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see a dozen wolves burst from the brush.
    They ran straight for me. I screamed and sprinted down the path. Their feet treaded loudly along the dirt trail. In a few moments their breath blew over my neck. I gasped for air and sought some place, some sanctuary, in which to escape. My pleas were granted when I beheld a light. It came from a small wooden shack and barn not more than twenty yards off. The wolves drew closer. Ten more yards and I would be safe. A foot more and they would have me.
    I flew across the ground and slammed my whole body against the entrance. The door gave way and I fell inside onto the ground. I rolled over and faced the doorway, and what I thought was my doom. There was nothing there. The wolves had vanished. There was no even a whisper of their howls in the distance. It was as though they were never there.
    "Good evening," a voice greeted me.
    I turned and found I lay in a comfortable, one-room cabin of sorts. A large stone fireplace sat on the wall opposite the door, and between them was a small table with two chairs. On the right lay a large, solid wood bed made of thick logs, and on the left was a kitchen of sorts with a counter. A door on the left wall beside the counter led to the barn.
    Beside the table with a smile on his face stood Ethan. He strode over and offered me his hand. "Are you all right?" he wondered.
    "I-I don't know," I admitted. I accepted his hand and he pulled me to my feet. My eyes glanced at the empty, quiet doorway. "I was chased by wolves and saw your light, but when I fell inside they vanished," I told him.
    "I did hear the howling, but I didn't see anything chasing you when you fell inside. Though just to be sure-" He walked around me and firmly shut the door. I was both consoled and frightened by his action. The wolves were shut out, but I was shut in. He turned to me and gestured to one of the simple wooden chairs by the table. A warm, crackling fire illuminated the room. "If it would please you to seat yourself in my humble abode I will give you some root tea to soothe your nerves," he invited me.
    "I am sure you shouldn't go to such trouble," I argued.
    He put a gentle hand on the small of my back and led me to the chair. "Nonsense. You are a guest, and quivering from the cold and the wolves. They must have given you quite a chase, but what were you doing out there, and without a horse?" he wondered.
    I reluctantly seated myself, but didn't lean back and make myself comfortable. "I was at a picnic this afternoon and the wolves came upon us. My horse fled in a different direction than the others and a branch dismounted me. I fell unconscious and awoke near your home," I explained.
    He strode over to a kettle in the hearth near the flames. The heated stones kept the water inside warm. "Very convenient," he commented.
    I had not forgotten about the woods and their doings with Ethan and myself. "How so?" I asked him.
    "Well, that you were so close to my home, and that I should wish to speak with you about an important matter to yourself," he replied. He walked over to the counter, poured two mugs of drink, and returned to the table where he set one of the steaming containers in front of me.
    "What matter do you speak of?" I wondered.
    He seated himself and took a sip of his drink. "The roots in these woods are very special. They have the sweetest flavor. It's one you never forget," he commented.
    I frowned. "Surely the matter is more important than roots," I returned.
    Ethan chuckled. "Well, not quite, but it is about the woods. You never forget the flavor of its tea, and it never forgets a pact made centuries before."
    "A pact with my father?" I guessed.
    He raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Do you know something of it?"
    "I followed my father to your grove and overheard your conversation," I revealed.
    "Ah, but do you know anything of the specifics?" he asked me.
    I shook my head. "No, only what I overheard. My father would tell me nothing."
    Ethan frowned and put his mug on the