by Antichthon » Tue Mar 10, 2015 7:14 am
He could feel Its anger. It flared like a beacon in his mind. That this insignificant little creature would defy It...Whatever held Talyn squeezed. And It could have easily squeezed the life out of him, but It did not.
It said, "I have always loathed birds." They were more feather than flesh. They overestimated their own importance. And they were selfish. But that made the fact this little creature had earned their respect all the more impressive. It did not fear the raptors; Were they to attack, It would dispatch them easily. Yet, despite Its hatred for birds, they were as much a part of the forest as any other animal. They were under Its protection, and that included protection from their own stupidity. It released him, and his horse as well.
"Do not be deceived. Your life still hangs in the balance. It has been too long since I have savored the taste of elf." A pause. "You wish to live in these woods? Then by the virtue of your race, I will allow it. But you shall abide by the same laws I have passed to the other wildling natives. You shall take from the land only that which you need, and you shall take it only from those who can suffer the sacrifice. By your race and your experience, I trust you have the wisdom to determine this for yourself." There were plenty of plants and animals in the Wood whose populations were at critical levels. There were even some animals, such as rabbits, that made the problem worse. A thinning of their numbers would be welcome. And while It would never trust a human to make these decisions, an elf, even a half-elf, was competent enough to do so.
"Furthermore, you will not venture into any human settlements within my sphere of control. Any humans you encounter in these woods, you shall either kill or escort to the woodline. If you choose the latter, and I encounter them before they have reached safety, their lives will be forfeit.
"You may leave these woods at any time, and what you do outside of them is beyond my jurisdiction. But nothing that you procure outside of these Woods shall pass the woodline, and nothing that you procure within these woods shall leave it. This includes that which is currently on your person. The first thing you shall do is leave these woods and discard all that you own. I do not care if you procured any of your current possessions within these woods. They are tainted, and you must be rid of them. Out of mercy for your kind's susceptibility to the cold, you may keep the clothes on your back until you are able to replace them.
"Break any of these laws, and your life is forfeit. Prove yourself incompetent in the care of this land, and your life is forfeit. There is no room for negotiation. Accept these terms as they stand, or die. Your birds will not save you." It would rather cause the unnecessary deaths of a few birds than let this elf believe it had some measure of control over It.