FFL: Two Week Recap

We’re two weeks through the fantasy season and while it’s still too early in the race to call it there’s been enough action to start to get a better idea of the teams and how their rosters are shaping up. While perhaps expected your fantasy football expertly lead Dorito Dinks are positioned in first place with a pristine record and tied for the league lead in points scored. The unexpectedly the only other remaining undefeated team after two weeks is that of second year player “Trader Joe’s”. Round out the bottom of the roster are two teams dealing with a complication of under performance and injury in Bloodriders and Nelsons.

The FF league started the season with a series of three rivalry weeks, pairing up opponents with some connection or in some cases giving them a reason to hate each other. While each manager wants to start the year off strong, these same three opponents will be their competition down the final stretch. Which rival makes it into the post season, which floundering team manages to take down a rival, which rival knocks out another, who is clean sweeping and taking those bragging rights into the offseason?

Kicking off the rivalries in week one was the Husband Bowl pitting Maggie vs Walter in a battle for the Lost Man-Card (LMC) Trophy. Despite Maggie having 6 of 9 starters only score in the single digits he was able to outscore Walter 130 to 92. Leading the charge was Maggie's first round pick Gronkowski who put up 32 points in the season opener. Gronkowski, Hopkins, and Carolina scored 67% of Maggie's points and 95% of Walter's point total. Walter's defense also had a good week scoring 18 points as Miami thrashed Washington, but his three receivers managed 16 points between them and his RBs combined for 25 a mere 3 points more than he got from his QB. In the end Maggie's Maineiacs took home the LMC Trophy in the opening week.

Bloodrider's and Wilfork were up next in the Sibling Rivalry. Bloodriders were heavily favored in the match up receiving all 7 pick-em votes for the week.  Ultimately injuries undid the hype building around Bloodriders as they saw Mike Evans miss the week and Bryant leave the game early with a broken leg. However a -2 effort from their Tampa Defense and Gostkowski's measly 4 point outing spoiled what could have been a salvageable week. Wilfork got the most from their lineup beating their project total by 5 while having 6 of 9 players out-stripe their projections including her first and second round picks who combined for 35 points in their opening outing.

The Mountain Bowl saw Boss face off against Tader in what could be the upset of the season after one week. While the Pickem votes went 5-2 in favor of Boss despite the 106-98 projections and questionable drafting on the part of Tader the actual match-up was rather one-sided in Tader's favor. Travis Kelce the TE who Tader drafted in the third round went off for 28 points, Brandon Marshall his fourth round selection notched 18, and Woodhead his 8th scored 22, while 11th round selection Kendall Wright scored 20, more than making up for the poor showing from Tader's first two draft selection who combined for a mere 23 points. Boss was sitting dead in the water, losing despite 7 of his 9 starters out scoring their projections including fifth round selection Tom Brady opening the season with a 27 point game, putting up 10 more points than the first round Luck. The Mountain now passes to Sean who will look to defend its possession week four against German Engineering.

A battle of goliaths saw veteran fantasy managers Hamsters and Germans match-up in what was the most lopsided affair of the week after Hamster got off to a disappointing start in week one. Hamster's roster combined for a mere 63 points in week one, his first two draft picks combining for 14 points. Meanwhile German Engineering smashed their projected point total scoring 171 of 114 projected points. Leading the charge was first round pick Julio Jones with 35 who was supported by 31 point effort from third round pick Carlos Hyde. The two combined for 66 points or 104% of Hamster's point total.

The Honeymooners Bowl saw the coupling of Dorito Dinks and Fashion + Football which ended in, this experts opinion, expected fashion. While Fashion's line-up was projected to win 121-113, the honeymoon ended early for her. Dorito Dink saw free agent acquisition Tyler Eifert outscore his projection by 23 points while Fashion saw one of her starters post a score of 0 after being sidelined by an early injury. Dorito Dink's 142 points were second highest in the league after German Engineering's 171. Fashion + Football will look to rebound next week in a heated rivalry against Antartica Penguin's in the Post Bowl and the debut of the Golden Eagle.

The week was rounded up by the Border War squaring Maine hailing Penguins against the Mass based Nelsons. The Penguins were favored 5-2 in the pickem voting and 117-112 in the projections. While Nelson had a good showing from their initial picks, seeing 17 points from both Lacy and Murray, they found themselves without support as the rest of the lineup was outscored 61 to 86. Jason Witten the 5th TE taken off the board managed 26 points for Penguins and carrying that team to a rather average victory. Penguin did manage the week one win, but had the lowest total of any winning team and would've lost to 7 of the other 10 opponents he could have faced in week one. The Penguins will have to put together a better outing in week 2 if they hope to take home the Golden Eagle.

Week one saw some reactionary movement after the opening salvo of games, managers getting their first look at team’s game plans and making roster decisions on wiser footing… or just managers overacting and jumping ship because some clown yelled fire. Which is which? Well we’ll probably have to wait and found out, but there weren’t any significant name drops at the end of week one.
Moves worth noting include the addition of Peyton Manning to the trading block, David Johnson, DeAngelo Williams, Denver, Jordan Reed, Travis Benjamin, Carson Palmer, and Donte Moncrief all being added to rosters from either Waivers or Free Agency. All having strong showings in week one and each new owner hoping theirs would be the next Peyton Hillis rather than the next Ogletree.

Week Two brought us another series of rivalry match-ups, with Six Victors looking to build on their week one success and six losers looking to right their seasons direction. This was a week for the losers as four of them overcame their week one defeats to find victory in week two while only two of victors remained undefeated.

The Post Bowl pit alums Fashion and Penguins against each other. Fashion limped into the match-up coming off a defeat at the hands of the vaunted Dorito Dinks, while the Penguins were soaring high after coming out on top. The pick-em lines split down the middle each side receiving 3 votes despite projections showing Penguins  as the favorite. The bragging rights and the Golden Eagle went to Fashion who managed a 117 to 115 victory despite her Tight End posting a score of 0 in the match-up. Fells was the second player to post a 0 for Fashion in two weeks of football for Fashion after D. Jackson posted up a 0 last week. Fashion managed to scrape by Penguins thanks to a second week of domination by Julian Edelman whose 33 point performance propelled him to third among WRs and Fashion to the win. While some questioned if Fashion had taken Edelman too early during the draft, he’s returned that value and more in the early goings of the season. On the opposite end Penguins got a mere 28 combined points from their wide receivers being outscored  70 to 28 in the position. Penguins's top of the draft rebounded this week posting 58 points or 50% of his total points for the week, though they were outscored 65 to 58 by Fashion's top 3 picks who combined for 55% of her line-ups score. Sankey, Penguin's 11th round draft choice scored a mere 4 points in the contest, with both T. Smith and S. Johnson scoring double digits on his bench the win was there for Penguins if they had made the right decision.

In what was perhaps the most hyped match-up of the week, the league leading Germans took their high scoring affair to the Dorito Palace in a matchup of Titans. The league leading Germans were heavily favored in the affair as the Pick-em vote went 6-1 in favor of the Germans with the only dissenting opinion that of the home-team. There could be only one Juggernaut and a poor day for Hill foretold Germans doom in this one. German's roster wasn't the only one to come back to earth as Dorito's own line-up faltered scoring below projection and only seeing 4 of 9 players outpace their projection. Dorito was carried by their first round selection Antonio Brown who managed 36 points outscoring German's Julio Jones by 10. Dorito Dink saw the top of his draft account for 45% of his weekly points scoring 51 of 112 points, while German's top selection accounted for  42% after Hill and Hyde were stalled by head injuries. Germans 83 point effort in the week was the worst scoring line-up in week 2 and an 88 point drop off from their league leading 171 point effort in week 1. Which is the real German? Perhaps week 3 will tell as German looks to get back on the right track against an injury riddled Bloodriders.

