"Grow, Seed, Grow,
High up to the Sun,
Breaking through the canopy,
Protect the one.
Feed the ones I love, seed,
Grow with strength and need,
Grow, seed, Grow.
From deep with in the soil,
As you grow, sprout blossoms bright,
Come bee and spread the pollen light.
Grow, seed, Grow.
Grow, seed, Grow,
Goddess bless you,
Nuts and Fruits are bursting true,
Fill my baskets as fruit to flower,
Feed The People in their bower.
Grow, Tree, Grow."
The little elf maids arms swayed like a tree in the wind as she bowed and planted each nut and fruit sapling she had teased up in planters over the last few days. She wore very simple leathers as her hands and feet were stained the dark color of the earth.
It was quiet along the borders of the Moonwood Wilds as she danced soundlessly not to attract any undue attention. Her arms swayed up from the ground as she cast the spell and the sprouts shot up up toward the height of the mature trees their limbs and trunks thickened all too fast, roots cracking into the mossy leaf duff.
Elrien sighed and took a heavy drink of water, crossed her legs and sat to rest on her sturdy haunches and took a reverie. She woke a few hours later in her stump hollow stiff and recharged. Again she lifted up her little brown arms to the sky and down to touch the ground, invoking the power of the Triune, one hand to her neck where her brand of faith was inscribed and willed the power of the divine through her.
The branches of the newly grown trees snapped and popped as the flowers on their branches, swarmed with busy bees and moths, suddenly swelled out to green fruits in a explosion which weighted several right to the ground.
Apples, peaches, pears, and plums grew from little green lumps to ripe swollen fruits of the loveliest colors. Their flesh even cracked from the rapid expansion. Along side them the thick hazelnuts popped out from their fuzzy sheaths and dropped to the forest floor, as thick green walnuts, and spiky chestnuts swelled to fullness.
Elrien slipped to her knees again panting, wiped the sweat from her brow, drank from her water skin, then blew into a small hand-carved bird whistle. She waved to the trees then in a no longer than a half-hour, her father and step-mother and the families of the treehouse came down with several Rangers and picked the trees clean.
As they left quietly still, she gathered up a share of nuts and fruits and walked through the ravaged wilds, sometimes planting, sometimes leaving a little pile of food for the small creatures. Then she took her other full basket into the ruins to begin the process again.
She was met there by the wild creatures she had guided into the ruins, deer, game fowl, boars and sows, wild horses, and she offered them treats, even pausing to sit with them and calm them.
Then rising she went to the far border where she could see the tops of the first trees and began digging. Something soft nudged next to her. The soft head of Nightclaw, her panther, lifted her nearly up to her knees as he demanded attention. Then oddly enough he started digging along the trench line she had drawn. She laughed at his wisdom and the dug happily till it was time to plan again.
****
“She's dying! Help help! You bastards, you let her go...” The angry words echoed through time into the past and bounced back as Elrien tugged open the human girl's clothes. The males jumped over her body and twisted past Elrien to take on the Orcs in the underground temple as she screamed hoarsely. She pressed on the hole in Kendra's chest, Elrien's hand at an arrow wound in her own side.
Her frightened thoughts struggled inside her to give her hands action. This was war. And then the Elven healer knew the minute she touched the girls ravaged chest, her spirit had fled. This was war. Her head drooped down as she cursed in despair.
Before her, ripped apart like so many carcass she had seen, was Kendra Barrow, an excited young priestess of Illmater. Elrien breathed in and out so quickly her voice became dry and hoarse. Flashes of the girl bouncing and clinging to Keren the Orc-speaker. They spoke how she so happily wanted to claim him as her own. Elrien had learned from just a short talk with her so much about humans. Now she was dead.
The pale haired Wood Elf hissed, rocking herself and rocking the broken body, whispering “Corr, Corr, make me strong, I cannot bear to loose you again. Please not again”
****
((http://youtu.be/onbN5ObabPs))
“We are the Voice.”
“You are the grace and compassion of Hanali”
“We are.”
“You are the mystery and the dream guides of Sehanine”
“We are.”
“You are the wings of Aerdrie, you bring freedom to the bound.”
“And the Queen will guide you, in all aspects you will serve.”
“We will serve”
“With this mark we bind you to forever remind you, that you are the Voice of our future. You are the Voice of The People.”
The Moon Elf Priestess of Angharradh stood like a pillar of marble on the dias of the ancient Hall of Trifold Harmony. Her floor length silver hair spread out like water; the train only held in place by a wrought golden diadem. Vines twisted her robes with a red rose, a silver feather, a crescent moon, and the symbol of the Triune goddesses adorning the bordering trim.
