Welcome to Gaia! ::

The pull of the Grandfather tree was the sweetest touch, Midir thought. The call of it said he was an adult ready to walk the path of those who had gone before him. He felt deeply honored and was thrilled as he made his trip from his homelands through the barrens and to the tree. His beloved family of wanderers were there to see him off. Both his siblings being older than him have already trekked this path and returned blessed by the tree. His beautiful betrothed, Roisin had as well. She was older than him but a little bit but that didn’t bother him at all. He had nuzzled her face gently, whispering “I’ll return to you soon.”

He would make them proud.

His family was small but close knit. His father passed a while back when he protected the family from a predator. Mother was depressed after it happened but they were built of stronger stuff and she bounced back. Midir always felt there was a spark missing from her since but she hid it well. She went all the way, working diligently at her magic, getting stronger everyday. She said, “It’s all for him who saved us!” Father would have been proud of her. Midir remember the day she came home with wings that she outstretched and enfolded around her small family. It awoke something inside him to see such power in another noul.

A fire burned within Midir. He wanted to not only make his family proud but to also grow in strength, to reach for that high level like his mother. To be strong enough to be there for his family when they need him, just like his father. The journey to the Grandfather tree was long and arduous but Midir persevered. There was always chances of encountering other nouls out in the barrens, but even his family said that they never came across anyone. They did mention there are nouls who lived near the tree and served it but that was about it.

It was a surprise to not only run into a noul out in the barrens but two. He didn’t expect a Homewood doe with her foal to be so far out in the barrens. They didn’t look worse off either, so they must have been doing well. Though, the doe was an atmos adept, she could probably make sure they didn’t dehydrate. It was a nice surprise though and he hoped they continue doing well.

Arriving at the tree made a thrill sing through his body and he approached it with reverence. He felt it’s call and had answered it.

WC: 439

The quiet was a bit unnerving but Midir was ready for what came next. Although he suddenly found trees rise up around him, but not just any trees, living trees. Wonderment came over Midir as he stood in the cool shade of the towering green trees. The only place he knew that had this dense of forest was Homewood, a place no one in his family has set foot in in generations. His ruby eyes took it all him, breathing deep of the fresh earthy pine scent. It was as if he could feel the life pulsing here.

“Amazing,” he breathed softly.

The rustling of bushes behind him disrupted his moment of contemplative peace. Was it a Homewood noul? He’d love to meet one. Turning around, what greeted him was a just a small foal. He looked around to see if an adult was nearby but he didn’t see or smell anyone else. Abandoned? The poor foal stumbled around as it walked, if he could call it walking. Didn’t seem like a newborn but it was unsteady on its feet.

“Hello there,” Midir said in a soft calm voice, “Are you alright, young one?”

The foal blearily swung its head and looked up at Midir. The sounds it made were incoherent and he couldn’t make hide nor hair of what it was saying. Did they speak a different language here in Homewood? Midir stepped closer to the foal but as he got closer, the smell of the foal sent red flags flashing in his brain. Something was wrong with it and it looked emaciated with a running eyes and nose that was crusty in places. Midir hadn’t seen anything like it before, there was even patches of rubbed off fur and raw skin.

This poor foal needed help but this could be highly contagious. Homewood was a hub of activity and lives that could be affected. Midir decided it was best to lead the foal away from the main area. Carefully, Midir got the foal to follow him away from Homewood and to the outskirts, at least he hoped this was the right direction. The sounds of a calm stream caught his attention and he walked towards it.

“Let’s see about cooling you down, should help with any inflammation,” he said to the foal. “Come on, let’s wade into the water lil buddy.” He coaxed the poor dear in and stood so that the foal wouldn’t get swept away, though the water wasn’t moving all that fast. The foal was weakened but able to hold its own in the steam. It seemed to almost sigh in relief, just as Midir thought, it was ripe with fever. The stream should help with that too. Midir racked his brain for what else he could possibly do for the foal that would help alleviate its suffering. He might have a tonic for pain relief in his satchel, so he rummaged though his bag to find the little bottle. Ah, he thought, here it is.

Uncorking it, he passed it over to the foal, motioning for it to drink the contents. The foal seemed hesitant but eventually accepted the bottle and sucked down what was inside. Weakly it dropped the bottle and sat on its haunches and seemed to sigh. Midir had done all he could for the foal, now was just monitoring it to see if anything improved. However, the foal vanished, as well as Homewood and Midir found himself looking at the tree once more.

WC: 583 / 1,022