Page 4 At the Heart of the Forest

At the Heart of the Forest 

As soon as they emerge from the mists Neren finds right in front of them is a pitfall. Followed by an alarmed shout is a string of curses that escape him as he sees the fast approaching ledge and what appears to be their downfall in case they fail.

 

Neren grits his teeth, “Faldur, we’re going to fall off the ledge!” He has his hands full with trying to direct the scared horse and it’s with sheer luck and skill Neren manages to break their speed at the nick of time.

Sparks fly as Faldur’s hooves skid on the stone until they come to a stop right at the tip of the ledge. A tiny stone chips off and falls off, making bright clinks as it hits the stone wall on the way down until it reaches the ground with a dull thud.

Still high on adrenaline, Neren feels the rush under his skin and the twitching of his fingertips as he keeps tightly holding on to the reins for dear life. Faldur is huffing and puffing, its nostrils breathing out warm mist as it shifts around and carefully backs off the ledge under Neren’s direction.

It is only afterwards Neren pays mind to the misty scene spreading out right in front of them and sensing his surroundings. He sees trails and sparks of green glow floating int the air like fireflies that are actually flickers of magic—the very life and energy of the forest it breathes. Amidst all of that is a large oaken tree which seems ancient.

Neren stares at the large tree that’s canopy spreads wide above him on the open area. He narrows his eyes at first with small wonder as he makes out distinct shapes on the trunk.

“What is this place...and...is that a huge face on the tree?”

He realizes right after voicing his wonder what he’s looking at. Never did he imagine finding hundreds if not thousands of years old ent ancestor tree, slumbering at the heart of the forest. Such things are rare to encounter nowadays as not too many remain. Many seem to hunt the Dim Tree Spirit in particular, coveting the power and materials they can harvest from the oldest of tree spirits. It is no wonder the forests here have become hostile towards outsiders as these creatures only wish to protect themselves like any other living being.

“While it appears to be sleeping...”

Neren glances around, quickly scanning the area and determining there’s no immediate danger to them. The good news, the air is calm around the ancestral tree with no active tree spirits. The bad news, they’re even more lost than they already were in the forest.

“The rest of the forest is out there wanting to kill me...”

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Author's Notes: 

Fourth page is updated. Possibly able to add the fifth in the near days. I will put it up as soon as the text is finished and fixed. I'm taking my time to create content to make sure to keep up the quality and have this as a stress free hobby project of mine.

Much love, Hen Lia