by Mike Ezekiel
Suddenly the girl stopped and faster than the eyes could see, she had her bow and arrows out and knocked in her bow was an arrow ready to fire. She had it aimed at the brush where Master Sernett, Kerwyn and Durin were hiding.
“Show yourselves, for if you do not I will be forced to use deadly force, and I promise you, I will not be an easy target to subdue,” the girl called out to the brush.
Master Sernett stepped forward from his hiding place with his hands outstretched showing that he meant her no harm and that he was unarmed save for his staff.
“Forgive me, my lady, but we were not sure if you were some more of the creatures that we have been plagued with fighting over the past few days. We thought hiding would be the safest thing we could do,” explained Master Sernett.
“You keep addressing yourself as we. I should expect that an honest person wouldn’t mind stepping out into the open to prove one’s innocence,” said the wood girl with her arrow still knocked and ready.
“Ok everyone, we are amongst friends and we mean no one any harm so please come out and introduce yourselves,” Master Sernett said in a loud enough voice so that everyone could hear him.
Kerwyn stood up and walked out to the path, saying as she saw him, “I am Kerwyn and I am Master Sernett’s apprentice.”
“Aye, I am Durin, Son of Koryan the great Dwarven king of Dorokk Mountain,” stated Durin, walking out from the brush as well.
“We are Elden, Byamee and Celie and we are Cyclopes from Alberic,” said Byamee as the three great fifteen-foot tall Cyclopes emerged from their hiding places.
“Master Sernett, I see you are travelling with a very impressive company. I am quite surprised that you would be hiding from anyone,” said the wooden girl, lowering her bow but not releasing the arrow from the bowstring.
“My dear, you would be surprised at what we have been fighting these past few days and we have even lost one of our cyclops companions, friend and family member to the ogres. We have also fought with forest trolls, goblins, the undead and even a changeling.
“I am Korowai, Druid Wooden Woman from Papua and this magnificent creature is Cernunnos,” said Korowai.
“Cernunnos is the God of the Forest is he not, Korowai?” asked Master Sernett.
Korowai squinted her green eyes at Master Sernett as if trying to read whether he could be trusted; whether he was friend or foe.
Cernunnos took her decision away from her as he walked right up to Kerwyn and knelt on the ground then and stood back up, placing his massive antlered head into Kerwyn’s hands the same way a dog would welcome you home after being away for a while.
Korowai’s eyes opened wide and she moved to stand beside Kerwyn in a blink of an eye and, faster than you could see, she was there beside him.
She looked up into Kerwyn’s eyes and tilted her head like a bird of prey or some sort of great cat. “I have never before seen Cernunnos bow and cuddle into anyone before. This is very perplexing to me.”
Noticing Master Sernett’s staff for the first time, she flashed over beside him and bent over, looking the staff over from top to bottom. She stood up and asked, “Who are you to have one of Mother Nature’s relics of power?”
Squinting again, she turned towards Kerwyn and flashed over to him faster than thought itself and asked, “May I place my hands upon you, as I would like to know why Cernunnos shows you such respect?”
Kerwyn, not knowing what else to do, nodded his head to show her that he didn’t mind. When she placed her hands up on him a surge of power shot through him like he was being electrocuted. Closing his eyes to prevent himself from vomiting, he could feel her inside of his head but, unlike the fairy queen, Korowai was almost hostile.
He could sense that she had come up against a barrier and, as she tried to break it down, he could almost feel the mental slap. Then there, in all of her glory, was Mother Nature standing like a giant in his mind. Korowai shocked and now realizing whom Kerwyn was retreated with as much speed as she could from his inner thoughts. Releasing him from her intrusion she dropped to her knees and said in a low voice, “ Please forgive me my intrusion, Master Kerwyn, I had no right to doubt Cernunnos his respect of you. Please forgive this servant of Mother Nature for all of her ignorance. I did not mean you or Mother Nature any disrespect.”
