Lyrebyrd hid her worry behind her calm exterior. “No. Look you little fool. I taught you how to run with the wolf pack, but I will not teach you how to be part of the pack.”

Kantha glared stubbornly back at her. “Lyrebyrd. You are one of the few druids that knows how to run with the pack. And one of the few accessible ones that will teach it. You know as well as I that others need to know the old druidic lore. You’re not willing to go to groups of people. I am. The druid’s are slowly losing the teachers that can teach the old lore. Some druids don’t even know who the Protector of the Grove is! I need to learn this.”

“You’re barely out of training. You’ll lose yourself.”

“I won’t.”

A creamy-grey wolf ran up to Lyrebyrd and nudged her hand <Pack-sister. Teach our form. Teach us. If stays us, we lead her you. Okay. Teach Pack-sister. Make her sister.> the wolf demanded. Lyrebyrd smiled fondly at the wolf. The wolf had been named Snowfang. Snowfang had decided to keep her child name. It still suited her, as she loved eating snow. Lyrebyrd tried to be with her at all times. Sometimes it unnerved people.

“A certain impetetous wolf just told me she would help. Remember one thing, my druid sister. They can not prevent you from changing. Your whole personality may change. They also can not prevent you from going feral. From being unable to leave wolf’s form, because you don’t want to. Are you willing to take that? As well as the possibility your self will die because it couldn’t handle the wolf’s form?” Lyrebyrd snapped at her student.

“I understand. I take the risks. Please show me.” The undertone in Kantha’s voice betrayed the hunger for knowledge Lyrebyrd felt on a regular basis. This time though, it was the hunger for danger that usually killed.

Lyrebyrd bowed her head and placed the scroll into the girl’s hands. The deed was done, there was no turning back. Lyrebyrd’s mind fled to a place with no worry. The void. She knew she couldn’t stay long, but she stayed there for a short period of time. The void drained all pain and emotion from whoever entered it, leaving nothing but tranquility. If you stayed too long though, it might drain your essence. Many fighters, mostly warriors, knew how to use the void to make their fighting better. Lyrebyrd knew that because of Peregryne, but no more. Just like the druids keep secrets, so do the warriors.

Lyrebyrd came out of the void. She impressed the directions and instructions into Kantha’s mind. Kantha started the change of her form right away. Lyrebyrd watched and her worry grew. Even a beginner should be changing faster, more gracefully. Kantha was changing slower then a snared slug. It was also abrubt change. Her knees changed slightly, and her arms grew longer. This wasn’t going right, but Lyre couldn’t make her stop, it would surely maim her permanently. Kantha kept slowly changing, slowly, bit by bit. One more change, and Kantha would be a wolf. And then it happened. There was a dull flash of light, and Kantha was a wolf. A different wolf. She was cream colored, but with red feet and the tip of her tail was red. Lyrebyrd grabbed the scroll from the ground, and ripped it open. It was the right spell, but something was wrong. She felt inside herself, for the green fire throughout herself. She looked at the scroll from her magic. It was red, with streaks of black. CORRUPTED! “Kantha. Change back NOW. Right now. No arguing. Just do it.”

The wolf stared at her, and the form wavered. It started blurring, but stopped. <I can’t. What’s wrong?>

“The scroll was corrupted. The ‘lady’ that sold it was a druid. Naturally, I trusted her.”

<Unkempt druid?>

“Probably more like corrupted druid. She may have walked a tainted path. Who knows? The unkempt druids are not evil, just different. I swear before Tunare, I will find that ‘lady’ and find out what she did to it. I swear it Kantha!”

<It’s okay Lyre. I’m happy as a wolf. Eventually, I’ll forget being an elf.>

“I can’t let that happen. Kantha, you must remember yourself.”

<Alright, but I’m coming with you.>

“Let’s go then.”

Lyrebyrd changed quickly and gracefully into a silver wolf. Not grey, oh no. Silver. Silver, as in the moon’s light. She shook herself, and started running. Snowfang followed, and Kantha came with her.

They ran for a couple days, across most of Antonica (or Tunaria as it once was called). Lyrebyrd supplied all her energy into keeping them rested and fed without stopping. When they reached the place where the woman was, Lyrebyrd growled, sniffed the air and ran towards a nearby hut. She nudged a window open, jumped in, and jumped on top of the woman there. It was one and the same. A tall, red haired, human, woman. Kantha growled deep in her throat.

Lyrebyrd changed back as fast as any druid could, and very quickly unsheathed her scimitar, holding it against the woman’s throat. “The transformation spell, you sold me it. Tell, or I swear, I will make you hurt!”

“And I thought you druids were gentle.” The woman muttered.

“Not to desecrators of nature, nor to those who hurt our own.” Lyrebyrd snapped.

