The Black Forest

Morana walked lightly as she tread through her home the birds singing her name, brother kestrel playfully sheering her hood as he pulled it over her eyes. 'Where, where?' he voice rang in her mind Morana's emotion filled through his as his eyes flickered with understanding. 'See, see' his heart sang. 'Unrest.' he said conveying his understanding that she had gone somewhere to do something about the war causing nature to convulse and react in unwanted ways. Morana had returned for a reason though and walked on her fingers tracing the petals of flowers as she passed.

'Sister sprite with your garden of green, cease to tend your flowers and ferns I need audience with thee.' she called silently across the wood. Next she approached a simple unassuming Yew. 'Awake sister dryad, come forth form your tree and wake and walk along side me, your wisdom is needed.' she thought running her hand along the bark.

'Mother, mother!' sounded a dozen lyrical voices as a sizable pack of wolves dashed towards her, descendants of those that had saved her all those years ago.

'Children!' she smiled kneeling in the earth and stroking the silken fur, readily enjoying their company as she awaited her friends.

Yew stirred within, the warmth of the sun feeling her leaves she gripped the earth mightily with her roots. She wished her slumber to last half decade more, which was no time at all. She felt the presence of Morana, and knew the task to be urgent by the waves of emotion she exuded. Yew sighed.

Morana turned when she sensed the soul within the tree rousing within. 'Sister Dryad, it is I Morana. Please I have to you for your advise and aid please awaken and commune with me, I have called Sister Sprite as well.' Walking toward the Yew, pups at her heel she added. 'You owe me.'

Hearing voices Daciana stirred quietly in her nest among the giant firs and pines. Not wanting to let her presence be felt just yet, she held back and waited. She recognized the voices as that of Morana and the pups, and Yew, neither of which she had dealt with in many years, preferring her own company to that of human lovers. Proud of who she was she knew that the creatures were far superior to humans, had lived in these woods many years longer and were much wiser. But try to tell that to the young. Daciana had been here for more years than her heart wanted to count, and had watched generations of the others come and go. It was odd to her that they would want to be with others not of their own kind, and so she avoided contact except when on the hunt.

'That,' Yew roared into Morana's mind as she thrust herself from the tree. 'Is a insidious lie!' She folded her arms tightly over her chest waiting for the druid to speak. The way the roots of the trees around her grew in their slight ways caught her attention as they alerted her to Daciana's presence. As long as the bird kept her distance Yew was fine with her being there, but she recalled an event in which she had nearly slain Morana, that she would never forgive her for. Her eyes flicked up to the new nest she hadn't noticed since she began her slumber before returning her gaze back to the pale woman with whom she was quarreling.

One of Morana's thin eyebrows arched sharply, "How, so?" she asked a pause between each single syllabled word. "As I recall I dispatched a woodsmen say twelve decades ago..." she declared boldly she arms just as tightly crossed.

The unrest between the Dryad and the Druid caused the whole forest to quake. Daciana was watching with interest trying to decide if the loser would make a nice meal for this evening. Not that they would really be that tasty but she didn't feel like going on a full hunt right now. There was something in the air that made her feel uncomfortable. It was like a dark, heavy feeling she had felt before many years ago and she new that something disastrous was on the horizon.

She hung back and continued listening hoping that they would get to the point and get it over. She was hungry and tired from a long night of exploring into the west, and the Isles of the northern sea. The tension just making her that much more irritable.

She hungrily watched the puppies as they scampered around the Druid, but dismissed them as food and resigned herself to being more patient. She knew that her lack of patience was her one down fall. Sighing she closed her eyes and listened.