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September 2007 – Shadow leads the others on a hunt for food Wildthorn is still chief Mentioned that Shadow and Wildthorn are Soul Brothers During an attack by boars, Wildthorn notices how pretty Purespring is when he tries to save her life Vineweaver is abducted by humans (who is misnamed a few times as Vineshaper in this story) Could this story be any more like the first issue of ElfQuest? I can’t recall if that was my intention (as a nod to ElfQuest), with having the plant shaper captured and on an altar; this element continues into the October 2007 segment. October 2007 – Story begins with the Bone Dancer (human shaman) wanting Vineweaver to reveal how the Elves uses magic Shadow returns to the elves to get the wolves to help track down Vineweaver Tamier, the Bone Dancer’s son, learns that his father has been sacrificing elves on his altar for a long time now (trying to gain the secret of magic) The Bone Dancer reveals, that the current human chief (Wurik) is short sighted and that the Bone Dancer expects his son to become Chief and the next Bone Dancer Tamier mentions that the Chief’s daughter is to wed Krellin, and thus Tamier can’t be chief The Bone Dancer explains that the demons are killed to please Grethen, the “Storm God”, and that the power will be given to Tamier to beat Krellin in combat for the chief’s daughter Vineweaver uses the plants to ensnare the Bone Dancer, and breaks free, rescued by the other elves as the Bone Dancer flees March 2007 – It’s revealed that Wildthorn and Purespring are lovers, taking place after October 2007 story, since it mentions Purespring is on the hunt with them They hunt a giant boartusk that kills a human child While standing in the clearing, Purespring and Wildthorn Recognize The boartusk wounds Shadow, by gutting him, but not before Shadow manages to also deliver a fatal blow to the boartusk July 2007 – Purespring vents to Foxhair that she hopes she Recognizes Wildthorn so that she can be Chieftess and have rank over Shadow (although in the previous story, it’s detailed that they do indeed Recognize; not sure if I was intending that they were keeping the Recognition hidden from the tribe or if this is a blunder) Foxhair tells Purespring to check with the troll, Trollblade (who later is mistakenly called Trollhammer in the story) It’s alluded that Troll-blade has some kind of affection for Purespring Troll-blade helps Purespring, who gets the drop on the hunt that Shadow and the others were going for Later, Wildthorn and Purespring “celebrate” as Shadow watches and thinks to himself, “At least they’re not Recognized…” (So perhaps the Recognition thing wasn’t a blunder, but I was intending that their Recognition was being hidden from the tribe for whatever the reason) Feb 2007 – The story starts with Shadow and Wildthorn spying on a large human hunter (Krellin) The story then moves over to the troll caves (where once again, Trollblade is repeatedly called Trollhammer) Trollhammer gives Wildthorn a special dagger he had designed (to replace one Wildthorn lost while trying to fish) Trollhammer also hands Shadow a bracelet to give to Purespring (further sign of affection) Trollhammer also gives Wildthorn a specially designed necklace April 2007 – The story begins for Chief Wurik’s daughter’s hand in marriage (her name is revealed as Yurika) Krellin, the large human hunter, kills a rabbit as a part of the tests (to prove dexterity and cunning) Treerunner sneaks into Krellin’s tent and swaps the rabbit meat with an egg When Krellin presents the meat the Chief is angered when he sees an egg The Bone Dancer claims that Grethen frowns upon Krellin and changed the meat to an egg Treerunner sneaks back into the tent and swaps the egg for the rabbit meat Krellin calls Chief Wurik back to see Krellin and Yurika marry; and as a part of the final test, for strength, Krellin is sent to hunt the Black Bear Bone Dancer tells his son, Tamier that he must follow Krellin and kill him during the hunt Tamier, however, is trapped up in a tree by the Black Bear Krellin hears his cries for help and attacks the Black Bear The Bone Dancer had followed his son, Tamier, to ensure he would succeed and used a poison dart to paralyze Krellin as he fought the bear The bear killed Krellin and Bone Dancer escaped, already devising a new plan May 2007 – The story continues with the humans An eclipse has the humans all riled up and the Bone Dancer claims Grethen is upset, because the humans are weak; and a stronger union must be made The Bone Dancer claims that his son, Tamier, and the Chief’s daughter, Yurika must be wed to form that strong union When Tamier accepts this, the eclipse ends July 2007 – The story begins with Wildthorn and Shadow observing the wedding ritual of Tamier and Yurika The story then fast forwards two years Tamier begins getting visisions, supposedly from Grethen, calling for peace with the “Wood Spirits” Tamier shares his vision with his father, who ultimately betrays him, and has him and Yurika cast out (fearful that his son’s rambling would make him lose his position as Bone Dancer) A half a year later, it’s revealed that Yurika is pregnant Tamier gets the idea to try and find the “Wood spirits” and have them come with him to speak with his tribe and show they mean no ill This is the first time we see Shadow speak the language of the humans (though his attempt is not conveyed in complete sentences) Shadow reveals to Wildthorn what happened, explaining that Tamier came close to the Holt with no weapons and that it was the same human that they had watched get married (who now lived alone) August 2007 – The story begins with Wildthorn and Shadow mourning the death of Purespring (not sure where I was going with this, just opening up with her death) It’s noted that she was killed by a spear, and she died in Wildthorn’s arms The story notes it was “sixty seven moons” ago (no idea why I went with 67) Wildthorn and Shadow are consuming dreamberry wine and getting intoxicated, recalling various things about Purespring (Trollblade is once again called Trollhammer; I think at some point I just simply mistook the name and kept calling him Trollhammer going forward) It turns out that Wildthorn wasn’t drinking that night, and merely pretending to do so, so that Shadow would get drunk and not stop him Shadow awoke later and knew that Wildthorn was on the hunt for the humans Wildthorn found and killed Yurika in her tent, while she was pregnant Hearing her cries, Tamier ran to her aid, but did not strike at Wildthorn, instead he hesitated, which was enough time for Wildthorn to gut Tamier, but not before Tamier fell forward and ran his weapon into Wildthorn Wildthorn sees Purespring, as he’s dying Shadow takes the necklance and bracelet (both made by Trollhammer) and placed them on the grave that each of them had, indicated that the Elves buried their dead, a tradition they probably picked up from the humans nearby November 2007 – The story begins with Windfetcher approach Shadow, who is noted as Chief in this segment, replacing Wildthorn Windfetcher gets permission from her father (Vineweaver) if Shadow approves, to go hunting Shadow seems reluctant, but Windfetcher stands her ground The story goes on to note that Vineweaver is teaching Echo, his son, how to channel his magic As Shadow and the others are hunting, they find a human close to their Holt Shadow and the others decide that they must kill the human before it runs back and tells the other humans Windfetcher jumps between the human and her tribe, explaining that the human is probably just hungry and means no ill After some dialogue, Shadow agrees, and tells the human to run away; the human does so It’s revealed that Shadow and the others had been tracking the human for hours, and it had been a test