The Wandering Apprentice

by Matthew Mitchell

  "I understand. Our campsite is about four hours walk from here. This is the only trail going this direction in this area. I expect you to be at the camp before dark." He kept walking without looking back at me.

  "What if someone else is at the campsite?" This had not happened yet, but it seemed a decent concern.

  "Then we will join them. However, unless I give you specific permission you will not reveal anything to anyone about magic." He spoke clearly, like he had no doubt in my obeying him.

  "Ok. I am going to go look for these plants. Pat do you want to go with me?" I figured he might enjoy a change of scenery.

  "Ott, I would rather you do this by yourself. Consider it part of your training." Stain never turned around but continued walking down the trail.

  ***

  Well, I guess it was going to be just me going into the woods. Time to earn my title apprentice. I walked into the woods, ducking limbs. I started looking for areas that might harbor any of the plants. I walked deep into the woods, I got to the point that I had no sign of the trail or the others. I had moved into a section of forest that was dominated by trees that were so large that it took me time to walk around their bases. I looked around the roots and under fallen limbs for the first plant. I failed to find it. I saw a brighter area ahead of me, perhaps where one of the massive trees had fallen. I walked towards it and stopped. Through the center of a large clearing lay a tree. Not just any tree, but one whose side still towered over my head. Easily twice my height. All around the tree were limbs and vines that had fallen with it. It almost seemed like a king laid to rest, like a tomb. I approached the base of the tree. It's roots had ripped from the ground and stood free of dirt, gnarled and clawing. I crouched down and looked. Sure enough there were small blue mushrooms growing amongst the roots that still strained into the earth. The first plant on my list. I carefully reached in to gather some. I picked five of the largest mushrooms that I could see. Placing them in my basket I looked around. There were no signs of anything having disturbed the clearing before I came. I backed away from the roots.

  "Thank you majesty. I have gathered from your roots and give you thanks for the bounty that lies there." I bowed my head. It all seemed appropriate for the situation.

  As I stepped over into the darkness beyond the clearing I made sure to try to follow the same direction as the trail. I kept an eye out for any other places that might cradle the other three plants. I wandered deeper into the woods until no sunlight could be seen coming through the limbs. The light had a green tint from all the leaves. The air smelled musty and moist. The trees stood all alone with only their old leaves to keep them company. I continued through this area until I noticed rocks starting to appear between the trees. The small rocks soon developed into boulders. I headed towards a large pile of these boulders. They were piled up to the height of most houses. I stopped and looked at them and realized that it reminded me of a head. Perhaps the head of a person, if the person stood taller than any of the surrounding trees. It perhaps looked like someone had carved the rocks to look like someone asleep. I walked closer and circled the base of the pile. A protrusion in the midst of the rocks stuck out much like a nose would. If the sculptor wanted his statue to have a nose that was bulbous. I climbed up to the protrusion and looked into the gaps on either side. Seeing into the depths was simply not possible with the lack of direct light, however I could see enough to identify the second of the plants. I reached down into the gap and gently removed some leaves from the plant. Each leaf was red and orange with black veins. An ember fern. I had never seen one before, but it matched the description that Stain had explained days before. I collected five leaves in total. I climbed down and backed away from the rock pile. I once again felt the sensation of solemness.

  "Thank you, Stony Sleeper for what you harbored within you. I shall leave you to your rest." This also seemed appropriate.

  Regaining a sense of where the trail flowed, I set off in the same direction. Only two plants left; some flying moss and weeping lilies. The woods started to show more underbrush and variety to the trees. Light started to penetrate to the forest floor allowing for flowers to bloom. I continued through this slowly thickening underbrush, trying to follow game trails when possible. Suddenly I walked into a section of forest that the light seemed to ebb and flow. Looking up I discovered the reason for the light's rippling appearance. Flying moss flowed from tree to tree. Each patch would hit a limb and stick for a moment. Then it would fall off the limb and glide back into the sun. Once in the sun it floated higher, gaining speed. This gave the appearance of a dance occurring above my head, way above my head. Well, I had found the third plant. How was I going to get some of it. I figured I needed at least two patches, but would rather have five patches. I looked around at the trees. All the lowest limbs stopped well above my head. I looked for something to throw, thinking that I could knock some moss down. Perhaps some small sticks would work.

