Jade Fern Grove valar dohaeris

How had she failed to recognize her right away? This bitch had ruined Druid’s life! She pinned the masked she-wolf to the ground, her face twisting into something unrecognizable as she snarled. Her jaws hovered just an inch from the woman’s face, foaming saliva dripping onto it as Druid leaned in closer and closer…

“Druid!”

She fell silent at once, turning to face the nearby archway again. She saw Witch standing there, waving her closer. Druid stared at her long-lost sister for a beat, then slowly stepped away from the stranger to tentatively walk toward Witch. She forgot her anger—and the other woman altogether—as she walked through the gates.

“Look who’s here!” Witch chirped, holding out a pale foreleg.

Bracelet, Druid whispered, eyes bouncing between her sister’s and her familiar’s faces for what felt like an eternity. Are you really here? This time?

“No,” came her sister’s reply as she bounded further into Rivenwood.

Despite that confusing answer, a sort of calm acceptance washed over Druid as she trailed after her. Now Rivenwood looked like its same old self again, almost drab compared to the earlier vision. But there was comfort in that, in the familiarity, as Druid thoughtlessly made her way to Slugstone.

She looked around for the königinmutter, though she saw no sign of him. In fact, there were no slugs to be seen upon the stack of stones. There was only soft moss, inviting Druid forward to have a seat. Only when she obeyed the impulse and settled down on the cairn did she suddenly see dozens—no, hundreds—no, thousands of slugs, all in various technicolor.

Druid didn’t mind these relics of her childhood. She felt sleepy, now, and let her chin drift down to rest on her forepaws. She watched with a slight smile as the giant slug appeared, after all. Witch did too, setting Bracelet loose among the denizens of the stones. The sisters watched as the ring-necked serpent ate all the slugs, one by one, finishing with the königinmutter before finally turning to Druid.

As the snake swallowed her too, Druid looked at Witch-turned-Heda all covered in butterflies and sighed one last time, My bones shall rest in this loam forever.