to see how Windfetcher would behave around humans, and they were all in on it (except her) It’s noted that the tribe thinks, that Windfetcher will be the next Chieftess when the time comes December 2007 – The story is focused on Shadow being lost in the snow The spirit of Purespring visits him and begins to lead him through the snow Once again, Troll-blade, who was repeatedly mistakenly called Trollhammer, this time gets called Trollforge (clearly I need to work on my notes) He is then visited by Wildthorn and Purespring Wildthorn’s spirit (or what Shadow believes is his spirit) apologizes for his rash action and agrees that the war on humans needs to stop Shadow awakens in Trollforge’s den (at least I was consistent in this story with his name) Trollforge gives Shadow some food for his tribe, and explains that he too was visited by Purespring’s spirit Shadow asks about Trollforge’s interest in Purespring, and the troll replies, “A tale for another time.” It’s revealed that Purespring kept all the purchases Trollforge ever made for her January 2008 – Story begins with Shadow visiting the grave site of Wildthorn and Purespring Foxhair joins him and notes that it would have been Purespring’s birthday (turn of Season) It’s noted in this story, that the burial of the dead is indeed a tradition the elves picked up from observing humans Story centers around Shadow feeling like a failure for not killing the human who killed Purespring and Wildthorn The story shifts to two other elves from the tribe, Suncaller and Blackstar, who are male love mates Story notes that Blackstar was being more aggressive than usual Blackstar comments about how Wildthorn was the better chief, because he always took what he wanted Blackstar is later seen, speaking the human tongue, to Bone Dancer, claiming that if the Bone Dancer killed Shadow, then Blackstar could be chief and he would help the humans with magic February 2008 – Story begins with Suncaller and Blackstar up in the trees The gentle Suncaller tries to show Blackstar the wonderful aspects of nature Something overcomes Blackstar and he pushes Suncaller from the branch, who plummets to his death below When Shadows and the others arrive, Blackstar blames the humans Shadow begins to suspect that Blackstar is not telling the truth Shadow goes and observes the humans and notices them celebrating; not death, but a childbirth, showing that it didn’t seem to be the humans which Blackstar blamed March 2008 – Story begins with the Bone Dancer entering a drug induced trance to “speak” to Grethen The perspective changes to Echo approaching Shadow and explaining that he’s having Dream-Visions; except it happens when he’s awake Echo explains he had gone to Suncaller’s grave, and when he touched the soil, he had a vision of what happened to Suncaller Shadow follows Blackstar, who – unknown that he’s being followed, again approaches Bone Dancer, and mentions the plan of the murder of Shadow May 2008 – Story begins with Shadow observing the humans from their holt while it rains Sungazer, the father of Suncaller, tells Shadow that he suspects Blackstar Foxhair approaches Shadow and mentions that Vineweaver and Stillbreeze are about to have their third cub It’s also noted that since the demise of Wildthorn and Purespring, that Shadow and Foxhair had become lovemates Moonsong is at the delivery room, and notes her ability to howl so soothingly and that her touch has a calming effect, possibly passive healing Stillbreeze names the new cub, Sunsword, after looking at Sungazer, noting that the child will cut through the darkness (clearly showing that she too possibly believes that Blackhair was responsible for Suncaller’s death) Chief Wurik later approaches Shadow (close to their holt) and explains that they have a common enemy (the Bone Dancer), because he has the tribe convinced that Chief Wurik is weak for not waging war on the elves for the death of his daughter June 2008 – Shadow brings Chief Wurik to the Holt and Treerunner strikes Shadow It’s noted that Vineweaver is the first in a long generation of elves to finally be born with magic in the tribe Sungazer, Suncaller’s father, is noted to having lost his own soul mate, Rosethorn, to an attack by humans It explains she was hunting a fang-tooth (alone) who had mortally wounded her wolf; she delivered a mortal strike with her bow, but nearby humans, desperate for food sought the wounded fang-tooth and threw an arrow that struck her and she stumbled forwarded where the dying fang-tooth sunk it’s large fangs into her shoulder and neck Blackstar tries to claim that Shadow has betrayed (and endangered) the tribe by bringing the Chief of the humans into their holt Shadow and Echo provide evidence and Blackstar flees and meets Bone Dancer in a cave to prepare for war July 2008 – Story opens with Vineweaver and Stillbreeze discussing Shadow’s idea of a war with the faction of humans led by the Bone Dancer Trollforge (apparently his new name, since he was Troll-blade, then Trollhammer, now repeatedly being called Trollforge) shows up and tells the elves he has “gifts” for all of them before this war He also alludes once again, to having lost someone close (Purespring), the mystery of his affection for her, still unrevealed Trollforge hands out shields to the elves, before leaving again August 2008 – Story opens up with the elves discussing how the humans have the advantage in numbers, as well as Blackstar having revealed their fighting tactics, no doubt Shadow tells Sungazer to take Echo, Windfetcher and Sunsword away, before the battle The battle against the faction of humans seems almost lost, when Windfetcher suddenly arrives and tries to help Vineweaver freaks out and uses the plants to try and kill the faction of humans, but it’s not enough When all seems lost, a voice from behind the humans calls out for vengeance in the name of Puresrping, and it’s Trollforge and other trolls Shadow reaches the Bone Dancer, who swears if Shadow lets him live, he will reveal where Blackstar went Shadow agrees that no elf will kill Bone Dancer and learns that Blackstar is headed for the cubs Shadow tells Trollforge to kill Bone Dancer Blackstar chases Sungazer up the tall tree used to protect the cubs from the reach of humans; and behind Sungazer is none other than Suncaller; Blackstar backs up in disbelief, and missteps, falling to his own death, much like Suncaller had died at the hands of Blackstar It’s revealed that Echo took Sunblade to the trolls; and Echo told Trollforge what was happening, knowing that Blackstar would go for the upper trees where the cubs were normally taken when the humans presented danger to the tribe Wurik tells Shadow that he will take the remaining humans who followed him and leave the forest and seek out other humans This sets the idea in Shadow’s head that perhaps there’s other Elves as well September 2008 – Trollforge’s secret is finally revealed He was once a High One named Tawaim He had bonded with the trolls, even after their betrayal that sent the Palace crashing He initially adopted the shape of wolf early on and protected the trolls He then adopted the form of a troll and showed them things he had known from visiting worlds; such as forging metal Before long his magic had grown weak, and Tawaim found himself stuck in the form of a troll It’s revealed that Tawaim, in the form of the troll has Recognized Purespring, and that’s why the affection was there; but because of his troll form and dampened magic, Purespring did not Recognize him, and saw him as nothing more than a (friendly) troll. Trollforge goes out and the land is empty; both humans and elves have left He visits Purespring’s grave, and there, in troll form, he howls for her. October 2008 – The first thing noted is that it alters some “canon” ElfQuest history (and has some sexual