  After about five minutes of trying this I realized that this was not going to work. I wandered around the trees looking for any way to reach the upper reaches. None appeared.

  "Oiy! I wonder what that lunker is trying to do?" A high voice reached me. I looked around for someone. Nobody around.

  "Say! He acts like he can hear me." The voice rang out again, this time sounding surprised. And above me. I looked up. A small animal rested on one of the lower limbs of a tree. His appearance caught me off guard. He looked like a furry man with a long tail. His eyes were much bigger and greener than a man's would have been. He would have only come up to my knee, however his tail looked as long as I am tall.

  "Did you say something?" I had forgotten about me having beast tongue.

  "Oh man! A mage. Although this one is awfully young." The animal shook it's head. "Oiy! Are you a mage?"

  "I am actually an apprentice mage." I figured the truth would be the best thing.

  "Great." He scratched himself and then dropped catching the limb with his tail. He hung down nearly to my height. "Come closer so I can look at you."

  I approached him carefully, keeping an eye on him and the ground. Falling down now sounded like a bad idea.

  "I believe that is close enough. Can you prove your mage abilities?" He looked at me with those big eyes. "I have met men who claim to be a mage and yet cannot do nary a spell." His tone let me know exactly what he thought of such people, not much.

  "I can." I simply stated.

  "Well, let's see it then. As long as it is not a fireball. That would be a bad idea." He seemed slightly annoyed.

  "Why?" I again tried for simple.

  "Because I asked. I want to make sure that you are what you say you are." He rolled his eyes.

  I decided to comply with his wishes. A thin earth shield flowed out from my body.

  "Alright, that is an earth shield so I guess you are a mage." He murmured. "Unless you used some method to make it." He was not very trusting.

  I pushed out water energy to add to the shield. The brown shield took on some blue shimmers.

  "Well. I believe that decides it. You have to be a mage to be able to mix magic’s." He seemed to relax. "What brings you to this area of the forest? And why are you throwing sticks at the moss?"

  "I am trying to collect some for my master. He gave me a list and the flying moss is the third item on my list." Again, honesty seemed the best measure.

  "Ah, that makes sense. I bet you are new to the whole mage business." He chuckled. "Perhaps we can come to some kind of agreement."

  "What kind of agreement?" I asked.

  "Well, it seems to me that you need to gather some of that flying moss that floats above our heads. Perhaps you have something that I could use. I get some moss for you and you give me something in return." He grinned reminding me of merchants in Sunnydale.

  "That sounds reasonable. What would tempt you to help me?" I thought of what I carried that I could part with.

  "I have been out here in these woods since escaping from a caravan.
I was one of the animals being taken to be sold. They did not fully realize the abilities of my tail and I escaped. The woods are a fine home, however they lack certain amenities. Sweets for example. All these trees are nut bearers, not a single fruit tree among them. If you had perhaps some sweets on your person that you might part with we might have a deal." He seemed very calm, but I could hear the longing in his voice.

  "I actually have a little peppermint sugar." I pulled the bag out of my vest. It was full with the candy. "Would it be possible for you to get five patches of the moss?"

  He stared at the bag for a minute. "Perhaps you ought to show me what is in the bag. Not that I do not trust you but I have had the opportunity to be tricked in the past."

  I opened the bag and pulled out a stick of the candy. I broke it into smaller pieces and tossed one up to him. He promptly sniffed it and shoved it in his mouth. His whole body twitched and then relaxed as the sugar melt in his mouth.

