Inside was similar to The Tent of Healing, but rather than a cot in the center of the room, there was a small fire with a seated cushion on either side.
"Come. Sit," said the Chief, motioning Virginia to one of the cushions.
Virginia sat down on one while the Chief walked on the opposite side of the fire and sat down cross-legged. He placed his hands on his knees and let out a big smile.
"Dear One," he said, "it is a pleasure to know you finally. I, like many others, have been waiting for your arrival."
He cocked his head sideways as he pointed to her hiking boots. "But I must say, your wardrobe is not as I expected it to be. You have the clothes of your people in Alaythia, but you wear the foot covering of your world. Oralmuti allowed them to enter through the portal with you. He must have known you would need them here. Tell me, do they help you to run faster?"
Virginia looked down at her shoes for a quick second and then back up at the Chief. "Oh, uh, not exactly, but they do help in walking up steep hills and valleys, no matter how wet and slippery."
The Chief raised his head high. "Ah! I see. And this place you are from, is it always 'wet' and 'slippery,' as you say?"
"Well, not all of the time. It was when we left there and came here."
"Is it more slippery and wet here or there?"
"About the same, actually. There's really not a lot of difference in the moisture. The woods here look like mine back home but with more exotic trees that are not near where I live."
"Ah! Yes. These trees are good trees here. The ones that were planted here will protect you on your journey. The ones with a red base, those are the good ones. Most of the ones rooted around our village are good ones."
Virginia raised a brow. "I'm confused. What do you mean by good trees and bad trees? How do they protect? Do you mean like: 'protect you from the rain and bad weather?'"
The Chief also raised his brow. "Do the trees from your land not fight? The pine, the maple, the mighty oak; do they not fight alongside your warriors and help protect your village?"
Virginia was lost. "Um…no. I can't say that they do."
"What helps protect your village?"
Virginia tried to find the right words to speak. "Well, my uncle's favorite is a revolver he likes to use. It's great for defending yourself and your home."
The Chief looked to his left, staring out into space. "No. No, we don't have this kind of 'revolver' tree growing here in Alaythia. But, of course, the more you journey outside of our village, the more chance you might have of finding one growing along your journey."
"Uh…yes, of course. Always have hope."
The Chief smiled and slapped his knee. "That is right, Starlight. Always have hope! You will find your revolver tree with its roots running deep into this land somewhere."
Virginia almost laughed but tried to disguise it with a smile. "Oh, I certainly hope so."
She looked at the different necklaces hanging from the Chief's neck. "Those are a lot of claw necklaces."
The Chief looked down at his decorations. "Yes. Each one has a story to tell."
He pulled up a necklace. "This claw was from a bear that tried to attack me on a hunting trip back when I was a youth of twelve years."
He pulled up another one. "This one was from a mountain lion that tried to attack my son when he was just a boy."
Virginia noticed a large, white claw hanging from his neck. "What about that one?"
The Chief looked down at the claw. Sorrow, fear, confusion, and anger filled his eyes as he held it in his hands.
"Forest Phantom," he replied.
"What?"
He slowly looked up into Virginia's eyes. "A Forest Phantom. Has Soaring Eagle told you about the tribe of Blood Star?"
Virginia nodded her head.
"Has he told you how the dark spirits fell on them and twisted their minds and form?"
Virginia realized that the Chief was very serious and no longer full of laughter. "Well, he mentioned that a dark spirit fell upon Blood Star and that because of it, he could turn into a beast-like creature."
"Soaring Eagle speaks the truth. The warriors that chose to follow Blood Star are the most dangerous of all beasts that hunt and kill in these woods. Their fur is as black as the night. Their eyes are as lifeless as a ghost."
He looked down at the claw in his hand. "And their claws can slash through the flesh of a man just as easily as you and I can brush our fingers through still water."
He looked back up at Virginia. "But they dare not attack us. King Elyamin has blessed our tribe because we remain faithful to him, even when all else has become hopeless."
"And this King Elyamin, who is he?"
The Chief stared at Virginia awkwardly. "You are not familiar with King Elyamin?"
