Find your tribe in a Sea of Creativity
"Hey, pretty girl, ready to go?" I asked as I rubbed my Púca's ears.
She neighed.
I told her before leaving, "Alright, I'll go and you come find me when you're ready, okay?"
I was just leaving when I felt a light hand on my shoulder. Behind me there was a young lady with black hair, a black dress with red accents, but the thing that stood out the most about her were her brilliant red eyes and horse ears that stuck up out of her hair.
"How do I look?" she asked before giving me a slow twirl.
I took her hands in mine, once she stopped, and kissed her cheek, murmuring, "Beautiful, as always." I unclipped my cloak. "You will need to hide your ears, though." I held my cloak out to her.
"Won't you get cold?" she asked, concern lighting her brilliant eyes. How did I get so lucky to get such a caring Púca such as her?
I smiled, "No, I'll be fine."
Hey eyes flickered between my eyes and the cloak before gingerly taking my offered article of clothing.
When she finally had it adjusted with her ears flat against her head, she asked, "Is this good?"
"You look human." I held my arm out to her. "Ready to go?"
My Púca was literally bouncing as she took my arm. She was beaming and just as giddy as a little kid. I looked forward and guided her out into the bustling streets full of people dressed up as monsters and heroes.
I looked down at the young boy my brother found in the streets with no one to care for him and I wondered how he could sleep through such an earth - shattering thunderstorm.
What had he been through for this to be peaceful?
Or is it the fact that he was finally safe that kept him calm?
The only thing I've seen about this kid is his autumnal colored hair.
The quiet lake town has always been a favorite places to visit. It wasn't as densely populated as the capital was and it was just all around relaxing.
I haven't been to the marshes, bogs, fens, or anything like that west of the little town. There are rumors of monsters living there.
I like knowing that little town is okay.
I came back to our little camp to find him with his head in his hands.
"What's wrong?" I asked as I set the gathered food down.
"I hurt you," he whispered.
"I'm sorry?" What was he talking about?
"I caused you physical pain." He clenched his fists tight.
I could still feel the burn every now and again. I sat down directly beside him.
"I do the same thing to some of the plants I watch over," I told him, staring into the fire. "Sometimes, the best thing I can do for them is to cut an infected part off and burn it because there's nothing else I can do," I explained before he could ask.
"Still doesn't justify my behavior," he muttered.
"Well, I don't like the pain and it sometimes bothers me," I started, referring to the injury he gave me earlier, "but I forgive you."
He met my gaze before he asked, "Why?"
"You're going to make mistakes some as me, granted different from mine. But life and time are just that way - unforgiving. I think it's easier to get through a day if people are more forgiving."
He stayed silent.
"You going to be okay?"
He rested his head on my shoulder and whispered, "Yeah. Just processing."
"You're going to be okay," I told him, letting him take however long he needs to figure it out.
"How did you find me?" I slurred, the cold freezing me from the inside out.
"I followed the trail you left," he answered before he gestured somewhere behind him. "Come here," he groaned as he picked me up.
I clung to him like burs on bark animals and other people wear. He wasn't much warmer than the elements we were stranded in but he was an improvement.
"Did you know that you are bleeding?" my stranger asked me, taking me somewhere.
My mind was too fuzzy to completely understand what he was talking about.
"But you're not bleeding," I blended my words together, after I have him a quick once over as best as I could. Why would he ask if I knew he was bleeding?
"Well, hypothetically if I was a mage like you, I thought you would know how to slow the blood loss down?"
My upper canopy hurt. Why was he asking such difficult questions?
"You would need something to slow it down," I mumbled as I tried to clear my thoughts. "Before that, clean the wound."
He settled me down on a fallen log and then started rummaging through his bag. When he faced me again, he had some white strips and a dirt colored bottle.
"Try not to scream, okay?" He looked back up at me with his cyan colored eyes. His scar on the lower part of his face were sharply contrasting from the fire's light.
Wait. Why was there a fire? Where was the fire?
The sharp jolt that assaulted my left limb was enough to make me cry out in surprise. He didn't let up, if anything, he pressed harder. The cloth he was using was starting to turn green, the color of my sap, at the edges.
I stayed quiet like he asked but when he was done, he pulled a mat made out of pine branches, covered it with some furs, placed me on the mat, and then covered me with the remaining furs.
"Don't worry, I'll keep watch. You rest," he answered when he saw me looking at him.
The last thing I felt was my stranger running his branches through my hair before I fell asleep.
The fields of Royal Cress are okay but when it's pollen mixes with that of things like Ghost Mother Willow... It's just not a good day.
"Have you ever been in there?" I asked as I gestured to the edge of the woods. If he hasn't, then we'd have to go around the Ashen Grove.
"Years ago, I think," he answered, picking a sprig of Royal Cress.