  "Very well my fine apprentice. Five patches it is." He raced up the tree almost faster than my eyes could follow. I watched him quickly snag five large patches of moss. He swung down the tree from branch to branch. He shortly hung just above me again.

  "Here you are." He handed the wad of moss to me.

  I carefully took it and placed it into my basket.

  "I thank you very much. Here." I held out the entire bag, although it did not fill my hand it was full of the candy. "I owe you more than this but perhaps it can compensate you enough."

  He looked at me, his eyes even larger. "The whole bag?" His voice shook. He took a deep breath causing his body to inflate. "I have never had a human be noble to me or any I know." He hung there stunned.

  "Perhaps you have only met a few of us?" I hate to think about what he might have gone through.

  Suddenly he dropped from the tree. He in fact did not come to my knee. He formed his tail into a coil and lifted himself up to my eye level.

  "May I have your name?" He almost whispered.

  "Ott. And yours?" Fair enough.

  "No, you mistake me my friend. Could you give me your entire name?" He waited.

  "Why my whole name?" I had heard of creatures that could hurt you if they had your entire name.

  "It concerns a prophecy of my kind." He spoke quietly. "If you cannot I will not be offended."

  He seemed harmless. "Otter Willow Lightfoot" I hesitated a little.

  "Were you ever called by only your initials?" He shook as he asked.

  "My friends called me Owl when I was young. They said I had eyes the size of owls and more questions than anyone." This brought back memories.

  He suddenly started crying. What was wrong?

  "Well Ott, it has been a long time since I entered this forest swearing to never leave. However if I could, I would like to follow you back to your master. Then we will see what we shall see." He seemed tired all of a sudden.

  "I guess that is ok. I still need to find some weeping lilies. I have not seen a single pond or creek that might harbor them." I offered the bag to him while I spoke. He only took one stick of candy.

  "Thank you very much Ott." He stuck the candy in his mouth. "If you continue the way you were traveling you will soon find yourself beside a bog. Perhaps some of this lily will grow there."

  I started off in the direction he motioned. "By the way, you know my name and I have no idea what to call you."

  He had swung back into the trees. "Well, if you are talking about my name, it is Mophor. If you are talking about what I am, I am a lemur. A long tailed lemur to be exact." He swung ahead using mainly his tail.

  "Where are you from? I have never even heard of a creature called a lemur." I watched him swing around me while I made my way through the trees and undergrowth.

  "Well, I come from a place that is around a year of travel from here. Far to the south where it is hot." He sounded wistful.

  I thought about this for a while. "How did you end up with the caravan?"

  He stopped ahead of me. "I was captured with my parents. I survived the treatment we received at our captors hands. They did not. The men used the animals they captured for entertainment, but their methods were cruel and I spent almost as much time recovering as performing." His voice had gotten cold.

  "I am glad you escaped. Nobody should be kept captive like that." I felt strongly about that.

  He stared at me then smiled. "I had no idea when I woke up this morning that my day would be so full of surprises." He swung ahead rapidly.

  We traveled for a while discussing life in the forest. I found out that I was in fact keeping fairly close to the trail. Before too long the sound of frogs and insects could be heard.

  "The bog is just ahead." Mophor called out from the trees.

  A few minutes of walking brought me to the shore of the bog. The water stank and insects buzzed thickly in the air. Mophor stayed high up in the trees.

  "I do not suppose you see any weeping lilies?" I called out. I really did not want to get into that water.

  "What do they look like?" His voice came from over the bog. "There are a bunch of flowers out here."

  "They are supposed to be a bright blue flower floating on a light blue pad that is in the shape of a tear." That was the description that I knew.

  "Well, I guess these might be them." I looked up and saw him pointing off to my right. I moved around the trees until I was once again next to the bog.

  About ten feet from the bank there floated what could only be a colony of weeping lilies.

