Ivy seemed a little sad that I sent her away, but I really did want some rest to replenish my reserves. I would not be able to do it fully right now without harming the forest. But by the time we passed through it tomorrow I should be back to normal. I shifted a little to get to a sunnier patch and let my skin shift to be more green. This was to help me make some of my own energy so that I was not wholly dependent on Ivy’s home.

There were two horses making their way along the grass-covered trail from the village to the forest. The gaits of the horses were very familiar. I was all but certain that they were the ones that Emily and Gray have been riding. At their current speed they should make it to the campsite within an hour. If so, that meant that I had at most an hour and a half to myself before they got here. It was time to lay in the sun and take a nap.

As I let my consciousness expand into the plants around me, I enjoyed the feeling of being back in a real forest again. It was filling a hole in my being that had been there since I left home. I don’t remember it being this bad when I left last time. Regardless, this was a good forest and I could tell that Ivy took care of it as best she could.

I found myself having a bit of a hard time letting my thoughts go this afternoon. I could not wait to see the look on all their faces. If they got here soon enough, I would be able to see it two times. A lady always has her secrets, and I really wanted to see what they would think when they saw my newest creation in its full glory.

My guess about it taking an hour and a half for them to get here seemed to be just about right as I ‘felt’ the footsteps of people and horses approach through the forest.

I tried to sit up, but first I needed to untangle myself from several vines. It appeared that Ivy’s name was rather apt, as her forest did seem to have a lot of them.

As they came into view of the tree, I turned away to hide my grin as I heard several gasps and an “Oh my!” from Emily. I took a good look at the tree for the first time with my eyes. I was too tired after making it to really appreciate it. I knew what it looked like since I had made it, but actually seeing it was still moving.

The tree was covered in rich gold-colored leaves. At the end of the branches were the soft yellow flowers from the violets, which still maintained the slight hint of blue. The twisted branches and trunk gave the tree an exotic feel, which helped tie the whole thing together.

The sun was still high enough in the sky that my favorite part of the tree was not yet revealed. I have always loved a surprise. I took a moment to relish the looks on everyone’s faces. I saw that Istan was trying to kneel down to pray to the tree but Leafia had a firm grip on his shoulder keeping him from moving. This did not stop her from being slack jawed. Gray ended up dropping the bag he was carrying, leading to a loud clang from the cooking tools. I was surprised that the noise did not cause much of a stir from the others.

“Aunt Laurel, what do you call this tree?” Emily asked.

“I have not decided yet,” I said with a smile. “If you come up with a good idea let me know.”

“It is really beautiful,” Leafia said. “I just want to say here and and enjoy the tree for a while.”

“I was planning on it. Let’s set up camp over here.” I called pointing at another small clearing a good fifty paces away from the tree.

“Why not closer to your tree?” Leafia asked in confusion. “We would not be able to see it all that well from over there. It feels like such a shame.”

“I agree, Leafy. We should be nearer the tree.” Emily said in agreement.

I could tell that Istan was thinking the same thing but did not dare question me.

I simply said “The ground is flatter here. It will be better for sleeping.” It was true, but that was not the real reason. I could see that this did not really satisfy either Emily or Leafia, since the small clearing I was resting in was only a little hilly and would not interfere with sleeping. “Also my new tree is susceptible to smoke, so I want to make sure the fire is far enough away to be safe.” They seemed less suspicious to this second reason I gave them. Gray especially was nodding, as if this made perfect sense to him. It seemed like the more truth in the lie, the more easily others would believe it. I could see Ivy was not completely convinced by this second reason. She knew a little smoke should not harm the tree. Though she was the only one who did not question the first excuse I made, since she knew next to nothing about camping.

With four sets of hands, the campsite setup went quickly. Ivy also lent a hand, though she was much less helpful. In fact, she might have made things take longer since she was asking questions about everything and how it worked. She also needed detailed instructions on how to do even the most basic task. I guess that was to be expected. If you did not know what something was, why would you have any idea of how to use it?

Once everything was settled, I began my instruction of the three girls. This was really a lot of fun. I wondered if I should start a school when I got back to my woods. That would be a good way to keep the humans from hurting my forest in the future. But I would never have a school house like the humans and elves did. I could not understand how humans are elves were supposed to learn inside of small buildings. Everything felt so stifled in them. It was much better to learn outside. Plus if you were trying to learn plant magic, there really was no other option.  

Ivy really wanted to know more about how to merge two plants and the other girls seemed quite interested in that, too. I gave them all a brief description. They were all at different levels, so it was a challenge to teach them in a way that they would all understand. But after my explanation I gave them each their own task to work on.  Ivy found two seeds and started trying to merge them as she worked on draining her energy. She seems to have learned enough from watching me earlier because after a minute passed,when her power ran dry, this time she did not faint.

It would only take Leafia a few months be ready to start trying to merge and modify plants. With her limited power, it would only be to the point of making small changes. But that in itself could be a great benefit. If a blade of grass or stalk of wheat offered a few more seeds or became stronger against frost, that could mean more food and possibly the difference between life and death. Right now she was trying to get the abundant ivy around us to grow into the shape she wanted. The vines were moving slowly and looked rather limp.

Emily was also practicing shaping vines and still was a little rougher than Leafia. But I thought  that it would not take much longer for her to pass Leafia.

Once Istan and Gray had made dinner I had the three ladies stop for the day. They needed to rest. And after all, the festivities were going to start soon. It should be ready shortly after they finished eating.

Emily and Leafia were quietly talking as they ate. Ivy was also near them trying to take part in the conversation but was slightly lacking in skills. I was sitting a little way off by myself, which had become rather customary. I guess they were afraid to bother me. It was a little lonely at times, but I did drag all of them from their homes. I felt like it would be a little too much to ask for them to treat me like a friend.

“Leafy, how was your day with Aunt Laurel?” Emily asked in a hushed voice. I could tell that she did not want to be overheard.

“To be honest, awkward.” Leafia’s voice was also subdued. But again, not quiet enough. They really have to learn to not underestimate a dryad’s hearing in the woods.

“Awkward? Why?” Ivy asked, looking confused.

“Miss Laurel has been worshiped by my village for centuries. She is treated as the Goddess of the forest. It is rather hard for me to have a casual conversation with her.”

Ivy looked over to me sitting by myself. “You know she is lonely and hurting.”