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Whether he had never left Grandfather Tree's side at all, or he had managed to wander his way back after traversing the Barrens, Aldwyn opened his eyes again to see the great white oak before him. After the trials of what he had to assume was some kind of vision, he was relieved to be before Grandfather Tree again. And with a return to himself, there felt as though something new resided within his spirit, a delicate tingling that hadn't been there before. It wasn't as impatient as the nagging that had led him here.
It was soft, gentle, and warm, reassuring in a sense that Aldwyn couldn't remember experiencing before. A completeness, a recognition of himself and what he was supposed to do. A blessing that had somehow elevated him beyond what he was before.
His gift.
It felt innate already, as if welcoming into himself a piece that had been long absent, and Aldwyn couldn't resist the tinniest canter of glee as he stood before Grandfather Tree. He'd been bestowed with the Botanic gift and an ability that allowed him to disperse a cloud of pollen into the air. Surely this could help an area so desolate as the barrens. He could bring greenery to flourish here, and perhaps one day, it would surround Grandfather Tree in vibrant blooms... Perhaps that was a future the oak wished for, though Aldwyn had no way of knowing what a spirit such as its could truly want.
He moved toward Grandfather Tree once more and dipped his head to touch his nose to the bark in silent thanks and farewell.
But as Aldwyn moved to leave, something caught his eye.
Among the pale and tangled roots of Grandfather Tree, something vibrant stuck out. A smattering a fur the color of rust, and for a moment, Aldwyn felt indignant that some lowly creature would dare try to burrow through into the oak's roots. Even if Grandfather Tree clearly held value in all life, the young buck severely doubted the tree preferred something else to make a home of it. He stepped forward, intent on shooing the creature away.
It lifted its head, and Aldywn was met with a pair of eyes the color of the sky after a frost, a meager and pitiful bleat, and an almost paralyzing sense of dread.
He cast he gaze wildly around, trotting to this side and that of the great oak as he scoured the distance for some sign of why this tiny foal was among the roots, small and alone in the uncompromising land of the Barrens. Aldwyn couldn't see another noulicorn even across the flat and empty land. He didn't smell anything besides the myriad of aged scents left by countless others who'd come to receive a gift before him and that of the foal. He was ashamed he hadn't noticed it before.
It rose on thin, shaking legs, and Aldwyn could see that the foal couldn't be more than a handful of days old. Certainly not old enough to communicate the circumstances that had brought it here. He could only speculate wildly.
Had its mother passed during birth? If so, perhaps Grandfather tree had used the same sense of anxiety that had called Aldwyn to it in order to summon the foal from its dead mother, so that it might have a chance to survive. Or maybe the parents had been unwilling to care for it and had willingly brought it to the great oak's roots in order to escape scorn from their brethren while still allowing the possibility for the foal to find someone capable of caring for it. Maybe they'd been separated in some sort of disaster and the foal had ended up here by sheer happenstance.
Aldwyn swallowed. His ears flicked, his tail lashed.
What was he to do? He could take the foal back to Homewood. Perhaps another noulicorn knew a fawn who'd recently been pregnant and lost an infant... But if Grandfather Tree summoned the baby, perhaps it had also summoned the mother, and she simply hadn't arrived yet. Could he risk leaving the foal without knowing if that was the case, though?
Aldwyn trotted around the base of the tree. "Hello?" He called loudly out into the expanse of the Barrens. "Hello, can anyone here me? Is anyone there?" He saw and heard nothing. Even the rustling of Grandfather Tree's leaves had subsided to silence. But Aldwyn was desperate for an answer. "Hello!" He shouted even more loudly, only to receive no response. he knew he couldn't abandon this foal to the mercy of the Barrens, even if there was a chance its mother would return. If that were the case, surely, surely, given enough time, she would be able to find them in Homewood. Now it was only a matter of ensuring they made it safely...
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