words, it was a distraction, one both far less epic than the prior or personal as the first.

[hider=Effects]
The druid Lorenthar uses his skill with the cantrip [i]Druidcraft[/i] to help articulate his story. It creates a dim sun-like globe, the cry of a baby bear, the rustling of leaves, and a small path of disturbed dust over the course of its use.
[/hider]