The elves had found a way to live amongst and inside the trees without harming them, and did so happily.
Their houses had the shimmering air doorways of the Mother Tree, allowing the temperate elements in while affording the residents some privacy. From outside, there was little indication that these trees were hollow at all, as the doorway itself seemed almost two-dimensional and painted on when looked at from certain angles.
While he didn't know where they got the metal for their spears, he could spy elves streaming in from one side of the village with armfuls of fallen branches, marching into the doorway of one of these trees.
For every ten elves that went inside, around seven would come out, five with empty arms, ready to collect more branches, and two with either an armful of spears or a bundle of armor, who would then march off in the direction Morne and Essenla were heading.