The matchup of Maggie v Boss ended in a draw as the two tried their best to out troll the other. Maggie starting CJ Spiller and Boss starting Darren McFadden on their way to a 117 v 117 draw. Maggie saw the top of their lineup score 46 points good for 39% of their point total while Boss's managed a mere 24 points and accounted for only 20% of their team's points. Boss will need better production from the top of his draft if he hopes to ever find a win this season. While Maggie thus remains undefeated, their inability to come out with the win could hurt them down the stretch. That said the team really hurting from the draw is Boss which is winless through two weeks without any of the excuses we’ll find for Bloodrider or Nelson. Is it manager deficiency with the sub-optimal line ups; is their best effort just not enough? Only time will tell, but I imagine the end result of this week will lead to a very interesting and important match-up in week 14 when the two teams face off once again.

It was a battle of the defeated as 0-1 Bloodriders squared off against the lowest scoring team in the league Muscle Hamsters. The pick-ems were split between the teams but it was another disappointing week for Bloodriders as Bryant sat with a lingering leg break, and Mike Evans while playing posted the same amount of points while sitting last week. Meanwhile Hamsters broke out of their week one funk and put together a lead leaguing 147 point week 2 effort, swapping places with German Engineering whose score went from first to worst. After being on the receiving end of the biggest blowout last week, Muscle Hamsters were the ones doing the pounding this week. Did the Hamsters shake off the rust, or will there be inconsistency year round for the Hamsters. Hamsters got 68 points out of the top of their roster this week, 46% of their teams points, while Bloodriders saw the top of her lineup score a mere 14 points 14% of the lineups total. It's clear the trouble in Bloodriders line-up starts with the top, the injuries threatening to derail their season before it even began. Mike Evans has scored 0 points through two weeks despite not being flagged before the draft, while Dez Bryant's unlucky break has him with 9 points on the season for the foreseeable future.

Walter White and Suck my Nelson were each looking to rebound after poor week one outings in which they each missed the century mark. The Polls favored Nelson 4-2, but an injury to Lacy stopped Nelson from overcoming a 2 point deficit falling 122 to 124 while posting the highest losing score of the week. Nelson would have defeated 9 of 10 possible other opponents. Walter saw the top of his lineup post 0 points, or 0% of his 124 points on the week, Bell still suspended, Alshon dealing with an injury, and Russel Wilson inexplicably benched for Romo who managed 6 points before leaving with an injury. It seems no amount of horrendous drafting or game managing could give the game away to Nelson. Nelson find themselves 0-2 after two weeks with question marks at running back but looking strong at the receiving position where they posted scores of 37, 28, 25, 18, 14, and 9 in week 2. We'll have to see if the decision to start Watkins over Moncrief haunts Nelson at the end of the season where Moncrief's 7 more points could've given Nelson the win.

The final match-up of the week saw two of the newer members of the fantasy football community square off as Wilfork and Tader looked to stay undefeated. The Polls were as even as the projections split 3-3 with neither team voting. In the end Wilfork's team, lead by Roethlisbergers 30 point effort, got the win in an 111 to 84 effort. Wilfork saw the top of their roster produce 26 points or a mere 23% after benching Hilton who was dealing with some lingering health concerns and a case of the Revis. Meanwhile Tader's top trio produced a mere 22 points, account for 26% of their score, which may restart the questions about Tader's strategy at the top of the draft. The bright spot for Tader after two weeks? They're 1-1 and in 7th, while Brandon Marshall their 4th round pick has posted 41 points making him the 18th best WR and in WR2 territory. Wilfork on the other hand sits at 2-0 but will be hoping for more consistency from their lineup. Wiflork heads into week 3 undefeated, but their 184 points against is second lowest in the league and you have to wonder if that success can be sustained when they face some of the higher scoring line-ups. 
Through two weeks we've had upsets and blowouts and a combined 77 roster moves. There are two teams at 2-0, three undefeated teams, two teams at 0-2, and three teams without wins. The team with the most scored points (254 tied) is in first at 2-0, while the team with the least a mount of scored points (198) is in last at 0-2. There's already been 1 tie, meanwhile those two teams comprise the biggest move and the smallest with Maggie making a league leading 16 roster moves, and Boss being the only remaining team yet to make a change. It's been an exciting start to the league and the trash talk and rivalries are starting to get into full swing. Week three marks the end of the first bout of Rivalry Games. Fashion and Football will look to retain the Golden Eagle against Walter White Walkers, while Boss and Nelson face down in a battle of the defeated each vying for their first victory of the season and the Wood V Trophy. 

Fantasy Football: 5 Must Start Players Week 1

S. Bradford
Facing off against the Falcons in what should be the highest scoring festival this weekend. This will be the first look at the Eagle’s offense running at full speed and this seems to be the perfect recipe for an explosive outing. He’s not being as highly touted as QBs like Rodgers, Brady, or Romo this week but he’ll put up numbers to compete with them and I think will be the #1 QB this weekend in what projects to be the highest scoring game. The Eagles have been firing out of the gate and that was with their back-ups playing most of the game. Expect a fast start for them and for Chip not to let off the gas. We’ll see what his offense can do with a real QB this week.

J. Stewart
Carolina’s loss of Benjamin for the season could be a boon for Stewart and likely is in the season opener against the Jags. The Panthers will be looking to take some of the pressure off rookie Funchess, the Panthers project to rely heavily on their running game in the season opener against a defense that struggled against the run last season. With Williams’s departure, Stewart looks to be in a bell-cow role for the first time in a long while for Carolina and will have full opportunity to take advantage of.

N. Agholor
Hiding in Matthews shadow, Agholor is in excellent position to post WR1 numbers this week. As I mentioned above Philly hasn’t skipped a beat in the preseason and looks to be in stride for the season opener. Agholor specifically has shown repoir with Bradford during their limited snaps together during the preseason. Agholor is in the role that Maclin and Jackson had career years in the past two seasons and he’s going up against a very porous passing defense that will probably be paying more attention to Matthews than to Agholor.

Larry Donnell
The Giants and Cowboys will likely be the second highest combined scoring game this weekend. With both teams having prolific offenses that haven't been bothered by their division rival's defense in recent outings. That said with Rashad Jennings, Odell Beckham Jr, and Victor Cruz, the Giants don't really have a stand out Endzone target outside of the one they developed in Donnell last season.
While Donnell only saw 15% of the teams targets in 2014, he saw 25% of the team's targets within 10 yards of the endzone, which was good for 5TDs. The Giants project to reach the Cowboys Redzone a ton this game which means plenty of opportunity for Donnell to produce. He's a great stream option if your choice at TE is looking at a poor match up or you had drafted J. Thomas or Ertz prior to injury.


NYJ Def
The Jets defense is an interesting consideration. Gone is defensive guru Rex, but they’ve added significant talent at corner and combined with their already destructive front seven and the defense projects to being a force. Their first test is up against the Browns, a disaster of a franchise with two horrid options at QB. Expect the Jets to try and ground and pound on offense which should limit the amount their defense is on the field. I expect a low scoring affair between the Browns and Jets and see the Jets coming away with over one turnover and a few sacks. It’s not the sexiest option, but they get a bonus due to having a trio of streamable games afterwards which means getting them this week means you’ve got a streamable defense for the first quarter of the season.

Fantasy Football: Trade Evaluation

With the first week of the NFL season just a few days away, the Fantasy Football season is about to begin in earnest. While some of you may still have drafts to complete, and I'll direct those of you who do to my Draft Tips, most of you have probably already completed your drafts. While we prepare for week 1 of the Fantasy Football Season we might be evaluating our rosters and seeing deficiencies or at least areas we wish we were a bit stronger in.



