The Forest is the first story in [[Occultation and Other Stories]] and features a filmmaker called Partridge meeting up with old friends at their newly acquired rural estate in New England. His old friend, famous zoologist Dr. [[Toshi Ryoko]] is doing research together with his colleague [[Howard Campbell]] on communicating with new, intelligent life underground and claims that these species will some day take over the Earth after human life has ceased. It's uncertain whether these are terrestrial insects, some unknown alien species that appears to live underground, The [[Children of Old Leech]] or perhaps different entities known as [[They who]]. There's no specific mention of [[Old Leech]] anywhere, but one specific passage might tie the story into the Old Leech Mythos seeing as the Children are often described as 'loving humanity': "Come down. We love you." (Occultation And Other Stories, p. 28) Another, more plausible theory, might be that the insect-like species are an alien force distinct from Old Leech and other entities. Dr. Ryoko explains: "We aren’t talking about spiders or beetles, either. (...) To even compare them with the citizens of the Great Kingdom… I shudder. However, if I were to make that comparison, I’d say this intelligence is the Ur-progenitor of those insects scrabbling in the muck. The mother race of idiot stepchildren." (Occultation, p. ) The concept of [[Ur]] animals is explored in multiple stories and there even exists an [[Antiquity]] version of this idea. The scientist duo and their bodyguard [[Beasley]] are recurring characters and play a role in multiple Barron stories. The Ur beetles are described in [[Fear Sun]] by a Mr. Rembrandt Tallen. "Beetles of an Ur species unknown to our entomologists until 2006. Vicious bastards. Although they refer to themselves as preservationists." (Not A Speck Of Light, p. ) Tallen works for a rival organization, which means the events of The Forest might have taken place before or after 2006. #Story #Occultation