[The fate of the kind so near and dear to him is a dark subject, and one Carlisle has considered several times, despite his best efforts to do otherwise. Following the disappearance of his uncles, they had been the closest thing to a family he had. He'd occasionally see them in the trees near his home, watching from afar, darting out of sight when he looked their way. While he'd felt annoyed at the time that they thought him in need of baby-sitting (he suspected Uncle Benistad had something to do with that), he came to realize they were just trying to protect him in their own way. They were as invested in his safety as he was in theirs.

They seemed to know his end was nearing in his final month of life, each of them demanding attention before he left their village for what would unfortunately be the last time. Were they safe? Or was their forest as withered and decayed as the trees of Bear Den? He couldn't know — he doesn't want to know. His heart couldn't bear it.

Carlisle seems grateful for the subject change, his tone suitably warmer as he answers.]

The forest itself was imbued with magic, but one simply walked through it to reach their village. The enchantments made the trees seem to move and change the moment you took your eyes off them, but there were signs of where to go, if you knew what you were looking for. It was the resting place of their deity, Ul Bereth, that was beyond a gateway, or so they say.