While scouring the waivers is definitely a winnable options, so too are trades. In the NFL we rarely see player for player trades anymore. Before this past season's McCoy for Alonso, the last notable player swap was Champ Bailey and Clinton Portis. Hopefully your Fantasy League is a bit more friendly when it comes to swapping players. Yet the reason trades are so hard to get done in your Fantasy Leagues are likely the same reasons they're so hard to get those trades done in the NFL. Teams value their players differently, and it's hard to compare players out of position or put a number on them. Luckily in Fantasy Football we get a little help with Player Rankings and Cheat Sheets, but even these can fail us at times.

When sending or receiving a trade, it's important to be able to evaluate that trade and see how it benefits you. While the nature of trades is that they're supposed to be balanced (why else would both parties agree to them), there are typically still winners and thus losers of trades. Hopefully after reading this fantasy football trade advice you'll be able to win your trades.

The first part of every trade is considering the league you're in. This needs to be considered for every roster move you make, but it's important when trading players. Things to be considered? Starting Roster Spots, Bench Size, IR Spots, League Scoring Settings, Is it Re-draft/Keeper/Dynasty, how many teams make the playoffs, and who are the managers Experts/Novices/Friends? This is a good starting point, it helps shape the sort of moves you might need to make for your team and gives you a general awareness of what moves should happen and what moves could happen. If you're not considering these things then you might be missing out on value, or just making the wrong move for your team.

The second part is knowing your roster, knowing its strengths and weaknesses, and having a feel for your year long strategy. Who you're starting, where your depth options are for bye weeks and injuries, streaming options, punt weeks, and such so you can get a better sense of where you can afford to move talent and where you need to sure up.

Once you receive the trade, look at each of the players, really look at them. Don't just read the name and rank them off a cheat sheet. Chances are you haven't looked at the other managers players as closely as you have yours. Whats their schedule look like? Are they coming off powder-cake match-ups that inflated their price tag only to head into a horrible stretch, are they a buy low candidate or a sell high? What is their opportunity going forward? What is their playoff schedule like? It's probably a good idea to freshen up on your own players, you probably want to avoid selling low.

Now that you've actually looked at the players in the trade, puzzle out who the best player in the trade is. Not just off rankings, but going forward which player is likely going to be the best (almost every player has upside). In fantasy football trades you almost always want to be the owner receiving the best player in a trade. Why?

You want to be upgrading talent. Players do not contribute to you winning unless they're starting. You have a limited number of starting roster spots so any time a player scores points on your bench you're losing value. Too much depth is a waste (yes you do need some depth, don't trade it all away). If you're able to turn a 15 point starter and a 10 point bench player, into a 19 point starter you're winning the trade. That's the most encouraged and straightforward answer I can give you. This means that you want to turn your depth and multiple players into better players.

Which brings us to another point. Your bench is limited, and while your bench can't contribute to you winning by scoring points, it does give you value. Bench players are essentially assets, ones that can be traded or used. If you're simply sitting on your assets all season you're not getting value out of them. Move those assets. If they're not returning on investment drop them, and looking for new ones. How do you cash in on their value? By trading them. In a typical 10 or 12 man league, there's going to end up being talent that isn't rostered due to bench space limitations. It's not necessarily starting talent, but it could be if the opportunity is right. By trading depth for starters you're not only increasing your chances to win each week, but you're also opening up spots on your bench for additional assets.

If every trade was as simple as getting the best player and trading depth for starters, trades would likely never get done (and perhaps that's why they're still hard to accomplish in fantasy football). There are other considerations, typically ones that come about due to poor circumstances. Mistakes during drafting, poor foresight, or injuries can often put a roster into some uncomfortable situations that make accepting "losing" trades necessary. If your RB1 goes down, and the gems you drafted late never pan out and your RB2 has an ugly stretch of games down the line, well its time to start looking for some RB help. This is when you start looking at trades perhaps a bit differently. Yes the other manager might be getting the best player, but your receiving a couple of RBs you're comfortable starting and still have some upside to them.

Sometimes you have to pay a premium for scarce resources. This is perhaps the primary reason so many Fantasy Football Experts tout the roster as many running backs as possible advice. Running backs are a scarce resource, there's typically less than one startable running back per a team, and a typical league needs 20 to 24 before flex considerations. This means that running backs tend to be a scarce resource, however TE1 can also be a scarce resource that costs a premium. Typically I would advise against trading for them if you have to pay the premium, but sometime times it can't be avoided or you just have the talent elsewhere to pull it off. Particularly down the stretch when you're attempting to make your roster playoff friendly. This is when unloading depth for QB1s and TE1s makes sense when your trying to fit those extra 2 or 3 points into your starting line-up for the post season.

My final bit of evaluation advice would be to never trade for Kickers or Defenses, if your in a bad situation there simply start streaming. It's common place enough that you'll be able to find guides relatively easily. In fact here's dtlerch who will release weekly rankings for streaming defenses. Outside of that, there's just little value to be had in a trade and offering up any positional players for one is just a loss in value in most cases. They're typically unreliable week to week with a tendency to be highly match-up reliant (or in the case of Kickers, random chance). I would extend this advice to QBs as well, but I'd amend that you should rarely trade for a QB (see paragraph above) but trading your own QB for positional players can be good value.

Hopefully after reading this you've come away with some ideas on how to better evaluate the trades being proposed to you. If you took one thing away from this it should be that you want to upgrade your starters. Depth is important, but a player never won anyone a game while sitting on their bench.

Chapter 9.

did you miss Chapter 8? Find it here. 

Fella found them where she had left them, snarling and biting, well perhaps one was doing more of that than the other but they were both equally trying to kill the other. Vorcinerex was weary, she could tell by the heaving of his sides, the fury gave him strength but he was up against a champion of their enemy. The champion, to his credit did not seem tired or worried, he seemed as posed as if he was dancing around the fire with a mate rather than fighting for his life. There was a sudden flurry, and another of the massive trees was hewn, falling on itself as half its trunk was sliced. Vorcinerex reciprocated by tearing off the limbs of another and beating back the tall warrior at length.

Such was the trail that she had followed, misshaped tree after fallen tree. The light had sunk beneath the trees and now she walked in gloom. It was better for her that way, while she didn't doubt she could stop her enraged mate from striking at her, she did not trust the other fighter. The ridges of his skin glowed softly in the gloom and merely heightened her apprehension of the warrior. He was not of this plane, and he was not of their Mother.

There was a crack, followed at length by a deafening thud as the tree that Vorcinerex tossed the warrior into broke and fell. Trees taller than rivers were long, the ground threatened to tear itself open in protest of their weight. Still they went on, the warrior picking himself up as if he'd merely been tripped and stalking towards her mate. That sword of his dancing in front of him as if it were a short spear instead of a metal blade as large as her. Gashes sliced through trees, boughs fell, and crimson petals rained.

She lost sight of them behind a wide tree that they had not brought down and began to creep forward once more. There was little she could do to help her mate here, but she would tell him of the child's kidnapping once he was threw. He'd have no choice but to gather more tribes and strike out against the human kingdom for her. Of course, he'd have to finish with this warrior first, but Vorcinerex was Mother's favorite, she'd never let him fail yet.

