Towering
hemlocks and delicate mountain laurels guard the mossy pathways of the Sheldrick Forest.
It was on these quiet paths that I first met Rory the Greeling, and where, after being
plied with poetry and dried apricots, he allowed me to glimpse the secret world of the
forest, and introduced me to the other marvelous creatures who live there. 
The greelings were initially shy of me, since they only come
up to my knee, but I gained their trust by singing songs and telling stories. All
Greelings love a good story, and they were eager to find out all I knew. They were
surprised to find that there were others like me, and became curious about the world of
the Tailless (as they call us). They long to travel the world and learn the stories of
other lands and families.Rory himself has been to Stonehenge in England and to New
Orleans, and can hardly wait to share his own stories.
"A Greeling without a Doryt is like a tree without
moss", or so Rory tells me. Doryts enjoy exploring (especially in places they ought
not to go). They choose their Greeling in their first winter, and remain fiercely loyal.
They have a grand sense of adventure, and a tendency to exaggerate their own exploits, and
those of their Greeling. They often brag about the length and fine curl of their horns. On
the other hand, they are also very good at hiding, which is why they haven't even been
discovered yet! Rory often says that his Doryt, Fernbiter, is watching us, but Fernbiter
vanishes once I turn to look at him. The drawing here is based on Greelings' accounts and
ancient paintings in the hollow Meeting Tree (keep in mind the horns might be much
smaller!)
Hyffers live deep in the heart of the forest where a little
stream flows in a wide channel. Although they tend to be curmudgeons, they do have a soft
spot for the friendly Greelings, and consider it their duty to warn them about the
foolishness those Doryts are always getting in to. Hyffers enjoy philosophical debates and
collecting mushrooms. They are very secretive about where their best mushrooms can be
found. Unlike Greelings, Hyffers do not believe in fairy tales, and they hate to be
mistaken for the Easter Bunny!
Curious
Characters