I was just very happy that Royal Cress pollen is heavier than most others.
"Maybe we should just go around," I offered.
"Will it get us there faster?"
"No."
He stood up. "We got through the Ashen Grove, then," he stated.
Oh dear. I rubbed my head. I'd probably have to help him through the mirages that happen to those not used to the pollens.
"Wait up," I called as I trotted to keep up with him.
As I walked out under the night sky, I muttered a prayer. It wasn't continuous but mainly when ever I saw something that caught my eye, I'd say a quick little thank you prayer for it being created.
When I'd get back from my walks, I always felt better and ever grateful.
"Toby!" I called out to the celestial minister.
He visibly sighed. "Yes, my king?" I knew he was just tired.
I beamed at him. "I would like for you to follow me."
"Why?"
I slung my arm around his neck. "I have something for you."
He looked at me as he reminded me, "The last time you wanted to do that, you had a constellation there in the flesh and not where it belonged in the sky!"
I rolled my eyes at the memory. "You know that my brother and I see you as family, right?"
"Yeah..." he trailed off.
"I know that you worry about us, too. So," I pulled a small, plain box out of my cloak and handed it to him, "I want to give you peace of mind."
He gingerly opened the box. He pulled out the pin I'd asked an apprentice metal worker to make. It was divided in half, one side a warm yellow and the other a gentle white, and some silver going down between the two.
"What-?"
"If either of us are in trouble, the respective sides will light up. Yellow for my brother and white for me," I explained.
"But... Why?" He looked up at me. "I-I mean, I appreciate the gift but why did you give me a gift?"
"Tommorow is your birthday."
"You aren't planning to do anything stupid, are you?"
I smiled, "I don't want my brothers to worry. So, no, I will stay here."
The unicorn pawed the ground, aggrivated. I didn't know much about animals but I was taking this as a warning.
"It's okay," my stranger soothed, walking forward slow enough to not spook the oakwood unicorn.
It grunted and looked like it was about to charge and skewer him to a tree.
"Hey!" he snapped at the sentinel. He had guts to even think about doing that to a sentinel.
The unicorn reared its head in a way as if to ask, "What are you going to do?"
The highwayman walked forward with the same commanding presence that he just used. My best guess is that he needed the unicorn to know that he was in no mood for funny business.
"Hey, there," he murmured when he could pet the unicorn's mossy head. "Do you want a snack? Snack?" He pulled an apple out and presented it to the sentinel.
The oakwood unicorn, much calmer now, ate the apple.
"Come on, let's sit down," the highwayman suggested while he guided the unicorn down.
It nickered as it lied down beside him. Just as he put his hand in its hair, it laid it head down on his lap.
"And here I thought that only pure maidens could do that to a unicorn," I commented.
The highwayman just smiled up at me, "I have a horse like this one back at home." He looked down at the unicorn. "Mine has beautiful black fur and a sweet temperament."
The unicorn grumbled.
"Hey, I'm a little biased since she is my horse. You are a very handsome boy for a unicorn but you can't let my horse know that I said that, okay?" he told the resting unicorn.
The unicorn rolled so its head rested on the highwayman's abdomen. As the unicorn was moving, my highwayman made it so he was on his back.
"I'm very uncomfortable," he told me. I think he was on a decent sized, dull rock.
The unicorn nickered.
"Oh? Are you comfortable?" the highwayman asked the unicorn in possible sarcasm.
It had the audacity to nicker again.
His head hit the ground as he mumbled, "Of course you are." His troubled gaze found me again. "You better get comfortable, too. We might be here for awhile."
I couldn't help but giggle a little.
The gentle king was surrounded by many children, as if he himself was one.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't hold in my tears.
Why was it that I couldn't have that? Why did I have to be feared?
I closed my eyes and shook my head. I was getting emotional over a picture used to tell tales to children.
Through foggy eyes, I looked back at the kind; fabled king. Why couldn't he be real?
The young mage whimpered in my arms when the first soldier passed by our hiding spot. It had been awhile and I'd have to be careful not to overdo it.
Taking a calming breath, I pulled her closer to me and pulled the light from the area, bathing our spot in shadow.
A few men stopped and started going over the area. The metal in their shoes and legs were deafeningly loud.
I tugged the mage closer to me still. I could feel her erratic heartbeat as we waited for our fate.
They had moved to another section of the surrounding wooded area before they were suddenly called back to where they came from.
When they were gone, I allowed the mage to go.
"What caused them to go back?" she asked me.
How could I answer? I had a feeling I knew but didn't want to scare the poor girl.
"They might be getting ready to rotate the guards," I offered, "and they might be the replacements."
She seemed satisfied with my answer.
"Come on, we're almost to the capital," I encouraged her, not so subtle about the change of subject.