content) The story notes how Trollforge has met both Guttlekraw and Greymung The story sets up Guttlekraw wanting to over throw Greymung and become the new troll “King.” Trollforge leaves during one of the celebrations and gets lost in the snow, and nearly perishes He feels the strong pull of magic, which he had not felt in a very long time and thinks, in his delusions, that he sees a Palace He wakes up to a Red Preserver, named Rosepetal, and a thin, beautiful, female elf The female introduces herself as Winnowill, and Trollforge gives the false name of “Smelt” (taking the name of what he was known for doing) It is revealed that Trollforge is the father of Two-Edge Winnowwill questions Trollforge when he confesses who he really is (explaining that’s how she got pregnant; but the child still had Troll DNA) Winnowill refuses to believe Trollforge’s story and tortures him for weeks on end, with Two-Edge looking on, until Trollforge perishes November 2008 – This story introduces Bloodfang, a giant bear that killed for the pleasureof killing, as Sungazer tells a story (while the elves took shelter from the snow) The story told by Sungazer focuses on the Wolfpacks’ encounter with Bloodfang, who is driven off this time, after towering over Wildthorn back then, and never seen again Glimmer, Wildthorn’s wolf, is noted to have bonded with Windfetcher in this story December 2008 – There’s a typo immediately in this story; it references the demise of Wildthorn within the first few sentences, then there’s a “Wildthorn” who asks what happened to Steeleye; clearly I meant someone else but Wildthorn, but having just typed his name probably accidentally referenced him (I need an editor, clearly!) It’s noted here, that the Stonehowl elves are not led by a bloodline of chiefs, but rather typically the “Alpha Male” that the tribe looks up to (more in line with actual wolves, rather than the story of Cutter and ElfQuest) It notes here, that Echo repeats his sister’s questions, about what happened to Steeleye, so I clearly had meant Windfetcher asked the question, not Wildthorn (obviously) Shadow explains on the night that they lost Steeleye, they also lost Stormcreek (Foxhair’s brother), Elktamer (one of the tribe’s greatest hunters), as well as Woodspear and Runningspring (Stream’s parents) They were killed by a giant serpent, the size of an oak tree Shadow notes that a troll named Digdung said the scale was as big as a troll’s hand Chief Steeleye back then had gathered: Fernglade, Elktamer, Woodspear, Runningspring, Stormcreek, and Starmane (Shadow’s sister, just a few seasons older than him) This hunt takes place just after the encounter Wildthorn had with Bloodfang, according to Shadow’s telling Shadow explains that he went to the troll caves to find Digdung, and there he found Trollforge, who said to stop Steeleye and that the serpent was more than it appeared to be Shadow managed to find the others, just as the giant serpent struck out and killed Steeleye with its massive fangs and venom Fernglade, Steeleye’s soul mate jumped on the serpent and drove a dagger into its eye, but the serpent repeatedly smashed her body against a tree, until she was beaten to death Next to fall was Starmane, constricted in the serpent’s coils Runningspring, trying to heal (the already dead) Fernglade, was bit next once the serpent realized she had some healing abilities; she sent to Shadow to flee and get Stream to safety, before dying Woodspear died next, driving a spear into the snake’s mouth, which it snapped, then injected him with venom Elktamer, who used weapons made of antlers had inflicted several wounds, but the serpent seemed to heal; it eventually struck him then constricted him, killing him Stormcreek is mistakenly called Shadowcreek once, who died at Shadow’s feet, standing between Shadow and the serpent Shadow reveals, for the first time, it had been Bloodfang, who had come along and “saved” Shadow; drawn by the scent of blood Shadow explains that he saw a white flash, then the two bodies seemed to be merged, between the serpent and Bloodfang; and though they were both in a weakened state, Shadow fled the scene, disoriented and unsure. When they returned, the body of the merged creature, was gone January 2009 – The story explains that after the event of the rainbow serpent that Shadow did not speak again for many, many years, choosing only to send instead. The story notes that Sungazer took over as Chief for awhile The story notes that Wildthorn defeated Sungazer and took over as Chief Wildthorn’s first order as chief was to want to track down the beasts that killed his parents There is a note here that even Steeleye thought there was something different about Trollforge Shadow breaks his silence for the first time since the event, speaking to Trollforge When Shadow explains the situation between the Rainbow Serpent and Bloodfang, Trollforge seems to know what it might be Trollforge makes a weapon called “The Killer of the Coil.” Wildthorn gathers a hunting party that includes: Shadow, Foxhair, Moonsong, Treerunner, Stream, and Skyblade While hunting with them, Shadow finds that he does not feel ready to talk, and sends to them, as he helps track the newly formed beast When Wildthorn called the creature out from the cave; Shadow instinctively sent to the creature to stop it and found he touched two minds The rain in the story mentioned, leads to a flood just after this, sweeping the creature down the river It’s revealed that Trollforge knew that the serpent and the bear had, each , at one time, been High Ones, who took the form of these creatures, and were eventually driven mad while trapped in these forms The High Ones names are revealed as Sirentel and Urenti February 2009 – Shadow, still brooding, and worried about finding game (since they had left in search for other elves) Foxhair silently pleads with Stillbreeze to try and lighten Shadow’s mood Stillbreeze begins telling a story about Starmane, Shadow’s (slightly older, and now deceased sister) Stillbreeze reveals that she and Starmane were Soul Sisters This is the first time (I think) that Shadow and Starmane’s parents are named; Wintermoon (their mother) and Shadeseeker (their father) The story begins with Starmane’s birth, and how she is named (black hair with white flecks throughout her hair) Stillbreeze goes on to tell a story that involves Foxhair, when she was really young The story fast forwards when Stillbreeze and Starmane were still young (seems to be around their “teenage” years) Foxhair’s parents are named (for the first time I think), Banetricker (Father) and Clouddreamer (mother) Story alludes that Foxhair’s older brother, Stormcreek, had a crush on Starmane It’s revealed, that a young fox pup that Stillbreeze had rescued, took a liking to cuddling with Banetricker and Clouddreamer’s new cub, around her head, and thus their new child was named Foxhair Stillbreeze explains in the story, later, that she and Starmane had been near a pond when humans came by Both scampered up the tree for cover, but Stillbreeze lost her footing; but Starmane caught her by the wrist and held her While Stillbreeze pleaded for Starmane to let her go, it was not worth endangering them both, Starmane refused to let go That’s when Stillbreeze shared her soul name with Starmane; and Starmane shared hers with Stillbreeze The humans passed by and Starmane swung Stillbreeze to a branch then blacked out; but this time Stillbreeze caught her and pulled her up to a branch The story progresses and Stillbreeze talks about how in her youth she had been attracted to Vineweaver; while Starmane admitted to her attraction to Stormcreek (who had been enamored with her for quite some time already) Starmane goes and tells Vineweaver about Stillbreeze’s attraction, and discovers it’s mutual Here, we learn that Longgaze earns his