Talking trees

Stripes crashed through the scrub towards the sunset fey-trees. Runt’s face burned with anger as he replayed the final words of the teacher.

“I’m coming with you guys!” Runt had protested as the harpies lined up around the cauldron. The teacher scooped a selection of coloured pollens into their pouches in a deliberate set of movements. The harpies were taking magic with them.

“Wolf-ghost, you are both brave, and foolish, but you are not a harpy. This is our fight, not yours. Besides, the way we are sneaking in won’t work for you.”

That ended the conversation. The teacher simply ignored any further comments Runt made. Still, he knew where they were headed. They flew, as a group, to the final fey-tree in the line. Based on the pattern of trees collapsing, it would be the last one the gorgons attacked. Which would give the harpies enough time to carry out their plan.

As soon as they left, Runt jumped on the shoulders of his pup and they crossed the lake.

The clearing was dark and deserted when they finally arrived. The scrub echoed with the distant noises of the gorgons at work. The harpies, though, were nowhere to be seen.

“Did we get lost, boy?” Runt asked Stripes. He was sure they hadn’t. He dismounted and walked to the base of the tree. The snarling faces of the gorgon statues always looked more menacing in the dark of night. Runt walked a lap around the base, looking up into the branches. Nothing. Runt leaned up against the trunk and folded his arms stubbornly.

“It has to be this one. It has to be. It’s the last one in the line. Unless we went past it?” Runt felt worms of doubt begin to wriggle in his belly.

“Psst.” The tree said. “Psst, over here.”

Runt jerked around.

“Up. Up here. No, up here, silly!”

Runt looked up. The harpies were nowhere to be seen.

“I’m under the bark, Wolf-ghost, we all are.”

Runt stared at the source of the sound and saw that some of the gouges on the fey-tree were covered up. The bloody sap around the edges showed where the hole should be, but bark covered over it. Runt climbed up onto a low branch near the scar and gave it a gentle tap.

“Hey, not so loud! It echoes in here.”

“Patch, is that you?”

“Yep. We’re all here. Well, not in this scar. That’s just me. But all over this tree. We got the bark out of the nests.”

Runt pressed his ear against the trunk to hear Patch more clearly.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“How did you make the bark stick back together, though?” Runt whispered.

“Harpy magic. It’s an easy trick. We learn how to do it when we’re still tiny grubs. It’s a bit like making spider web.”

“So this is your plan? Just wait till the gorgons chop your tree down and carry you in? What if they don’t take it?”

“The teacher thinks they will. The teacher thinks they will stop chopping and go home after they’ve cut down this tree. And they’ll start carrying wood back, then. They need the trees for something inside their cave. But the teacher’s not sure what. So we’re going to find out, and make them stop.”

“Wait. Don’t you think they’re just eating them? There’s no food in the cave.”

Patch paused for a second, then giggled.

“No, that’s silly. They eat rocks when they’re grown up! Gosh, Wolf-ghost, for a gorgon you don’t seem to know much about gorgons.”

“Patch? I’m coming in, too. I’m going to wait for them to chop down this tree and follow behind, in the dark. My wolfskin will keep me hidden.” Runt said, pulling it closer around his shoulders. The plan sounded fine out loud. He tried to ignore the part of his brain telling him all the ways it could go wrong.

“I knew that already Wolf-ghost. I knew you’d come.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while now. I never used to like flying the loop. It’s hard, it’s boring, I get tired, the pollen gets up my nose, not to mention – “

“I think I get the picture.” Runt said. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the crashes and grunts of the gorgons seemed to be getting louder, and closer.

“Oh, right. Well, I started flying the loop after I met you. You see, when harpies fly up into the stardust wind, the tree speaks to us.”

“The trees talk? That’s amazing!”

“Yeah, the wind makes a voice. Anyway, it’s not that great. Trees are usually kind of boring. But the teacher wants us to listen because the trees are old and wise. Anyone who wants to be a teacher needs to become old and wise, too. But mostly they just talk about boring stuff like how the sun feels on their leaves, or how the rain feels on their bark, or how the rocks feel under their toes. Lately, though, I’ve been talking to the trees about you.”

“What? About me? What do you mean? What did they say?”

“I asked the trees about you. I asked the trees if you were going to save us from becoming extinct. And the trees said yes. Each one I asked said the same thing.”

“They said yes?”

“Well, not exactly. It takes the trees a long time to say anything. What they actually said sounded more like – “ and from inside the tree, Runt heard Patch begin making whooshing sounds, like the leaves on a tree being blown around in the wind.

Another sound emerged, this time of trees snapping and crashing as the gorgons forced their way through the scrub towards their location.

“They’re coming, Patch. I – well, good luck.” Runt whispered.

“Wolf-ghost? I’m not afraid. Because you’re here. And the trees told me.”

Runt quickly climbed back down the tree. There wasn’t much time and one difficult job remained.

“Hey boy.” Runt whispered, with his voice catching in his throat. He rubbed Stripes under the chin. “I don’t know what’s going to happen next, or how long it’ll take. So you need to clear out, ok? Head back to the great fey-tree. Ok boy?” Stripes cocked his head. Runt felt tears begin to well as the snapping and crashing noises intensified.

“Go home, boy! Go on, get! Go!”

Stripes turned and trotted off into the dark. Runt watched him leave with a sickening certainty that he would never see the dog again. Just as he drew a deep breath to call Stripes back to him the scrub exploded. Gorgons poured into the clearing in a disorderly pack. Runt turned, kept his distance, and waited. There was no going back, now.