Guardians Of Nimoway

Chapter Two-

Nara'Elenne.

    I swung letting my body free fall through the air, the sound of the rushing currents filled my ears. A sound so awe-inspiring that within those moments I felt free. There were no chains shackling me to the earth, the weight of responsibility for the protection of my kind had been lifted and only then could I be completely empty of thought and emotion.

    I could revel in the sorrowfully brief moments but I knew they could not last forever. As soon as reality took a definite hold in my mind, I reached both my arms out and wrapped my fingers around the next larana minor tree branch, that was within my grasp. Using my legs and stomach strength I put more force into the movement and curled my frame effortlessly, touching down on the balls of my feet.

    Straightening my back I took a moment to be still, I rose my chin to the northern winds and let the slight breeze ruffle my hair and fill the large hood of my cloak, the saccharine smell of sap tickled my nose. Petals were carried, drifting like weightless strands of velvety silk on the gentle gusts of the breeze.

    I followed the indistinct colours of fallen blossoms with my gaze as they danced around me, bringing songs of solace and tranquility, faint indecipherable whispers caressed my warm cheeks down to my chin where they continued on their everlasting rounds of the woodland. Before I knew it I felt my lips quirk up into a content smile. 

    The forest was safe again, there was no longer any threats crossing our homeland's boarders. The warrior had left our lands recently, I could sense it and so could the forest. Resting the palm of my hand against the rugged bark of the tree's trunk, I closed my eyes and began to merge my being with the soul within the tree's thick, indestructible outer layers of skin.

    I was primarily wanting to tap into the vein that was connected with all forest life, from each individual stem of grass, every flourishing flower and every being with a pumping heart; creature or humanoid.

     Once merged into the tree's lifeline I knew everything about the forest, it was how I had discovered the presence of the warrior, in the forest of Gardavia nothing and no one could go unnoticed.

    My brows furrowed as I felt a faint burning sensation creeping it's way over the skin of my fingers. They began to tingle, instantly fire seemed to consume my hand and make it's way up my arm. Scorching and incinerating my very flesh. I let out a gasp of shock and retched my palm from the exterior of the smouldering tree.

    I quickly leapt from the branch as the heat began to eat away at the tough soles of my feet, landing with a soft thud on the green terrain. I backed away in disbelief, not finding it within myself to to be able to comprehend what I was seeing yet again. 

    It can't be...the hushed voice within my thoughts broke with underlying torment. 

    My mind raced back through my memories to three moons ago, when I had watched from afar as the first ever lithseer tree died within our lands. The first death since the beginning of time. My people wouldn't believe my declarations, fingers were pointed in my direction. Accusations that I was not to be trusted, my very own kind turning against me because the idea was too impossible to believe. Yet when proof had been materialized I was at the center of a ridiculous theory that I was to blame.

    At the time my mind was clouded by anger that I didn't see the fear that was coiling around my people's hearts, striking them with paranoia. The lithseer trees were known for their immortality, they had been on our soil even before the Ancients were born. They were known to be the vessels of the Gods. Death of a litheer tree was an omen of forthcoming war and impending ruin.