The Third Elder

The next day came sooner than Bard thought possible.

They continued with the harvest, and Bard shared some stories of his travels with Steadfast and Defender. It was refreshing to hear Abundance’s thoughts on the matter.

After finishing with the trees, they worked on the water crops and nuts. Abundance had Sen learn how to make baskets with his branches to store the food in and make it easier to transport. He would have a Dryad come back later to pick them up.

They fed some of the animals with a portion of the crop and worked to build earthen masses to cover some crops for later seasons. Kai proved very helpful with this.

Days passed, and a whole week had gone by. Abundance woke them and Sen was ready to work, when he handed her a token. It was similar to Steadfast’s, a token for approval. Bard fashioned it to go on her necklace, next to Steadfast’s.

They thanked the Elder and packed Kai with provisions and water before heading to the next one. As they rode, Bard worked on a bit of forest craft, weaving some long branches together in a specific state so they would dry well. He tucked them into the harness and tied them down.

Sen also, tried to help, but she wasn’t used to riding Kai and had to focus on hanging on.

Kai sped across the land, weaving around trees and boulders.

Soon the trees broke, and they could see the water in the distance. The smell of the salt made Bard hum.

“What is that?” Sen asked.

“The ocean,” Bard shouted back. With this pacing, and the sun still high overhead, they should reach the next Elder right before sundown. At the very least, they would be in his forest and could use the tokens instead of light.

“Ocean?” Sen asked. “That big water?”

“Yes. Though I wouldn’t drink it.” Bard mused. “It’s salty.”

“What? Why?”

Bard didn’t have an answer. It was like explaining why the sun had one large light and twelve smaller lights around it, or why half the moon was shattered in the sky. It just was.

They rode on till they reached the edge of the wood, and Sen once again paused as she took in the new scents. The fresh and bright woody smell must have been very new to her, as she hardly paid much attention as they set up camp.

“Bard, why does this forest smell like this?” she asked.

He stopped what he was doing and walked over to a tree and plucked off a branch. He then brought it over to her and bruised several of the leaves. The brightness of the smell became much stronger.

Sen hummed as she deeply breathed in the scent. Bard handed her the branch and finished setting up their gear and then proceeded to set up the barrier with the token of this forest. Light sounds filled the air and the trees around them shivered with the sea breeze. The cool air stirred, but it was warmer than when they were with Elder Abundance.

“Do we have to worry about snow?” Sen asked as she looked up, shivering. Bard paused.

“No. Not really. Over here we could get a little dusting of snow, but it wouldn’t stick. At least, we should be long gone from here before the snow comes,” he mused. That was his plan anyway, the area they were in would become incredibly hard to traverse with that white water.

Sen rose and gathered some wood for a simple fire and Bard helped her situate it under a lean-to of sticks and moss.

“This will help trap the heat,” he explained, showing her how to prevent a fire outbreak. Sen marveled at his insights as he explained the why and how he did things.

“Who taught you that?” she asked as she settled next to the flames.

“Some of it I picked up on my own, but the concepts were taught to me by Father Tree and a few other Elders.”

Sen slowly nodded as she listened to him. She looked a bit more tired than normal, so he suggested they retire early today. Sen yawned as she nodded, confirming her condition. Bard grabbed a felted blanket and draped it over her.

As he walked over to Kai, he noticed his companion was biting at his back furs.

“That time of year?” Bard asked and Kai looked at him with a pleading expression. “Okay, okay,” Bard chuckled. He tidied up a few things and then went through his gear to find the odd stick.

Once equipped, Kai knelt down and Bard climbed onto his bare back and began combing. Long furs came free and Bard had to watch when he opened his mouth.

Kai was finishing shedding his summer coat in favor for the thicker winter coat that would come in the next week to a month. This fur however was especially good for ropes, so Kai tried his best not to scratch at it till most would come out at once. Less time spent combing and carting around loose material. At least they were near the coast, and had made especially good time.

Kai hummed his pleasure as Bard pulled out the loose fur and combed it. He placed especially clean sections into a separate bag, away from the messy furs. When the combing was done, the light was getting very dim and Bard grabbed a light stick. They were in the coastal woods, there would be plenty of material to make a lightstick or two.

Feeling especially abundant, he started the lightstick and used its light while he gathered the furs off the ground. He could hear the sound of a stream nearby, and while Sen was asleep, he had already placed the protections around, so it would be fine to let her rest here while he worked.

He pulled over some branches that were flat in shape and layered them to make a makeshift basket or sled. He then put the clumps of fur on top and had Kai help him bring it to the river.

When there, Kai happily found the river that the stream fed into and began to fish. Bard however used the clear waters to rinse the furs. He then pulled out the bark nets, loaded them with fur, and let it soak in the water. Satisfied the oils and dirt would rinse off without much work he called for Kai to come back with him.

Kai had not caught a fish, so he came back disappointed, but Bard reminded him that he could catch a fish when they retrieved and treated the fur. The idea pleased Kai.

When they got back to camp, Sen was still asleep and Bard checked on her. The warm light of the fire gave her hair a bit more of that red tone that was coming in. But when he brought his lightstick around, he froze. She seemed a bit pale and was sweating profusely on her forehead, ears, and neck. Even her hair seemed less lively.

