Listen to the forest

Light filtered through in slender threads, slipping between the leaves as they swayed in the wind. Leyade stirred among the folds of her blanket when the rays fell directly across her face.

“Hmm...” she grumbled, rolling over in an attempt to stay asleep.

But when she found she could not escape them, she finally surrendered to the rising sun and slowly opened her eyes. With a yawn, she stretched.

“Well, it looks like morning already...” She rubbed one eye. “What a strange dream I had last night... I think the stress is starting to get to me.”

She laughed sleepily.

Carefully, she laid Kalindra beside her and checked that the other belongings she had with her were secure in the pockets she had sewn into the inside of the blanket. Once she was certain everything was in place, she pushed the fabric aside and climbed down to the branch below.

Once there, she untied the end of the rope she had set up to use as a counterweight. Holding it in one hand, she let it slide slowly through her fingers until the makeshift hammock had been lowered all the way down.

She went over, picked up Kalindra and fastened her to her belt. Then she gathered the rest of her belongings and put them in their proper places inside her backpack. Lastly, she untied the blanket, rolled it up and secured it beneath the pack.

Since the backpack was already open, she took out the waxed cloth bag where she kept her provisions and sat down.

“Well...” she said, tapping a crust of bread against her waterskin. “The bread’s as hard as a rock.”

She sighed and began nibbling at it like a mouse, resting the bag on her lap. Besides the bread, it held dried meat and fruit, along with some aged cheese.

The elf finished her morning ration and dismantled the rest of her makeshift camp, putting away the only rope she could retrieve without having to climb back up the trunk.

With everything ready, she approached the edge and peered out.

From that height, she could see a large stretch of the forest, though even such a fine vantage point did not allow her to make out as much as she would have liked through the dense foliage.

Several possibilities lay before her.

One was a passage where roots had taken over the ground, covering almost every inch of its surface.

Farther east ran a river that wound between the trees. In places, it disappeared underground for several yards, only to emerge farther on, flowing in the opposite direction. It was like a snake stalking its prey through the undergrowth.

The last route she could make out lay to the west. That part of the forest was covered in hills, rises and hollows that left the landscape uneven and abrupt.

The ranger narrowed her eyes in thought.

“The hilly ground is far too difficult. I’d have to climb up and down so many times, and that would take a lot of time and effort. Besides, it could be dangerous if one of those hills decides it isn’t part of the landscape after all, but some enormous animal. That could be terrifying, and honestly... I don’t fancy risking my life without a good reason.”

She laughed nervously, shaking her head.

Her attention shifted to the area covered in roots.

“The roots would make it harder to move around. Besides, I don’t know what I might find over there. There could be dead ends or even huge gaps in the ground, so I’d better rule that one out.”

Finally, she turned her attention to the river. After a few moments, she said:

“Yes, this could work. A river should help me find my way out, as it normally would. Away from the mountain would mean heading south, so it should lead me out... Though that strange change in the direction of the water doesn’t quite make sense.”

Still thoughtful, but with her mind made up, she took out a notebook and sketched a map showing the possible routes and the landmarks she would need to find her bearings once she was down below.

She put away the notebook and charcoal, fitted her climbing gear, secured the rope and began her descent.

The enormous leaves, the sheer number of them, the sticky resin and the height of the trunk meant the climb took more hours than she had expected. She had to change her route several times, work her way around long leaf stalks and even take short breaks before finally reaching solid ground.

When her feet touched the ground at the base of the tree, she let out a weary sigh.

“At last!” she exclaimed as she unclipped herself from the rope and removed the climbing pitons from the bark. “Right, now it’s this...”

She unrolled the map she had drawn on a sheet from her notebook and tucked into one of the pockets of her leather trousers. She studied it for a few seconds, then searched her surroundings until she found a landmark.

Once she had worked out where she was, she set off in that direction, map in hand.

The air was much as it had been the day before, still cool. Morning dew adorned the leaves and bushes around the bases of the trees, while smaller flowers hid among them, peeking out shyly. The beautiful floating flowers turned and danced in the morning breeze, and the red-petalled ones that had closed at dusk were open once more.

The eerie atmosphere of the previous night had faded into the greenery. Yet a sense of unease still lingered within her. Unlike the day before, however, she also felt a comforting warmth, a sense of safety that seemed to wrap itself around her.

She did not know why.

Perhaps it was because she had rested.

Perhaps it was the reassurance of knowing she had survived the day before.

Or perhaps it was the comfort of having Kalindra with her.

She did not know where it came from, but she was grateful that her unease had lessened, even if only a little.

Leyade continued carefully through bushes left ragged by the passing of time, ducking beneath low leaves and jumping over the roots that crossed her path.

Until her long ears caught the soft murmur of water in the distance.

The ranger quickened her pace a little, heading towards the sound. It grew louder with every step.

Excited at the thought of finally finding water, she pushed several bushes aside with her hands and made her way through.

But what she found on the other side was not a river.

Before her stretched an enormous tunnel of vines, running along the path ahead.

The vines rose from either side of the path, twisting around one another and tangling into knots. They climbed and wound from side to side, covering the passage with a roof of greenery dotted with small white flowers that lent a touch of brightness to the darkness.

Thanks to her elven heritage, Leyade had no trouble seeing in such a place.

Tiny drops of condensation ran along the branching vines and dripped gently from above. The young elf walked beneath the tangled canopy, alert to anything that might happen around her.

The unsettling feeling from the day before gradually began to take hold of her.

Something about this forest was not right.

“What was that?” She spun around.

Her gaze fixed on the vines.

“Did that move...?”

She watched them intently for a while before deciding to move on.

“I have a feeling I’ve been here before...”

She searched for the mark she had left earlier.

It was not there.

Even so, she could not shake the impression that she was walking in circles, taking strange turns, or that everything around her was moving as though it were alive. The thought sent shivers through her and refused to leave her mind.

The elf tried to focus on her surroundings, sharpening her senses.

Elves shared a special connection with nature and could sense the soul of a forest. Kalneria’s was strange. Mysterious and, at the same time, mystical and wistful.

The air was a little damper than it had been outside. The scent of greenery filled it, and the little droplets fell with a steady, rhythmic patter.

The sound began to soothe her unease.

And, for some reason, it felt familiar.

Without realising it, Leyade began humming the melody that had come to mind. Once again, that same warmth rose from her side and enveloped her, bringing a welcome sense of peace.

Then she remembered where the melody came from.

It was a song they sang to the children of her village when they first began teaching them to find their way through Niltherima, the vast woodland surrounding her home. The elders would sing it to calm the more timid children as they ventured into the forest.

“Why would that come into my head...?” she wondered, unable to keep a smile from her lips.

Still smiling, Leyade began to sing softly:

“Leaves upon the wind whisper our story. Dancing flowers keep pace with our steps. Ancient trees are companions throughout our lives. The forest guides us, the forest teaches us, the forest watches over us...”

The beautiful elven words drifted like a breeze caressing the grass.

Her song carried on through the tunnel.

Until a laugh interrupted it.