She frowned.  "It'll be okay.  Maybe things will have changed since you've been gone.  You have been gone for a long time." she said with a sigh.

"I doubt it, but there is the slim chance. Anyone who wanted to change usually left like i did, or they gave up on trying to change the village. It was built on the oldest of traditions and beliefs. The only thing to change was the original group that settled there didn't have fur," she said, starting to look through another book ,"They're as stuborn as you so the chances of them changing are very low."

"There is the possibility.  And no matter what, I'll always be with you, and you'll always be my beloved Ahnah." she said, hugging her.

"Ad for that I'm glad. You have no idea how much hearing you say that matters to me," she said, setting the book back down to return the hug. "Well, if we're going to be heading north, I suggest we get supplies that will last in cold weather. Food might not be a problem, but water will be our major problem since we'll have to keep it from freezing," she said, seeing a man clad in black and red attire approaching them, "Oh, hello sir. Can we help you."

"Yes, I would like to speak with Ms. Lily here in private," he said, giving a slight bow, "Of course you don't have to if you don't want to, i just want to talk with you about something."

She looked at Ahnah in surprise, then back at the man.  "S-sure..." she stuttered.  She then let go of Ahnah and got up.  She didn't know whether to be wary of the man or not, but he must have good intentions...

With a wave of his hand, the area around Goldenscale and the man turned grey as it had with Catherine's spell. "There, that'll give us plenty of time to talk," he said before looking back to Goldenscale. "Now to what I wanted to say. Catherine says you've been a major influence on my son. My question is, what do you plan on achieving by teaching him the ways of Nature," he asked, his form changing to that of a feral nargacuga, "What do you have to gain?"

She looked at him in surprise, then frowned.  "I hope to gain nothing except helping another.  He wants to become a beastkeeper.  What I can feel and see in him is something I know he should use.  It is something I do not see often.  All I intended was helping him to achieve what he wants to do.  If that means I will have to work harder to insure that our journey in freeing Kyne is a success and to help him to pursue this without risk, then so be it.  I do not need to gain anything to know I have done something for another." she said proudly and with confidence.

"You seek to bring Kyne back, but you know not what that means. Kyne's return means wither the end of this world, or the begining of a long lasting peace. In either case, all of my kind will no longer have a purpose, no reason to exist. To bring back Kyne is to poentially eliminate all species who protect the sacre jungle," he growled, "If you do bring Kyne back, you'd best make sure she succedes in defeating the Shade, or I'll personally make sure the Shade doesn't get a chance to kill you."

She closed her eyes.  "Every being on this planet has a purpose, and if one of those purposes in gone, then another will arise.  There is more than one jungle in the world.  Anyways, Catherine told me that she would like for you to go back home if I succeed, and I plan on doing that.  I will give my life to bring back something great that had been lost.  I am but one small, unexperienced nature spirit compared to so many more.  But I am confident in my abilities enough that I know we will bring back Kyne and her champions and defeat the Shade, even if it does bring my death.  I do not fear it anyways...  As I told Catherine, if I fail, you can do what you wish to me.  Just call me and I will be there, I shall not run but I will take it for I would have shamed myself." she said opening.her eyes.

"I sense in you that you are not doing this to bring Kyne back, but rather soemthing else," he said, starting to circle Goldenscale, "Tell me, what is your reason to bring Kyne back? What is it that motivates you to do this? What motivates you, a spirit of nature, to do something mortals have been charged with doing?"

She sighed and frownes.  "At first it was because I found out I was to going to outlive everyone I loved, and that didn't go over to well.  Me commiting suicide doesn't ever work either, so them Moonlight, one of the nature spirits that watches the planet from the moon, told me I was to go on a journey to find some magic poton or something from the Arcanist.  It wasn't until later that I found out about Kyne and everyone, so I commited myself to that as well.  I have a year, so why not?" she said.  "But I couldn't bear the thought of watching Ahnah, or Tieral, or my adoptive mother and my siblings die before me." she said quietly.

"I see, then you'd best work hard. I can understand doing something difficult for the sake of family. I wish the best of luck to you, but do know I will be keeping an eye on you. Those who seek out the Arcanist's Stone of Eternity usually come to resent those around them," he said, stopping between Goldenscale and Ahnah.

"The only ones I resent are dark spirits and rogues, but that's because they continually try to kill me.  It is impossible for me to resent anyone other than them." she said, keeping a wary eye on him.  

"Many a person have said th same thing, and yet they turned when the Stone was almost theirs. Your resolve may be stronger, but there have been stronger than you who have fallen to it," he said, slowly shifting back into a human, "Time will tell if you are true to your word or not."

She swallowed.  "May I die if I ever do resent everyone..." she said quietly.  "But I have confidence that I will stay true.  I have when I was taken over by my evil side..." she said quietly.