Chapter 1 – Grove of Life
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The rays of sunlight shone down upon a waking, warming forest. The lingering frost that lay across it melted into glistening, morning dew. The land seemed to stretch awake as the slumbering slowness of winter faded, led by the groaning calls of countless creatures, readying themselves for a day anew. All was waking as the insects burrowed out of warming soil, birds chirped and called, larger mammals emerged from numerous dens, and the world greeted them all. Spring had now begun.
Wandering through the waking world, a herd of large deer, looking rather worn and tired, searched for food. Their winter coats had begun to fall, and their fat reserves had burned away. They poked amongst the budding fauna for a bite to eat. A buck led the large herd—a giant creature over 12 feet tall, with a full spring coat ahead of his peers and an intelligent gaze surveying the forest ahead.
His once magnificent antlers were not there anymore, as at this point in the spring, they had already dropped off. Instead, at the base of them was a strange sight. Thin, fibrous stalks grew from their burrs, which sprouted large, blooming flowers that opened up like a bouquet. The blue, yellow, and red petals collected dew as they brushed against growing foliage with each step.
The rest of the herd had similar features. The bucks had grown smaller flowers with less vibrant colors on their burrs, and the does had mossy coats, littered with small white flowers slowly emerging. These Flowering Deer were native to this region of the forest and helped spread unique flowers across it. Their flowers, rich in calcium like their antlers, were eaten by all manner of creatures. When their antlers shed at the end of winter, they would fall and create large, flowering bushes. These bushes helped the forest inhabitants get food earlier during the beginning of spring and, in turn, helped predators eat better too. The remains of fallen prey scattered throughout the forest were processed by insects, fungi, and plants, enriching the forest and creating a sustaining cycle of life.
The leading giant buck surveyed the familiar forest, following the route he had taken the last few years and letting his mind wander.
“Let us hope that the vibrant grove has not gotten too dangerous over this winter. Its mana-filled vegetation grows richer every year, and it gives me hope to reach the next rank soon. I doubt my worries matter much. I still find trouble getting through it, but it hasn’t gotten too unwieldy.”
The buck's inner thoughts were heard by no one else, but the herd that followed him would understand and agree with his words, as they were eager to reach it too. Even the calves—now close to 1 year old—who survived the harsh winter remembered the grove that held countless delicious meals and helped them grow stronger after they were born. The oldest of the deer remembered it most fondly: when it was discovered, the herd was only just over 12 dwindling members, but, due to its gifts, they had grown to nearly 100 strong. Though fraught with danger and holding some bad memories, the grove was still beneficial. The leader would guide them through, as he always had.
Esta’Ul, the leader of the herd and one of the most powerful creatures in the Vadrin Forest, recognized the significance of the grove’s gifts the most. In past years, concentrations of mana like this had been scarce, and the more mana-rich regions neighboring this one were sources of anxiety for the creatures here. The weaker inhabitants from those bordering areas would occasionally be pushed out and then prey on the weaker beings in the forest. Now, with increased resources, the strength of this region had grown. More survived attacks and had better chances of gathering mana to better thrive in the world.
Nobody but Esta’Ul and other powerful beings in the region knew of the deeper anxieties they faced, even with the new grove helping out the area. To the south of the Vadrin Forest, where the mana was more concentrated, forests rose into mountains with wetlands and dense jungles after it. The only thing the forest's leaders knew was that disturbances there had driven large numbers of creatures to flee to the north, where they were. This heightened the danger of daily life, and the only options were to leave or grow stronger. Since fleeing wasn’t realistic due to the harsh, incompatible climates in the neighboring areas, getting stronger was the best option.
That was why at the end of each winter, Esta’Ul hurried to the grove with his herd to get the best pickings of the mana-filled vegetation before others did. He would’ve settled closer, but since the grove had appeared, the area surrounding it became inhospitable due to all the predators lurking around. It wasn’t a good area for the herd to stay. There were even rumors that those who had tried to stay inside had ended up being consumed by the endless growth, though it was just that, a rumor. Only during spring, summer, and fall was the grove habitable, and as the years went on, more beings would head to it, competing for resources.
As the herd got closer to the grove, more and more creatures appeared heading towards it too. About 100 tiny, red squirrels jumped from branch to branch on the large oak trees with their massive trunks and budding leaves that would open soon. Countless different birds of various sizes and colors soared across the sky just above the treeline, and brown boars that seemed to be made of stones and mud bounded along the hills and crevices. Gray wolves darted forward with the wind at their backs through the shrubs and mud. Along with them, multicolored snakes slithered, frogs hopped in tandem, and even a few large turtles lumbered along.
The area leading to the grove sloped downward, which indicated the massive structure of vegetation relied on the plentiful ponds and the larger lake farther to the west to sustain it.
With the size of the deer herd and the strength of Esta’Ul, no other creatures made problems for them, but more independent, weaker creatures were at risk. Just as some sought the riches of the grove, others realized the opportunity to hunt those seekers. Predators and scavengers lurked around every corner. Gray coyotes jumped out from the brush, wounding smaller mammals that were too weak to put up a fight as their claws raked across their fur. Black hawks circled overhead and would swoop down to catch a slower squirrel or bird they spotted.
