Once she was out of the line of sight from their chosen camping spot, Rayadell glanced back and gave a heavy sigh. She had managed to avoid traveling with a companion for many months; now, adventuring beside an elf felt strange. Wrong, even, to be potentially putting someone else in danger simply by being near them for too long.
	With her staff in one hand, she gently placed the palm of the other against the rough bark of the nearest tree, mentally reaching out to it, hoping to feel the familiar presence of the only friends her curse did not slowly drain the life from.
	She felt a shudder, a [i]fear[/i] run through the tree in the abstract way nature felt emotions, but after a moment, it seemed to settle, to accept that it was in no danger from her. If Rayadell did not know any better, she could have sworn it even possessed an unusual sense of [i]curiosity.[/i] Though its nearby companions still felt a bit apprehensive, they did not shy away from her when she reached out with her mind to try and assure them she bore them no ill will.
	Slowly, she removed her hand from the tree and began her search for wood and kindling in the quickly fading daylight. With the silent promise that no harm would come to the forest with their fire, and a quick thank you to the trees for providing what they needed for warmth, she started a small pile near the tree, leaving it to collect a fair amount before adding to it.
	When the moon’s soft glow replaced the brilliance of the sun, dusting the shedding trees and fallen foliage and plants beneath, Rayadell decided she had collected enough to last for a good portion of the night. As she began to pile up the kindling between her arms, ever mindful of her staff, movement in the corner of her eye made her drop her load and spin around, her staff held defensively in both hands. 
	She searched the darkness, her silvery eyes easily picking out every plant and leaf set aglow in the gentle, majestic lightning, but nothing stirred. The crickets continued to chirp, and a couple night birds chattered a bit deeper in the woods. After a moment, Rayadell returned her staff to her side.
	Another wisp of movement flitted to her right, and she spun once more. This time, she caught sight of its cause. 
	A delicate mist condensed into a willowy, human-like form flitted from one tree to another, its incorporeal body glittering a myriad of browns despite the moonlight bleaching the surrounding forest. In the blink of an eye, it merged with the next tree, leaving no trace of it behind.
	A thin smile spread over Rayadell’s lips. Tree spirits. Guardians of the woods, harmless to those who meant them and their precious dwellings no malice. With the possibility of a threat eliminated, she turned back to collect the now scattered bits of wood. Once her arms were full, she began the short walk back to her and Calanon’s designated campsite.
	Rayadell noticed a tree spirit hopping from one tree to the next just ahead of her, its featureless head peeking out once to look at her from another tree just to her left before ducking shyly back into the trunk. She had the feeling it was the same as the first one she had seen, wondering if, perhaps, it had been the source of the curiosity she had felt coming from the first tree.
	She paused in front of the strong, towering plant where she had last noticed the spirit, taking a moment to give it a respectful bow, before she stepped into the slight clearing where the elk waited, untethered, in the same place as she had last seen him.
	She dropped the first armful of wood onto the ground beside the nearly finished ring of stones Calanon had already collected and laid out. Though it was yet unfinished, she began to expertly stack some of the dryer branches and bramble she had grabbed at the stone ring’s center.
	The feeling of being watched stepped down her spine, and the sense of curiosity she had felt from the tree brushed gently against her mind. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder in time to see the glittering spirit pull back into a tree near the edge of the clearing, making her smile. 
	It would seem she had, at least for the time, acquired a stalker.