Among the audience of acolytes were a few tall Sun Elves with elaborately twisted hair of reds, rich golds, and browns. However the lithe elegant Moon Elves with long straight braided hair, soft as corn silk, of whites, blues, and blacks made up for the most of her class. Among them a very small blonde Wood Elf whispered the words of the High Priestess with her mouth as dry as parchment.
Elrien's ears trembled as she fell to feeling like a brown spot on the back of something truly tall and delicate. Still their white linen robes with gold banding and silver threads with the symbol of the triangle with three intertwined circles picked into their bodice and hoods, slightly dull in the early spring mists of Taltempa's island clime, defined them as a whole.
A long pale hand snuck stealthily into her own tiny brown one comfortingly and nodded up to the priestess who was nearing the end of the intonations and launching into a very throaty version of the invocation of Angharradh. Corr's long fingers twined with hers. This small gesture comforted her and she sat up straighter, though the worry wiggled like a queasy toad in her stomach.
“Before we welcome our new Circle Singers to close this ceremony, I wanted to recognize our child Corr for becoming the first Totem Sister to graduate in many years. The circle in Suldanassar has accepted Corr and has offered the position as their head Healer which is a great honor for this temple to give unto the people our best and beloved.”
There were silent nods of appreciation but the mood remained reverent as the sun cut through the island mists at last, alighting the dew on the blades of grass and bowing sodden flowers, refracting through the droplets of rain gliding the trees in a dazzling moment. The circle sisters in their shorter, movement-oriented white robes decided to seize that moment and began a dance designed to uplift the crowd.
As the priestess listed the other remarkable students destinations, Corr smiled ruefully down to Elrien, as the little blonde Wood Elf turned her face to the sun. The sun slipped through the dark black curtain of Corr's perfectly smooth hair, she smiled, and sent a little healing energy El's way. Elrien's hand warmed and she felt so very good again staring into those liquid black eyes.
“See you are like those trees, El. What would be this setting without the song and presence of life they have always given, faithful and true? Look how the priestess beams at both of us.”
“But you are leaving to the Wealdath,” her voice came out more hurt and forlorn than she wanted.
“No. WE are leaving to the Wealdath. I won't leave you behind.” Corr smiled firmly and rose with all the other potentiates together pulling El to her feet. Hand in hand they followed their classmates to the nearby seashore where a feast had been delicately assembled on one of the lovely ashwood sailboats.
The mists closed around her memories. And she was back being lead away from the broken body. One of the humans, the biggest one, Eifor took the broken body up like a bundle of sticks and to the temple. Someone held her hand and carried her along. It was a pale light fingered hand the color of the Moon.
****
The light was the cool green of the forest floor. Their bed of moss laid down among the feet of sacred ruins. Shades of long ago spiraled with roots, ferns, and moss. El's eyes were up in the sky for a moment, staring up at the lacy canopy, then her eyes jumped down to the warm pressing against her thighs, and a serious smile on his face.
Her braid had come undone but she did not care. A pale hand tore her tunic over her head, her round heavy breasts falling down against the top of her belly. As she laid calmly back pulling him over her, his face nuzzled between those soft orbs in reverence. The night was cool, the puckers of gooseflesh covered her skin but for the heat of their pressed bodies.
He was just the right size. This was a rare thing for the little wood elf to feel the heaviness of another body on hers, not weighing much more than her. His slick blue-black hair, once falling over her breasts, now cropped, tangled in her fingers. The world spiraled up and down, the scent of waterlilies covering them as a blanket of Hanali's blessing.
http://th01.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2 ... leayhe.jpg
****
The tiny druid rubbed her eyes. She rolled out of her hammock, suddenly back in her old wood-shaped treebole, her child-place. Her nose and ears prickled to the smell and sound of venison sausage and fluffy tubers frying wafted from below.
A realization! She was back in her childhood home. She blinked rapidly she looked around. Her bright eyes lit on the dolls she used to sew of leather and bits of cloth. One of the toys was a stuffed Orc doll which bore the brunt of many battles with friend's warrior dolls. And tucked in a shaped wood cubby was a precious roll of white doeskin her mother had made for her that Elrien never could bring herself to use.
She touched her play toys, the little bow, the cleverly crafted quiver, and a tiny sword that would no doubt make a Hin squeal in delight. Elrien gathered them up in her pack and climbed out the wood bole shaped into the tree, grasped the vines, and spun down to the next hollow in the great tree.
