The forest has many eyes

Well, they had decided to test his story. They'd pass the same road the next day. Uh huh, it had to be at night time. That's when the man-horse appeared.

The fire-bringers were all present, Apollo II, Lobo, Julius, Hugh, Matthias, and Tatin, with the addition of Marilyn. In the absence of Isabella, she had become the replacement. She and Andrea had decided to always walk together since they were the only rose among the thorns.

They were entering the forest and they had switched to their animal form. Matthias slowly multiplied his size so Marilyn could ride on his back. They ran and ran until they were deep in the wilderness. The forest was quiet, but there was something—an eerie sound—they weren't crickets—they were something else.

Then, creepy little creatures appeared from different directions. They were noisy. Their eyes were red and their sharp teeth were showing. Their brown skins were thick as the skin of animals and they walked like they were tiny robots except that they were monsters. They continued to come out of all directions.

Tatin knew these creatures. He had met them in the past.

"Don't worry. They are afraid of fire."

The fire-bringers let out fire from the palm of their hands and the creatures ran away and were gone in a few minutes.

Suddenly, somebody was whispering a melody. Then, there was a billow of smoke. They knew that the man-horse was somewhere, looking at them all, then, he talked.

"What brought you here?"

Matthias and Marilyn recognized the voice.

"This is the only route to go home." Matthias said.

"Why so late?"

"We have friends with us."

"Who?"

"Tatin with us."

"Hmm… the head of the wolves?"

"Yes."

"Be careful on your way."

"No. You will tell us why you had us trapped."

"Hmm…"

Tatin looked at the tree where the man-horse was hidden, and before the latter could call the stray wolves, the trees swayed and exposed him. He fell down.

"You will give us the right information when we come to you," Tatin ordered the man-horse. He writhed in pain from falling.

"Yes," the giant man-horse replied.

"You will not betray us; hold on to your word," Tatin said.

Because he was too big, the forest shook. Giant trolls were awaken.

The man-horse suddenly sneered. He knew that he had awakened the giant trolls, who, when the dark fell, were hungry of flesh.

The fire-bringers looked at each other. They had to be alert. They formed a circle facing the trolls who were slowly moving towards them.

Marilyn felt awkward being in the group although she had embraced Matthias' world. She just had to get used to it. And with Matthias and the fire-bringers on her side, she wasn't that afraid.

The trolls looked like rocks that came to life at night. They had prominent nose, deep brows, and wide mouth. They had stocky built but their narrow legs were disproportionate to their oversized body. Their mouths froth with their own saliva. They were hungry for victims.

The fire-bringers' faces were stricken with shock, but Tatin was smiling. He grew up in the wilds.

"They're dead at daytime," he said. "Don't be afraid."

His seven friends took a deep breath. They raised their arms in karate style, ready to let out balls of fires. When the trolls made another step forward, they pelted fire balls on the rocky creatures. However, to their surprise the trolls were unaffected. They kept moving forward.

"The darkness is a boon to them," Tatin said. "But they have weakness."

Apollo and Tatin used their telekinetic powers to move the trees around them. The trolls were confused so that they turned their attention to the trees. The trees swayed and threw innumerable fruits to their direction. Huge jackfruits, mangoes, apples, and pineapples fell on their head. They stopped chasing the young crusaders; they devoured the fresh yields of the trees, but the fruits didn't fit their rotting bodies. In their gluttonous frenzy, they cracked and crumbled to the ground, ashes.

The group were laughing. They held their bellies in amusement.

They left the giant man-horse still cringing on the ground, though he stopped being "a "fiddlestick!" as Matthias exclaimed.

They were about to go home when they passed by an old man.

He had an overgrown beard, fine nose, small lips, and eyes tame and remote.

Tatin remembered his face.

He held his hand and kissed it as a sign of respect.

"Where has been your rod?" the old man asked.

"I didn't bring," Tatin answered. "These are my friends."

"Acquaintances I supposed?" the old man asked.

"No, I have a few loyal friends. They are."

"You will be needing your rod more than ever. Time's almost come."

"What do you mean?" Tatin's brows crinkled.

"End times. People's hearts, wolves included have grown cold."

The group carefully listened.

"When that time comes, retire to this place because there will be movements of lands, seas, and mountains. As hearts melt, ice will melt and there will be flooding. This is a high place so you and I will be at least safe here in my calculation."

"There is a war coming." Tatin said.

"Yes. That's only one of the signs. The sun will stop to shine and the moon will have blood on its face. The changeling, this time, is a bear. A wild bear with many heads and eyes. It will be a difficult one to surmount, but you will—with prayer, and courage and hope."

"What if we die?" Marilyn asked. She almost wanted to tell them that she was once dead and was resurrected back to life.

"Why are you afraid to die?" Matthias whispered in her ears.

Marilyn thought what Matthias said was correct. She looked at him with a serious face. He was correct. Why would she be afraid to die when she had experienced dying?

"The spirit realm is wider than the earth. You won't be afraid so long as you do the right thing. Truth. Mercy. Justice. Hope. Charity. Courage. Love."

Tatin was quiet. He knew all those things. When he heard the last things the old man said, there were the proverbial butterflies in his stomach.

Why wouldn't he be? He's responsible for the entire wolf-dom.

Then, there was an immediate shaking, the group felt. They looked at each other. Then, it was calm again.