“Sen?” he asked. Her unresponsiveness to him calling her name was concerning. He brought the light stick closer, and she squinted her eyes against the light. It wasn’t especially too warm in here, a bit warmer than outside, but not enough to cause her to sweat that much. Bard placed his hand on her forehead and pulled back, a slight fever, but it shouldn’t be this bad. Then again, she was a Dryad. Perhaps symptoms were different.

As much as he was worried she was sick, he was also grateful they had made it here. For this was Elder Healer’s forest.

Herbs and forest craft materials were plentiful, and he was certain Healer would know what to do to treat her.

“Mom, Dad,” Sen muttered in Dryadic. Bard lightly touched her but she was still asleep. He added more fuel to the fire and made sure the smoke had an escape path. He placed a few rocks near the fire and exited to prepare what he could.

As he stepped outside, Kai looked at him worried and Bard rubbed his head.

“I think she is sick. Can you go fetch us some clean water?” Bard asked. Kai nodded and Bard handed him a makeshift bucket, with a long handle so he could carry it with his mouth. After Kai left, Bard pulled out his flute and played a few notes in tune with the forest before changing it to reflect the sounds he learned of a sick tree. This would call Elder Healer over and would cause the nearby trees to help keep them safe while they moved about. He then looked over what sort of herbs and plants were still in season, looking for something that might help.

His search turned up in vain. It lasted way into the dark hours, when the low rumbling of Elder Healer was heard.

Elder Healer was unique in that you could hear him move about more than most Elders. Perhaps it had to do with his age. He was very old, on par with Father, but still younger than him. And he exuded that bright clean smell from before, a minty sort of smell, though not like shrubs and bush mints. His own branches carried some of the most potent medicine of this forest, though for the wrong illness, it would prove ineffective.

Bard stood and watched for the Elder and allowed Kai to set his bucket down before joining him at the edge of their camp.

When the Elder’s branches appeared above the other trees, Bard pulled out his token and let it hang in front of him, offering a bow. He swung the token around, and whereas the Elder had been moving somewhat towards them, now he moved directly towards them and the trees in the way parted to give space.

Healer’s massive trunk came into view and Bard changed the direction of his token. Calling out to the Elder in greeting. He then pulled out his flute and played a few notes, hoping he conveyed the situation.

Healer didn’t often talk, and didn’t like to be talked to. He preferred song. The few words he imparted to Bard were to clarify about healing processes and herbs, imparting knowledge. Otherwise, he had Bard focus on the individual tree’s unique songs of his wood. While there was harmony, there were times a tree spoke up about its concerns, its hurts and its illness. And that is what Healer preferred. Not a cohesive group, but one that asked for help, for healing.

Bard turned about as Kai shifted to the side. He walked over to where Sen lay and ducked his head inside. He could hear Healer come closer, as he checked on her condition.

“You have a companion,” Words came out from Healer and Bard quickly returned outside and bowed, deeming this an honor that Healer would choose to converse.

“Yes. Her name is Sen, and she is from the silver wood, Defender sends his regards,” Bard said, keeping it short and simple.

“A pledge. Her breathing smells of illness.”

“Yes. I don’t know how to treat a Dryad, so I asked for help,” Bard answered.

A snap was heard, and Bard nearly jumped in surprise. Suddenly the branch fell before him, from Healer himself.

Bard didn’t need words. The aroma of the branches would help Sen. He gently and reverently picked up the branch and took it inside. He heard Healer sing and other trees began to shift and move. Bard felt grateful that Healer knew what to do, but now he also felt inadequate. He had stayed here a while to learn from him, but he never thought to learn how to treat someone from another race. He would begin his studies anew, with what little time he could afford.

Sen’s breathing was shallow, and as he placed the branch near her, her face seemed to relax, and she took one deep breath before her breathing relaxed and fell into a rhythmic pattern. With the humid chill in the air, he could see the mist come from her lips. He stoked the fire again, driving out the cold as best he could.

A tree stopped next to the lean-to and Bard walked out to greet it. He bowed, and then a low branch came around, and he saw some herbs he was familiar with. Though not quite what he would have gone for treating himself. Long stems with spiraling leaves and a flower on the end, he recognized the stubby like rose. Berries, and flowers, and then a few roots. He knew how to prepare these, thankfully. He took the branch like flowers and bruised them and set them near Sen. He then left and washed the berries before the roots and cut the rose and some flowers off. He then prepared a poultice from the roots and closed his eyes as they stung from the smell.

After he had prepared everything, he returned to Sen and was relived she seemed more relaxed and breathing better. Morning would be here soon, and he hadn’t slept yet. Even Kai had fallen asleep nearby. He found her feet and noticed the grime from being barefoot as always. He carefully wiped that off and applied the poultice before wrapping it with some cloth. He then applied it on her neck and wrapped her in a scarf of sorts, being careful not to wake her. She slept deeply, and he wondered if it was because of the aroma. The last area it could be applied, he would have her do herself.

He then set aside the berries and other resources. Those would need to be consumed and that would be best when she woke up.

After doing all he could, he moved to the opposite side and closed his eyes, leaning against the main trunk of the tree for support. He couldn’t fully tune out, but he could rest while she was asleep.