บท 3: Istan's Side

The last time I had seen the Great Forest Mother Laurel, was when I was just a little lad. It was the last time that the elders had gone to her lake to seek counsel from her during the great drought. That was the last time any of our people had seen her. But everyone told tales of her greatness. Stories of how she could hide her presence even from us and about how at her will the trees of the forest would move and grow. When the elders made the trek to her lake, I had snuck along to see the Forest Mother for myself, to see if the stories were true. And when I saw her, I knew. The stories fell far short of capturing her majesty, power, and purity.

Since the day I first saw her I wanted to meet her again. I have been training from that time to be able to become one of the guards of her domain. To increase my chance of seeing her. When I was thirty I became an adult and was able to secure the position of a protector. However, she had not stepped out of the sacred glen since that time. I was starting to feel that I would never be able to see her again. Now at over 100 years old I could no longer be considered a young man. I had been the captain of the guards for over forty years now. If I was lucky I would be able to keep up this work until I was 150 or maybe even 175. But even the village elders rarely lived past 200.

Leafia and I were now heading through the Ancient Wood after the Forest Mother. It was odd following someone who was wearing my cloak. While I had the strange sensation of following myself, I did not regret for a second handing it over to her. It will be a story that can be handed down to my children for generations. If by any small chance the cloak ever comes back into my hands, I am sure that it will become a priceless family treasure at very least, if not a relic of our whole clan.

Forest Mother was not walking fast. It was a very steady yet unyielding pace. It seemed like she never once had to worry about her footing or the topography of the forest. Every step she took was sure. I could not help thinking that the forest was preparing the path especially for her. Even doing the best I could to follow in her footsteps I could not walk as sure-footed as she did. Every small misstep of mine put me slightly behind and pushing faster to keep up. This was not an issue at first, but over time it started to wear me down.

After several hours of this pace it was getting hard for Leafia and myself to keep up. The Forest Mother was putting us elves to shame. She was making walking through the trackless forest seem like taking a leisurely stroll on a well-maintained Human road.

Leafia stepped in a hidden ditch and stumbled. Breathing hard, she asked, "Captain, what do we do? I can not keep this up much longer. Here I thought that I was the swiftest in the forest and could even run with the deer. But I cannot even keep up with Mother as she goes for a walk!" Leafia said to me. It was clear that her pride had taken a blow.

"I know how you feel. Stop here and take a rest. When you can move again head to the east end of the forest by the fastest way and try to find her again. I will try following her too but I will not be able to make it much longer myself. I will try leaving signs if I can to show you the way."

As I said such to Leafia she gave me a quick nod and then slumped the rest of the way to the ground, giving into the fatigue that had been building. I really felt like collapsing with her but this would likely be my only chance to show the Forest Mother my dedication to keeping her safe.

Another hour passed after Leafia fell. I could no longer see the Forest mother. I had no choice but to slow my pace. At first I was deeply worried about how I was ever going to be able to find her again. I had no doubt in my mind that if she did not want to be found there was nothing I or any of the elves could do to find her. However, that despair soon left me. I noticed that many of the trees had branches bent at an odd angle and they were all pointing in the same direction.

The Forest Mother had given us a great blessing. She kept her word that she would not slow down for us. But instead she had shown her great mercy and gave us a path. This benevolent act would allow us to meet her again once she arrived at her destination. My gratitude and exhaustion caused a tear to run down my cheek. I knew now more than ever I had made the correct choice dedicating my life to following the benevolent Mother of the Forest.

Laurel POV:

I could not help feeling sorry for the elves. They worked so hard for their short lives of a few hundred years. I could tell that they wanted nothing more than to help me, but they could not even keep up. I could not help bend the branches to point the way as I passed. I could imagine them wallowing in despair if they lost my trail.

Well, now that I was no longer being closely followed I could speed up even more.