After the events of Market Day, you find yourself with some unexpected “free time”. Your mind wonders back to an interesting experience you had the other day while walking in the woods just beyond the MontAerie farm land… [memory scene wibbly wobbly music]

It’s quiet! Too quiet! Stiller Beobachter from Ansbach, Germany, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

You walk through the woods, enjoying the late afternoon sun and the sound of song birds on the breeze.  After a moment, you stop –  something’s different… you listen but hear nothing. It’s quiet…Exactly! It’s quiet! Too Quiet! Something is coming!

A chill runs down your spine as you too begin to notice the lack of normal outdoor sounds like the rustling of small animals in the underbrush, the singing of birds. Even the wind seems to have temporarily ceased its gentle breeze that followed you all afternoon.

As the sun begins to set, the shadows deepen and darken. The friendly woods that you’ve been traveling through now seem slightly more sinister. A sudden crack off to your left makes you whirl around, and crouch, your weapon in hand, prepared to defend yourself! A figure steps out of the shadows toward you.

What’s the matter? Don’t you trust me? Alaina Rose, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

The figure is not especially tall, nor, especially large, but the hooded cloak it wears casts a shadow over its face, so you can’t clearly see its features… except for a sudden glint off of long, white teeth in a wolfish muzzle.  The figure extends a hand as it steps into a sunbeam and you can see it is, in fact a wolf with golden brown fur and a white muzzle and throat. You’re momentarily shocked. You’ve never met a WOLF in MonAerie. She has long brown fur on her head, cascading down her back and over her shoulders and wears jewelry set with small green stones at neck and ears. She is dressed in brown pants and a white shirt under a midnight blue cloak. You grip your weapon tightly.

“Hello, friend! I am Tasha Lupina. This is my land you are traveling through. I am surprised you did not come to my home first to request permission to trespass.” She grins.. wolfishly?

“But no matter. You may come now and join me for supper.”

When you hesitate, and still look wary, she smiles, showing a startling number of sharp teeth.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you trust me?”

You straighten from your defensive crouch, and make a small bow in greeting. After introducing yourself you follow her down a path through the woods toward her cozy stone house on a hill. As you walk, you ponder her question. Do you trust her? If so why? And if not, why not? How can you know what a person if truly like if you’ve just met them.

As your awareness fades back to your current situation you wonder if you should have paid more attention to this meeting – especially given the events of the previous days…

These are the next topics you must strive to understand, if you are to fulfill your quest! Click Next to begin.