The herd sped up, still maintaining a reasonable pace to keep the fawns at the center, and after a bit, the beginning of the grove appeared. Even larger than the previous year, the now almost 50-foot-tall bushes were large reminders that the area was changing. The natural structure of the forest was interrupted by the grove, which appeared with no buildup at all, going from native trees and shrubs to the thick foliage of the grove all at once. It was as if it had been placed there. The large, thick leaves were dark green and formed a thick blanket, making it nearly impossible for anything to get through in any conventional way.
Paths were carved out from the constant foot traffic, and while the herd was not the first to make it there, Esta’Ul was confident they would make it to the center, where the most mana was before most others. What the majority of those reaching the grove did not know was that it had grown more dangerous. Plants never seen before attracted naive creatures to them, only to be snapped up and consumed in an instant. Only the strongest and wisest could reach the center, and as years went by, the Flowering Deer were among those who could be called the best at this "game."
Entering the grove through one of the larger natural entrances, the herd was met by thick bushes and lashing vines that caught smaller, unprepared creatures. Already, one could see the countless bones and decaying flesh of the unfortunate, but the cruelty of nature and competition did not scare those who entered. This section had been consistent since the first year, only growing larger, so it was not challenging overall.
The pathways were like a maze throughout, with wide and narrow ones all interconnecting. Due to the herd's large size, they stuck to the wider paths and made sure to keep the young surrounded by older herd members on either side. The lashing vines were better at singling out smaller targets that were alone, and even if one managed to wrap around the leg of one of the herd members, another member would help them get free. Occasional berries and flowers with small amounts of mana dotted the bushes, with Esta’Ul making sure which ones were safe to consume.
This was one of the ways the grove got more creatures to enter it, little treats that would satiate some but leave most hungry for more. Finding bits of higher concentration mana like this was uncommon in the rest of the forest and was mostly guarded by certain powerful creatures in their territories. The Flowering Deer had their own resources within their territory, but at this point in the spring, they had not yet sprouted, allowing for a perfect opportunity to head out to the grove.
It took them longer to make it through, but they had minimal casualties doing so and were able to eat a good amount of mana-filled vegetation too. As they reached the end of the thick bush, the path ahead opened up to a larger area where the entire herd could fit. Looking outward, Esta could see the tall grass meadow stretching for about 100 meters. They were at the end of the bush and were on the dividing section between the first and second layer of the grove. On each side of them was a giant stretch of bush that began to curve along and went out of sight within a few miles. It was a gigantic area that this place encompassed, but at least it was all open, allowing the sun to shine down on them.
The area ahead was almost all thick grass that reached just around Esta’s shoulders, and the only things breaking up the monotony of light green were large gray boulders. These acted as natural landmarks, and he could even see animals resting at some of them. He stood still as he looked around, not in a hurry to move along, as he knew of the insidious traps that lay here. He knew what to do.
As he went through the first layer of the grove, brushing past the bushes, he channeled some of the mana inside him into the flowers on his growing antlers. In turn, they grew much faster, and a mini-storm of multicolored petals began falling onto the surrounding area. The petals then grew very tiny roots that grabbed onto creatures passing by, and with Esta’Ul’s natural connection, he could vaguely sense their locations. Petals that did not attach to anything naturally withered away.
Like always, he sensed some birds trying to beat the system by flying over the bushes, which he himself had originally thought was a good idea. This was until he saw the vines of the grove latch onto them as they were out in the open with no cover.
Looking across the meadow of tall grass, Esta focused on the various smaller creatures his petals had attached to, tracking their paths. In just a few moments, some petals went still as the hidden traps caught a few unsuspecting critters, and he memorized the locations of the fallen petals. In just a few minutes, almost 100 were caught and killed, and now he could mark out a safe path forward for his herd.
Stepping onto the meadow and keeping each member in a line as close as possible, the group began to head forward. Esta looked at each fallen petal, lying on unassuming patches of tall grass and mossy earth. He knew if he stepped on them, they wouldn’t hesitate to pull him down to his death. He would always remember the first year he was here, heading into the grove with his herd, not as a leader, but a follower.
Hey everyone, thank you for reading the first chapter!
This book has a heavy emphasis on understanding and learning about nature, so whenever I mention something in a chapter that relates to that, I’ll mention it at the end. I would love it if anyone wants to add to what I say or correct it as I definitely don’t know everything, but I want to learn more. That’s another one of my goals with this story.
In this chapter I mentioned that the Flowering Deer drop their antlers and turn into berry bushes with lots of calcium. Obviously this type of deer isn't real, but are based on the fact that dropped antlers provide calcium to animals within forests as creatures gnaw on them to get it. Calcium isn’t overly abundant in nature so antlers are a reliable source for them. Deer's have antlers to compete for mates and battle during breeding season, but drop them in late winter to early spring.
If you’re enjoying, please favorite, it helps the story reach more people. Thanks for reading this chapter!
PS - Main character doesn’t appear until the end of chapter 3. Not a traditional start but it has a purpose, please give it a chance!
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