The hunter stands still and silent as he listens and surveys his section of the forest. Something has disturbed his simple world, something new and unknown. He walks back to his cottage and returns shortly dressed for the hunt. He strings his mighty bow and with a quick wave to his cat, he's off disappearing silently into the woods.

For days he follows track and spoor of the beast that has disturbed his world, bow at the ready, arrow notched. He stops here and there for the night totally at home in the deep woods, but sleeps poorly as it remains unnaturally quiet.

He finally reaches the limit of his preserve but with scarcely any hesitation he moves into the unknown, deeper and deeper into the dank woods never quite losing sign of what has passed before him.

Finally after days have passed he begins to see signs of getting closer and closer to his quarry, a broken twig here, a bent stem there. His steps slow down and become deliberate.

Eyes always moving as he follows the faint trail, the signs showing that he is closing.

His right hand moves to check the fletching on his arrow making sure that every feather is in it's place as his stride now becomes a mere whisper as he travels along.

He squats as he checks a small track in the soft earth in front of him, surprised to find it still faintly warm as if the beast had stood there bare moments before. He begins to wonder in his heart who hunts who.

He hears a soft growl beginning behind and off to the right of him. He stands and draws his bow. The muscles in his arm standing out like steel cords as he holds the fletching of the arrow back against his cheek.

There by an old enormous oak his eyes detect motion as something large begins to move out from behind the mighty trunk. His fingers tense slightly before letting the arrow fly, bow redrawn with another before the first has found its mark.

An eerie sound comes from the creature as his arrow sped true, the second just a split second behind strikes as well. The beast falls to the ground with two shafts jutting from it's chest.

He begins to move forward and freezes as a sad and forlorn mewling comes from the dieing monster. He sets his bow aside and pulls a long sharp dagger from his belt intending to put it out of its agony. As he gets within a few steps the sad sound stops and the beast speaks to him with a soft feminine voice.

"I thank you good hunter for finally putting an end to the curse I have lived under for so long. So many have tried and failed, I was beginning to wonder if the witch was wrong."
She turns her head to look at him; soft sad golden eyes look him over as she lies there. "Put away your blade for you have mortally wounded me and I am no threat to you now." She coughs and her eyes close with the pain, blood can be seen discoloring her sharp teeth. Slowly her eyes open once more and look into his a pleading seen deeply reflected within. "Please sit and wait with me as I pass. I have no wish to be alone anymore."

The hunter comes a bit closer shock registering on his face as he begins to make out a woman's features beneath the tawny fur covering her body. His legs crumple and he slides to the ground, his knife falls forgotten and unneeded. "What have I done he cries out to the forest canopy above."

"Shh please don't be sad" is heard coming softly from her lips. "You have done me the best service anyone could. You have freed me at last." She struggles to lift a hand that resembles a paw towards him. " Please hold my hand I would like to feel the warmth of your skin against mine... it's been so long since I've been touched."

He scoots closer to her and takes the offered hand in his; tears falling from his eyes as he gently folds his fingers around hers. "I'm here, and you are not alone, not anymore.

A soft sigh escapes her blood stained lips as he touches her. "Thank you" is said with her dieing breath and her body relaxes into death.

Great sobs could be heard from the hunter as he gathers her broken body into his arms. He takes her over to the base of the old oak and sits once more holding her as if she were just a child.

Tears fall from his cheeks and where they fall the fur begins to fade from her body. Soon all the fur is gone and all that remains is a beautiful woman about his age. Peace and serenity mark her face. " I'll not leave you alone dear lady... you will never be alone again. This I swear by the gods."

For days he stays there with her never leaving, never letting her out of his arms. He ignores the hunger that gnaws at his belly and the thirst that cramps his throat, till soon he fades away and joins her in deaths final slumber.

The mighty oak so old, so slow to awaken finds the pair at his base and the anguish-felt touches his knotty heart. His slow ponderous thoughts direct growth a new direction taking nourishment from their decay and as they slowly are taken into the tree as new life. the base roots form in their image.

Today if you ever find the old oak you will still see the image of the hunter and the beast there at it's base and if you stop and listen quietly you might hear soft golden laughter as the wind blows through it's leaves..

The guardian stands on the craggy cliffs watching over the land on a day
that never ends. The light warms his body as he stands there, still
as a statue, firm of conviction, his will resolute.

His eyes widen slowly as a small blemish of darkness appears over the
horizon, growing slowly, but yet ever widening as it approaches. His
thoughts ponder the meaning of this, as the light begins to fade from his
sight.

The warmth that the light has always provided slowly fades from him,
making his body and thoughts sluggish. He slowly turns his eyes to
the heavens as the last glimmer fades from view. One by one the
stars become visible and tears form in his eyes as he finally beholds
the true beauty of the night.

He continues to watch over the land as he has always done, his duty, his
life. Yet now with of the absence of light, his task much harder than
before. Still he strains to see what he can.

Suddenly the wind picks up bringing with it a coldness he has never felt,
small shivers run slowly through his body, yet he remains standing
The stars start to fade out slowly as clouds begin to fly through the air.

First one small, one here, one there ,the air turning colder as the wind
begins to howl past him. One hand comes up to shelter
his eyes as he continues to watch, ever steadfast in his duty.

The clouds begin to thicken and a hint of moisture begins to be felt in
the wind. Lightning begins to crash to the ground coming closer and
closer, the very air rumbling .Yet he remains.

His body slows down even more as the cold, cold rain buffets him and
the lightning comes closer and closer. The water running over him begins
to slow as the temperature continues to drop, and finally turns to ice.

Oh so slowly now he moves to brace his body against the biting wind,
mindful that he has a task to perform.

The storm worsens, the land around him slick with ice, glistening
softly flashes reflected from the constant lightning surrounding him.
Yet he remains.

Dust and dirt borne by the wind crash against him as the storm unleashes it's fury,
though he feels no pain from it's impact.
First one small piece chips from him, then another. His eyes
move towards the wounds. Blood freezing instantly, he turns his eyes back
to watch the land. The long night continues.

Dawn sluggishly returns to the land, the darkness reluctantly giving way
to the glow of a new day. As the sun breaks over the horizon, the soft golden light
reveals a cliff top empty and barren.

Darkness and the storm have won for now, the guardian who watched and
protected the land is no more.