Perhaps, in some way, she deserved to be punished. But not Kathryn, Marvo, Andy and Raphael. Not them. Not anyone else. They still had the future, with everything in the world theirs for the taking. They still had so much to look forward to.

Shinrei, at that moment, would give anything to make sure they still had that future.

"That is quite enough," she roared angrily at the advancing spiders, swaying when the earthquake hit but still holding her ground, "I will not allow you to hurt them, even if it means my death."

She pointed her wand at a cluster of large, sinister-looking, steadily advancing spiders that were closest to Kathryn and Raphael, aiming a few inches above the arachnids' heads.

"Rekka--" she incanted --"SHINNEN!" Fire burst out from her wand and shot above the spiders, promising great damage if they advanced any further.

The Lord of the Forest actually looked down at Shinrei. "Allow?" It said, in a rather patronising, almost surprised voice. It raised it massive, mass covered arm and pointed at her

"You are nothing here child of flesh. You have no power to choose what is allowed" With a loud 'SNAP' Shinrei's wand shattered in two....

...And with a slightly more muffled 'snap' so did the bone in Shinrei's right arm from the sheer force applied.

The willow pieces fell to the earth with heartbreaking slowness. Shinrei watched helplessly as she reached out to try and catch them, only to instinctively convulse with the pain of her broken arm.

*Be like the willow. Bend but never break.* The reason why her wand was made of willow, flowing but never broken. Deceiving in its grace, with strength hidden.

But the wand was now broken. She had this wand as far back as she could remember. She-- she did not even know she was already kneeling, her left hand clutching her right arm into place.

After inclining her head to the Lord of the Forest, Branwen had stood silently.

From the darkness came a light, and a voice that spoke with a quiet command. "I am here most Ancient One."

Dumbledore had travelled through the Forest swiftly coming to the designated spot. He was expected and the trees parted to allow him entry to the Circle where a number of his students were gathered. His look suggested their silence was required.

The Spiders stopped fighting. The Wolves stopped snarling. The Ravens swooped down and perched on the trees. Even the rustlings of leaves in the forest stopped

The Lord of the Forest looked down at Dumbledore.... He spoken in a tone reminiscent of Dumbledore himself, talking to a 'naughty Student': "Well Dumbledore? What do you have to say?"

Shinrei glanced at Headmaster Dumbledore, but her senses had become so dulled she could no longer feel, hear or smell anything.

*NO. Not now. I beg you.*

But her body was a traitorous thing. The warmth crawled from somewhere on her scalp, then proceeded to drip down her temples. The forest swirled through her eyes. Blood. It was running down her face. Her body was crying out for the Chishio draught.

There was no more Chishio draught anywhere. No more help-- Her blurry eyes searched frantically for Kathryn and Marvo, the ones she knew best. The ones who had helped her aboard the train, which was almost a lifetime ago.

Kathryn was closest. "Kathryn-san--" she whispered pleadingly. The world was beginning to fade. "I beg you. Please bring him here. He's the only one who could help me--I--"

She let out a cry as a spasm of pain shot up her arm and seared across her shoulders.

Kat heard Shinrei call. She looked across to see her bleeding. "Oh no!" she whispered.

She ran across to where Shinrei was lying on the ground. She could not tell where the bleeding was coming from. Kat performed a quick diagnostic spell, but could not locate the source of the problem. Her arm was broken, but that was not enough to cause this. It was like the incident during exams last year. She had collapsed then.

Kat looked up to Dumbledore, "Sir, we need to get her out of here!" She knew she was interrupting, but Kat knew that this was urgent.

Dumbledore had been about to reply when the incident with Shinrei caused Kathryn to speak to him. He lifted his hand to silence her. He was not only negotiating for Shinrei's life but for the others. Should the Forest wish to take them in its displeasure he would have little recourse.

His hope lay in the tone of the Forest Lord which while admonishing him remained respectful. Yet honour needed to be satisfied.

"There are things we indeed need to discuss, Ancient One. Such matters are not for the ears of the young and some of my charges are wounded. For most it was their love of the Forest that has brought them under its eaves, not wrong intentions. I would ask that they be released and that their punishment be overseen by their elders."

"I pledge that I will remain here until you are satisfied of our good will and assured of the respect that the guardians of Hogwarts hold for your domain."

Thus, Dumbledore offered himself to the Forest.

************

After locating Professor McGonagall, Nimue had undertaken to fulfil her other task - find Professor Snape. He had not been in the Great Hall but within the Potions classroom working. She had advised him quickly of the events in the Forest and of Dumbledore's message. Then she had followed him back upstairs. Focused on the matter to hand, he didn't appear to notice her continued presence.

She had expected him to dismiss her at any point though she couldn't just go and sit down as if nothing was wrong with her friends and Professor Dumbledore in danger. She trusted that she could at least watch at the edge of the Forest.