  "How do you suppose we can get those?" Mophor swung by his tail and was still too high. "Hey, you are a mage. Can you use magic to gather those?" He looked at me.

  Could I? "Well, all I really know how to do is shield." I felt a little embarrassed.

  Mophor smirked. "That new to magic huh? Only a couple of weeks in?" He seemed okay with that but still smiled.

  "Actually, only a couple of days." I spoke softly.

  "A couple of days?" His voice suddenly seemed choked up. "And you can already merge earth and water into a shield?" His eyes grew even bigger.

  "Actually, I can do more than that." I grinned a little.

  "You just said that you only know how to shield." His voice grew cautious.

  "And that is it. But I can do this with my shield." I pulled on all four magic’s at once and pushed out a shield. All four energies swirled together.

  Mophor simply stared at me. His face completely slack. "You did not mention you could handle all four magic’s."

  "Actually, I have an affinity for all four." I was enjoying his reaction. I dropped the shield.

  He took a minute to compose himself. "Well, Ott, I am rarely this surprised. Anyway, do you know how to form a shield around anything else other than you?"

  Hm. I had not heard of doing that but it made sense. "I can try. Why?"

  "Well, if you put a shield around those pretty flowers then you can pull the shield to you and they will have to stay in the shield. Right?" He made a good point.

  "I will try. Perhaps you should move? I would not want to get you also." I focused on the energy and started the whole process of making a shield, but with its starting point in the middle of the flowers. I focused on water magic. A blue bubble flowed out and formed around the flowers. When it was around three foot wide I stopped it. I then focused on it blocking against physical objects. Suddenly the small waves stopped moving through the shield. It lifted up, taking water and plants with it. I moved it to beside me on dry land. I focused on letting go of the energy. The bubble suddenly disappeared and the water, flowers, and even a fish fell to the ground. I tossed the fish back into the bog. I had collected more than enough flowers. I tried to pick those that had their stems cut by the shield. The rest went back into the bog.

  Again I felt a reverence for this place. "Thank you for allowing me to harvest from your realm. I return what I do not need thankful for what is provided." I turned and started heading towards where the trail should be.

 
"What was that?" Mophor asked.

  "What was what?" I tossed over my shoulder.

  "The little speech you gave. What in the world was that?" He swung even with me, keeping pace with me.

  "I do not know, just something that I felt was important to do. Should we not express our thanks when others help us?" I was a little embarrassed now. I had talked to a tree, a pile of stones, and a bog. Why? Because it felt right.

  "Yep, definitely becoming a mage. Doing mysterious things for mysterious reasons." Mophor grinned and raced out of reach.

  I started thinking about what I had done with the shield. Stain had not mentioned anything like it. Perhaps a shield could be used for more than just defense. I had passed out inside a shield. Could I hold one around someone else and let them pass out? Would that cause the attack to stop? I needed to talk to Stain.

  "Hold up!" Mophor was hanging to the side of me. "The trail is up ahead. I would be more comfortable staying in the trees." He pointed to his tail. "I can travel faster that way." A grin spread across his face. "I will keep up with you if you want to head to the trail. Just be sure to let your master know that I am around. I do not want to end up fried because of nerves." He swung out towards a strip of sunlight and stopped just short of it.

  "Alright, that sounds good." I spoke. I reached the trail and started down the way that should lead to the campsite. There was about an hour before Stain would want to stop for the night. Perhaps I could catch up before they reached the campsite. I could hear Mophor swinging through the trees off to the left of the trail. I picked up my pace and hurried down the trail.

  ***

  I could hear the sounds of camp being set up. The campsite must be just ahead. "Mophor, are you coming out of the woods?" I did not know how the rest would react to his presence.

  The sounds of him swinging through the trees stopped. "I think I would rather enter the campsite after you gave your master warning." He sounded slightly nervous.

  "Ok, I will tell them that you are waiting for a formal invitation." I smiled. Time to get down to the campsite.