She spun there for a moment, looking up at the thick canopy over the village, her tight braids swung out, a small smile replaced her sleepy frown. She then lept up and landed on the ledge of the door into the living quarters.
There was a sturdy Elven female, a Wood Elf, at the brazier cooking up those delicious smells. She had little round pots of herbs suspended from the ceiling over the carved wooden cubbies shaped into the tree which were rubbed to a fine sheen by many years of use. Key'sses' serene face was warm with a smile and her nut-brown hair was tied into one very long braid that just brushed the floor. As she was her father's new wife, Elrien really did not know what to do but be kind to her and wonder at seeing her father smile again.
“Elrien, dear. Come have breakfast. Your father is almost returned from reverie.”
Bam bam bam! Elrien jumped a little and looked over to her brown half-brother who was busy slamming a wooden bowl into the burl-slab table. He crowed loudly at Elrien his fluff of black hair sticking straight up. Elrien watched him with befuddlement.
“Key'ss are all babies so loud?”
“Yes Mir'danan is a typical toddler, but it won't last long. Just remember that in thirty years he will be a sullen youngling wanting to prove himself. I want to savor his babyhood even with the banging and diapers,” she laughed.
“I brought some of my old toys down. I thought he might like them. But now I am reconsidering my play sword might be a little old for him.” They both laughed. “Thank you Elrien! But we can hang them up near the bed for him to look at and long for them.”
Her father slipped down from the upstairs and smoothed his tunic when he saw Elrien was at the table,“Daughter, Wife, 'danan.” He growled softly and took up El's little sword, "I can't believe I made this so long ago. I will make you a new one Elrien. Something befitting a Druid maybe?”
“Thank you Father.”
He looked over slyly “You know, you could help me make it.”
Her fathers wife served them all food till he took the pan from her and motioning to the chair as he took over serving. She shook her head wryly, “I'd just end up hitting myself in the face like I did when I was 95. I have no hand for working the metals of the earth. I could however wood-shape your treehome if you like? A room for the baby maybe? New shelves in the root cellar?”
Key'ess smiled nodding but her Father looked at her with a passing sadness. “We have'nt changed anything since she passed on. It would be a kindness Elrien. So I heard you are helping Sywyn and his band?”
“Yes.” She chewed her food carefully making sure not to waste any flavor of the rare treat. The Orc invasion had caused the People strict rationing. Father had been keeping some food back in their root cellars to help with that.
Key'ss smiled, “You know, the wives say he is the most eligible male around after that new Bladesinger, Elenaril.”
Elrien blushed a little and drank some tea, “Now I did not come home so I could be match-made. I appreciate the gesture though Key'ss. I have much more important things to see too like growing more nut trees and the berry thorn hedge up as high as I can.
“Beloved daughter, I can see a blush in your cheek, and generosity in your step. But if you do not want to tell your old Father..” he shrugged, as a piece of sausage catapulted through the air. Elrien's hand shot out and grabbed it from the air before it hit Key'ss in the face.
She raised her eyebrow at the baby then popped the bit of food in her mouth. He squealed and squirmed in his table level seat as his tether tied securely to the tree tensed then swung behind him.
She gulped and sighed, “There is someone I am fond of but he is a city elf, a silver Elf. If anything he is healthy company for me so do not glower at me so Papa.”
Her Papa rumbled in his low tenor, “So it is not Elenaril the Bladesinger?”
With a painfully awkward smile she stirred her roasted vegatables. “Oh I have'nt ruled him out. It seems he and Maer are very close, but he also seems very traditional Papa. This of course is why you like him.”
"He makes swords."
She paused and savored a tuber with a grin, “Ah I've missed having a family! I will bring them both to meet you if this proves to be more than just a passing fancy Papa and you can poke away with your mithril stilettos all you like.”
Papa grunted and chewed with a grin. Key'ss sighed in relief her braid falling heavily down her back, “We want you to feel welcome here. I know I am not your mother, but I would like to be your friend Elrien."
"I'd like to have a friend, especially one that has given me a brother. Please anything you need just ask and I will help with."
Her father, his simply braided black hair shifting over the metal band he work to keep it back, leaned over and took her hand and held it in his two calloused ones.
"Take care of yourself. The Elders say we are again at War with the Orcs. Every family will be called to sacrifice. But promise me you will take no undue risks. Not like..*she* did. Promise me Elrien."
Elrien looked up awkwardly and nodded, squeezing his careful hand.
"I will father. I will come home to you. And I will end this war."
http://youtu.be/Zcps2fJKuAI
g
(Yes, I know its not done 
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