Continuing with the Flowers (Minerva, Private)

[Brine]

Timestamp: 17th of Ponitus, in the Season of Winter, Era 1 of the Celestial Mandate, Era XV PF

Moving every so slowly towards the edge of the forest, the Treant moved with diligent grace, and compassion for the wood around him. His giant legs rooted into places where he would not disrupt the wildlife, but at the same time could get proper balance for his large body. As he reached the edge of the forest, and the cool winds blew through his leafy top, he wondered what all he could practice when the forest was as scary as it was. Perhaps he'd start off with the first spell he had ever learn. A light to guide his way in the darkest of times, as Elder Trach had once told him, or he had once thought.

Closing his eyes, the young Treant would begin to meditate, now rooted into the ground. As he meditate, he'd attempt to move into a state of Clara around him. If he succeeded in attaining his Clara, he'd then begin to mix his Vis with the Ara around him to form an arcalysis reaction. Once the reaction was complete, and started, he'd then focus upon the plane of Nature, and channel the essense of nature down into his arcalysis reaction. This would create the mana necessary for the spell. After that was complete, he would then alter the shape into an orb, and begin to imagine it filling with fireflies, so as to bring them from all over, and cast the spell called Globe of Fireflies.

[Minerva]

The treant’s slow movements were relaxing in themselves; deliberate and slow, and perfect for entering a trance. Practice, however, was essential in achieving such things within a small amount of time, and Brine as of yet had not had nearly as much as some. It still took several moments for him to enter clara, though he did manage it, in the end. The young treant entered the state of meditation needed for the casting of spells, and from there, managed to create one, the Globe of Fireflies spiralling forth.

The small glowing insects were summoned from all corners of the forest, into the space of the orb that the treant had crafted, and then around. The creatures bobbed and weaved, dancing in the air as they produced their soft light, casting shadows on the forest and revealing things in the darkness which would not before have been seen. Small animals lingering beneath bushes and brush- rabbits, foxes, mice, and the like- before darting away, seeking morsels and shelter once more.

Brine had a Globe of Fireflies made, but the question was what he would do next. The entire Forest of Light was at his disposal, as were a number of spells…The only thing was, what to do with them now.

[Brine]

And it was true that the forest was at his disposal, and his second thought now, was how to help the forest out. It was winter, so growth was at a still and slow pace, but perhaps he could speed it up some. He remembered elder Trach's words though, about how Trees needed the water to grow, so his next spell he would practice would be the spell of gathering water.

Closing his eyes, and calmly meditating, he would be patient, and deliberate, so as to bring his mind into a higher state of being, the state of Clara. Once he was there, he would open his eyes to work with the arcanic weaves around him. Mixing the Ara around him with his Vis, he'd create an arcalysis reaction. He'd then focus upon the plane that druids used, and would channel down the essense of nature into his reaction. As he created the Mana necessary for the spell, he would then begin to abjure water from anywhere possible towards the Mana, which he'd set in his interlocking branches as he had done once before, to gather the water there...

[Minerva]

The spell was easily cast, with an abundance of water being easy to find within this, the white winter Forest of Light. There was water within the fallen snow, within the trees, and in the air. Such a variety of sources, in copious amounts, were more than enough for which the young treant to contend, and as he cast his spell, he would find the well within his arms grow and grow.

In fact, he succeeded in gathering far more of the stuff than he ever had managed before, his palms of bark licked with wet as Brine obtained what was a veritable pond. The young treant almost collected more than he could handle, as well, with the brim of the water’s edge spilling gently over the cup of his branches entwined.

The fledgling druid had succeeded in accumulating water- the only question was, what he would do with it, now.

[Brine]

Since it was winter, it would be quite hard to make anything grow. Brine realized this as he held the water within his hands. Lowering his arms to the ground, he thought about seeing if he couldn't persuade an animal to come drink from the pool of water. If he was able to do this, he'd close his eyes, and remain perfectly still as he began to cast the spell upon the animal, whichever one might arrive to drink from the water he had within his grasp.

As he meditated, and slipped into his Clara, he began to work with the arcanic weaves around him. Pulling the Ara into his Vis, and mixing it, he felt the reaction begin, and watched as his Arcalysis took place. He then began to focus upon their plane, and channel the essense of nature down into the arcalysis reaction. This created the mana necessary for the spell he was about to cast. As he did, he would divine the Mana into the mind of the animal, giving it feelings of familiarity and friendlyness. Thus he would cast the spell of Befriend Animal upon the creature that was drinking from his pool of water, if indeed one did decide to...

