Ah, the forest was always most alive at night. Daytime was so ordinary and dull, it wasn't until the sun went to sleep that the true nature of the flora and fauna was revealed. The trees whispered among themselves, with their leaves rustling in a passing zephyr and the creaking of ancient branches. The night flowers bloomed and lifted their delicate faces to the moonlight, which painted them silver with its aura. This was the time when the crickets and frogs joined together to harmonize in a delightful chorus, occasionally graced with the eco-locating squeaks of bats or the mournful hooting of an owl. Infant mushroom spores had waited out the light to suddenly spring to life upon both living and dead tree trunks. The ants continued their dutiful marching, uninhibited by the darkness, each guided by the scent of its fellows as they carried out the task of storing up enough food to last them through the harsh winter months. Families of deer browsed in the brush, raccoons squabbled with one another, a pack of wolves called back and forth somewhere nearby. 

Ah yes, the night. One particular creature enjoyed it far more than any other, due to the fact that he was able to recognize and revel in each individual part as well as the whole. He had been dozing against the roots of one of the more ancient oaks, and anyone passing by would not have noticed him curled up like a babe in its mother's arms. The wild tufts of hair sprouting from his head bore a close resemblance to the various forest grasses, though it was soft as silk to the touch, and adorned with all kinds of leaves and berries in a random order. His complexion was smooth and pearly, like old polished wood, and was nearly hidden beneath the collar of his jacket, which made him appear to be a part of the ground. His feet were bare and tucked beneath his legs, toes curled around the root against which they gently rested. 

The slightest change in the breeze roused him from this peaceful respite, his eyelashes fluttered briefly before opening. He breathed in deeply and cocked his head to listen. Aergar Wald, the imp of the forest. And what an imp he was, with the mischievous look in those amber eyes and the small golden horns that adorned his forehead. He rose to his feet and stretched, stifling a yawn. A she-skunk waddled from her den and brushed past his feet. Aergar bent to scratch her head, murmuring, "Someone's in my forest, Polecat." He straightened and the animal went on her way, off to forage for the little ones she left behind in the nest, still too young to follow their mother out into the world. 

"Let's see, let's see. Where are you? Not far I think." He vanished with a wink from the spot, and the forest continued on as if he had never been there to begin with.

~ ~ ~

[b]"...We were looking for that right? I think we were? It's lore, a prediction, of an earthling that will be joining us in our humble dimension. Curiouser and curiouser."[/b]

[i]Lore, prophecy… how intriguing.[/i]

Unbeknownst to the gypsy wagon's passengers, they were being observed. A figure crouched lightly on the wagon's frame, and though the pair had their backs to him, he was careful to remain in the horse's blind spot. Animals were far quicker to give him away than persons. [i]An earthling?[/i] he thought to himself, [i]But they're just myths. They've only ever existed in children's stories, have they not?[/i] He pondered this, rubbing his index finger across his lower lip. He recognized the curly-haired woman as Ada the magician, though her companion was unfamiliar she gave Aergar a strange feeling that he could not place. He was sure she must be a creature he had never encountered before. 

This Ada woman though, she was the one Phrenesis was always going on about. Aergar could never understand that grumpy old ghost's obsession with her, but it was amusing to watch them brawl. The gypsy had never seemed terribly interesting except in passing, though now she had acquired something that just might change that. He considered what to do for a moment, departing from his position atop the wagon as swiftly and stealthily as he had arrived, deciding to wait a while before revealing himself to these travelers. He would find Phrenesis, whom he knew would be very interested to learn of Ada's presence within the forest, never mind what she was carrying. He would investigate the latter part himself. 

He teleported up to the bend in the road, placing a sharp stone where he knew the horse's foot would land and pick it up. Regardless of who the travelers were, he couldn't simply let them go about unscathed. If the horse went lame, it would slow them down a great deal and make them easier to find again. Satisfied with this, he dashed off to find that old ghost, or his pet raven. 

Since he wanted to go in a straight line and game trails were not ordered this way, he scaled the nearest tree, hopping lightly from branch to branch and tree to tree, much like a squirrel. By this way he covered a great deal of distance, not exactly knowing where he ought to look, or even if Phrenesis was in this forest. The odds were good that he was, however, since secluded places like forests are good places to pull the kinds of schemes that the old ghost liked. After some time he stopped to rest at the top of a white pine, which stood far above most of the other trees. From this vantage point he could see for miles, so from here he searched for any sign of irregular phenomena. While he rested, the wind changed again, suddenly this time, but there were no storm clouds on the horizon, the stars shone crystal clear. He turned his face toward the source of the gale, narrowing his eyes. With little more than a wink he vanished from the treetop.

~ ~ ~

He was near the source, Aergar could feel it. There was a strange smell in the air. He was partly curious, and partly indignant that something so utterly alien could show up so deep within his forest without his prior knowledge. He slinked around in the canopy, sensing a clearing nearby. Strange, he didn't remember a clearing in this part of the wood. A slight glimmer caught his eye and he dropped to the ground to investigate. The tiny body of a fairy lay mangled among the dead leaves, it appeared to have been pecked to death. "Ah, Sparrot, you give yourself away. No other bird would so brutally murder an innocent fairy. Come now and show yourself." He cast his eyes upward and searched for the raven whom he knew was not far away. "The wind is very strange tonight, what kind of sorcery is your master up to this time, eh?" His tone was lighthearted, but that lilting singsong voice could be interpreted as friendly or threatening, depending on what you wanted to hear. "He shouldn't meddle so with my forest, I might become angry."