name as Elktamer, for what happens during a hunt for elk that had come down the mountain At the end of the story, Shadow agrees, that though those that have passed on, they are still with them in spirit and that puts him to ease March 2009 – Apparently I was feeling silly; it’s titled “A Tale Of Two Soul Mates” and begins with, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Shadow tells the tribe that they are to go out and hunt for real game; he takes with him Treerunner, Foxhair, Stream, and Skyshade Windfetcher demands to go; but Shadow explains that she will be chieftess in the cave, to watch over the others in his absence During a hunter in the snow against a snow bear; Treerunner is injured by the snow bear that surprises them Stream tried to pull Treerunner away, and the bear took it as a threat to his food and attacked Stream, clawing viciously at her Shadow shoves one of Foxhair’s arrows into the bear’s eye and kills it; leaving them wondering what to do since Stream was their healer and she was gravely wounded, as was Treerunner They find unusual tracks (round tracks, that were not deep; clearly intending to be snow shoe prints) They follow them to a cave, where Stream and Treerunner are left, while Shadow and Skyshade press on They find five figures, one administering herbs on the wounds of another Shadow tells Skyshade that there’s no time to ask politely from what they assume to be humans, and that they will take it When they ride in, much to Skyshade’s surprise, she ends up Recognizing one of them; and it’s revealed it’s five elves The five elves are: Riverfall, Daymist, Joybringer, and twins, Warsong and Wardance It’s revealed that Skyshade has done something very unusual; she has Recognized not one, but both of the twins, Warsong and Wardance I note at the end of the story, the idea of Recognition of Twins was inspired by a previous dream April 2009 – The story notes in the beginning that Treerunner was helping keep Stream, who had been mortally wounded, as much as he could (apparently he wasn’t wounded as bad, or, more than likely, I simply forgot) The five elves are taller, slender, less muscular than the Stonehowl Elves Daymist is revealed as a healer, and shows a dislike for Shadow (probably for his previous behavior of taking without asking) Daymist notes being able to hear Stream’s wolf in her thoughts somehow Joybringer calls Shadow and the rest of tribe “savages” for howling like wolves Riverfall explains that they are the Children of the High Ones Riverfall explains that some of the surviving High Ones had tried to make the Palace fly again, after the humans attacked, but with so few High Ones, the Palace crashed into a mountain, never leaving the world (which explains why it’s originally seen in the plains, essentially, and later it’s suddenly surrounded by mountains in ElfQuest) Riverfall explains that eventually trolls raided the Palace and began murdering the remaining High Ones, or enslaving them Riverfall explains that the trolls were lead by a troll named Scalphunter (an obvious reference, when I wrote it, not just because of what he did to the High Ones; but clearly, in my mind, a nod to the leader of the Marauders from the X-Men comics) Riverfall explains that Joybringer’s mate, Mindtouched, was cruelly killed for Scalphunter’s amusement Riverfall notes that other Children of the High Ones were enslaved; such as Firemane to light the furnaces; Twostone, to shape caverns; Fairskin, was alluded to be a sex slave for Scalphunter’s enjoyment, Joybringer explains that one of Scalphunter’s servants, a troll named Gemineyes, helped them escape Scalphunter’s wrath But it turned out Gemineyes had used their attempted escape to alert Scalphunter to gain favor Of the Twelve (another nod to the X-Men perhaps?) that attempted to escape, only the five of them had, others such as Twilight, Truesight, and Thorncoat had been killed; only the five managed to escape, thanks to Fairskin surrendering herself The others, who were not killed, and did not escape, were brought back to Scalphunter, their fate unknown Shadow brings the new elves, and reunites with the rest of his tribe May 2009 – It’s revealed that the Children of the High Ones, once had different names, but adopted the names they currently use, because they were fearful that Scalphunter might figure out that they are Children of the High Ones and do worse things None of the Children of the High Ones, actually remember their real names anymore Riverfall recalls that it was two members of the High Ones; Sirentel and Urenti who helped them escape when the Palace initially crashed; and there was another named Tawaim Sirentel and Urenti would eventually become the Rainbow Serpent and Bloodfang, and eventually become the Coil of Madness Tawaim would become Trollforge, and in this story, eventually be the one who mated with Winnowill, who sired Two-Edge The story focuses a little on Skyshade and her feelings about Recognition; about how next to these Children of the High Ones, she felt her blood was tainted and filthy The Twins (Warsong and Wardance) embrace Skyshade and accept her as she is Joybringer and Shadow get into it over Recognition During the mating of Warsong, Wardance and Skyshade, a Preserver crashes into the snow; the first one seen by Stonehowl, but recognized for what it is, by Warsong and Wardance June 2009 – Joybringer confronts the twins about Recognizing Skyblade Skyblade admits to Shadow that she was ashamed of their bloodline, having wolf blood The Preserver, purple in color is brought to Riverfall who tries to nurse it back to health Echo can feel the magic emanating from the Preserver Riverfall explains the duties of the Preservers The Preserver explains that its name is Berryseed The Preserver mentions that Echo makes it tingle; the Preserver’s wings are too damaged to fly Echo picks up the Preserver, and Berryseed comments that Echo reminds it of the “Starhome” (Palace) The trolls at that instant come through the wall, using one of the enslaved elves to shape the stone, which is why their scent is not picked up Stillbreeze is speared, but Vineweaver kills the troll that speared her against the wall The trolls kill Sungazer, and it’s discovered that they have an elf enslaved who can sense magic and the trolls were after Echo Shadow had managed to keep the trolls at bay, but was buckling when suddenly Joybringer came back for him In the moment that they stood, defiant against the trolls, their eyes met and Recognition consumed them both Stream’s wolf dies in her arms, and a tender moment is shared Shadow mentions finding other elves, that Berryseed had mentioned, and coming back to reclaim the Palace from the trolls July 2009 – The story begins with the elves having traveled and standing on the mountain cliff, staring down at plains, where Berryseed claimed more elves were Skyshade remarks to Shadow that she could already feel life blooming within her from her mating with the twins Riverfall speaks to Echo and Windfetcher about the High Ones, Scroll of Colors, etc Stillbreeze notes how three people have found joy (Warsong, Wardance, and Skyshade) while three others have found misery (Shadow, Joybringer, and Foxhair) Foxhair tells Shadow to join with Joybringer, then to come back to her, and that she would love the cub of Shadow and Joybringer, as if it were her own August 2009 – Daymist rants about his hatred of the Stonehowl Elves Riverfall defends them, claiming they’ve lived more than they have, despite their limited time, and that he has seen more wisdom in Echo than he has in Daymist Joybringer breaks up the fight saying that they have to stay with Stonehowl, or they lose two of their own (Warsong and Wardance) Foxhair ponders over her situation, with being in love with Shadow, but Shadow being Recognized with Joybringer (though they were trying to fight Recognition) Skyshade notes that she senses two cubs within her September 2009 – The story mentions several weeks have gone by, but at the same time Skyshade, falls from her wolf, and Stream mentions, “It’s time! She’s having her cubs!” Shadow decides to set up camp and selects Foxhair and Vineweaver to go with him hunting; and Joybringer volunteers to go as well, seeking to learn how to hunt for herself When Shadow decides to split the hunting party, he says that he and Foxhair will go but Joybringer demands to go because there’s “things to discuss” Foxhair pleads with Shadow to mate with Joybringer to get it out of his system, and agrees to go with Vineweaver when they split up to hunt Joybringer confronts Shadow, breaking down that despite her best efforts, the months of fighting Recognition was killing her The two acknowledge and accept Recognition Moonsong’s ability to make someone tranquil is noted again, as she helps soothe Skyshade during the child birth process Skyshade gives birth to one girl, one boy After the bonding between Joybringer and Shadow, she is killed by an arrow from humans Skyshade’s kids speak one word, shortly after birth, “Doom.” October 2009 – Shadow kills the humans that speared Joybringer and pauses after he sees himself covered in blood and tells the others humans to run He realizes that his action in killing the human was only natural, but knew it would fuel tensions with these humans to want their own revenge now Shadow takes Joybringer’s body back to the camp and explains what happens and says that the humans made a mistake; that they had not intended to spear Joyrbinger Berryseed tells them that they’re not far from where the other elves are The elves are approached by other elves riding lions And ever though I mentioned the name Berryseed, one of the new elves (Pridewalkers) calls her Berrybuzz The Pridewalkers explain that they have no Chief; that their leader is called a Sire (much like lions) Spearclaw and Shadestrike are the two Pridewalkers They bring them to Branchsnapper who brings them before their sire, Lionheart Berryseed is once again, within the same story, referred to correctly as Berryseed Shadow tells Lionheart that he means to war against the trolls and reclaim the Palace Lionheart tells Shadow that even his own tribe is too low in number to assist A sick child from the Pridewalkers is saved by Stillbreeze using Dreamberry wine Lionheart reveals that there’s been no magic for many generations in their pride Story ends with the humans coming with fire with the intention to burn the land because of Shadow killing the human (who had killed Joybringer) November 2009 – The humans that approach are led by Wurik, from the tribe of humans that had been near Shadow’s original holt Shadow, stricken with grief, rambles about his desire to kill every human and troll in existence for fear that they might one day kill another elf Stillbreeze steps up and speaks for Shadow and the humans explain that they were there to apologize and Wurik leaves, wishes Shadow to one day recover Lionheart is impressed by Stillbreeze stepping up, and says that she’s a better Chief than Shadow December 2009 – Talon, the child who was noted as ill from the previous month, appears to be in his teenage years as he speaks to his father It’s noted that Talon has one blue eye (symbolizing the sky) and one green eye (symbolizing the growth of grass) Talon and Branchsnapper complain to their Sire, Lionheart, about how they do not trust the newly arrived elves, and that the elves bring an upset in balance (both with the humans, as well as the wolves making the lions uncomfortable) Spearclaw’s sexually is alluded as being very open (male, female), but he notes that he has an attraction to Stillbreeze; Dawneyes, of the Pridewalkers, feels jealous of Stillbreeze Mountainheart, one of the Pridewalkers, spies on Shadow and the others about returning and reclaiming the Palace; Mountainheart reports that information back to Lionheart and the other members of the pride January 2010 – The story begins with Shadow having a dream; trapped between feeling what his heart feels (Foxhair, love) and what his mind feels (Joybringer, Recognition, and her death) The story then goes to Talon and Branchsnapper claiming that the majority of Pride do not want Shadow and the others around Shadestrike counters that there are Children of the High Ones with them and that they know where the Palace of the High Ones is Hammerfang adds that the Pride has gotten lazy in their years of settling; acting more like jackals than lions Branchsnapper urges Talon to challenge his father for the title of Sire; and Goldmane alludes that sometimes accidents happen, even though the challenges are not to the death (under normal circumstances) The story shows two people – though not naming them – speaking in secrecy During preparation, Branchsnapper accidentally draws blood from Talon Goldenmane gives Talon a drink that supposedly enhances his reflexes and strength During the Challenge, Talon realizes that he’s been poisoned When Lionheart sees that recognition of betrayal in Talon’s eyes, Lionheart snaps his son’s neck and challenges anyone who finds him weak Shadow and the Children of the High Ones, watch in horror When the Stonehowl elves gather, Stillbreeze voices how she suspects that Talon was poisoned, having observed closely how he was fighting and how he looked “groggy.” Spearclaw tells Lionheart that a Quickdeath has been spotted Stonehowl Elves agree to assist against this creature called a Quickdeath Lionheart explains that they do not kill the Quickdeath, because they do not believe it’s possible; they use runners, positioned through the plains to lure it away, and have corpses of dead animals at the end of the run to distract it and wait for it to one day wander back towards the Pride Stillbreeze and Lionheart get into a verbal exchange, and Stillbreeze gets Lionheart to agree, that if they kill the Quickbeast, he and his people will join in the battle to reclaim the Palace Stillbreeze, Moonsong, Treerunner, and Vineweaver ride out on their wolves to try and kill theQuickdeath It pulls Treerunner from his wolf, and wounds him, and kills Treerunner’s wolf (Springwater) Spearclaw pleads with Lionheart to send the runners to lure the Quickdeath away Lionheart explains that the Quickdeath will feed on those foolish enough to fight it and wander away Spearclaw, the sole survivor of the first Quickdeath attack (it had killed 16 members of the Pride) grabbed his spear and joined in the fight against the Quickdeath Spearclaw is gashed across the face and knocked from his lion, left lying on the dirt Stillbreeze used the distraction to plunge her sword into the base of the Quickdeath’s neck, finally delivering the killing blow As Spearclaw lie there bleeding, even then he thought solely of Stillbreeze February 2010 – Stillbreeze shares with Foxhair (who is watching over Shadow) about how she feels Talon was poisoned Branchsnapper speaks to Spearclaw about his obvious attraction to Stillbreeze, and how he can arrange something to happen to Vineweaver, to get him out of the picture, if Spearclaw swears his allegiance to their Sire, Lionheart Branchsnapper notes that Spearclaw risked his life to help Stillbreeze against the Quickdeath Vineweaver approaches Branchsnapper to say he was sorry for the loss, since Branchsnapper had (apparently) sided with Talon during the Challenge Branchsnapper shares that there is no Recognition among Pridewalkers, and that none of them has ever experienced it before Branchsnapper explains that the Pridewalkers number so few thanks to the beast known as Quickdeath; who had once come and decimated their number, killing for the sheer thrill of killing Branchsnapper meets with Lionheart to inform him the