Warlike-species Stories

They were the Chosen of Everlife, until the invaders came with weapons that charred flesh, broke bones and shattered nerves. These people could not understand such violence. What were they to do? If they took the forms of the animals around them, the invaders hunted them for food and clothing. If the took the forms of the great trees, the invaders chopped them down for homes and firewood. How were they to live in peace with such beings?