It was night in the woods and he sat in a small clearing, looking up at the stars, remembering and thinking. The moon was rising in the eastern sky. It was almost full, and it was starting to fill the clearing with its light.

Six times the wood elf had come to this place, to pause, to remember, and to ... to think about what had passed over the last half year. For all of the previous year, he had known it was inevitable, but still his heart ached when he thought about it. There was nothing he could do, but the pain was still there.

He thought about his sister. She would always be there for him, or so it seemed. He thought about his father. He now seemed much older than his years.

And then, memories of his mother came into his mind. He closed his eyes and swallowed back the tears forming in his eyes.

He thought of her memory, and recalled the words he had first heard many years before....

The path through the forest is before me,
and I have walked many miles.
I have smelled fresh air in the spring,
and I have seen blooms after the rain.
I have drunk cool water in the summer,
and I have tasted ripened fruit.
I have heard the wind in the fall,
and I have felt the warm sun.
I have walked in the snow,
and I have known the silence.

The path through the forest is before me,
and I have traveled many years.
Wherever I looked, there was light,
and I always knew the way to go.
A light that guided and protected me,
and showed me hidden dangers.
A light that comforted me,
and showed me the forest's beauty.
Whenever I looked, there was light,
but now she is gone, and my heart aches.

The path through the forest lies before me,
and I will keep walking.
I will smell fresh air in spring,
and I will see bright flowers.
I will drink clear water in summer,
and I will rest in cool glades.
I will feel the wind in fall,
and I will hear the rustling leaves.
I will watch the snow fall in winter,
and I will know life is renewed.

The path through the forest goes on and on,
and I will be the light for the ones with me.