She rolls her eyes and unties the bridle from the tree, and lightly tugs Ares in the direction the others are headed.

Ares reluctantly followed.

They hadn't gone far when they came upon the patch of death in the middle of the forest.

The wyldwood was an eerie, quiet place, but it was still alive. Trees stood ancient and tall, plants bloomed, and splashes of vibrant color pierced the grayness, indicating life. Animals slipped through the trees, and strange creatures moved about in the shadows; you never got a clear view of them, but you knew they were there. You could feel them watching you.

Then, all of a sudden, the trees dropped away, and they stood at the edge of a barren clearing.

What little grass remained was yellow and dying, sparse patches of vegetation in the rocky ground. A few trees were scattered here and there, but they were withered, twisted things, empty of leaves, and blackened. From a distance, the branches glinted, jagged and sharp, like weird metal sculptures. The hot wind smelled of copper and dust.

Puck stared at the dead forest for a long time. "Twiggs was right," he muttered, staring at a withered tree. He made as if to touch one of the branches, but withdrew his hand with a shudder. "This isn't natural. Something is poisoning the wyldwood."

"Put a quarintine around it." She replies flatly. "That'd prevent the spread."

Liseolette wanted to say something, but decided against it. It wasn't her place to.

"I wish it was that easy. Oberon must know about this," Puck muttered, crouching to examine a circle of dry grass. "Twiggs said it was spreading, but where is it coming from?" He rose quickly and swayed on his feet, putting out a hand to steady himself.

" whos Oberon? " She asked.

"Didn't you say this has been happening for a long time? Why doesn't he already know about this?"

By then, Puck was already leaving, his brow furrowed in anger or pain

She follows, leading Ares with her, often patting him on the head or stroking his neck.

She sighed and began following him again.