"So you were the one following us," the Bark Elf said softly.
The Treefolk Druid replied, "If I'd arrived with Mr. Annan, you would have misunderstood. Following you here got me here in time."
"You think that washes away your collusion with humans?"
The Treefolk Druid looked at him with regret. "You've gone too far down the wrong path of nature."
They seemed to know each other. Even the other Druid Avengers held back. With no one paying him any attention, Annan slipped from the Orc's massive hand, moved beside Gema, and took a handful of seeds from his Magic Ring for her.
"What are these?"
"Sunflower seeds. Roast them and you can eat them. Crack them open like this, then spit out the shell..."
The Halfling woman, who loved all kinds of food, quickly learned how to eat them and took to their rich aroma. "They're a bit like pine nuts..."
"I'm following the true path of nature. You're the ones who are wrong." The last trace of fondness vanished from the Bark Elf's face, and his voice turned cold.
Crunch, crunch, crunch—
"But living beings are part of nature too. They grow, they die, and their bodies nourish the Forest..." The Treefolk Druid went on. "My friend, you've taken the wrong path..."
Then Annan noticed a Deer Halfling Druid beside Gema looking at him with curiosity.
Her long silver hair fell naturally around her shoulders, and her eyes were like a deep lake, serene and bright. Her crystalline antlers bore patterns etched by time, while her soft, short fur resembled frost beneath the moonlight. She lacked a Centaur's strength and athletic build, retaining instead a deer's slender, graceful form. She was only a little taller than Annan.
Annan hurriedly pressed the seeds into Gema's small hand and offered