[Minerva]

Brine did indeed succeed in drawing an animal to his pool, though perhaps not one he would expect. A small, demure little thing, the creature was skittish, bounding forth from white-covered brush in order to lap up the soothing waters from the young treant’s palms. It was a chubby little creature, puffy and covered in fluff- a squirrel, russet red, and vibrantly coloured against the forest’s young canvas of snow.

As it drank, so too was the treant given time within which to cast his spell. Befriend Animal was simpler to cast this second time around, after the initial practice he had had, and the squirrel, as a result, became powerless to resist.

It paused in its drinking, looking up for a moment, sniffling as its whiskers twitched, from side to side. Then, its gaze became fixated upon the treant, instead, and it moved, bounding happily along, to climb Brine’s bark and rest upon the curve of his shoulder, instead.

It chattered happily, for a time, presumably attempting to convey some message or another to the sentient tree, but failing miserably, in turn. It was happy, however, comfortable within Brine’s presence as it continued on. The treant could attempt communicating back with it, if he wanted, in turn, or else continue on with his arcanic practices, instead.

[Brine]

As the squirrel chittered and chattered to Brine, the treant sat there amused. Tired, from having casted three spells for the day, and having expended his Vis reserves, he closed his eyes to let himself fall into a slumber that would hopefully last through the night, and allow him to wake up the next day refreshed and with a full store of Vis.

Once he did awaken, he felt it was time to practice his spells once more, and decided the next spell that he could practice would be the spell called Detect. Perhaps he could find more animals to befriend with his druidism. Closing his eyes, and retreating to his Clara, he would mix the Ara and Vis to create an arcalysis reaction. Once that was completed, he would then focus upon the essense of nature, and channel it into his reaction to create the mana necessary for the spell. After he finished creating enough Mana, he'd then divine the mana around him so as to try and detect any creatures that might be near him...

[Minerva]

Strangely, when Brine awoke from his slumber, he would find that the squirrel was still there, curled up amidst his branches, evidently having become rather tired from its chattering the brightening before. When the treant stirred, it unravelled itself from his shoulders, winding its way down the guardian’s body before coming to a rest at his feet. Oddly enough, it seemed as though the squirrel still felt something of a bond to Brine, with the way it happily chattered being only further sign.

When the treant cast his spell in order to detect the presence of more in the way of possible animal friends, so too were the aura’s of several brought to light. There were three or four, and they were small; tiny, in fact, and somewhere high.

Situated up in the branches above them, the illumination of these creature’s souls appeared to be coming from a certain hollow- a hideaway of sorts, within the trunk of one particular tree. It was dark inside, and if Brine wanted to lure the unknown entities out, he would need to think up something a little more complex. Either way, however, it seemed that there were indeed yet more friends here to find…

[Brine]

As Brine looked upwards, his bark creaking all the way, he could see the souls of the creatures in the tree. Now, he would not want to use any spells to panic the animals, so perhaps he would just make his way through the Forest of Light without scaring the birds that were higher up in the trees. Moving every so slowly, and gently, he uprooted his feet, and one after the other made his way north through the Forest of Light, looking for other animals to play with. As he did this, he suddenly stopped, and decided that he would like to create the globe of fireflies to light his passage, not that he needed it, but just for more practice for the day.

Closing his eyes, and beginning to meditate, it would take a while, but the initiate would soon be back into the meditative state of Clara. He'd then work with the arcanic weaves around him to create the arcalysis reaction by combining his Vis with the Ara around him. He would then ascend to the astral plane, and begin to focus upon the essense of nature. Then he would channel the essense of nature into his arcalysis reaction. He would finally alter the shape of the mana into a globe, and imagine it filling up with fireflies, and pulling them towards the globe of mana. Thus the spell of Globe of Fireflies would once again be cast...

[Minerva]

The Globe of Fireflies was the spell that Brine had grown familiar with the most. His practice at casting it, by now, was such that he barely had any trouble at all. Yes, it still took a good amount of time for the treant to enter clara in the first, but then such was the nature of novices to the craft. Brine would continue to practice his spells, the techniques, and grow. He would learn and gain in experience until such matters became almost second-hand. Then, the time would come when he would be ready to move on, and begin his apprenticeship, instead.

The orb of light flittered, providing an unneeded soft light, but then there was the question of what the treant was to do, next. He had the entire Forest of Light at his disposal, after all, and there were all manner of things which could have been achieved. The only question seemed to be, what first?

All of a sudden, there came a sound- a rustling, from nearby. The bushes moved, or seemed to, at least, their leaves swaying fervently this way and that as a call was sounded- shrill and in pain. Something was there- possibly a danger, possibly not- but it was Brine’s duty as a guardian to seek it out, and ensure that it was subsequently put to rest.