“Fine. It isn’t corrupted, just changed. The spell isn’t wolf form, it’s firewolf form. Firewolves are immortals, so she can’t change back. Also, it doesn’t grant her immortality, in fact, it shortens all their life to 3 days.” The woman said, smirking.

“Why are you so happy?”

“Because I sold enough of those spells to cover every druid in Norrath. Now you are gonna leave me alone, because I can’t help you.”

“Leave you alone? Oh no.” Lyrebyrd said. Then she uttered a blood curdling howl. From the distance came replies. 2 wolves came running, they jumped on her, and carried her off. In that one howl, Lyrebyrd explained this woman was bad. The wolves would probably kill her, but not slowly. Lyrebyrd would not to do that to Innoruk, much less a petty evil like this.


Lyrebyrd sighed and changed back to wolf form. She and Kantha spent the last days Kantha had left making sure all the scrolls were found and destroyed, all the druids of Norrath were warned of the new danger. The scrolls kept on coming, somehow. Groups of druids went hunting for the factory. Kantha and Lyre helped find it. It was a massacre for the people inside. The evil people. Lyrebyrd and Kantha left before it happened.

The druids must have been angry to do it, but about 10 of the best druids on Norrath fell prey to the scrolls.

On Kantha’s last night, Lyrebyrd gave her the highest honor a druid could give another druid. She took Kantha to her Grove.

<I’ll miss you Lyre.>

“I’ll miss you too Kantha. I’m sorry.”

<It wasn’t your fault. You’ve been the best friend I’ve ever had. The only thing I’m sorry about, oh never mind.>

“Sorry about what?”

<I never learned how to do this properly, and I can’t teach others.>

“Oh Kantha.” Lyrebyrd hugged her friend.

<Well, it’s true. Could you get someone to teach it?>

“I’ll teach them myselves if I can’t convince the Heartwood Master to teach it! I’d do anything for you Kantha.”

<Thank you. Others need to know the old lore. And Lyre?>

“Yes?”

Kantha started fading away, <Remember me, and tell others about the evil that happened, so they know the truth.>

And she was gone.

“Kantha! No, Kantha!” Lyrebyrd collapsed weeping. The part of the Grove Kantha was in softly disapeared. Lyrebyrd wept over Kantha in Lesser Faydark. Snowfang and her pack echoed the cry of despair, and wolves all over Norrath howled their anger and despair at the death of the druid Kantha. The howl echoed for days, weeks, for other druids had just died as well. It was bad enough one druid had died needlessly, but 11 was wrong. The animals heard the cry, and repeated it. Druids all over Norrath mourned the loss of friends and kin.

Peregryne could not make Lyre budge from the area that once was a piece of her grove. So she had to bring food for 2 weeks to Lyre. When Lyre finbally left, her face was streaked with tears, her eyes bloodshot from no sleep, and she was thin from not eating or drinking enough.

“Enough. Kantha wouldn’t want you to be doing this, she’d be telling you to get on with your life. Now clean up, eat, and go to sleep.” Peregryne ordered Lyrebyrd.

Lyrebyrd nodded, Peregryne was right. She followed Peregryne back into the grove, ate some berries and went to sleep.

The next day she was looking much better. She went down to the woodelf druid guild and told the Heartwood Master he was going to teach the old lore. Every bit of it. He told her she better save her energy for the council when they find out. She smiled. “They aren’t going to argue with me. They’re going to agree with me.”

Many other guilds started teaching the old lore once the elvish druid guild did.

No druid ever forgot the catastrophe that happened.

Lyrebyrd hated herself for giving Kantha a corrupted spell. She never forgave herself, until one night.

“Lyrebyrd.”

Lyre knew it was a dream, but seeing Kantha again made her happy.

“Lyre, stop hating yourself. I’m happy here. Maybe we’ll see again. I’m considering rebirth. If you do see me, treat me as you would have treated me when we first met.” Kantha told her firmly. Lyre looked into Kantha’s brown eyes.

“I am at fault for you dieing.”

Kantha shook her raven black hair. “You aren’t. It was well hidden until used.”

“You sure?” Lyre was doubtful.

“Very. Now stop losing sleep over me, get on with life. You were a very good teacher, and a very good friend.”

“I’ve never had a friend like you.”

“Well, you’ll have another in a couple years. Rebirth, Lyre, rebirth. Now go get on with life.”

Lyre did meet Kantha again. Her new name was Meryth. A very good student and friend. Lyre got over it before she met Meryth though. She also forgave herself.

Life goes on. Lyre found that out. As life goes on, things change. The change was that the old lore was taught once again. The druids made sure only certain people could make spells for them, and Tunare’s children went back to the normal way of life, life the way it should always, always be.

May Tunare Bless You With
Sunny Skies and Dry Roads

Lyrebyrd Falconspirit
Dreamer, Writer and Holder
of the One True Magic.