As they neared the forest, the earthquake struck. As the ground began to shake beneath their feet, Snape's glittering eyes narrowed to slits. "Miss Hawkwood - back inside the castle. As quickly as you can. Now."

His tone of voice invited no argument. Steadying himself, and setting his lips in a thin, determined line, he hurried into the forest and to the designated area. He took in the events with a calculating glance and stood, feet firmly planted and slightly apart to enable him to retain balance, his arms folded across his chest.

He kept a careful distance, watching the circle and noting with a smile of satisfaction that there were evidently no Slytherins involved in the incident. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor would be losing more house points that night, he'd be willing to bet.

**********

Raphael, as soon as Dumbledore had come and the attack had halted, had started to back off from the others. The sudden need - to fight - to defend the girl - to kill - to keep the girl from harm - to kill and reap lifeblood - faded, being replaced instead by pain.

He didn't realise that his shoulder muscles were torn and bleeding, profusely. He didn't realise that most of the small bones in his fingers of his left hand were broken. He wasn't aware of the fact that as soon as he was able to think about it, he would be unable to cogitate through the pain and blood-fever that was already wracking his body.

No, there was another kind of pain seeping through his body. All through him. Like he was made of acid. And as he staggered a little, and fell into the shadow of a beech nearby, leaning on it with his right shoulder without thinking, he was doing something to not think about it.

"I am a stranger in the eyes of the maker," he started. "I could not see for the fog in my eyes, I could not feel for the fear in my life," he sung to himself, and then, he was in his memories of happiness: he was on the porch, Rose and Father had finished, and he had got out his fathers guitar, and just once the old man smiled at him playing the old tune...

"From across the great divide," Raphael sang to himself, and then he was safe at home, in another forest, somewhere... "in the distance I saw a light," he went on, and the pain was forgotten as his hands struggled to remember the chords.

But then - memories of rain lashing down on him as fire.

And he had forgotten the tune, one of his favourite, but... the next line... it went... "walking to me," he went on, humming as he remembered and the pain receded. But it wouldn't go, not this time: everything burned, real and in his mind, he was in a seething mass of flame as the rain... as the rain... and flame was in his core too, scorching him... "with..." he struggled on, and his eyes started to cloud over, "the maker..." and he could see the song, before him... the light in the distance... "when time broke down," he finished, and then, he let himself go towards the light, to his maker...?

Falling over, dead to the world and silent as he fell in to the bushes out of sight of the others. And into the arms of Zephyr.

Sarah was still seeking Raphael - having seen Professor Snape enter the woods with determination, she headed in the same direction but keeping well, well back from the Potions Master.

She hoped that if she couldn't find Raphael that perhaps Zephyr would be lurking about and guide her. Could the capricious angel help him? She wasn't sure but she had no intention of not finding her friend.

Raphael didn't remember much of the flight back out of the forest, except for one bit. He was too busy being somewhere else, somewhere happy: his body and soul tired, it had abandoned reality. The only time -

Zephyr muttered to himself. The master, his idiot - or was it the other way around? - had tried to pull back, to go deeper in the forest. Zephyr knew vaguely what Raph was looking for, but - "damn that," he'd said cheerfully before bopping him over the head lightly and knocking him out again. Now, Raph was walking - if slowly and needing guidance, and to be honest, to be held up - but he was walking. With his eyes closed. What an improvement on the whole not walking thing, Zephyr thought to himself.

Now, where were they heading? Out?

Towards the teacher that was striding into the forest? Probably not. There were other people in the forest... lots of those gorgeous dryaddy things, Zephyr reminded himself, and for a moment contemplated going back to ask one of the elms on a date... not them for Raph, though... and there was...

He could see her in the distance. She was kinda cute, Zephyr had to admit to himself, no wonder the guys were all over her. And she did have a certain something... but she was terrible fiery... and in the song... in the song she was silver fire, amazing to hear... he didn't understand why she was what she appeared to be, but he didn't care either. She was a friend.

He wandered up to her in the forest and promptly dropped Raphael into her arms, where he groaned a bit. Zephyr couldn't help thinking his master would enjoy being carried about by Sarah - but still, the angel wrapped one of Raphael's arms around his neck. "wazzup?" he asked Sarah. "say, you don't know any of 'dose dryaddy girls numbers, do yah?"

And in Sarah's arms, Raphael woke for a second, mumbled: "did you get the number of that donkey cart?" before slipping back into unconsciousness. Zephyr grinned at Sarah and pointed towards the light, which just helpfully happened to be placed nearer the exit of the forest, and motioned for movement.

Sarah grinned at Zephyr, "Ya I might but hey, I'm sure a cute.. being like yourself doesn't need me to fix you up on a date. The dryads will be falling over each others roots to get you to roost in their branches."

She glanced at the semi-conscious Raphael. "I can probably handle him from here if you want to disappear. I wish Basil was as interesting a familiar as you."