[Brine]

As a certain guardian of the Forest of Light, and all of it's inhabitants, the treant felt it be a strong duty to defend the animals within it, from hurting each other, and themselves. Though, he did know the value of the food chain, and that for one creature to survive, it may have to kill another. But in this instance, Brine felt it wiser to just view the scenario at hand, and take a look for himself. As he approached the bush, he would look around, his leaves rustling, and bark creaking as he did, and would attempt to view what exactly the matter was, or if the creature was surely in pain. If it was, Brine would have the benefit of being able to cast another spell, gain more practice, and help an animal along the way...

[Minerva]

There was indeed a creature hiding within the bushes, as Brine had surmised, and a sorry sight it was, for apparently being lost within winter in this gargantuan Forest of Light. While the cycle of death and rebirth went on, those who dwelled within this haven of trees were often lost; some were simply too defenceless, where others could not stand the progression towards the call of the cold. A sad thing, truly, but then in part that was what the guardians were for. Treants such as Brine, and Sorn, and even Elder Trach, made it their plight to ensure the safety of all Carmelya's creatures here, protect them as their own children, and subsequently keep them safe.

What Brine was to find happened to be a young hare, caught within a nest of brambles and thorns lying in a half beaten patch around the other side. Presumably, it had been running to the bushes for cover, or shelter of some kind, only to find itself caught up within...this.

Thorns pierced its flesh at regular intercessions along the young creature's form. Blood ran freely in thin streams of trails, whilst its eyes were white, and wide. Strong back legs kicked out as it tried to flee, to escape this newfound world of pain...Such actions, however, only worked to land it more thickly in trouble, the vines wrapping about it in their delicate, foreceful embracing, never wanting to allow this hare to flee.

If Brine wished to help it, then now would be the time. After all, with each passing second that was spent, the plight of this child only grew, worse and worse.

[Brine]

And it happened to be the Treant's duty to help the poor hare, one that was trapped within a wreath of vines, a terrible thing it was, and surely one to cause the poor creature a bit of pain. The Treant leaned over, bark creaking as it did, and began to work on the vines, sliding his tender and lengthy branches through the various vines, and pulling them away from the creature. As he did this, he would attempt to gently grab hold of the hare, and pull it free from it's thorny capters.

If he managed to do this, he would then close his eyes, and begin to meditate, to reach forth to the ethereal planes, and obtain a simple state of Clara. Once this was complete, he would then pull the streams of Ara from around him and mix it with his Vis. As he did this and created an arcalysis reaction, he would then focus upon the essense of nature, and channel it into the reaction to create the necessary Mana for the spell he was about to cast. Finally he would evoke the mana into the hare's wounds with the soul purpose of speeding up the regeneration processes so as to heal the small wounds inflicted upon the poor helpless creature...

[Minerva]

Pulling the hare away from the brambles and vines was a righteous thing to do, perhaps, but also came with the unfortunate result of snagging the tender flesh as each movement was made. The dainty creature squealed in terror, in its pain, but in the end it was given some reprieve, as Brine’s spell was woven, to be consequently infused. The wounds were healed, scars of suffering regenerated before the treant’s very eyes. The hare was being restored, but the pain had been so much, by now, that by the very end, it slumped, pathetically limp within Brine’s palm.

It was not dead- not by far- but slumbering, peacefully, instead.

It might have been best for the treant to find some safe place for the young hare to be, rather than leave it out in the open woods, like this. It was winter, after all, and all manner of creature searched for food to be had. A lone hare, weak and asleep, would have made such tempting, easy prey.

Even it seemed to be hungry, for the flatness of its belly and the fact that it had struggled for so long.

[Brine]

As the young hare lay limp and asleep, the Treant picked him up with his hands, and carried him with him as he walked silently through the forest. Nothing would harm the hare as long as it was in a Guardian of the Forest of Light's hands. And nothing would come between Brine and finding something to eat for the hare. Searching around, he would look for foilage, or ruffage, anything that might still be alive in this desolate winter. If he could not find anything, he would look for seeds. It might be easier to grow some food for this young one rather than to spend endless hours looking for some food for it.

Taking his time, and delicately searching, the Treant kept his eyes open for anything as his bark creaked while he took one step after the other. Working his way swiftly, but leisurely, as he was in no rush, he would continue the search. Hopefully the rabbit wouldn't be too startled if it woke up within the caring arms of a Treant. If it was, the Treant would have to try and cast a spell of befriend animal upon it, but that was only if it turned out to not already like the Treant for saving it's life...