"In the vision the Ancient Oak showed me," she said, staring into her reflection as it danced on the surface of the water in her cup. "The human savages, they… After they cut it down, it was still alive while they butchered it. It could still feel every saw and chisel when they carved it into furniture and weapons and... Trophies." Her fur bristled along her neck as she fought to control the fury rising within her again.
Virve looked up at Ashlynn with eyes that were haunted by pain that wasn't her own. For a moment, she shuddered as a terrifying thought came unbidden to her mind. Was this what Hauke had experienced when he interacted with the horns that carried the spirits of his own long departed ancestors? The notion was enough to stop her cold and leave her wondering if she should accept the tree's offer. If it was going to use the seed to control her the way the horns controlled Hauke…
