Full Circle

The Wolfriders return to their ancient forest home and rebuild their Holt there
​(RC8b “Full Circle")

In the Palace, Cutter's tribe of elves arrives in the Wolfrider's ancient Holt, “Goodtree's Rest," in which the Wolfriders had lived from the time of their plantshaper chief Goodtree until the humans burned it down shortly after Cutter became chief. 10,000 years have passed since its burning, and the forest has grown back to its former glory. Timmain transforms the Palace to look like a large tree so that the humans who now live nearby will not wonder what it is. They all emerge from the Palace and the Wolfriders are thrilled to be back in their old home.

Redlance plants the seed of the Wolfrider's old Father Tree, and begins to use his plantshaping magic to make it grow into a new Father Tree. However, something blocks his magic. Suntop, sensing it, tries to find its source. He concludes that it is probably a remnant of the same bad magic which created the monster Madcoil and the reason the humans do not venture into the area where the original Father Tree stood. Redlance shapes dwellings for the elves in existing trees until the problem of creating a new Father Tree can be solved.
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As the days pass, Cutter finds deep healing through once again being in the home of his youth and living in the “now" of wolf thought, without danger from humans or bad elves. Cutter's son Suntop is living in the Palace to receive training from Savah and Timmain, but yearns to be closer to his father - who was always more at ease with his 'wolfish' daughter Ember than with his mystic son Suntop. Suntop cannot concentrate on his training because of the distance he feels from his father, and he feels he needs a “quest" of his own, to prove his own worth to himself. He decides to find and conquer the bad pool of magic that is stifling Redlance's treeshaping powers. He finds it, and although it threatens to overwhelm him during his battle with it, all the elves join their mental powers to his. He calls upon all the elfin spirits dwelling in the Palace and uses his body as a conduit of their living Light, and destroys the dark magic pool. Cutter is immensely proud of Suntop, and Redlance shapes the new Father Tree. Cutter gives Suntop a new name: Sunstream.

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