She started moving in the suggested direction of out of the Forest.

***********

Nimue hadn't argued with Professor Snape's orders. She returned to the castle. She was anxious of course and remained outside near the entrance watching the distance for sign of activity.

Luis Verga was making his way down to the Slytherin dungeons when the earthquake struck. Curiousity, of course, got the better of him and he decided to go back upstairs to investigate.

It would also be fun to watch the other students panicking. He had fun witnessing Hupi's bleeding spectacle; he would bet that watching an earthquake would even be more enjoyable.

Luis spotted Nimue Hawkwood standing close to the big front doors, looking at something far into the distance.

He walked up to her. "Hey," he said in greeting. "Something up with the forest again? You have that sort of look that tells me something's wrong."

He shrugged and waited for an answer.

Nimue turned her attention from the Forest to look at Luis, "Some students went into the Forest after the trials. I'm not sure how many. My friends and I went to look for them and were on our way out when something else happened. I am not sure quite what or who but there has been trespass deeper in the Forest's heart. The Forest spirits were very angry and have summoned the Headmaster. I think they caused the earthquake."

"They haven't returned. None of them. Dumbledore's still in there now and Professor Snape as well. He sent me back but I should be there not cosseted away..."

She paused and looked out again towards the darkness of the trees.

***********

The world flickered slightly and she was filled ki, life energy, that was not her own. Shinrei knew the source of this energy. Someone who had healed her before--

"Kathryn-san?" she whispered at a fuzzy figure before her. "Onegai...please...call Ri. Makura calls him Ri. He has the power to--"

She coughed and clutched Kat's arm, one last burst of strength, one final petition, a desperate move. Shinrei did not know that blood came out of her mouth and splattered on parts of Kat's robes. She could not see clearly anymore.

"Onegai--" she pleaded one last time, before she allowed herself to be embraced by the very warm, very comforting darkness, where there was no more pain.

Before her senses faded out of awareness, she could hear a distant voice saying: *Sakataki Ran is no more...no more...* Then it was dark.

Kat looked a little confused. Who was Shinrei talking about. Ri? Makura was the owl, but it would take time to find out where the owl was and then locate Ri.

She looked up to where Dumbledore and the Dryad were talking. She kept quiet, gently trying to heal as best she could. It was enough to keep Shinrei breathing... barely. There was nothing else she could do, until Dumbledore could get them away from there....

There was a long moment of almost total silence, even the leaves on the trees did not move.

"They may go" Said the Lord of the Forest, in his deep, grating voice. "We shall speak with you Dumbledore"

The throne bushes surrounding the clearing disappeared into the ground and reappeared around Dumbledore. The Spiders made a hasty retreat and the Ravens and Wolves felt a deep command that they should be elsewhere.

Even Marvo felt it. An overwhelming sense that they really should be someplace else.

"Everybody out NOW!" His voice had the authority of his training, something he is not often able to access. "Anyone need help? Come ON people, Let's make like a tree and... get the hell out of here!"

She cast her eye over her Ravens and, ignoring the other students, she settled her gaze upon Shinrei. Her black eyes almost shone with a palpable anger and it was only the presence of Kat that saved the Japanese girl.

Branwen made no attempt to leave, and standing on the edge of the circle she said in a low, menacing voice "The girl is mine, she will pay for what she has done. I ask you to release her to me, Gracious Forest Lord, it is just."

Kat looked up from where she was tending Shinrei. It didn't seem like Branwen, but then it did. "No, Branwen. Not here and now. Leave it for later. Let's just get out of here..."

Kat agreed with Marvo, they had to leave. She noticed that Snape had joined them too. Carefully she floated Shinrei and started towards Marvo.

"Andy, come on!" She looked at the cream wolf, and gently said. "And you should probably leave too." She started to make her way back out of the forest...

Andy followed Kat. He didn't know where they were going and, frankly, he didn't even care. He was so confused about today's happenings that he didn't even bother to ask anyone any questions.

Andy did know one thing. He felt horrible. Everything ached. He was getting weak. He was breathing heavier. He didn't feel well at all. Maybe it was because of all the excitement? He would have to rest when he got back to the common room.

He ignored it and continued to follow Kat. All he knew was that he wanted to get home and drink some nice hot tea. But what he didn't know was that wherever it may be, his pendant began to glow a deep dark red.

From within the circle of thorns, Dumbledore was aware that the students were moving away. He had a fairly good idea that Snape would not wish to leave him behind. While he deeply appreciated this, he could not chance the Forest Lord becoming further offended.

"Severus, do not remain on my account. See them all safely back to the school."

Snape scowled a little at Dumbledore, but took the order. He bowed deeply to the Lord of the Forest, shot Dumbledore a look of mixed concern and irritation, then headed out to shepherd the foolish students back into the castle.