There was movement up ahead, not the two fighting, but to the side a bit. Someone else had found them! Fella scrambled around the tree and towards another closer to the pair and their other guest. The two tumbled past, Vorcinerex landing on top and trying to tear at the throat of the warrior. The warrior glowed as they rolled and Vorcinerex's roar a short while after told her he'd failed in his attempt. There! There was someone else lurking, no not lurking striding purposefully towards the pair. A Minotaur, with dark brown hair and horns of black. She did not like the look in its eyes, or the jagged edge of its spear.

Fella sighed, she was hoping to avoid this but it wouldn't do well for her to watch her mate fall. Favored of Mother or not. Stepping around the tree she closed the distance between herself and the wrestling pair and across from the Minotaur building speed. It's eyes were red, a bad sign as far as eyes typically went.

Is it too much to ask that you didn't bless our enemies Mother.
She howled, her size doubling as she began loping towards the now charging bull. It bellowed a challenge as she continued to grow while the gap closed between them. She felt the air pressing against her as she sped towards the spear pointed at her heart, ten meters, five meters, now... She willed herself to the winds and became it. She passed around the barreling Minotaur, her claws formed as she passed and raked along its sides, it's hardened hide protecting it. She coalesced a meter behind it and immediately had to avoid a spear thrust. The Minotaur smiled a toothy smile at her.

"When did Trife favor the Vulk so! You're the second windwalker I've had the pleasure of killing this day," said the Minotaur.

So Hevhast had not survived, his tales would be missed but he had given his spirit for the tribe, no for his people. She reached for the red emblem hanging from her neck by a bit of cord. Gripping the cool metal and yanking, it fell away easily. Now that it was in her hand the metal shaped, the spirit within listening to hers and turning into a long double edge sword. We've work to do my son. 
The Minotaur's patience ran out and he barreled forward with a series of jabs, Fella parried two while giving ground then dove past the third strike turning to wind and passing around him the spirit sword remaining dancing in the wind and striking along the side of the beast. She formed and had to roll away from a fist. It was fast, and angry.

"Blasted wind! Stand still and fight me!" it bellowed.

She wasn't inclined to acquiesce.  She shied from another thrust catching the shaft and slicing down through the wood with her own blade. The minotaur pulled back and began to spin the shaft around his head and began using both sides to keep her back and from gaining ground towards him. She went to step into a lunge and ate an end to the snout, she tried to leap but took a hard strike to the side of the leg which dropped her. It smiled looming over her, its red eyes staring down at her.

"I hope Klanae appreciates my offering," it said.

Then it was gone, a flash of gray fur taking the creature bodily and planting it into the side of a tree. Vorcinerex huffed standing where the Minotaur once had been, his back to her as it watched the crumpled shape of her attacker.

She stood carefully her shin burning, she was already shrinking. She wasn't as experienced at holding her fury as Vor was. There was a sound like a wind catcher spun above her head. She felt the danger before she saw it, pushing Vor under the very tree he'd just sent the Minotaur sprawling. Arrows feathered the ground where they'd been standing. A new shadow loomed long over the gloomy cove where the champions fought.

Looking up Fella saw the belly of a great beast, it's wings spread wide allowing it to float above the forest. Archers lined it side, already aiming another shot at them under the cover of the tree. Even from here she could sense the power of the spirit on that abomination. Fate it seemed, was against them, it was time to change it.

The Minotaur stood with a groan. Fella noted with relief its red eyes had taken to black and it seemed slow to go on the attack. Vorcinerex moved towards it as if to finish the creature but Fella held him back. Her mate spun on her then, anger burning in his eye, she did not flinch before him she had mastered his anger and it held no sway over her. His eye cooled and he stayed his wrath, shrinking some as he recognized her.

"We must go," she said while pulling on his arm with her free hand, spirit sword held in the other.

He huffed once more, shaking his head roughly before finally allowing himself to be lead.

"What happened to the other?" Fella asked.

"I... I do not know. I saw that one attacking you and left it."

Fella searched the forest for signs of the other warrior but saw none, he had merely disappeared.

"Perhaps you scored a lethal blow."

"Yes, we should turn back and finish that other champion of there's. Our army could fight them with those two returned to the Fields."

"He is here, and they have Anae," Fella said stumbling. "They took her Vor! Stole her right from my arms. They've hunted us, slaughtered us, then on the day of our defeat they stole our child!"

Fella sobbed softly into the shoulder of Vor, she felt the loving embrace of her mate, and the tremors of his wrath.

"I had planned to give Bloodlust to Klanae when I'd finally met him on the field. Now I think it would be too great an honor for him. I will rip the throats from his people, feast on their spirits, and use their strength to break his kingdom and return Anae to our people."

He released her then, and began stalking deeper into the Eternal Wood. She had him then, he would unite them again, and lead them to war against these humans. They had been beaten, but all swords were tempered.

Chapter 8

Did you miss Chapter 7? Find it here. 

The battle had gone to plan, the Vulk forces lay splintered groups fleeing into the woods in different directions. It would make mopping them up all the more difficult but with the sunbelchers firmly under he control he could allow the Skyeels freedom of the forest. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't at least a little disappointed. He had spent years hunting these beasts across the realm and when they'd finally clashed in a decisive battle, well it had been almost too easy. The front lines had collapsed after nary a day of fighting, the flanks folded almost immediately after being joined, and the ferocity the enemy had garnered a reputation for seemed more myth than having any teeth to it.

Jhev surveyed the remnants of the fight from his hilltop vantage, he could see companies going through the moor of dead gathering their own or salvaging valuables. Marshall Hevsid was organizing a defensible camp on the high ground, and the Chaplains were reading the passages of Elysium. Not all things had gone smoothly today. He'd lost both of the immortals the Divinities had seen fit to bless him with, Vorcinerex still lived, and there was that minor complication with Minos' demands. How we he supposed to know which child the Divinity wanted, for all he knew the child was lying down there dead. Likely the child fled with the rest of the Vulk cur, he'd be tracked down like the rest of his Kin, then Minos would have his end of the bargain, and with Vorcinerex dead he'd have his.

There was also the small matter of Chaplain Oran, apparently she'd last been seen heading into the woods away from the frontline after leading a charge against the flank. Some of his knights had claimed she'd had the immortal with her, but that was hard to qualify now without the Chaplain here to answer. Perhaps she'd gone seeking the glory of killing Vorcinerex for herself, if so she was likely dead. The Immortal, Alaen the Glorious, no small part of this victory was due to him and the champion Minos had seen fit to send him, Kanis the Stained. He'd have to offer up sacrifices to each doubtlessly, but well worth it. He wondered if Betsol was aware of his treachery, how could she not as queen of the Divinities. Yet he still stood, he still commanded, perhaps the Divinities weren't as omniscience as the Priests would prefer you to believe. Or perhaps she knew, and understood. Minos wasn't her enemy, and the Vulk threatened her people! He'd been right to seek them out for destruction after what they'd done to Frosthaven, his home. Vorcinerex had come to his manor that night, it was that night he'd made his promise it was that night that Minos answered his prayers.

Vorcinerex.He was close . Jhev would not let him escape again, he would not let the gift of mercy extend the life of that monster.

A feeling climbed into his hear then, a dark one that worked against him. This was one of worry, of angst. It wouldn't let him be calm, it wouldn't let him be still. The days victories seemed small to the risk of losing Vorcinerex. So as it had been the past three years, so it would be that night. There would be no rest while Vorcinerex lived.

"Marshall Johanna," said Jhev, "Prepare your fastest Skyreels. We find Vorcinerex while Betsol still shines."

The woman with curling golden hair standing behind him away in a suit of leather nodded curtly, turning on her heals and leaping down the hill in her hurry.

"Marshall Derek, I'll need your finest company of Archers, we're hunting a particular beast we'd be best to avoid getting to close to," said Jhev.

"I'll send up the first then my Lord Marshall," said Derek.

