A single drop of blood glistened on the offending branch before dropping to the cracked earth. The twigs gleamed along their edges as if honed to fine blades. "Princess?" Puck asked, noticing that she was staring at her finger. "You okay?"

She nods.

He noticed her finger was bleeding and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around her finger. "Metallic trees," he mused. "That's new. If you see any steel dryads, be sure to tell me so I can run away screaming."

She stares at the tree in curiosity.

Puck coughed. "This air is making me sick. Let's get out of here." There wasn't anything in the air...Well, nothing except the sharp tang of something metallic, like rust. Puck was already leaving, his brow furrowed in anger or pain.

She follows.

The howling began a few hours later. Puck stopped in the middle of the trail abruptly. He held up a hand, telling her to be quiet before she could ask what was going on. There was a chorus of chilling bays and howls echoing behind them that was drifting over the breeze.

She turns to look.

Nothing could be seen. Puck figured she would be confused so he said, "A hunt," he announced, looking off into the distance. He grimaced. "You know, I was just thinking we needed to be run down like rabbits and torn apart. My day just isn't complete without something trying to kill me."

This just confuses her more.