The Tree
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2024 10:06 pm
Ria woke up from having spent the night in her old bed for the first time in quite awhile. Certainly since Rey and her had gotten their new house. Still, despite her lack of presence, the bed still felt like home. And the noise of the animals nearby was almost as comforting as Rey's snoring.
She climbed from the bed and took a moment to stretch before heading to the nearby freshwater spring she had called forth in her little nook. Slipping from her sleeping clothes, she stepped into the cool water and began to rinse, the vines around her bathing area and bed securing themselves tightly closed to give her privacy. While the front of her bath was closed for privacy, the natural elevation and rocks provided privacy behind her. Looking out, across the rocks around her nook, she could see the swamplands down below. She poked her head over for a moment to study them and found her eyes drawn once again to the strange golden tree.
It had certainly been there longer than she had. She didn't know it's origin or it's story. She knew it was important though. She could feel it. And as long as she'd been there, it had never let her touch it. She'd approach, and reach out a hand, the leaves would curl up, the tree almost growing protective of itself. It was unlike any other tree she'd seen. Not even quite like the tree that brought her here. Talking to it was harder. It seemed somehow connected to more. She studied from her bath for a moment, looking at it curiously, "Who are you?"
Coming from her bath, she summoned enough air to dry herself and then got dressed. She made her way down from the grassland hill, through the desert and down to the swamplands below. She looked over the animals she past them by. Many of them she'd brought here herself, and made name tags for many of the others. She knew they didn't care much for the tags, but it had helped reinforce her connection and bonds with them, and with the lands herein. But the tree, that tree still confounded her. Maybe she should brought Celeste, who had a better affinity to plant life than she did, who could read tea leaves and whose work in the orchard had surpassed her hopes. But, Ria was a druid, and she could do this.
She walked over towards it, taking a moment to breath out slowly, her aura flaring up around her. She extended a hand, her staff forming in a swirl of purple leaves. She walked to the tree, pulling herself up to her full five foot ten inches, trying to stand confident, proud. Her began to speak, the strange sounds of the druidic language coming for, her voice full of authority.
"Gaia, Spirits of the Woods and of the Land, Forces of Nature, lend me your guidance and knowledge that I may--"
Her voice broke off, a chuckle following from her lips as she shook her head. That wasn't her. She wasn't some fierce force of raw elemental might. Some mighty commander of nature. She was a part of everything, not above them. Her job was chaplaincy, the spiritual care of others, meeting them where they are. She sighed a little, shifting her staff from one hand to the other as she pulled of her gloves, tucking them into her belt, and then sat down on her cloak. She held idly for a moment. It was a powerful way to channel the elements, but it was also a beautiful gift from a loved one. It had been crafted with her connection to the world in mind in such a way that it had helped her feel seen and known. She looked over the staff for a moment, feeling the purple flowers along it. She looked up at the tree in front of her, not yet moving close enough to start it's normal protective reaction.
"Hi, I'm Ria Leifchild. Sometimes I sleep on the hill over there," her voice now back in normal tongue, easy and relaxed, pointing up to where her nook sat, "So, what's your name?"
She climbed from the bed and took a moment to stretch before heading to the nearby freshwater spring she had called forth in her little nook. Slipping from her sleeping clothes, she stepped into the cool water and began to rinse, the vines around her bathing area and bed securing themselves tightly closed to give her privacy. While the front of her bath was closed for privacy, the natural elevation and rocks provided privacy behind her. Looking out, across the rocks around her nook, she could see the swamplands down below. She poked her head over for a moment to study them and found her eyes drawn once again to the strange golden tree.
It had certainly been there longer than she had. She didn't know it's origin or it's story. She knew it was important though. She could feel it. And as long as she'd been there, it had never let her touch it. She'd approach, and reach out a hand, the leaves would curl up, the tree almost growing protective of itself. It was unlike any other tree she'd seen. Not even quite like the tree that brought her here. Talking to it was harder. It seemed somehow connected to more. She studied from her bath for a moment, looking at it curiously, "Who are you?"
Coming from her bath, she summoned enough air to dry herself and then got dressed. She made her way down from the grassland hill, through the desert and down to the swamplands below. She looked over the animals she past them by. Many of them she'd brought here herself, and made name tags for many of the others. She knew they didn't care much for the tags, but it had helped reinforce her connection and bonds with them, and with the lands herein. But the tree, that tree still confounded her. Maybe she should brought Celeste, who had a better affinity to plant life than she did, who could read tea leaves and whose work in the orchard had surpassed her hopes. But, Ria was a druid, and she could do this.
She walked over towards it, taking a moment to breath out slowly, her aura flaring up around her. She extended a hand, her staff forming in a swirl of purple leaves. She walked to the tree, pulling herself up to her full five foot ten inches, trying to stand confident, proud. Her began to speak, the strange sounds of the druidic language coming for, her voice full of authority.
"Gaia, Spirits of the Woods and of the Land, Forces of Nature, lend me your guidance and knowledge that I may--"
Her voice broke off, a chuckle following from her lips as she shook her head. That wasn't her. She wasn't some fierce force of raw elemental might. Some mighty commander of nature. She was a part of everything, not above them. Her job was chaplaincy, the spiritual care of others, meeting them where they are. She sighed a little, shifting her staff from one hand to the other as she pulled of her gloves, tucking them into her belt, and then sat down on her cloak. She held idly for a moment. It was a powerful way to channel the elements, but it was also a beautiful gift from a loved one. It had been crafted with her connection to the world in mind in such a way that it had helped her feel seen and known. She looked over the staff for a moment, feeling the purple flowers along it. She looked up at the tree in front of her, not yet moving close enough to start it's normal protective reaction.
"Hi, I'm Ria Leifchild. Sometimes I sleep on the hill over there," her voice now back in normal tongue, easy and relaxed, pointing up to where her nook sat, "So, what's your name?"