Almost crying, Korowai knew that Mother Nature was not happy for bullying her way into another being's mind the way she had. But she also knew that she should have seen Mother Nature's presence radiating from Kerwyn in the first place. She was a child of nature and Kerwyn was filled with the power of nature. She should not have attacked him the way she had. He had voluntarily allowed her to enter his mind and she had taken advantage of his approval, finding out everything she could about who this person was.
Looking back up into his eyes she was sure that she was going to see anger or hatred on his face at being violated but instead she saw an attractive man who seemed more concerned for her than he was about his own privacy.
Looking into each eye she noticed that he had one blue eye where his spirit shone through like a bright sun and she looked into his black eye and there she saw an entity that was full of hate and rage. Looking deeper she saw that this was a spirit that should not be in Kerwyn’s body and was acting like a parasite. She made a mental note that she would do everything in her power to help him get rid of this foreign spirit. There was something about Kerwyn that she could respect and he was a good man who intrigued her enough to fall in love with. Looking into his kind face she knew that he had already captured her heart.
Kerwyn looking down at this creature made of wood realized that she was so much more then just bark and wood. She was beautiful and she had a kindness about her. She also had that drive to protect nature the same way he did. Maybe it was Mother Nature's doing, but she was just as beautiful and intriguing as Erlina was, only in a different way. She might not have been a princess but she was all woman as well. Helping her stand, with her hand in his, he felt that her skin was a lot softer then it looked and, glancing at her body maybe more then he should have, he realized that she really was made from wood but the magic of her nature made her skin as soft as any human skin was. The touch of her skin on his was making him blush. Kerwyn stepped away from her, his face burning scarlet.
Korowai noticing that her skin was having an effect on him, smiled shyly which was something that she had never done in the past. She was a strong warrior woman, a wood women druid; one that was held with the upmost regard by her people and she was flirting like a young girl on her first date with a man she knew nothing about.
Not understanding what power this young man had over her, Korowai was determined to find out everything about this man and if it took her their entire lives to do it, she was determined to do so. Also thinking to herself that if that little bit of skin showing was having this much of an effect on him, she wondered what her naked body pressing up against his would do. The thought was affecting her, almost as much as her touch had affected Kerwyn. It was a good thing that wood women don’t blush the same way mortals did. Their type of blushing consisted of their bark glistening with dew and was more subtle. Otherwise, her emotions would be giving her inner most thoughts away like the bright red colour of his face was giving his thoughts away about her.
Master Sernett witnessing the entire exchange knew that this could pose a bit of a distraction for his apprentice not to mention a bit of a problem when Erlina found out that there was another woman competing for Kerwyn’s affections.
Cernunnos standing by Kerwyn turned to look at Master Sernett and said, “Master Sernett, I would like to enlist your aid in helping to keep Korowai safe. She is after all a foreigner in this forest and it would not be proper to allow her to go off by herself. I was with her only long enough to find a group of people that would be safe to leave her with. We met when she entered the forest and I promised to take care of her. I was just as curious about her as she was about this forest.” Cernunnos spoke inside all of their
heads.
“Yes, as I entered this forest, I felt Cernunnos’s presence watching me. I could also feel an evil like I have never felt reaching out a hand wrapping its skeletal hands around my chest, making it hard to breathe.
I called out to the god of the forest to show himself; that I would converse with him and there he was, standing by me in all of his glory. He shared his peace and love of the forest with me, making it so that I could handle the evil that was coursing through the forest. Cernunnos is the most peaceful God there is. He ensures the circle of life is maintained and that the wheel of time keeps turning. All natural things that live will die sometime. It is his job to ensure that nature remains in a constant balance. If nature becomes unbalanced, unknown things will happen to the creatures of the forest such as what is happening now. Evil is dominant in the forest and it is twisting and mutating the forest towards evil. The once peaceful creatures are now becoming evil. The brambles, brush, vines and thorns are taking over and choking out the flowers and trees.
