บท 2: Leaving Home

It has been several months since Faun left. That by itself is not strange. But I have heard nothing from her and the disquieting feeling to the east is getting stronger. I try not to show it too much to Mist, in my eyes she is still a little child, but I have a feeling that she knows I am worried.

***

A few more months have passed and it is autumn now. I have been using the plants throughout the forest to try and search for Faun with no luck. There was no way for me to find her if she did not manifest her powers without looking myself. Plants are not the best at searching their surroundings. They just care about the weather and if some other plant is taking their resources.

"Hey Mist." I called out. A small ball of water came out of the pond and hovered before me. "I am going to look for Faun. If she comes back here please have the elves contact me."

"I wish I could go with and help you look."

"We need someone to stay here. If we were both to leave how would we ever know if she came back? I might just be overreacting. If it turned out that nothing was out of the ordinary she might have felt that there was no need to return." I let out a sigh. "After all not having contact with her for such a short time is nothing out of the ordinary."

"Do you really think that everything is fine? Even I have been able to start noticing that there is a problem in the woods."

"That is why I am not letting this wait until the spring. Also, what you said was true. I would have much better luck interacting with the humans in the fall when I can assume a much more human-like appearance." I had been resting under and oak tree that was turning a nice auburn color. It would be hard to look human with the green hair I get in summer. I do like the pink hair I get from resting under a cherry tree in spring, but I think part of the reason I like so much is that it is so short lived.

"What do you think, if I get a long cloak from the elves could I pass as human?" I ask to Mist.

"You know that I have never seen a human since I have woken up." That was true there had not been a human at this place in nearly 500 years and Mist had only manifested her consciousness a hundred years ago. She might not even remember the last time that the elves visited me here. Nearly a hundred years ago there was a great drought and the elves had come to me to seek my counsel. Mist was really shy back then and did not come out of the pond.

"Do you remember the elves that visited when you were young?"

"Vaguely. Your skin is still a little green compared to theirs but if you cover all but your face I think that you can pass if you don't get too close to them."

'That will be good enough then' I thought and started to head out. It was a strange feeling leaving the pond. I had spent such a long time there that even I had lost count of the number of years. There was a special relationship between that grove of trees and myself. We strengthen each other. Spring would come much earlier there and fall would start later. My presence encourages the plants to grow. As the plants grow, I would gain greater strength from the plant life, allowing me to increase the size of my domain every year. As this was where I spent the most time, these plants would see the most benefit.

Near the outer edges of the woods there were some human settlements a few thousand years ago. At first there were some issues that arose with them. The Humans had a hard time understanding the value and importance of keeping the forest healthy.

Faun and I at first tried to settle the issue ourselves but things got ugly quickly. Our powers were never meant to fight, only to nurture, and humans were not ones to give up easily. In the end we had to rely on the elves which is how we ended up in the current relationship with them.

I had to show myself to them to seek their help. With their love for nature they were quickly willing to help but once they knew that I was the mother of the forest it was hard to find peace. Eventually I told them that the pond was my sacred ground and to stay away except in cases of emergency. This was a complete lie, but I needed rest. I don't like being bothered all the time. I have no issue with company but once a season is too much. A visit every year already is more than enough. It was different for good friends like Faun and Mist. They could come any time they wanted. Even then Faun still had the courtesy of only showing up a few times a year. Mist was young and lived with me so it does not really count.

I guess that in the end it was not the elves that locked me in the cage but my own actions that did that.

Well the elves negotiated with the humans and taught them how to respect and care for the forest. Of course the humans still cut down trees and hunt animals, too. But as long as they are within reason there is no harm to the balance of the forest that Faun and I have spent millennia caring for.

I suppose indirectly the elves also had something to do with Mist waking up. It was due to me spending so much time in one spot that Mist appeared and learned how to speak so soon. The small pond like that would have taken thousands of years longer to gain intelligence if was for not the spiritual power it absorbed from me. It also helped that the pond was now considered off-limits and so it was given the time to mature without being disturbed.

I had walked about 20 minutes while thinking this. I clearly felt the elves surrounding me as I walked. "I have come to seek your help. Please show yourselves."

The elves stepped out from there hiding spots and the eldest spoke with a bow. "How may we be of service to dear Mother Forest?"

"Faun was due back some time ago and has not sent word. I must go search for her."

Some of the younger elves whispered among themselves. "It has been nearly fifty years since the great animal spirit has appeared in this part of the woods. How did they know when to meet up?"

I could not help roll my eyes at them a little as they said this. Also did they think Great spirits were as hard of hearing as they were? I could listen to the plants in the forest. I did not just have two little pointy ears to use. "Do not presume that you will be able to find us when we do not wish to be found. We were to ones who showed ourselves to your ancestors." Then addressing the leader again. "First I will need to borrow one of your cloaks. I will be heading to the east edge of the forest and I wish to not stand out."

The leader quickly took his cloak off and handed it to me. "Please allow us to humbly follow you and ensure your safety."

"I have no need of your protection. However, I will not stop you, nor will I slow down my pace for you. Additionally, I will it that the elders are informed that there is a disturbance in the east forest. I will need them to gather all the information they can on this disturbance and come back here and report it to Mist."

The leader of the elves bowed again. "We will send word to the elders at once. Before they set off may this one humbly ask thee a question. Who is this Mist that thou speakest of?"

"She is the water sprite for the pond where I live and a dear friend." I added the dear friend part because sprites can often be mischievous since they are still like young children. I have seen in the past that the elves have not always treated them with the respect that should be afforded to Mist. Though she still goofed off she was very mature for only being a hundred years old.

The leader bowed."I am Istan. Leafia and I will follow thee as best we can." As he said that one of the female elves stepped forward and also bowed at me. "Genisel, stay here and guard this pond." One of the other female elves bowed. "The rest of you go and report this development to the elders. Once you have reported I will leave it to the elders to figure out your responsibilities."

As I could tell that they had finished their work I slightly tip my head and then set off at a steady pace. I was glad to be done with the conversation. The elves insisted that I speak formally since they worship me. Shouldn't the one you worship be the one that called the shots? It was not worth the argument though. Istan was trying hard to be formal when he spoke to me but ended up much more casual when he was talking to the other elves.