pieces are falling into place March 2010 – Shadow awakes finally from the fevered dreams; now accepting that Joyspring is gone, he is able to move forward and love Foxhair with his heart Vineweaver speaks with Stillbreeze, eager to continue their quest Stillbreeze mentions staying with the Pridewalkers and forgetting the war for the Palace, because of their cublings Branchsnapper listens and slithers away, smiling that everything was falling into place April 2010 – Skyshade questions Stillbreeze whether it’s true that she has mentioned staying Skyshade reveals that it had been Branchsnapper that told her The Stonehowl elves gather around and listen to Moonsong sing about Shadow’s great deeds, and how he is their greatest chief Vineweaver sits next to Stillbreeze and whispers something to her, clearly upset Vineweaver announces he and his family will remain with the Pridewalkers (not feeling safe to leave their cubs with them after what they say Lionheart do to his own child, Talon) Skyshade, Warsong, and Wardance also decide to stay, for the same reason Vineweave confronts Spearclaw about his infatuation with Stillbreeze As a crowd gathers, Vineweaver and Spearclaw suddenly turn and face Branchsnapper and Vineweaver throws the Challenge spear at Branchclaw’s feet Vineweaver explains, “If you defeat me, Spearclaw will challenge you next. If you defeat him, Stillbreeze will challenge you next. And if you defeat her…” Shadow entered the ring, eyes showing signs of full recovery, and said, “I will challenge you.” May 2010 – The story centers on the challenge between Vineweaver and Branchsnapper Vineweaver uses magic (tree shaping) during the Challenge and Branchsnapper tries to claim he’s cheating Vineweaver quotes the rules “By any means necessary” and due to the pressure of everyone watching, Lionheart agrees that magic can be used Vineweaver threatens to kill Branchsnapper if he does not confess who has been behind all the movements to divide the Stonehow tribe and finally Branchsnapper confesses that Lionheart was behind it all Lionheart tries to attack Vineweaver, but Shadow interrupts the attack Branchsnapper loses a portion of his left ear, thanks to Vineweaver, but he and Lionheart flee in the night June 2010 – Stillbreeze speaks with Rainbringer, Lionheart’s mate Rainbringer admits she’s happy Lionheart is gone because he not only killed their only son (Talon), but he had killed his own brother (Lilac) when he spoke up against his brother Shadow explains that Stillbreeze can be the Pridewalkers new Sire Vineweaver and Stillbreeze try to explain the idea of staying was a ruse to reveal Branchsnapper; that they had no intention of staying; their place was with their tribe But Shadow insists that War is no place for Children and that they would be safer here with their cubs Those that decide to follow Shadow are: Foxhair, Moonsong, Treerunner, Stream (who mistakenly calls Joybringer “Joyleaf”), Goldmane, Hammerfang, Shadestrike, Spearclaw, Snowcloud, Clearwater, Mountainheart, Wardance Vineweaver tells Stillbreeze that tonight she is free to chase her side desire, Spearclaw, since he is about to go to war and may never come back The story once again notes the battle with the Quickdeath Everyone gets a little screen time It’s noted between Dawneyes and Rainbringer, that the Sire’s mate title is Sovereign Vineweaver invites Spearclaw to become a part of their “family” – the tri-family relationship in Stonehowl’s history Vineweaver notices that Windfetcher is missing; Echo confesses that she’s gone to follow Shadow and be a part that reclaims the Palace Vineweaver goes after Windfetcher Watching this all Branchsnapper and Lionheart Lionheart says he will kill his current mate and make Stillbreeze his new mate The story goes forward a few weeks for Shadow and his team headed back for the Palace They’re ambushed by trolls, and a bolt takes Treerunner’s life (who, in his dying moments, sees his wolf, Springwater, to guide him to the Palace) The trolls used “kill holes” from beneath the ground; one striking Moonsong as she sought revenge The scene shifts, and it’s revealed that Lionheart has murdered the human Chief, Wurik, and demanded that the humans follow him against the Elves on the back of the demon-wolves, or they too will die like their Chief had (it’s also revealed, during this, that Wurik had united six different human tribes) The story switches to Vineweaver, still looking for Windfetcher It’s alluded that there is something special about her wolf bond, Glimmer, who had also been Wildthorn’s wolf bond (and not really aged, and out lived other wolves) The story switches back to Shadow and the others, where Shadestrike is killed by trolls The story goes to the Pride, where Warsong spots humans approaching with torches Stillbreeze commands Rainbringer to take the cubs and take them to the tent Lionheart makes his presence known as the “leader” of the humans The story goes back to Shadow, where he is stabbed, trying to save Moonsong It’s Windfetcher, with Glimmer, who comes and stabs the troll in the eye Stream is called to heal Shadow’s wound The story switches back to the Pride where Lionheart enters his tent, as fighting wages behind him Rainbringer tells Dawneyes to leave, that this isn’t her fight Dawneyes tries to apologize, handing Rainbringer the dagger, before leaving Lionheart crushes Rainbringer’s throat, only to have Dawneyes enter the tent again, crying and apologizing, shoving a dagger through Lionheart’s throat, then eventually decapitating him Story goes back to Shadow against the trolls, and Goldmane sacrifices herself to protect Hammerfang (who had only moments ago protected her) Story goes back to the Pride, where Echo peeks outside and sees that Riverfall had gotten his throat ripped open by Lionheart before he had entered the tent Echo took Lionheart’s decapitated head and ran out to the center of battle claiming that Lionheart took over as Chief by killing Wurik; now Echo was their new chief, having killed Lionheart (he said so, anyway, to stop the fighting obviously) Branchsnapper tries to leap at Echo, but Dawneyes emerges between the two; Branchsnapper fatally stabs Dawneyes, but she returns the favor; and as she dies, she sees Rainbringer waiting for her to guide her to the Palace The story goes back to Shadow’s quest, where the trolls begin to retreat Shadow tells those that can to give chase; when Moonsong does not move and stays by Treerunner’s side, Spearclaw speaks with her and she insists that she will not leave Treerunner’s side Story switches to Vineweaver who has caught up and sees Moonsong; she explains that Windfetcher is with the others, through the cave Vineweaver tries to convince her to come, but she insists on remaining, to prevent the trolls from defiling their fallen (and that she was ready to die defending them) Shadow and the others find enslaved trolls and Wardance, Hammerfang, and Mountainheart volunteer to go down and free those trolls and cause a rebellions against the vicious trolls who had enslaved them Scene switches to Moonsong, who dies fighting off trolls, and is greeted by Treerunner and his wolf, to guide her to the Palace The story switches to Wardance, Hammerfang and Mountainheart stirring up a rebellion as they freed the troll slaves Story switches to Vineweaver, who sees Hammerfang in the slave pit dying; a troll stabs Mountainheart through the back, and Wardance is alone fighting against trolls Story switches to Shadow, where Clearwater is killed during the battle Shadow ponders if this was the end, when suddenly one of the slavers ran into the room, dying in front of Scalphunter, King of the Trolls Vineweaver, along with Wardance, and three other Elves that Shadow did not recognize, burst into the room and helped turn the tide of the battle The three elves, Shadow