I have come from my forest to try and stop this before it reaches my home. But from what Cernunnos has said, this is something that only one person can stop and that is the Legendary Wizard. So I would like to travel with you to find this wizard who hopefully will have the power to stop the coming evil from taking over the world,” finished Korowai.
“Mistress Korowai, you may join our party. But please keep in mind that we have been attacked many times by this evil that has taken over the forest and although we may try to keep you safe, please note that all we can do is try,” said Master Sernett.
“I understand and you maybe surprised at how resourceful I can be. I am a druid of Mother Nature as well so that gives me a few benefits like healing magic and nature control. I realize that Master Sernett you and Kerwyn both have also been blessed by Mother Nature but I have been a druid since birth and I have fully honed my skills to Master level, “ returned Korowai.
“Thank you, Master Sernett, and thank you, Master Kerwyn. I know that you will be victorious over the evil that rises against the entire world. You all have my blessings and if you are hungry or thirsty while in my domain, just call out my name and I shall supply you with food and drink. Korowai, it was a pleasure to get to know you, and please know that you are welcome in my domain anytime,” with that Cernunnos turned and ran through the forest, disappearing from sight.
“Well everyone, I think we should either make a camp someplace off the path or get going agin. It is getting late and if we do not move from here, we could have unwanted company coming along this trail at anytime,” said Master Sernett.
“Well we still have some light and I guess we have about another hour till dusk. Why don’t we keep moving and then set up our camp, farther up the trail? Maybe we’ll find a good clearing with shelter and water. I know that I'd like to take a dip in a river to clean the dirt and smell off of me,” said Celie and Byamee nodded in agreement.
“Alright, so we will keep moving for another hour or so,” said Master Sernett.
They gathered their things up and got on the road; Korowai was walking beside Kerwyn and started talking to him.
“Kerwyn, I apologize for invading your thoughts. I just wanted to find out why a god would bow and show you the respect that a mortal should have been giving to Cernunnos. I have never before in my life have heard of a god bowing to a mortal,” said Korowai.
“It’s ok, Korowai. I have had many creatures enter my mind over these past weeks. Plus Mother Nature is always there if I need her; she has already saved my life once when the elvish wizards overloaded me with the One Power. I guess that’s why I look like this: I am a human and I look like I’m part elf,” said Kerwyn.
“Kerwyn, may I ask you about your eyes? I see that one is ice blue but the other is black and it has a red glow to it. I noticed when I was in your mind that there seemed to be another entity living inside of you. How did it come to be there?” asked Korowai.
“I really don’t know. I have been told that it has been with me since the day I was born. I guess when I was born; the spirit attached itself to my body. Maybe it thought that it was supposed to be reborn in my body not realizing that I was already here. I have been told that it hates me and wants to see me dead but, really, all things said, if it weren’t for my black eye I wouldn’t even know that it was there. Truly I forget about it until I meet someone new and they get scared looking into it. That’s usually when I remember that I have an evil looking eye. Also, at night I can see in total darkness which is pretty cool,” answered Kerwyn, smiling.
Korowai looked over at Kerwyn and had a new respect for him. Not only was he all right with the fact that she had intruded in his mind but he was taking the evil entity living in him very well and was, in fact, making jokes about it. Looking him up and down she could tell that he really was terrified but wasn’t trying to show it. “Yes, this is a man I could call my own forever. He’s strong, handsome, and powerful and he has a good soul. I would give my own life to save him,” she thought and knew that it was true.
“Korowai, why don’t you tell me a bit about where you come from? I'd love to know more about your home,” said Kerwyn.
“Well, as you can see, my people are cross breed between trees and Elvin blood. Mother Nature made us to be the protectors of her favourite forest, the Papua. It is the biggest evergreen forest that exists in the world; the trees never change colour and they do not go dormant during the winter months. It stays lush and green all year round. Our job is to protect the forest and dryads from the trolls, ogres and orcs that live around and in the forest.
