Written in Marja’s Book of Shadows

Quickly I took them. I had to do this quickly or he would touch them. He must never touch them. They must live with free souls. For through them, I will know the birdsong.

* * *

He was rushing. He hoped that he wasn’t too late. He was bringing wonderful and important news to his friend the Dragon Keeper. He was a seasoned warrior, but this day he carried no weapons and no armor. He was wearing the most basic of clothing for his people and over that he wore a dark brown hooded robe. Known amongst the dryads as the best trainer of soldiers they had ever had. But he had a secret. He had been searching for the truth and had to be careful about that or be branded a traitor.

He is of the kinship of Pine trees. This day he was using the Pine trees to help him travel through the forest at a very rapid pace. If two or more trees of the same kinship were touching each other, either by their roots or their branches, he could slip into one and then out the one farthest down the line in the direction he wanted to go. He could travel unseen for hundreds of feet in almost as fast as one could blink their eyes. But this type of fast flowing through trees would have him exhausted by the time he reached his destination. Any other time he would have stopped and rested at least once by now. But this was too important and he hoped he was not too late to tell his friend what he knew. It was also too important to trust to one of the messengers that he usually sent. Plus he had not seen his friend in over a year. This news he brought would change the outcome of how the Dragon’s and Dryad’s viewed each other.

He had started this journey before the sun had begun to rise. To use his ability to slip through so many trees in this trip, he had to get a good night sleep. Even though he was excited and felt impatient about this, he bedded down early and after a restless night, he woke earlier than he had desired. He didn’t even attempt to go back to sleep. He readied himself and away he went.