deduced, were the other Children of the High Ones, that Joybringer had mentioned had been captured One controlled fire, one controlled stone, and one shaped flesh Eventually Scalphunter is the last troll standing from his legion When Shadow asks why the trolls fought the elves and prevented them from gaining access to the Palace, Scalphunter explained he heard the stories, passed down for generations, how the Elves had enslaved the trolls and made them work tasks within the Palace; until the trolls finally rebelled; Scalphunter feared that the trolls would once again be slaves to the Elves if the magic was unlocked Scalphunter lunges at Shadow, but Windfetcher comes between them, driving her dagger into Scalphunter; but the blow does not kill him His death is a long, painful process; as Stream heals him, just so they could rip him apart again, over and over Glimmer’s form changes; and the truth is revealed; she is the “one mother” of all the elves of Stonehowl Glimmer, as a High One, enters the Palace, sits on the throne, and connects to the Palace; sending forth a song to call all the Elves “home” The story switches to the Pridewalkers where Echo hears the song first, and tells the others that they had made it; the song was calling them all “home” The story moves forward a few weeks with elves of all kinds walking the Palace (it’s noted that there are elves who had bonded with wolves, lions, tigers, bears, hawks, jackals, boar, cheetah, owls and many others) The story notes that it’s the end, the quest is over July 2010 – A few paragraphs of Shadow feeling “caged” in the Palace and considers leaving August 2010 – Another very short segment; essentially the Palace’s magic had allowed Shadow and Foxhair to have a child, which is born in this story and named Snowspring (in honor of Shadow’s deceased sister, Purespring) September 2010 – Another very short story; Shadow decides he wants his cub to “live” and not feel “caged” in the Palace so he leaves Those that leave: Shadow, Foxhair, Snowspring, Wardance, Warsong, Skyshade (and their cubs: Dusk and Dawn), Vineweaver, Stillbreeze, Spearclaw, Echo, Sunsword (infant), Windfetcher (though she’s misnamed as Windfetch), Stream, Snowcloud, Stoneridge and Jagged (new elves from a Holt called Twopoint), Whitefeather and Freefall (both females from Skymountain; clearly made to be gliders), Sunstorm and Highsun, from a Holt called Oasis October 2010 – Shadow leads his new tribe to a new forested area It’s revealed that Glimmer’s High One name is Iannaira The elves are greeted by an evil human named Radarp The human reveals that he had been a part of Wurik’s tribe but left sixteen seasons ago The evil human is a personal reference Shadow points the direction of the Palace to the human, knowing he posed no threat in his utter madness That night the elves celebrated their new home; and Windfetcher smiled when she heard wolves howl in the distance November 2010 – Short story where Shadow takes Windfetcher out to hear the song of the other wolves howling, so that she understands one day one of them might bond with her December 2010 – Story begins with snow, and the Oasis tribe elves complaining while the Skymountain tribe makes several jokes (some sexual in nature) Highsun, complaining the most is suggested to tree with someone, from Foxhair Stream looks hopeful, but Highsun misses her look of silent volunteering January 2011 – Short story about Highsun being thankful that the snow was ending Shadow thinks how this new tribe is more than he could have ever imagined; what it represented from so many different types of elves February 2011 – Story is about Vineweaver taking Spearclaw out with him on a hunt for wolves; but not to kill wolves but to find one to bond They exchange the dialogue about the bonding process Spearclaw asks why he’s brought if not to kill the wolf Vineweaver explains, “So that you can understand what makes us who we are.” Spearclaw says he understands; but it’s when Windfetcher emerges from the den with a wolf pup that she’s bonded with, that Vineweaver says, “No, now you understand.” March 2011 – Short story where Highsun explains how his tribe, The Oasis, worked and lived Sandstorm notes, until the Call came from the Palace April 2011 – The entire story is a recap of Shadow’s adventures, beginning with the death of the human Krellin all the way through the Palace giving the Call May 2011 – Short story where Highsun asks what kind of animal life is in a forest, and the Stonehowl Elves briefly mention The Coil It later cutes to Vineweaver speaking to Stillbreeze, and they mention their youngest is now one season old June 2011 – The story centers on Spearclaw taking Windfetcher out for a hunt The story reveals that Windfetcher’s wolf pup is named Hackelmane They find some new born rabbits, but Windfetcher refuses to kill them because they’re defenseless and it wouldn’t be honorable The starving Spearclaw finally agrees and leaves the rabbits alive May 2015 – Story begins with Shadow seeing Wildthorn and Purespring, in a vision Shadow is awaken by Foxhair who collides into him crying Shadow sees several of his tribe dead, including: Wardance, Warsong, Dusk & Dawn (the brother’s cubs, who would have been around six or seven), Skyshade (the mother of the cubs), Sunsword (the cub of Stillbreeze & Vineweaver, who would have been around six or seven) It’s noted that Snowspring, the cub of Shadow and Foxhair is apparently among the dead, and five seasons old (not sure if I intentionally aged him as many years as it’s been since he appeared in the story or if that was coincidence?) Among the living are: Shadow, Foxhair, Spearclaw, Stillbreeze, Vineweaver, Echo, Windfetcher, Stream, Snowcloud It’s noted that, that is all that remained of his tribe; which means that others (when I had left off in 2011, such as Stoneridge & Jagged (from Twopoint Holt), Whitefeather & Freefall (from Skymountain, like gliders) and Sunstorm & Highsun (of Oasis Holt), had all left at some point It’s revealed that Frost Men (meant to be the same as Vikings) had been the ones to appear and kill so many of the Stonehowl members Shadow explains that they must leave this place and find a place away from all humans June 2015 – As Shadow and the others take voyage through the mountain pass, Shadow is clearly consumed with revenge Vineweaver notes to Foxhair that he is being reminded of Wildthorn The elves find a small cave to take shelter in Spearclaw reflects on his people; and how the High Ones who had come to the plains observed the lions, and shaped their own flesh and muscle mass to become similar to the lions The story switches to the Frost Men examining the cave, search for food, leathers, and things to keep them warm The main focus is on a young boy, about 15 to 16 years old, named Buren, who did not agree with the slaughter, especially when it came to the young ones The boy’s father, Balgar, Chief of the Frost Men explains that these are demons, and they are meant to be killed, so demands Kuraul, God of the North Wind Balgar, who notes he is the son of Trigon, blood of Yureel, blood of Grenbar, remembers the demons of the Crimson Reef (sea elves) He explains how the “sea demons” would attack their ships He, mistakenly says, “with the guidance of Balgar” when it should have been “with the guidance of Kuraul” July 2015 The story begins with the last line of the previous story, and the mistake of who guides them is corrected here Balgar makes a pyre to burn the bodies of the demons; and Buren notices that one of the infants is still alive Sherala, the Frost Men shaman, who gave up her eye sight for visions, says that Buren will be a problem Buren, burns his arm grabbing the infant from the fire and is exiled to the Stonehowl cave August 2015 – The story is dedicated to Nightsea who made a cool picture of