There are thousands of different species of fairies and sprites of all different colours, shapes and sizes. My home is always colourful and the smells from all the different trees, grasses and flowers flow throughout the forest. It’s magical the way the fireflies twinkle their lights at night-time. It is beautiful and I would love to be able to show it to you one day,” she said.
“It sounds wonderful and I bet Master Sernett and I would love to see it one day too. It sounds majestic and beautiful all at once,” returned Kerwyn.
“Ok everyone, I think we have found a great spot to stop for the night. There is a clearing back in the forest off the trail about forty feet. If we keep our fire small, we should be able to stay pretty well hidden. Kerwyn, could you get a small fire going? I would like to have some tea tonight,” asked Master Sernett.
“Yes, Master,” said Kerwyn, going off to find some dry kindling for his fire.
Korowai trailed after Kerwyn to help him get the wood while Master Sernett just shook his head and knew that she was infatuated with Kerwyn and that Kerwyn was trying very hard to not get interested. Sometimes his apprentice was just too naive. “Oh well,” Master Sernett thought to himself, “I am not going to get involved. This will be one of those things Kerwyn will just have to make up his mind about for himself.”
Walking back to his backpack, Master Sernett pulled out his little travelling pot to be ready to heat his tea once the fire was going. All the other members of their party were getting their sleeping rolls out and setting up their little campsite. Master Sernett picked the on guard watch teams for the night. Byamee and Celie would act as first watch, Elden and Durin for second watch, Kerwyn and Korowai for third watch and he would be the final watch. Finding a stream farther back, the party decided to wash up as best they could in the little stream. Kerwyn for one was very relieved as the Cyclopes' smell was much more tolerant.
Once supper was over, the party all began to get ready for sleep. Kerwyn moved his bedroll closer to where his master's was but he noticed the Korowai did not have a bedroll pulled out.
“Korowai, where is your bedroll?” asked Kerwyn
“I do not require a bed roll this night, Kerwyn. I am part tree and one day a week I need to transform into full tree form to absorb the nutrients from the soil. Tonight is that night. When it’s our turn to take watch, please just approach my tree and place your hand upon me while
saying my name, “she said. With that she moved away from Kerwyn and, with him watching, she looked up towards the sky and raised her. She transformed into a small oak tree about seven feet tall. Kerwyn, feeling a bit uncomfortable about what he had just witnessed, went back to his bedroll and went to sleep.
Kerwyn was awakened by a small buzzing sound in his ear. Flicking his hand up he hit Hernes the imp. “Hey Master that hurt", said Hernes. Coming to full wakefulness Kerwyn realized that it was Hernes who had awakened him.
“What’s the Matter Hernes, is there some danger around?” asked Kerwyn.
“No Master, err at least I don’t think so. I just wanted to talk to you about that tree girl. She is really beautiful and she is so powerful. I watched her move and her speed and strength are incredible. I have never seen a creature like her before and she is also a tree. I know that you like Erlina but this creature is wonderful. Also, Erlina’s mom the Elvin queen said that you and Erlina will never be together,” said Hernes.
“But I like Erlina. She is wonderful and I think I love her,” said Kerwyn.
“But she is a princess and you said yourself 'what would a princess have with a commoner?’ I see the way Korowai looks at you and she is in love with you. She has all the things in all the right places plus I heard you talking about her in your sleep about how soft she was.
Besides, Erlina is an elf and they don’t like imps. Erlina will never let me stay with you. She would never believe that I am a good imp. All they believe is that once a fairy falls and changes to an imp, all we want to do is hurt humans. Normally I would say that is true but it is a myth that only humans turn fairies into imps. Sometimes the One Power’s draw to the dark side of magic is too much even for a fairy and they want the powers of Dark Magic to control. It had nothing to do with humans as to why I changed into an imp. Now that I have been an imp for many years I regret my decision and wish that I could be a fairy again. As a fairy I never had to hide or have been bullied like I have been as an imp. Fairies are much happier and one day I hope that I can find someway to turn back into a fairy,” finished Hernes.