"Very good, and Marshall, I'll need Bogan."

"Bogan, sire?"

"Yes, I may require his... particular blessing."

"Very well sire."

Jhev watched the second Marshall depart him, there were runners for such things of course but Jhev preferred to remind the Marshalls of their station below him. It was well that when he made orders they listened, not questioned, not advised, merely listened. It saved times and time saved lives, the lives of his soldiers who had sparsely few enough of these days. The three years had been a trying ordeal, but if the day ended as he hoped, it would have all been worth it.

***

They skimmed across an ocean of blood. The skyreel's belly grazing the top most flowers of the towering trees. They had left with mere hours left of daylight, the Glory hour bathing them as they set out on their quest.

With Chaplain Oran missing, he'd taken Chaplain Feyor with them. Rounding out their company of 24 a Divine Number. Marshall Johanna was currently steering them, while a few of the archers had their sharp eyes piercing the forest for signs of camp. Bogan sat in the center of the Skyreel near its mast. The slave was a large fellow with scars running up his arms and along his face, his black hair was missing patches where a particular scar struck through. Even to Jhev he was a disconcerting sight, which was why Jhev kept him with the baggage train. Good for digging latrine trenches and hefting supplies for the army, best to unnerve the slaves than the soldiers. Still it did not due to waste the blessings of the Divinities.

Bogan eyed him wearily and Jhev turned his attention to the passing treetops. It wasn't until they passed into a large clearing that he realized just how high up they were and felt his gorge rise. He backed away from the side and was caught by a firm hand. He turned to find Bogan.

"Get your hand off me Slave!" commanded Jhev.

Bogan did just that, shirking away from Jhev and back against the mast.

Jhev dusted his shoulder where the creature had touched him and straightened himself. The uncivility of it, why the Divinities had seen fit to bless such a simpleton was beyond Jhev's comprehension. He imagined they were a merciful sort, why else would they allow such creatures to continue living freely.

"We've found their camp Lord Marshal," said Johanna. "It appears deserted."

"Then send down the scouts," said Jhev.

Two of the Skyreel's sailors were soon strapped into a harness and lowered to the ground where they released themselves and began stalking through the village of tents. The Skyreel hovered over them, floating lazily along the wind stream towards the center of the village where two large tents sat opposite one another. There had been a battle here, a number of Vulk bodies laid discarded, it was the work of an Immortal, one of the two had made it here. No sign of Vorcinerex or the immortal, but they had left a trail. Tents sliced down or broken in a line towards the north west.

A scout entered each of the largest tents, returning to the opening with a sign for clear. Archers hoisted the pair of scouts back to the Skyreel by their re-attached harnesses. Once they'd been raised off the ground the Skyreel began moving again, floating towards the path of broken tents and onward into the forest where a similar path of broken trees was found.

Vorcinerex was close, and they were on his trail.

Would you like to read the next chapter? Here's Chapter 9. 

Chapter 7 - Stains

In case you missed it, Chapter 6. 

Kanis counted the hours by the dead. It had been a very long day, yet finally the dying slowed. He wiped his blood soaked brow the grime merely smearing.

He stalked forward, a hoof crushing the skull of someone as he brought his spear up to deal with the next foe. It waved it's arms frantically, a novice style did they have no one left worth killing. It's pink face squealed as Kanis impaled it. 

Kanis watched it then, the last death of the day. Something seemed familiar of this foe, its eyes looking confused as they lost their light and the body went slack. 

The field was devoid of life, in the distance he could see foes retreating from him, into the woods he could see others running from him. Fear him! Kanis the Stained! 

He heard it then, or perhaps felt it, that sense of purpose in the back of his mind urging him forward. Urging him towards... Something, someone. He ignored it, there was still killing to be done. Perhaps someone would prove themselves, someone to end the killings.

He sniffed, the acrid tang of gore hung in the air like a fog but there was something underneath if one knew what they were searching for. Strength. 

He pulled the spear free from the boy, his body crumpling among the rest. His face watching as Kanis began towards the forest of red.


Want to read more? Here's Chapter 8.

Fantasy Football: Free Tom Brady Implications

Mary Altaffer/AP Photo

Brady Stock --Up!-- Brady is obviously a better fantasy player with 4 more games in him. Brady's been going about the off season like he was going to play week 1 all along so there's no catch-up needed we can hope the offense is firing on all cylinders week 1. While the pats have looked bad in preseason games, they've been doing it without Gronk or their starting receivers. Expect the offense to look improved against a horrid Steelers defense week 1, then a horrid Jaguars defense week 2. By then a rhythm should be found and Edelman definitely back and we'll see what Angry Brady and Co. accomplish this fantasy season.

Gronks Stock --Even--
but realistically up, however the Hype was too high around him to draft him any higher (not just you Maggie). Gronk is coming into the season Healthy for the first time in... ever? Well a long time, and I believe it's the primary reason Belichick held him out all preseason. They want to start the season with Gronk at full speed and see if he can't recapture that 2011 domination. Even if he can't? He'll still be the #1 TE by a wide margin, but if he's near 2011 form he'll be a top 5 Fantasy scorer regardless of position and that will truly justify those high draft picks. 

Edelman Stock --Up!--
Edelman benefits from having Brady for 4 games he wasn't going to have him, he's now on target for 100 receptions and 1000 yards, still not going to see a lot of TDs unless the pats bring back the Seattle gameplan. Edelman managed 92 receptions on 135 targets and 10 carried for 98 yards in 14 games last season. 

LaFell Stock --Up!-- LaFell benefits the most from Brady being back those 4 games, can't trust Jimmy to get the ball out to him on the sidelines or for the QB to call his novice QB to throw to the teams #1 Corners. WIth Brady back he's got a good chance to progress in year 2 of the offense. I wouldnt put 100-1000-10 out of his reach!

Amendola Stock --Up!-- Honestly Amendola's stock is tied more to the health of players around him, but Brady playing is a boon for his receivers. If Edelman can't play week 1, Amendola has a chance for 10 receptions and is a great WR3 with WR2 upside in PPR leagues. If you're buying Amendola you're hoping that the Rhythm the Pats found in the post season continues into this season. Brady finally seemed comfortable throwing to Amendola and he saw more targets a game than he did all regular season as the WR3.

Schandler Stock --Up!-- Brady lead offense will find the redzone more which means Schandler should see more chances for TDs. Heavily TD reliant to be a fantasy contributor. This could change if the Patriots unveil a heavy usage of the 2 TE sets, but typically any role player in the pats offense will see heavy use one week and then be ignored for an undetermined amount of time.

Blount Stock --Up!--

While Blount projected to see more work with Brady sidelined for 3 of his games, the offense wasn't going to find the redzone as often and a lot of Blounts value with the Pats is that he's averaging a TD a game with them. Blount's value is also mostly tied up in TDs but he's proven them to be reliable with the Pats. Word in the preseason is Blount has looked slimmer and faster than at any previous time. Perhaps we'll have a 2003 Corey Dillon on our hands?

Gray Stock--WHO THE FUCK KNOWS-- If Gray ever sees the field I expect him to be a Lynch style back... nothing, nothing.. nothing... oh shit 30 yards... nothing... nothing... TD! A sneaky week 1 play for teams in need of a week 1 RB, this isn't the Steelers of old. That said until Gray wins the starting position, his value is tied to Blount's health.  

Brandin Bolden --Up!-- No one drafted him!?! He's the third down back yall! The pats like him, Brady trusts him, and he's the only damn one that can pass block. He'll be hot on the waiver wire once the Pats roll him out and throw him a few passes. He's no Vereen so he's probably not worth rostering but some of you are RB hungry.

