They had always been there. Timeless as the hills. Certain as the sun. Before Keva was old enough to know anything, she knew that they were out there, watching them. The Keepers in the forest.
Keva’s mother, a comely, kind doe who, like her, had the softest fur of brown, had whispered lullabies to her while she was still a swaddled infant. Lullabies of the Keepers in the forest. Around the clearing. Beyond the grove. The Keepers watch us with all their love. Ever young. Ever fair. The Keep

An
arm was all that was left.
Kevia
peeked into the clearing, hiding among the long, low branches of a
thick willow. A clearing was a dangerous place out in the wetlands.
Almost as dangerous as the woods themselves. In a clearing, there
were no trees, no brush, no escape. A prey could see the predator
coming. Which usually meant they had time to scream and cry before
dying rather than dying quickly and with only a little pain. But this
clearing, at least, seemed to be empty. Save for the arm.
It

Lindayo was educated, as all Shauhy are, and knew how to read. Reading is an important skill for the Shauhy, so that they can read poetry and recite it, as well as sing songs. However he read other things as well, for he was not always monitored by his naga and human trainers.In the school where he grew up, he was always the top student, skilled in most of the arts, and eager to please. A human that was such a good pupil was a trusted human. So was at liberty to wander the village where the many