Virginia looked down, not knowing how to respond to that. Well, I've never even been here before. How should I know who this Elyamin even is?
The Chief continued. "Elyamin is the son of the father of all life, Oralmuti. On behalf of Oralmuti, Elyamin spoke things into their being. He is the true King of Alaythia. He is also the personal leader of your tribe."
Virginia raised her head. "Will I get to meet him?"
"You will, Your Highness. You will. He will not lead you down a false path."
For the first time in a while, Virginia had high hopes of her questions being answered. "You mentioned that Elyamin blessed you?"
"That is correct, Starlight."
"How has he blessed you?"
"With the dove."
"The dove?"
"Yes, Starlight. When the Great Division happened many years ago, our Chief of that day told Elyamin that he would not abandon him or his tribe. We fought for Elyamin, yet our tribe—and the tribes of others that fought for Oralmuti—did not win the battle. Then came the Great Division. It was a curse that we all brought upon the land. We forgot Oralmuti and became divided amongst ourselves. A large earthquake shook the land. When the earthquake finished, a great canyon stretched from the Volcano of Tophet to the north all the way south to the Great Mountain, separating us from The Ancient City of the Lion. What once was an easy journey could now only be traveled by those strong at heart—those who desire to seek that which is hidden—those whom Oralmuti has blessed for the journey. But all was not lost. Oralmuti blessed our tribe by sending us his dove. Instead of flying back across the Great Canyon, they stayed with us and helped train our hands for battle. Because of the dove, the tribe of Blood Star fears to fight against us, for the dove is stronger than the Forest Phantom."
"How is a little dove stronger than the beast you speak of?"
The Chief took off the claw necklace and held it over the fire, but he never once took his eyes off Virginia. "It was the dove that helped me kill this Forest Phantom. When the dove has found you, you and the dove become one. When you remain calm like still water, the voice of the dove can be heard. When you close your eyes, the dove will show you things you could not see around you—even when you are in the darkest parts of the forest or even the deepest pit, you can still see because of him. But wherever the dove flies, there you must follow, for insight and true victory are only guaranteed for those who find themselves under the dove's wing."
Virginia looked questionably into the Chief's eyes. "So, basically, what you are saying is that if you remain close to this dove, it will grant you victory?"
"Yes. But only true victory. The victory that man seeks is anger and bitterness in his heart. There, the dove will not take you. He always leads you down Oralmuti's ways and those trails we must follow, for he will lead you to true victory."
"Does the dove…do anything else? Does he, you know, fight, use his talons or something?"
The Chief chuckled. "Do not the doves where you come from fight alongside you?"
Virginia paused. "Um…well…no. Do they fight here?"
The Chief smiled. "Yes, they do fight along our side."
"Are they dangerous? Do they kill?"
"When they are on fire or shine their light, they do."
Virginia's eyes widened. "Fire and light?"
"Yes."
"Are you afraid of them? What if they don't like you anymore and try to attack you?"
The Chief raised a brow at Virginia. "We highly respect the dove, but we do not walk in worry because the dove has made a covenant with us. The dove fights for us, and we fight alongside the dove. Never has the dove harmed us unless we have chosen to rise against Oralmuti and his Waters of Alaythia, which has never happened—my people are smarter than that."
Waters of Alaythia. Charles mentioned that last night. Who were they again? "Okay. But what if something did happen, and the dove randomly started killing all of you?"
The Chief leaned back in his sitting position, putting his claw necklace back around his neck. "Do people not trust where you come from, Starlight?"
Virginia froze. She stopped trying to pry into the worst. The Chief's words hit her to the soul. "I'm sorry."
"No need to fear, Starlight," said the Chief smiling. "You have brought great hope here to us by returning to Alaythia; now we have the great pleasure of offering you trust."
"Chief, you keep saying I have brought hope by returning to Alaythia. What do you mean exactly?"
There was a loud blast of a trumpet followed by three more like it.
The Chief looked up towards the tent flap. "Ah, it is time to feast."
He looked back at Virginia. "Come! You and Soaring Eagle will be my honored guests. You both will dine beside me. Tonight, I strongly believe you will have the answer to your question at the Council of Fire."