GRIMM: Defender of mankind

Chapter 2 - A wise mother (Giavanna)

As mother nature, my chores are basic. I hold the balance of life. Now, I understand that to most, this seems like a complicated matter, but to me, it's as normal as breathing. I keep the animals company, help the plants grow, and maintain the safety of the trees. A key mistake made by most is the assumption that my responsibilities do not extend to people. This is wrong. People are my main responsibility. They are reckless brutes who, in such, are in constant need of a babysitter. Without the occasional natural disaster to raze the odd city and rally the nations, this world would have been killed by overpopulation, industrialization, nukes, or all three by now. In other words, without me, Reap would have his dream come true ... a paradise of death.

                                                                 💮💮💮

The sun was barely above the horizon. The light of it was a warm orange glow. I could see literal rays of it filtering through the thick trunks of the trees. Jack pines, Birches, Maple, Oak, all turned to beautiful blackness against the back-light of the sun. Deeper in the woods the trees grow dense. Packed together so tightly no matter what the time of day, it's always as dark as that moment right before the stars come out, when not even the pale glow of the moon can penetrate the eerie shadows.

But here, here it's like a haven. Not so deep within the forest that all light is swallowed, but still deep enough for all the sounds of the world to drop away to nothing. Even the chirping of the birds turns to silence in this part of the woods. It's as if there were a barrier here, keeping out all distractions from the glow of the light. And to me, it's like being stuck between two worlds, one of noise and chaos, one of darkness and abyss, and never having to choose a side. It's wonderful. It's my favorite place in the whole wide world. My little haven. 

But of course, nothing is perfect. Which is ironic, considering that imperfections are specifically what makes most things feel perfect. And just like any imperfect forest, this one had an uprooted tree.

This was another reason I loved this forest. It didn't just provide me with a place to go and forget, it also gave me a place to go and work. Somewhere I could hone my skills, and focus my mind, forgetting about everything except the task at hand. 

I bent down over the roots of the tree and closed my eyes. Reaching out, I felt the smooth surface of the roots, and just above, the coarse edges of the bark. I focused. Focused on nothing but that smooth feel. No more twigs snapping, or breeze in my ear, or wind ruffling leaves. Nothing. I let everything fall away; everything but the pulse of this tree's life, its heart and energy pouring through me. 

I could feel the weak pulse as if it were my own. Could hear its faint beat as it slowly died. I absorbed that rhythm. Focusing solely on matching it to my own, on speeding it up to the pulse of life itself. And then, in a burst, I pushed that pulse back into the tree, smashing the roots back into the ground, snapping my eyes open...

... just in time to see a boy sprint by. 

No, not a boy, a Reaper. Son of THE Reaper. Where could he be off to?

Slowly I raised myself from my crouched position and followed with my eyes the path the boy had taken.

He sure makes an awful ruckus when he runs. I wonder if Reap taught him to use The Silence yet? From the sound of it, probably not. 

In no rush, I made my way deeper into the woods, following the scent of death that wafted off this boy incessantly. Making sure to keep back far enough so that he doesn't spot me (hearing me not being a worry because, unlike him, I know how to use The Silence) I followed him deeper and deeper until finally, he stopped.