the character Clouddreamer The story begins with Foxhair drifting to sleep The story focuses on Clouddreamer and Banetricker, her soul mate, and her two children Foxhair and Stormcreek During a hunting trip, they find bear tracks – but larger than any bear they had seen before – headed for the wolf den where the cubs of Foxhair and Stormcreek were Banetricker explains that this is the path of nature; the mother of the wolf cubs must be strong enough to defeat the large bear Foxhair refuses to listen and gives chase, in the direction the bear like creature was headed It’s revealed that it’s Bloodfang – a creature mentioned down the line of generations of Stonehowl Elves It has already killed the wolf mother, and six of the wolf cubs, with one remaining alive Standing between it and it’s kill, a young human boy, holding a torch, keeping Bloodfang at bay The boy catches Bloodfang’s fur on fire, and the giant beast flees The boy knows the surviving wolf cub will die, either of starvation or other predators that might find it Foxhair jumped down from the tree and greeted the human, though she could not speak the human tongue The human boy was not afraid, but thankful, and knew the wolf cub would be taken care of Back at the holt, Shadeseeker, Shadow’s father, who knew some of the human tongue, had translated for Foxhair what the human had said Foxhair named the wolf cub after the human; Elkheart Foxhair awakes and sees Shadow is gone; and she knows where he has headed; back to the Frost Men She gets there, too late, as Shadow stabs the young boy, Buren, believing he will take the life of a human child, for the life of the cub they took from him Shadow sees that the boy had been nursing one of the cubs; not just any cub, but his own cub Foxhair, thankfully has Stream with her to try and heal the boy September 2015 – Foxhair explains that she had a dream, recalling a courageous young boy who stood up to Bloodfang and thought it had also been a vision from her mother, guiding her Stream manages to heal the young human boy, but discovers she has “burned out” her healing ability October 2015 – The boy explains he’s been exiled and Shadow welcomes him to become part of the “tribe” Shadow then goes to the other Frost Men, as the dark storm came across Their human shaman, Sherala was already warning Balgar that Kuraul could not see them this night and that something was wrong Shadow and the other elves, gathered, and when the humans seemed ready to move forward, the wolves howled, and also approached Superstitious to a fault, the Frost Men retreated to their ship and fled November 2015 – The story with Buren with the Stonehowl Elves fast forwards two years Windfetcher, who has developed into a young female (about 16) is speaking with Snowspring (who is about 7) about who the next Chieftess will be (playfully) The story has a sense of happiness throughout the Holt Stillbreeze, Echo (now also 16), Buren (now 18) and Stream are out gathering supplies to prepare for the Winter season Stillbreeze speaks to Stream about Stream’s attraction to Buren (and vice versa) Stream is concerned because Buren is human, and it would feel odd Stillbreeze cites herself as a symbol of change, when she invited Spearclaw into her family (a first in Stonehowl history to have another mate while Recognized) Stillbreeze and Echo leave, and Stream and Buren accept their attraction and the story ends with them making love to one another December 2015 – The story picks up with Stream and Buren having just made love They talk about how much they love each other and also discuss how children between them will never be possible Both say that they're all right with it, so long as they have each other, but Stream feels as though deep down Buren does want children Stream thinks about how she had lost her healing powers that might have made such a thing possible, if she were a powerful enough healer Stream wonders if it's possible, and that if perhaps, her magic is still within her April 2020 – Two years have gone by since December 2015 grab bag Stream and Buren have had a half-elf-human child named Stonecutter Spearclaw is no longer with Vineweaver and Stillbreeze; moved out Shadow suspects that Windfetcher and Spearclaw are now an item May 2020 – Snowcloud wonders if Stonecutter (Half-Elf son of Stream and Buren) will be accepted Snowcloud asks if Stonecutter might grow up with healing abilities Echo goes over the whole Trollblade/Trollhammer/Trollforge bit how he was a High One as a troll (who Recognized Purespring) Snowcloud shows signs of being romatically interested in Echo, who seems to try and avoid it June 2020 – Buren and Stream sit near a cliffside overlooking the ocean Stream spots a rainbow and asks Buren what his people believed it was He explained that it was a serpent that took the souls up to the heavens to be judged - and that his people believed in many different gods Stream shares how it'd been a rainbow serpent that killed both of her parents (and many others in the tribe) Stream's message at the end is dedicated to the memory of George Floyd, and like many others who lost their lives needlessly, due to skin color July 2020 – Snowspring, now nine seasons, asks if she will ever have a wolf or be chieftess Snowspring also asks about Buren - and the idea that all humans are evil. Foxhair explains all races have it in them to be good or evil. Echo confronts his sister, Windfetcher, who is sitting on the cliff side, enjoying the ocean, if she's sleeping with Spearclaw Windfetcher explains she's not - and that he's been missing his people - and she's been lock sending to show him what they've gone through and that he's been sleeping with his fellow tribemate, Snowfur August 2020 - Shadow and Foxhair ask Vineweaver and Stillbreeze to care after their youngest, Snowspring Windfetcher is on the cliff side (her new favorite spot) enjoying the sound of the ocean, sensing change is coming To note, time has passed - Snowspring is now fourteen seasons old (previously only nine seasons) Shadow recounts their origin and all that they have endured Shadow and Foxhair explain they're leaving for their final voyage and appoint Windfetcher as the new chieftess, breaking tradition that only Alpha Males could be chief! September 2020 - Windfetcher is on the cliff side when Buren approaches her and talks to her She questions her ability to be a good Chieftess, but Buren assures her that she will do fine The scene shifts, Balgar (Buren's father) is murdered, as is his priestess (Sherala) of Kuraul A large black hair, black eyed figure says, "The age of Kuraul is over." October 2020 - Buren has a dream of his father saying how ashamed he is of his son Buren awakens and sees the ghostly figure of his father disappear, but swears he hears his laughter still The dark human figure who murdered his father is named - Rumdreer (Fun Fact: It's an anogram for the word "Murderer") On the voyage to track down where Buren is, it's noted he had thirty six, only sixteen survived the voyage A small human named Gord, whom Rumdreer uses as a scout, is noted for having had his tongue cut out by Rumdreer at some point, but he's learned to whistle It is this whistle that alerts Windfetcher who had been sitting on the cliff side in a gaze, that alarmed her to their presence She warns the others and they make a plan to use cunning to defeat these new humans from the Bloodtide November 2020 - Buren decides to confront Rumdreer as the Bloodtide member and his men rummage through the holt He is soon joined by his son, his mate, and the rest of his tribe The story has references to violent rape and murder committed by Rumdreer just to paint what a horrid person he is It also eludes to Rumdreer (and his followers) believing in the purity of the world (kill all non humans) Ends with a fight about to break out