FFL Wrap-Up: Preseason Week 4 Edition.

Hello, and welcome to the FFL wrap-up, a weekly write up I'll be doing primarily for the F is for Friends, Family & Friends League members but should be written so that anyone on the outside looking in can follow along.

If you haven't seen if yet you can find the FFL Draft Recap here. Following the draft the FFL placed all remaining players on waivers until September 2nd, which if you hadn't been paying attention to dates is today!

Waiver strategy, and the way managers develop their roster through them over the course of the season is an important part to some manager's "game" maybe more important than drafting. Some managers might be average drafters but are great at working the waivers, others could be operating a streaming strategy (more on this later), and then there are those who rely on their drafting and only look to the waivers when they have ugly bye week or injury situations that their depth can't handle.

For those of you who might not be the most familiar with waivers, it's a system of ordering claims for a manager's right to add a player to their roster. The ordering starts in reverse order of draft position. This meant that for FFL's initial waiver priority Optimal was first and we worked backwards from their until we reached Team 1 who had waiver priority 12. When a team excercises it's right to add someone from the waivers, it is placed on the back of the waiver priority. When putting in a claim for someone on waivers, you exercise your waiver priority even if no one else claims said player against your claim as long as the player is added to your roster. What does this mean? It means that you really don't want to claim someone off waivers that you don't have to, and that if you want someone on waivers but you don't think you'll get them because of your low priority there is no reason not to put a claim in.

This brings us to the current point of emphasis for Today's wrap-up, the initial waiver moves of FFL. It should be noted that FFL drafted the night of August 30th, which makes our first move all the more interesting.

August 31: ~7 am. Maggie's Maineiacs drops Tim Tebow (QB) PHI

What! The pick that received so much praise, dropped less than 12 hours after the draft. It should be noted that while Tim Tebow was a late round flyer, that's not to say the pick held no value. Players such as Philip Rivers, Donald Brown, Michael Floyd, Pierre Garcon, Michael Crabtree, Terrance Williams, and David Cobb had yet to be taken! I wonder what prize Maggie has their eye on.

September 1: ~12pm. Maggie's Maineiacs drops Montee Ball (RB) DEN
The last two picks of Maggie's team were not long for that roster, preemptive drops often mean that a manager has eyes on a number of players they'd be comfortable rostering  that are currently on waivers. By having open roster spots they're not forced to tie additions to specific player drops.

Waivers

September 2: ~3:30am. Agreeable (Bloodriders) drops Tyler Eifert (TE) CIN adds Heath Miller (TE) PIT

Interesting choice of waiver moves by Bloodriders, they selected Eifert in the 8th who saw a rise in his draft price as the hype continued to build. I rated that pick highly, but they've already moved on from that selection to add a TE who went undrafted. Let that be a lesson for those of you selecting TEs later in the draft! There'll be someone on the waivers whose just as good week to week. Eifert now becomes an interesting roster addition for teams who were not happy with their own TE situation.

September 2: ~3:30am. Maggie's Maineiacs adds Alfred Blue (RB) HOU
If you want to take the time to look back at Maggie's draft you'll see that they selected only two running backs in the top 12 rounds. 2! Of those two, one of them (Spiller) is currently injured and has sent Maggie scrambling to the waivers in search of not only a bit more depth, but someone worth starting week 1. They've found that in Alfred Blue who should see great use while he fills in for Foster.

September 2: ~3:30am. Walter White Walkers drops James Starks (RB) GB adds DeAngelo Williams (RB) PIT

Walter is a lucky man, lucky that he doesn't play in a cut throat league. Walter being the second year fantasy player that he is, missed out on the opportunity to handcuff his own first round RB who is already missing two weeks when the draft took place. Instead taking James Starks in the 12th round the last round Walter drafted positional players. While we might guess that he had a claim out for Blue, a player who projects to see a lot more use over the opening weeks than Williams, he at least lands his own handcuff in D. Williams.

September 2: ~3:30am. Team 1 (Antarctica Penguins) drops Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB) NYJ adds Kenny Stills (WR) MIA

So Team 1 moves on from their snub at Geno and adds some WR depth in a flyer on Kenny Stills someone who should see a good deal of work in MIA offense, at least until Parker returns from his injury.

September 2: ~3:30am Agreeable (Bloodriders) drops New York Jets (DEF) adds San Francisco 49ers (DEF)

Agreeable was having a good bit of fun at the draft but by the time the late rounds had come around their tablet had run out of power and with it their rankings and cheat sheets. While there might be inexperience in the league there's no lacking of cut throat, so it didn't seem like there was a willingness to share. I imagine Agreeable had the 49ers defense ranked their on their own sheets than they did the Jets, so the made the move on the waivers, but I'd say the Jets are the better season defense and they're now out there for the taking.

September 2: ~3:30am Maggie adds Damien Williams (RB) MIA

I had previously scanned the waiver wire for players I thought worthy of a claim and while there was some value, I decided there wasn't anyone at the time worth sacrificing waiver position. This decision only netted me a gain of one in priority (thanks to Agreeable's activity) and I lost out on no one of real consequence (two hand-cuffs) and then Damien Williams whose value is only suspect if you believe the rumors that Miami isn't happy with Lamar Miller. As I mentioned above Maggie is trying to put together some RB depth having only 2 on the roster after their pre-waiver drops. Well they've managed to add Blue who will fill in for their injured Spiller, and then hope that Damien might add some value for him as the season progresses.

September 2: ~3:30am Walter drops Percy Harvin (WR) BUF adds Eddie Royal (WR) CHI

By all accounts in a 12 team PPR league Royal should have found a roster around the 10th round when guys like Decker, M. Bryant, Funchess, and White were going, and certainly have found one in the 13th when T. Williams, M. Crabtree, P. Garcon, and M. Floyd went. So perhaps better late than never. Royal was a big reason why Malcom Floyd failed to have value last season as he pilfered targets game after game. Now he reunites with Cutler who he had a great season, just in time for K. White to possibly be missing the entire season.

Post Waivers

Since the opening waivers have closed, we've seen two additional moves.

Septermber 2: ~10am Fashion drops Jay Ajayi (RB) MIA adds Andre Williams (RB) NYG

Whether Fashion was holding onto waiver priority, or missed out on the initial salvo at left over running backs, she made a move for the expected soon to be starting running back for the NYGs by picking up Andre Williams.

September 2: ~1pm Nelson drops RGIII (QB) WAS adds Joe Flacco (QB) BAL

Not a surprising move, Nelson saves their waiver priority but moves on from their flyer on RGIII whose already been injured and relegated as the back-up. Instead picking up Joe Flacco who finished last season as the #12 fantasy QB in standard formats.


So an early picture of the league and it's managers starts to take shape. We can learn a bit about whose an active mover and who are more patient, which teams are fishing to fill perceived holes and which are sitting on their rosters. While there has already been some trade talks instigated, there has of this posts writing yet to be any trades made or, to my knowledge, offered.

We're still a little more than a week away from our first weeks match-ups, but already teams are positioning for a fast start. 

Chapter 6: The Eternal Wood

If you missed Chapter 5, find it here. 

The weight of the forest could be measured in silence. It was the sort of quiet that was loud enough to disquiet thinking. Natal and company made a plodding pace west away from the clearing where the Chaplain had plucked the Vulk Pup from its mother. Their numbers had dwindled to a mere eleven, their lost scattered near where they entered this pressing forest. They had lost Alaen, the Chaplain had not made mention of him, but he no longer lead them. Instead Natal had her most experienced tracker finding their way west through the forest where they should make their way to it's edge.

