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So, you want to hear the stories?
Your parents ain't gonna tell 'em to you, I bet. Your ears are too young and innocent for these type of things.
Ok, I don't care that you know what sex is. I ain't talking about innocent in that sense. I'm talkin' bout innocent as in not knowing the darkest secrets of the Spirits and Demons. (The darkest of them being the Deathspirit. Praise it.)
Go away, I ain't gonna tell you no story.
Child, I said, shut up and go away.
Fine, you'll hear your stories, but the words ain't gonna be comin' outta my mouth.
You know your way around Cameron, right, child? It's a small village. See the small gravel path leading into the trees at the side of Wolf's Howl Road? Turn there, and keep left at the fork. This'll take you into Wolf's Wood.
Hopefully.
You see, Wolf's Wood is quite an…odd wood. There's a rumour that the brutal and commanding Wolfspirit resides deep in this wood. There's howls late at night, and its common to spot a deer bone, picked clean of the meat. You might feel cold canine eyes watching you, or smell the reek of blood.
Reeve Smith has labeled Wolf's Wood as a place "for character-change and praising of the Wolfspirit."
In other words, its a place for scaring the crap out of people and being scared of the Wolfspirit.
Keep walking. Good, good. Listen, child, I don't care that you're scared or that the path has ended. You wanted stories, so I'm giving you 'em.
Where am I taking you? Oh, to the Elder Man. He knows all the good stories. He also lives in Wolf's Wood. Great place, innit? (That was sarcasm, child.)
C'mon, stop whimpering like a puppy. Wolf's Wood is definitely not the strangest thing you'll see in Cameron. This is a village of witchcraft and woodland, Spirits and Demons.
Wha' did you say, child? Oh, that that tree looks like it has a face on its trunk? There's probably a soul trapped in it. Some poor fellow must've passed there, praise the Deathspirit.
C'mon, child! Wave to the soul that is eternally trapped in that tree! You don't wanna? Ok, reasonable.
It's pretty dark in this wood. Smells horrible, too. Pine sap and wet fur and the tangy scent of copper blood---ok, I'll stop.
Lookit over here, child. Scythe Stream. It's the same stream as Phoenix Creek up in Crow's Wood, but Scythe Stream is a much more…fitting name for it here in Wolf's Wood. Here's where we'll find the Elder Man.
Go on! Call his name! Oh Elder Man, Elder Man!
Child, d'you see the silhouette coming towards us through the mist? Do you see an old man, hunched and weary with age? Do you see an old man, wearing filthy rags and donning a crooked smile filled with gold teeth? Do you see the shadows dance across his lined face like fire?
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That is the Elder Man. Neither Spirit nor Demon. Not a witch or a warlock. Just a storyteller, filled with the knowledge of the odd occurences of the past.
The Elder Man sits down heavily on a stone near the stream; water burbling and lapping at his gnarled feet. "So, you want a story, huh? You're gonna have to pay a price. You can pay your price when I'm finished with the story. Sound fair, eh?"
Nod your head, child.
"Alright, I'll tell you the story of a seventeen year old boy, Tyler, and his eleven year old sister, Rae. This story takes place at this very stream, except further upwards in Crow's Wood, where it is called Phoenix Creek."
"Rae had the Golden Eyes. She was extremely special; she could see signs and interpret them so that she could possess the knowledge of the near future. For this reason, Tyler was often envious of his sister."
"Tyler was a good kid. He was a bit rebellious and wild at times, but he was kind and caring at heart. He was raised hearing tales about the deeds of the Spirits and villany of the Demons; he knew the symbolism of every plant and how to create any concoction , and he could woo even the Sunspirit with his songs on the flute."
"Even with all these talents, Tyler was still jealous of Rae. His shy sister who had large golden irises, so many special powers, and was doted over by their parents. Tyler vowed to do something, anything, to impress someone, anyone."
"The blind fool couldn't see that he had already impressed so many people."
The Elder Man pauses for a bit, catching his breath.
"Tyler decided to hunt a deer. A highly forbidden act, as all deer belong to the Wolfspirit. So he stole his father's gun and dragged Rae into Crow's Wood with him."
"Believe it or not, he actually got one. A fawn-doe, finished with a bullet to the flank. Tyler was so proud of himself, so impressed. Rae saw this situation as a bad omen. She begged with her older brother, pleaded with him, warned him that his future was dark and that the Wolfspirit would come for him."
"Tyler didn't believe any of it."
"He didn't even make it out of Crow's Woods. The Wolfspirit stalked him and finished him with a bite to the neck. He bled out on the bank of Phoenix Creek, and he died begging the Spirits for forgiveness. He's buried there, you know, under a small wooden cross."
"Poor Rae was traumatized, and let me tell you the lesson she learned: think through your decisions carefully, for there will be consequences."
The Elder Man stood up, limbs creaking like old wood.
Child, ask the Elder Man what he wants for his payment.
"I want you to listen to the lesson." Then the Elder Man turned and dissolved into the dark, becoming nothing but a mere shadow. The misty water of Scythe Stream bubbled.
C'mon, child. We ain't gonna get caught by no Wolfspirit. We ain't gonna stick around in any creepy old forest either. You got your story, let's get outta here.
In this village, there are only six roads. There are five forests, Spirits, Demons, witchcraft, and prophets with Golden Eyes. This is the village of Cameron; there's more than meets the eye.
Maybe the Elder Man can tell you about it one day.