The Northern Vulpes is always the first constellation to appear in the autumn sky. I loved how the kids would create stories for each other about how mischievous or clever or generous it was to the other constellations.
During one of the celestial festivals, the moon released some animals that looked like the Northern Vulpes. They had illuminated pelts that even shone in the day.
Coyotes had warm colors while the wolves, who were much larger like real wolves, had cooler tones.
The children loved them. Some preferred the coyotes while others preferred the wolves.
Over the years, some of those beings just… ran away. This was a couple hundred years ago, though. There have been sightings of some but the beings always run off before anything can be done.
Mostly, though, they don't bother us and we don't bother them.
"I made a promise years ago to a boy who's hair was color of autumn and eyes the color of spring," I murmured a reminder as I cleaned off my broadsword.
The large firebird screeched as he flew low enough to scorch the lower trees. The troops screamed in terror and abandoned their posts.
"Do you have to do this every time we go to war?" I asked my older twin brother.
"To be fair, what would you do if you saw a phoenix flying right at you?" he returned. He was in control of the phoenix and made sure that no one was too seriously injured.
"Fair enough." I glanced over at him. "I could've sent my Púca after the captain and a few others to scare them off."
He chuckled, "I appreciate the offer but my phoenix is already out there."
"Whatever it takes," I started, watching the forest burn in the night.
"To keep our kingdom safe," my brother finished.
The highwayman nodded off a little more with each flicker of the fire in front of us. He wasn't supported at all. If he wasn't careful, he might fall forward and into the flames.
Once he was in a deep sleep, I crept to his side. He looked so innocent and vulnerable but overshadowing all of that was exhausted. Whatever it was that he was either running from or towards had him tired.
Still making sure not to disturb him, I moved him so he was resting his head on my lap.
Whatever is haunting him during his time awake, he needed to put to rest.
We were at the base of a stone tree made by men. The tree had stiff branches all the way at the top. But what held the attention of the man beside me was a stone in the tree. There were markings but I couldn't understand them.
"What do they say?" I asked before I reached out.
He took my hand as gentle as he could.
"It says, 'Bitter are the wars between brothers.' It is a proverb from ages past."
"But why is it here?" There was an unspeakable pain in his eyes. Why was he hurt? Was it because of the proverb?
"The king put this here as a reminder of what happened, I imagine," he answered, leading me away after taking one last good look at the stone.
"Pour soul," I murmured as I came across someone who lost their way and perished in the desert. Necromancy is illegal and only useable by mages who heal people. I heal and raise plants.
The soil was too hard for me to bury the person and the rocks were far too hot for me to carry so I draped some stitched furs I had in my bag.
I knelt and prayed a quick prayer that this soul would be guided safely over to the other side.
"And you're sure that this will work?" I questioned the tinkers I'd assigned to this position.
"Almost completely certain," the head tinker confirmed. He looked more wisened than the others. If my memory is right, he has been a tinker since he was a lad.
"If it does work," I started as I looked into it's hollow eyes, "it will save many lives."
It looked like the twelve that were already here when I came to power but it held some semblance to some of my brother's, as well.
"It's ready when you are, your majesty," the head tinker said.
"Hour thirteen," I stated with authority, "what do you see?"
The eyes lit up with a hollow orange color as it was activated.
"I see the fall of night," it replied. The wording was odd.
"Does it work?" I turned to the tinker who stood beside me. He was younger than the head tinker, his hair was comforting like the autumn.
"Well, it is dusk. So, I guess it does," he answered me in a meek tone. This tinker worked day and night on how it was supposed to work and behave.
"I'm not allowing it out unless you're sure it works," I told him in a tone that I would use with nightmare victims.
He looked down, still timid.
"Are you sure this works?" I repeated, still as patient as ever.
"Yes, it works," he affirmed, more certain now.
I smiled. There was the spark I was looking for.
"Thank you for your service, Hour Thirteen," I thanked, directing my attention to the waiting clockwork soldier.
"The night will not be long," it said.
I didn't like how empty it sounded but the tinkers told me that as it aged, it would start filling up with moments.
"The night is never very long," I told it. Day always follows night.
"No! You let him go, Drosera!" I commanded the larger than usual plant. It was taller than the highwayman and rivaling some trees in height.
"Do you know just how long I've been starving?" The Drosera nymph demanded. "Then, along comes something that I can finally eat."
"You can't eat him! Let him go!" I repeated my demand. My throat hurt like it was roughly rubbed against an oak tree's bark.
"Am I supposed to feel tingley?" the highwayman asked as the Drosera's tentacle wrapped itself tighter around him.
"How much food do you have on you?" I asked my highwayman. How could I let him die when we've gone so far already? But I also didn't know how much food he had stored away. If it isn't a decent amount, then he might starve later.