The Chaplain stayed near the back of the company, walking with a hesitant pace and keeping a protective eye on the small white Vulk. There had been a commotion when the two had first rejoined the knights, The Chaplain quickly checking for wounds before ushering the child forward. Natal took up a rearguard position, keeping an eye on the unnatural darkness of the forest, but also on the pair. The child didn't seem like something divine, it hardly looked like a Vulk at all. The hostility replaced with an apathy, more like a Kych with her wide eyes as it peered at the passing trees broader than any of the tents from the clearing they'd come from.

Natal spun suddenly to the groups left, scanning the floor of the forest between colossal trunks. She shook her head resuming the trek. "Thought I heard something, probably a Behem."

"Are you sure it's not a Guardian," asked Jhal? The young knight looked at each trunk as he came near them.

"You wouldn't hear a Guardian," said Devlin,  "we'd be long dead before you even knew there were any in the forest."

"That's not true," said Gregg from up ahead.

"What, you think you could hear a Guardian old man," challenged Devlin.

"No, you would not hear them, but they leave signs in the forests they tend." The older knight nodded to himself as he walked underneath the bows of a particularly large tree without needing to hunch.

Devlin made a rude noise, shaking his head. "Ain't never heard of no keeper leaving no signs."

 "I. I have." said Jhal. "Priest Uban once said that all the living woods had Keepers and that if you saw a living tree then you knew you were in a protected place."

Natal smiled, it was good to hear them talking even if it was about something as nonsensical as Keepers of the Forest, a child's tale told to frighten children away from getting lost in the woods, just as they spoke of shadows in the night to bring them home before dark. They were an honest lot, even the cynical Devlin.

"That's not even a sign," he said as if in response to her.

Gregg shook his head while passing under another limb. "There are others for those who know to look, for example the moss always grows on the south side of a Guardian's wood."

"South side? Where does moss typically grow." posed Ben who had slowed to match Gregg's pace.

There was laughter from a nearby bush up along the general direction they were heading which caused the lot of them to start and hold hilts.

"The north side of course," said Halfast in response.

Halfast, the company's acting scout parted from the bushes starring at the group of them with their hands on weapons. He cocked an eyebrow before glancing towards Natal.

Natal shook her head. "They got themselves worked up over talk of Guardians, children the lot of them. Especially you Gregg,  I haven't heard a Priest whisper telling of Guardians since before I left for the Academy."

The wizened knight looked at the floor and kicked lazily at large deep blue domed mushroom. "My father, birth father that it were, was a woodsmen in the Keepers' eldest forest Captain. He was allowed to worship Mori as it where and he'd tell me about the Guardians and the Children of the Forrest, the living woods and the dead woods. That's all Captain, suppose I shouldn't have tried to pass them off as true to another, not my place to preach." He gestured divinity as he looked to the Chaplain's feet.

She frowned then, glancing at the Chaplain who was too preoccupied with the child to note Gregg's blasphemy. She shrugged at him. "Haven't heard you speak about your father before Gregg, didn't even know you still thought on him."

"Can't say I often do Cap'n, but we've never been in the Eternal Wood before either."

"Speaking of this forest," said Halfast, "I'm sure we're headed in the right direction but the tree's are growing larger not smaller as if we were headed deeper into it." He gestured apologies towards Gregg who merely shrugged.

Natal glanced up into the canopy of stark red leaves to glimpse the sun, but here they wove too tight to rely on Sol for guidance. "Perhaps we headed further in than we thought when tracking their camp, keep us pointed west and we'll arrive."

"You sure Halfast's our best guide?" asked Vik. "Betsol enlighten me I've seen that tree before."

Devlin sniggered. "Of course you've seen that tree before, there's hundreds of them in this wood. Each one a tower shrouded in blood red leaves! Foreboding if you asked me, no wonder no one lives here."

"It is not some other tree," Vik retorted, "It has the same bearded face pattern in it's bark."

Vik waved her hand towards a tree off to her right. Natal furrowed her brow and glanced to Halfast who merely shrugged gesturing apologies.

"We'll keep to the west, Halfast will guide us right." she said with more confidence than she felt.

The knights nodded and started following Halfast once he started forward again. She noticed they seemed to be watching the forest more intently than they had before which would be a boon worth the delay. She wasn't afraid of the forest, nor what might lurk within, but of coming across a group of fleeing Vulk.

"We've quite the journey ahead of us," said Chaplain Oran.

Natal's neck craned as Chaplain Oran spoke just behind her. She gestured divinity to the Chaplain, the true leader of the company. She spared a glance for the child trailing slightly behind her with silent strides.

"Betsol has yet to answer my prayers for enlightenment. I was sure once we'd found the pup she'd give further guidance to our quest," said Chaplain Oran while looking askance.

Natal had been a part of her fair share of this sort of conversations and kept quite, merely gesturing divinity as she watched the Chaplain and the child.

"We'll need to make haste to the Temple of Dawn. Once Jhev learns of our desertion, especially if he learns of our quest, he'll send what immortal's he still has sway over after us. Without Alaen we can only run," the Chaplain said. She looked away from the canvas of leaves above them and caught Natal glancing at the child. "No, no matter how powerful the pup might be, we cannot risk fighting around it. Betsol made it sound most pressing."

The child turned its head away from the two of them. Its shoulders slumped. The Chaplains speaking brought Natal's eyes back to her.

"Have you ever been in a living wood before? I had always thought they would feel different. More... well, alive."

Natal's breath caught, she stared hard at the Chaplain's face looking for a hint of humor from the woman. "You don't, this forest is a living wood?"

"Yes, well, of course," said the Chaplain. She took her eyes off the wood and looked at Natal for a moment. "The Eternal Wood is one of the oldest living woods on the material plane. Its why there was no real risk of it catching fire despite our Dawnbringers continuous singeing of its edges."

She glanced over her shoulder to the child and said, "I wonder if their plan was to lose us in its depths. It is said that you could spend a lifetime searching for the center of a living wood and never find it, as it's apt to avoid those seeking it."

Natal gaped, shaking her head at the Chaplain. "It's said? by who?"

"The priests of Mori, but of course," the Chaplain said as if the answer should have been obvious.

Natal looked at the forest slowly and breathed in. The air crisp and light, the ground was a blanket of fallen flowers in shades of red from pale pink to a rich crimson that was mirrored above. The trees, if they were really of the same family, had trunks as round as towers and limbs that began sprouting from it high above the floor and sloping up towards the hidden sky. Now she heard the insects droning underneath the silence.

"I imagine we're quiet safe," said the Chaplain, "The Mori taught that as long as you meant no harm to the wood the Guardian's would allow you on your way."

"The Guardians!" exclaimed Natal. "You're telling me you believe in the Guardians too?"

"Of course I do Captain, it is my position in life to believe. I listen to the Divinities and they give me truths. Who am I to question a divinity?" the Chaplain posed.

Natal gestured apologies then divinity. "I suppose I just... well they're feytales, begging your pardon Chaplain. One's families tell to children to keep them behaving."

"No, I'm afraid not Natal," the Chaplain said gently while cupping one of Natal's hands with her own. "There are a great many divinities in this world, lesser of the Divinities of course, but still sharing the mortal realm with us." The Chaplain looked behind her, at the Vulk child who had been listening to the two talk, eyes wide and head cocked.

"I fear the mortal realm is about to face a change it is not well prepared for, an echoing of sorts," said the Chaplain.

She began to walk in the direction the knights were making headway in, Vik just passing through a heady bit of underbrush, a blooming bush of white flowers with purple edges.

Natal started up again, finding herself in pace with the child. The child held her gaze then, its head down and tale tucked behind it. This wasn't something divine, this was something to be protected a child that needed a guardian.

