Several deer were running as fast as they could through the forest when they bounded past a large echidna, who had been enjoying a peaceful mid-afternoon nap in the shade of its favourite tree. The echidna was roused by the sound of the collective footsteps of the deer crashing through the small brush nearby, creating quite a disturbance in the usually tranquil area of the forest.

As the waking echidna became more aware of its surroundings, it noticed that something unusual was in the air.   More specifically, the air in the forest had begun to have a faint smell of burning wood to it - which is never a good thing to smell when you happen to live in a forest.

Slowly the echidna stood up from its comfortable resting place, and began to stretch its legs as it shook the sleep out of its body.  As the fog of sleep cleared from its mind, the echidna became aware of another uncommon occurrence that was happening in its peaceful grove - the echidna could hear strange sounds echoing from somewhere far away, off in the direction that the deer had been running away from.  As it paused to listen, the echidna realised (...remembered?) that it knew what those far off sounds were.   They were the noises that a strange animal he had not seen for ages would make when it was hurt or scared.   What were those creatures called again?   Try as it might, the echidna could not remember what those creatures were called.   But suddenly it felt a strong urge to investigate what was happening at the edge of the forest that it called home, and so it set off towards the strange sounds as other animals continued passing by, running away from the cause of whatever danger might lay ahead.

As it lumbered on its way towards the sounds, what had begun at first as just a hint of burning wood in the air now began growing into a strong, acrid dark smoke filling the air around him.   In fact, in the distance the echidna began to see some hints of what might be a very concerning problem -  ashes were floating in the air now, and the echidna could taste the smell of the forest burning in its sensitive nostrils.   

The echidna paused for a moment and closed his eyes.   Not many people know this about echidnas, but as a species they possess a natural ability to detect the electrical energy fields of small animals around them, which can help to detect prey and avoid predators when in low visibility situations.   But this particular echidna is not your typical one, as this echidna had grown to be more than twice the size of any other!  Along with its extra size had came a much stronger ability than normal to detect the energy fields of those around him, and so when this echidna paused to focus on its surroundings, it became aware of something very unusual that otherwise no one likely would ever have noticed.

Only a dozen feet away from the echidna lay a rotting hollow log, resting between some rocks.  Inside of the log the echidna could sense that there were two creatures who did not belong in the echidna’s forest at all.   These creatures seemed to be sleeping?  No… they were hiding. One of these creatures was something that it had seen somewhere far away, long ago.   Trying to remember what this particular type of beast was seemed to awaken something deep in the echidna’s memory. The echidna remembered seeing this strange creature before, while it was travelling with a group of elves.   But wait, why did it remember travelling with elves?  This made no sense!  

The echidna now focused it’s full attention on the two creatures hiding inside the fallen log.   Finally, a spark of memory bolted through the echidna’s mind and he remembered.  The larger creature inside the log was a Bai-Hu.  But Bai-Hu had never lived in this forest - not in all of the many ages that the echidna could remember - so why was this one here now, and hiding inside of a rotting log while the forest around it began to burn?

The echidna shifted its focus to the other creature hiding in the log.   As it considered what it was sensing, more memories began to stir in its mind, bringing with them more answers, but even more curious questions as well.    

The other creature hiding in the log was a … what were they called again?  Human.  That’s right.  But humans are usually much larger, so why would this one small little human be here, by itself?    

DANGER.

The echidna’s focus shifted quickly away to something that had just entered the furthest reaches of its senses.  But unlike the Bai-Hu and the human hiding in the log nearby, these new creatures immediately evoked a sense of primitive revulsion inside of the echidna.   This new presence was something completely foreign to every other living creature in the forest.   The quills on the echidna instinctively tensed, and the echidna knew that whatever this was, it was a greater threat than any that anything in the forest had encountered for years. (...centuries?) 

As the echidna focused on this new threat, more memories arose in its mind.   Strangely, it felt as if it were waking up again, despite already being fully awake.    A name echoed in its thoughts...   

“Sven.   My name is Sven.”

This wasn’t merely a thought.  The echidna had actually spoken these words aloud, despite having forgotten long ago that it even had the ability to speak.   Along with this new (…old?) name now came a flood of new memories, from what felt like an entirely different life that Sven had once lived. 

And then suddenly… Sven remembered who he really was.

Sven was no ordinary echidna.  Sven was in fact a Druidic Elf - one who had long ago assumed the form of an echidna and chosen to never again return to his elvish existence.    Sven could sense that the memory of whatever had driven him to this unusual path was far too painful to delve into right now, as his forest burned and an ancient threat was in his midst.   But a part of Sven that was hidden deep inside his mind whispered out to him that the terrible pain which had driven him to abandon life with his own people was caused by the danger that had now dared to violate the sanctity of his most sacred forest that he called home.  

Now he heard a new word pass through his lips, one that no one inside these woods would have likely spoken aloud in the past thousand years.   It was the name of the very threat now looming in the distance, the name of these most unwelcome intruders.  

His ears heard the word that his voice had uttered aloud, and a bolt of electricity surged out from somewhere deep inside his body, and began sparking from tip to tip along his many quills.

Hearing this one terrible word had reawakened his long slumbering mind, and aroused an anger that could not be denied, nor controlled.   His echidna heart began to pound furiously as his mind processed what his body had said.

“Demons.”

But before he could even begin to process his thoughts, Sven found himself running with a speed that no ordinary echidna could ever have moved with.   And as he ran towards the threats - these demons who had dared to violate the sanctity of him home, he felt his body beginning to move in a manner that came from instinct, not from memory.   He felt his legs begin to grow and bend in unusual ways, and soon he discovered that he was now running on two legs instead of four.   He had reverted to a form that had been abandoned so long ago that he had forgotten ever even having lived as such.   As he raced forward with a speed and fury that would not be denied, he found that he was a Druidic Elf once again.  

And as he ran forward, he vowed to himself that he would ensure that every single demon who had dared to enter his woods on this day would not live long enough to see another.