Destroying the creation of men is a tragedy. Destroying the creation of nature is an ethical imperative because nature is perverted. It creates with destruction. 

So why are they surprised that I am not so different?

LoG, 35

Nalina's mind reconsidered the word she had used. "Creature" actually sounded offensive in her head. After all, they could talk and express themselves very well, from what she had seen.

They have the cutest voices ever! And they look cuddly, too! She squealed.

She counted three such beings in total. They now surrounded her and Grogmog, gawking at them with heightened curiosity. From what she could gather, they were not very tall. None of the members of the trio reached Nalina's waist. The closest words she had to describe their appearance were "stocky" and "robust."

Their head was well defined, yet there was no neck to be seen. The arms and legs of these individuals were quite short in comparison to their torso. What made Nalina's hair stand on end was the fact that they had no skin whatsoever. Their bodies and their faces were completely covered in a hardened shell-like surface, similar to the one that might have been found on nuts or dried fruit. 

The colours of their ... Bark? Shell? Husk? Hull? Pod? Umm ... Carapace? Stop it. Nalina reprimanded herself. But it's so varied!  They were different shades of brown. They ranged anywhere from beige through burnt umber to chocolate.

They had eyes, nose and a mouth, but they were nothing like humans. The eyes were insectoid in their nature. The nostrils were just two rudimentary holes. The mouths seemed permanently agape and simply too wide for their head. They had strands of hair of diverse lengths, featuring various lively nuances of blonde and hazel.

The triplets, as Nalina called them in her mind, sported huge leaf-shaped wings on their backs, in mismatched shadings of orange, golden and auburn. They looked like a criss-cross between a human and a plant. And studying plants was something Nalina did. All she did, really.

She took one glance at Grogmog, who was now curled on the ground under her feet. It was enough for Nalina to conclude they were not a threat. The water snake seemed to eye them curiously, yet he didn't hiss or ready himself to begin any kind of assault.

Nalina felt a bit ashamed that they had to see her in such sorry state. After all, she was snivelling and whimpering, with her clothes torn. "Who ... Who are you?" she inquired, dropping a curtsy and hoping that was the proper etiquette while addressing them. Nalina was pleased that for once, that was the one thing she asked for first.

The three individuals giggled, holding their tiny palms up to their huge mouth. Then they simultaneously clapped their hands, in a light-hearted, high-spirited manner and started chanting: We heard the singing of the bellflower!

                                                            Stating anger at manpower.

                                                           He found it hard to see the grass,

                                                          Overshadowed by the big impasse.

                                                         Who is that skulking near the forest?

                                                         We Acorns hope she's not a florist!

                                                        Our Queen is but a yellow tree,

                                                        Admired as she sits upon a jubilee.

                                                       Girl's not alone! She brings a dew,

                                                       a pet snake, and lots of shrews!

Of course! The acorn men! The denizens of The Forest of Lug!

The illustrated books on The Forest of Lug wildlife from The Omnibus don't do them justice.

Nalina almost smacked herself on the forehead. They are the ones who introduced The War Dogs into The Vigil army! It's just that ... I never saw one of them up close before. Borna talked about one of them being the Instructor in The Arena. 

Wasn't his name Radan or something?

The acorn men hastily jumped one on top of the other, thus managing to be of the same height as Nalina. The middle one, with the orange wings, stretched his little arms whimsically as if inviting her to dance. Nalina accepted his lead with a curtsy and joined the performance. To the untrained eye from afar, it might have looked like as if Nalina were dancing with a young man. They twisted and twirled in the forest clearing for some time until Nalina was out of breath.

She asked for a break with a motion of her palm.

The trio immediately stopped gyrating, respecting her wish, even though they looked a tad disappointed.

"So ... Um ..." Nalina landed in the soft grass, breathing shallowly. "What was all that about?"

"An introductory song! You can call us Zlata, Miran and Plamen! At your service, milady!" they squealed at the same time in an incredible sync. "We are the Acorns!"

"I am very pleased to meet you," Nalina added eagerly, surpassing the sheer awkwardness of the situation.

"You are late, actually," the blond-haired, golden-winged Acorn stated. Its or ... Her name was Zlata if Nalina memorized that correctly. "We were expecting you here sooner."