"I'm Natal," she said putting on her biggest smile.

The child merely looked away, hurrying its steps to fall in behind the Chaplain.

Shrugging, Natal quickened her pace passing through the white flowered bush. She heard it then, the sound of creaking wood and rustled peddles, the one that had first caused her to peer out into the forest expectantly. The wind, perhaps, though there wasn't any wind that she could feel.

"They come." the child said.

Natal's had snapped around to find the child staring up at her with large ice blue eyes. She absently rubbed at the back of her neck.

"Who?" Natal asked.

"The ones who'd keep me from your mother."

"My mother?"

"Cap'n!" came the warning from Gregg up ahead.

Natal's blade was drawn before she'd found Gregg. He and the others had their rifles bared, each finding air to aim at beyond the trees. The Chaplain bounded up beside them, her own blade out and a firm hand on the back of the child's shoulders.

"It's the Guardians!" cried Jhal.

"I swear I saw it move Cap'n," said Gregg.

"It did, I saw it too Captain" said Sarah.

"You can relax my Knights," said the Chaplain in a voice that reminded Natal of prayers.

The rifles lowered, and they stood taller. The 9 of them looked to the Chaplain for enlightenment, her Solet shining brightly in the gloom as if the Radiance her self was with them.

"We travel through the Eternal Wood, you can expect a great deal of it's denizens to be spirits of. Though I do not know what you may have done to provoke them into spending the energy to move."

"They have done nothing child of the light, it is you who has forced us to action," said a voice that resonated like air through a reed. Sharp and shrill, but with hint of possible melody.

There was a crack, Jhal's rifle discharging into the drapes of flowers above them, causing a cascade of petals over their heads. The company of knights tightened, forming a ring against the pressing forest, the Chaplain in it's center shielding the child.

"Reveal yourself spirit!" Commanded the Chaplain.

"Ahh, but we are so much more even if you children have forgotten," the voice almost whistled.

A long bough descended from among the drapery, landing lithely and being joined by a second that was attached to a torso of sorts from which extended eight arms and a representation of a face though it lacked any discernible features other than being a flat slant of wood extended away from the torso between appendages.

"A Kodoma," whispered Gregg.

"So you do not all walk blinded," said the Kodoma.

It loomed over them, head crowned by flowers, its six branch like arms extended to each side as if in a welcoming embrace. It bent along the long boughs that carried much of its height allowing its head to fall level with that of the Chaplains, it's body leaning easily over the ring of knights.

"We have come for the child," it said. "While we won't say we expect the rhythm of your kind to allow us to have her, we are prepared for your dance."

"What's it on about?" asked Devlin.

"The divinity is in my care! It has been divined and so it shall be done,"said the Chaplain while staring unblinkingly at it's flat face.

The creature rose some, giving ground the the ring of Knights. "So you have. Yet so have we, thus our roots entwine. We must say we expected for your dance to start in much more earnest. Perhaps you are a different beast than we first thought."

It's branch like arms folded around itself save the top most limb which reached up and plucked a flower from above it and brought I before its face. 

The Knights stood at alert, the Chaplain at its center still stared in silent challenge at the creature. 

"We will give you a fork, you may continue to flow freely, or we can guide you. One will bring you certain doom, the other shall be left to the divinity," said the Kodoma. 

The company looked to the chaplain, Natal was glad they hadn't looked to her. It wasn't her place in the world to mettle with the divine, she was a simple woman.

"Guide us, out of the forest you mean?" said the Chaplain. 

"We must follow the flow regardless, but it will be best to have a guide. Yes that much we are sure. We are not the only ones sent to find the child. She is the latest seed and the divinities squabble over who gets to watch it grow," said the Kodoma. 

The Chaplain looked out into the forest, it's expanse of flowering towers extended before them in foreboding. She then met eyes with Natal, her eyes searching for... Natal nodded and the Chaplain nodded firmly back to her. 

"We will allow you to guide us then, but I remain firm that the divinity is in our care," said the Chaplain. 

The Kodoma stopped holding the flower in front of them and leaned back over the group, it's own flat face a mere breath from the Chaplain's. "A keeper for the keepers, very well." 

The Kodoma stood straight, reaching into the lowest boughs above them. It then began to grow, or rather it did so in reverse. It seemed as if she was watching a trees life in reverse, as if a priest had drawn them out and then flipped the pages backwards. Soon the creature shared a height with them, it's body and limbs were lanky but very similar to their own. It's flat face had stayed much the same but now she could look at it evenly. It's six branch like limbs were now clearly arms and its trunk like body ended in two legs. It tilted it's head at the group and then proffered two arms in the direction from which they had come. 

"We must head west," said the Chaplain.

"Then you should follow us," said the Kodoma as it began walking the way it had directed. "The wood seeks to claim you, Mori's children no longer grow to his will. 

"Excuse me... Master Kodoma, but are you not a child of Mori?" asked Gregg. 

"No more than an apple is the child of the tree who bore it. Though, we have not fallen far from him." 

They walked in silence then passing back the way they had come but not seeing the tree with the face in its bark again. A running stream could be heard and the crashing of falls, they came along side it and followed its winding path through the forest. They followed the wooden creature without another word until they reached the edge of the falls and looked beyond them. The river fell before them, the land giving way to air in a large circular crevice into which the water poured. Inside were rings of terraces where the water collected into gentle pools where trees with flowers of bright colors gave bloom. Among them lumbered a great many Kodomo, some tended to trees, others to pools, some to behems or skyeels, fewer still seemed to be working on a giant weaving that cascaded down the terraces towards the pool at its very center where a cluster of Kodoma knelt silently. 

"This isn't the edge of the wood," said the Chaplain. 

"No it is the center, but fastest way out of a forest is to climb the nearest tree," said the Kodoma. 

"You shall not have the child," said the Chaplain her hand finding her hilt. 

"That has yet to be decided, we must follow the flow of the river. It is the decider of all things," said the Kodoma. "Come, we've been expecting you."

The Kodoma lead them down a path that traversed each terrace. It's fellows merely continued about as if they didn't notice the procession. The trees and ponds each bore fruit, dull in color compared to their leaves. Natal felt her stomach rumble and thought she heard another's, but they did not dare disturb the serenity of the crevice. When they reached the center, situated at the bottom they were forced to wade through ankle high water. Their passing causing ripples to cross its gentile surface. These wakes caused the gathered Kodoma to finally stir towards the company. Each standing and turning as if to regard the Knights with their flat faces. Their was a breeze that rippled across the surface of the water and caused the leaves to shake on their branches.

As one the Kodoma spoke. "We did not mean to bring them all, merely the divinity. We cannot tend for them all, we need not tend to any of them. We are not the keepers of the divine. We do not grow to the will of them. But we must follow the flow of the river, the flow of the river is the path. The path flows here, the eternal wood the eternal pool."

"Excuse me," said the Chaplain. "Who is it that I can address. I am here by the will of Betsol, I am charged with her quest. Do you seek to stop me?"

The Kodoma turned their flat faces towards the Chaplain, their innumerable limbs writhing in odd patterns. "They speak here in the sacred pool! We speak for the Kodoma, we are the Kodoma, we brought them here. We will let the flow of the river decide, we are not tenders of the divine. We do not grow to their will."

"The Flow of the River?" asked the Chaplain. 

"The speak of fate Chaplain," said Gregg.  "It is one of their tenets. They're suppose to be forbidden from changing fate, but to know how it will flow." 

"Then why have they brought us here?" asked Devlin who was keeping his spear leveled at the nearest Kodoma. 

"Fate," said Natal through a smile. 

Would you like to continue reading? Find chapter 7 here.