"Enough to feed this thing," he replied in a vague way. There were seedlings of worry but other than that he was sure in his choice.
"But-"
"Dump the contents out of the side that is furthest from me," he instructed while he gestured to his bag.
As I did what he ordered, I wanted to believe that there was another way. But we hadn't seen any animals since we entered the bog.
"Let him go and I'll give you three pieces," I bartered, moving the three largest pieces forward.
The nymph hesitated. It burned energy it needed to catch him and now I was asking it to burn more.
"How much energy are those worth?" it asked in a cautious tone.
"At least half of what you'd get out of him."
"I'm starting to feel a serious tingle right now and I don't like it," he called.
With great effort, the Drosera let my highwayman go. As I had promised, I gave it the three pieces of meat.
"I still feel a tingle. Is that normal?"
"Go to the creek we saw a few miles back and at least rinse yourself off. The acid is still trying to eat you," I instructed him.
Without a word, he left me with the nymph.
"What's that shiny and long blade of grass you use called?"
He looked down as he hesitated.
When he looked up, he answered as if he was trying to melt the frost with his touch, "It can be called a 'blade' but for me, it's a broadsword."
"You can hurt people with that, right?" I asked him. It didn't look that dangerous to me if it could.
He lurched back like I hurt him.
"If it came to it, yes," he answered, all the same.
I didn't like that I was going to hurt something but I picked a blade of grass.
"Do you want to know what I can do with this?" I twirled the blade between my fingers.
He just looked at me odd.
I held the blade the way the nymphs taught me and blew some air. The shrill sound caught him off guard. Laughter overcame me like the abrupt rain the area we're in is known for.
"Will you teach me how to do that?" he asked when I calmed down enough to talk.
It was at that moment that I realized that I would do what I could for him like I would for any of my plants back at home.
"It would be my genuine pleasure," I replied with a smile.
The highwayman looked at me steadily.
"Honesty doesn't mean stupidity," he simply stated.
When we passed a sick rosebush, I sacrificed some life force, only enough for it to get back to perfect health.
The nymph hugged me as tight as she dared. I could see that she was on her way to become compost while she was sick.
"Did you help another plant?" the highwayman questioned after I convinced the nymph to go back to her plant.
"How could you tell?" I didn't bother trying to lie. He always knew when I was being honest and when I wasn't.
"Your breathing is labored and you're slightly shaking," he just as easily answered while he started setting up camp. He looked up at me and with some hidden compassion requested, "Have a seat."
I sat on a slightly slopped rock and waited for him to say or do something.
We sat for a few moments in silence while he cooked some fish. Was he cooking for himself?
"Here," he said after pulling out a ceramic plate and a fork before handing the plated fish to me.
I knew he knew how I regain lost life by eating cooked animal meat. Being gracious and grateful, I nibbled on what he prepared for me. I also wondered when he was planning on leaving.
"I'm not going anywhere until you've finished your meal," the highwayman assured me.
"Aren't you hungry?"
He gave a small smile, "I can wait until dusk for a meal." He looked like he has been in this situation before.
"Do you have enough for yourself?" If he was going to go hungry, then I wasn't going to have all of the fish.
"I'm always prepared, so yes, I have food for myself as well." His eyes drooped a little, his posture slouched, and his head nodding off a little.
I nibbled slowly enough that he fell asleep while he waited for me. When I finished my cooked fish, I have took off my cloak and tucked it around him.
It has been a long day for him.
"Hey, pretty girl," I murmured to the Púca I adopted when she was a small filly.
She grunted a quiet greeting before she came up to me. She grabbed a bit of the fabric on my shoulder and gave it a gentle tug.
"How long has it been since I last saw you?"
She whinnied but let go of my shoulder.
"Since yesterday?" I gave a fake frustrated sigh, "That's too long!" I hugged her around her neck. Her fur was coarser than that of other horses and ponies I've met but I wouldn't change anything about her. The other ones are nice but they aren't her.
She nudged me enough to take a small step back, reminding me why I originally came down to visit her.
"Do you want a snack?" I asked her. "Snack?"
She nuzzled me a bit harder.
"Which hand is the snack in?" She was always a smart girl.
She stood there for a moment before nudging my right shoulder. I rolled the apple to my right hand and held it out to her.
"Smart girl," I murmured as she ate the apple. I rubbed her ears just the way she likes it. "I'm going to talk to my big, fat, mean brother to see if I can't bring you into the court so I can give you all the love and rubs you want." I couldn't stop a soft chuckle. "He isn't big, fat, or mean."
The Púca I've known since she was a filly nickered in agreement. She's met my brother and likes him well enough but still doesn't like how he keeps her from me.
"You be nice to him the next time you see him, okay?" I murmured against her forehead.