"You were... expecting me?"

"Oh yes!" They all nodded vigorously. "The Queen Tree saw you in her Good Eye."

Nalina didn't dare to ask what The Good Eye was. She decided to play along.

"I got delayed, sadly. Captured by The Mind Worshippers, The Monoliths. Nasty stuff, truth be told, but I managed to run away."

"We are glad. Our village is just a stop where you are to regain your strength and then you can be on your way," they chirped in unison. "We have been waiting here for quite a while."

No matter how strange that might have sounded to her, Nalina felt awkward for having caused them discomfort. "I didn't mean to make you hang about," she apologized.

"Oh, that's okay." Plamen, orange-winged acorn was the next one to speak. "We were chatting and drinking dew. We knew you would show up, eventually. The Queen Tree alerted the whole settlement as soon as she saw you in The Good Eye. The three of us tried our best to arrive here on time." They glanced at each other, looking quite proud of themselves.

"Our Queen Tree will want to see you for a quick conversation. You are invited to come to our village with us! Our people have already been told that they shall get a glimpse of you following Light after you have supper with us!"

"Oh. I..." Nalina's intestines roared in hunger, approving of the words she had just heard. But then Nalina felt the heaviness of the crumpled paper in her bosom and sighed. "Still, I will have to decline your invitation. If I stay here so much as until the following Light, it would be a significant detour from the path I am currently following."

"The Queen Tree told us you will be taken to the cave entrance after your visit with us concludes," Miran informed her.

Oh. My. Mind. They know about the cave! About what I am ... What I am looking for. I need to find out more from this ... Queen. Tree. She added in her mind.

"I suppose it is in my interest to go and talk to her." Nalina nodded eventually. "I feel so bad now, you guys actually waited for me? You really shouldn't have!"

"You deserve it, princess Nalina, saviour of the residents of Lug!" they replied cryptically.

Before she had time to inquire about such a strange title they gave her, they practically began dragging her away deeper and deeper in the forest. The acorns were half running on their chubby little wooden legs, half flying excitedly over Nalina's head. Grogmog nested on her shoulder, turning his head left and right, absorbed with the new landscape they were now passing through. After some time, Nalina had already lost count of how many giant-size, towering trees they passed.

Everything began looking the same to her.

She suspected it was the part of the protective cloak that guarded The Heart of Lug, making forest visitors feel as if they were in some kind of a maze. Her guides seemed to know every tree as they went deeper and deeper into the woods, choosing paths without hesitation.

She didn't have The Viewstone her mother gave her anymore, to guide her as far as approaching of The Dark was concerned. Therefore, it was no wonder that Nalina let out a startling gasp when everything around them became pitch black. Her surprise was even greater when Nalina noticed that the wings and hair of The Acorns began to emit a faint scintillating yellowish glow.

It flickered in and out of existence, so they looked like humongous fireflies.

At the same time, all the leaves on the trees that surrounded them started to shine brightly. They resembled the torches in The City of Lagad during The Dark. It made Nalina feel a bit homesick.

One among the trees especially stood out regarding its size and luminosity. It was easily three times taller than the others. Once she saw it, Nalina had no doubts about which The Queen Tree was.

A giant network of markings extended all over her trunk from the deep, pulsating roots to the enormous tree crown.

It ... It's covered in The Etchings! Perhaps that's how it's glowing! And maybe even ... Transmitting that glow to the surrounding trees! Nalina was amazed at that discovery and wondered who could have Etched a tree so deep in the forest.

She knew of The Etchings that The Viewstone and The ViewWall had, but she had never seen them engraved on a living being. No wonder that act made this tree so sentient and ...Powerful.

Nalina couldn't even see the tree top, that's how great The Queen Tree's height was. The obvious and striking difference in comparison to the other trees, apart from the height, was the complete absence of leaves. Instead of the yellow leaves, her massive branches were filled with pods, narrow wooden passageways and rope ladders.

It's a ... A Tree House. House Tree. For all the little Acorns out there. Nalina felt her mouth widen in a joyous smile. Soo it's at the same time their mother and their village. Awww. How quaint.