A few years have gone by, and Ruxx and Elysia are still the best of friends, getting along well. Both now in their teenage years, they continue to love life and learn how to be a part of it.

"Bet you can't follow me!" Elysia says as she jumps from a nearby small cliff into the lake.

Ruxx runs to the edge to see if she's okay.

"Come on in, the water is amazing and perfect on such a hot day!"

"Okay, you asked for it!" Ruxx jumps in with a cannonball splash, making Elysia scream. The two laugh and enjoy the moment, just being themselves on a hot summer day.

Elysia looks over at Ruxx and notices that he is starting to broaden up. She catches herself starting to feel something a little more than just friendship for a second, but she doesn't let it go very far before she splashes Ruxx and dives below the surface of the water.

The splash surprises Ruxx. "Oh, you're going to get it now," and he dives right behind her, following her down below the surface. As they both swim underwater, his mind starts to wander, wondering if she ever thinks about him the way he does about her. He shrugs off the thought, and the two continue their day, playing in the water as friends. There would be more moments when they both considered the possibility of being more than friends, but neither would speak of it, choosing instead to remain the best of friends.

One night, Elysia was engaged in spiritual work in the forest, kneeling down by a small shrub. She had special crystals arranged in a circle, each representing the elements, and inside the circle, she placed a token of herself: her necklace, a gift from her mother when she was young. Unbeknownst to her, Ruxx had stumbled upon her by accident while stalking some deer he intended to tend to. He stood beside a tree, not wanting to interrupt her, and observed every detail about her, committing it to memory. He couldn't help but think about how beautiful she had become and how in touch she was with his world, the world of animals. He began to reflect on the interdependence of animals and plants, just as he relied on being with Elysia. He felt grateful to have her in his life.

Suddenly, a loud boom echoed through the air. It was not thunder; it was something unnatural, something otherworldly.

Elysia jumped up and began to run towards the noise.

Ruxx saw this and called out, "Elysia!"

She stopped in her tracks. "Ruxx? How long have you been there?"

"Not long," Ruxx said nervously, trying not to sound like he was stalking her.

The loud boom echoed again through the forest, scaring off animals and birds.

"We need to check to see what the noise is!" Elysia walked to the edge of the forest, just a few feet away, and stayed in the cover of the shadows.

"No! We are not permitted by Freyr Himself!" Ruxx quickly called out to stop Elysia from going any farther.

She looked back at Ruxx for a second and then fixed her gaze in the direction of the noise. "What is it?"

"Freyr declared them as 'humans' and said that we are to have no part with them, as they are corrupt and consume everything without putting anything back," Ruxx explained, with a slight pause. "They are out of touch with nature."

Elysia only heard part of Ruxx's explanation. "Humans, you say? What do they look like? I thought they were only a myth."

"If we leave the borders of the forest, we can be seen, and worse, neither of us knows the incantation spell to return to our realm. Besides, you were going to show me how to perform some spell work with these jars and herbs to help the little fawn grow up strong."

"Yeah, yeah, okay. Come on, let's go to the river's edge," Elysia said as she began to walk towards the river. Once they arrived, she placed the jars by the edge of the river and instructed Ruxx to gather the fawn's favorite leaves and some blackberries and snakeberries. Once they had collected everything, they returned to the jars.

"Tell me about this fawn. What is it like? What are its problems, and how do you wish to help it?"

"Well, you see, it's a fawn, and usually they have no problems keeping up with their group and their mother. However, this little guy seems to be undernourished and is struggling to keep up. If it continues, he will end up being separated, and the wolves might get him."

"Isn't that a part of nature? Aren't you not supposed to interfere with these matters?"

"Yeah, I know. Normally, we're only allowed to help out a little here and there. But I have invested a lot of time watching him and his family, and if your magic works, I won't have to do anything physically. So, I'll be in the clear."

"Whatever... let's just start. The first thing you need to do is wash out each jar in the river. You don't know what kind of energy was stored in these jars before."

"Energy? It was beef broth my mother made," Ruxx said, sounding a bit confused.

"Just do exactly as I say and stop interrupting. Point the mouth of the jar upriver and hold it tightly. Let the water fill the jar completely. Then, without taking the jar out of the water, turn the mouth of the jar downriver and repeat after me: 'Release your contents and energy back into the world, let the rivers carry thee where you wish to go.'"

"Release your contents and energy back into the world, let the rivers carry thee where you wish to go."

"Good, now dry out the inside of the jar thoroughly. You don't want any moisture in the jar, or it will ruin your items and your spell. Once that is done, you will need some fur from the fawn. Do you have that with you?"

"No! You didn't tell me to get any fur!"

"Stop crying. Turn your jars upside down on the rocks to let them dry out more, and go get some fur then! I'll wait here." Ruxx runs off to get the hair, leaving Elysia lost in her thoughts. She watches as he runs off and realizes that she finds Ruxx attractive. She wonders if someday they might be married when they get a little older. He really is a good man. A smile crosses her lips as she thinks about all the times he has helped her or been there to protect her. However, the loud crashing boom in the distance, caused by the humans, brings her back to the present. "I wonder what these humans look like, and what exactly science is. I remember hearing about it from the old villager in the center of town. Mother would never let me stay there and listen for very long. I need to learn that incantation to come back into our world." Hours pass, and Elysia grows impatient for Ruxx to return with the fur.

"Elysia! Where are you?" Ruxx calls out from the distance.

"Honestly, Ruxx, do you have the same approach with the deer? Maybe that's why it took you so long."

Ruxx, feeling somewhat inadequate from Elysia's comment, responds, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to track down a deer and then stalk close enough to get hair from it?"

"I don't care. Let's get back to the jars, shall we?"