Goroh – Autumn – Mune – Gitta (5th Month 6th Day) Year 827 GE

Puurimi groaned as the smell of burning wood caught her attention. She grunted as her body started to shift from her tree form to that of a flesh and bone being that could blend in with the rest of the inhabitants in their world. It was not painful to change between her forms, just uncomfortable, feeling her bark receding, her leaves changing and her limbs fitting into the casing that was her fleshy body. The Osisi were a people with two forms, one of a great tree with bark and leaves, and when needed a form of flesh and bone, allowing them to walk and talk amongst those who could do them harm.

The change complete, Puurimi pulled clothes from a pack she always held with her roots when she was in her tree form. When she was still a young sapling, she had learned quickly that those who entered the woods did not take her seriously if she did not cover the skin that formed when she took on her fleshy body.

Clothed, Puurimi headed through the woods, her green and blue hair gathered into a knot at the back of her neck to keep it out of her way. Her dark blue flesh that was only a cheap imitation of the bark she wore when she was in her tree form, was covered as much as she cared to.

The smell of her burning brethren started to fill her nose. She had learned young, that the strangers who entered their woods had enjoyed the smell of their bark burning, but Puurimi detested the scent.

Approaching the clearing where the smell came from, she watched a moment. A young girl with pale pink hair loose down her back, stared into a fire. The blues and greens of the burning Colour woods, were dancing their colors across her face. Puu could see the purple in the girl's eyes glisten as she stared at the fire. Was she about to cry?

There was a faint sound and the girl sighed, sat back and reached into a pouch at her back. "Sleeping roll," she spoke in a lower voice than Puu would have expected, and the girl pulled a piece of cloth out of the pouch at her back. Puu nearly gasped, giving herself away. How could something so large come out of something so small.

Puu circled around behind the girl, keeping her steps silent. She wanted to get a better look at this strange pouch that could fit such large items inside it. Staring at the pouch at the pink haired girl’s back, Puu was disappointed. It looked just like any other she had seen when visitors had entered the woods. But those had not carried quite so large a load.

The girl held the cloth toward the fire for a time before she rolled it back up and returned it to the strange pouch that carried more than it should be able to. It was a shock to watch the larger item returned to the small pouch, it had seemed as though it was shrinking as it neared the pouch opening. Puurimi watched a moment more before she stepped from the shadow of her fellow Osisi in tree form. The girl did not move, did not acknowledge Puu's presence so she asked. “Mind if I join you?”

The response was instant, she was on her feet, facing Puu now, a blade that Puu had not even known she was carrying in her hand. It was then that she noticed a faint red glow on the girl's arms, leg and face. Puu had seen others with these strange colored and glowing bars before, they had traveled through her woods. Only one had made trouble that she herself had to deal with, his bars had been a dark blue like her own skin when she was in her flesh form. The man had been breaking parts of the Colour Wood trees off, hurting her Osisi brethren, and she had approached to deal with the situation. That man had been a skilled fighter and used a strange ability that gave him control over the wind. It had been a hard fight, but she had added his body to the ground for fertilizer, eventually. Puu did not want to fight this pink haired girl, she seemed sad to Puurimi.

Puu could see just as she was studying the girl the girl in turn was studying Puu herself, and she raised an eyebrow. This seemed to register something for the girl. With another quick look at Puu, the girl started to straighten. When she put away the knife, the tension in Puu’s body also released.

The pink haired girl swept a hand toward the fire and spoke, “Please join me.” Puu liked this girls voice; it wasn't too high pitched but still seemed to hold a musical note in her tone.

Puu kept her eyes on the fire that changed color with each different type of wood that had been carelessly fed to it. When she was across the fire from the girl she sat hoping to look less like a threat to this traveler. Puu did not wish to fight if she did not have to.

Listening to the crackling and popping sound of the fire before her, Puu tried to figure out whose branches had been added to make the colors as they were. Remembering the rain, the last several nights, and assuming this girl must have been stuck in it, she spoke again, “Tonight sure cleared up, hasn't it?”

“Yes,” was all the girl, said as she started to sit back down again. Puu was happy to see the girl relax slightly; this would make talking with her easier. Then the pink haired traveler added “What brings you to this part of the woods?”

Having answered this question many times before, she already understood that telling anyone that she was part of the woods would cause a response she did not care for, so she said instead “Like you I was traveling through.”

The doubt in the traveler’s eyes was obvious, she did not believe Puu's lie. Now was a chance to get right down to what brought her out of her tree form and deal with the issue at hand. “You know they say if you cut down a Colour Wood tree you’ll have to deal with the guardian of the woods.”

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Puu could tell this was news to the traveler, she looked at her with poorly hidden surprise. “Is that so,” the girl spoke calmly, in a way that made Puu think she might be stalling for time. Puu could see the young woman’s mind putting together the things she had said, it felt like she could see the blocks clicking together in the traveler’s mind. “Good thing I didn’t cut down any trees,” she finally added.

She was surprised to hear this, but did not believe the young woman’s claim. “You don’t say,” Puurimi was starting to put some thoughts together, had she heard the screams of her brethren before she smelled the smoke from the fire the traveler had started. Puu could not recall so she asked instead, “Then how did you get the wood for your fire?”

When the girl pointed to the ground around the trees that surrounded the opening, Puurimi was surprised to see branches littered the ground beneath them. Osisi did not lose their branches unless they choose to lose them. Were they trying to help this strange traveler who glowed by her own right in the night's darkness. What could be their reason for helping this small creature, she thought to herself as the girl added. “I just collected them from the ground.”

After studying the travelers face, Puu leaned down toward the fire, listening for anything that suggested a lost voice from her people, there was none, and the tree who had chosen to lose their older branches said nothing to her as she sat across from the girl. “I guess it is as you say.” Puu was glad to hear she would not have to deal harshly with this small creature and smiled at the traveler, her teeth likely showing in the flickering light of the fire. Smiling had been the wrong choice, causing the traveler to stiffen and visibly swallow as though she were swallowing fear itself. Trying to show the girl she meant no threat to her she added, “I am Puurimi Osisi.”

Puu could see the girl struggling with herself before she answered, “Zira Lanni.”

“Zira… Zi….ra…” Puu liked the name as soon as she heard it, drawing it out and singing it to herself like she would when telling a story to her fellow Osisi. The name, when drawn out, reminded her of a small bird that had been adventurous for its kind, zipping through her branches, clipping its tiny claws into her bark to allow for sharper turns and quicker decent. “I like how that name sounds; it is like a bird zipping through the trees.” Again, she was smiling at this smaller woman across the fire from her, and again she watched as the traveler Zira pieced together that Puu was not trying to scare her with the smile, but truly enjoying the exchange between the two. “What brings you to the forest?”

Zira had relaxed a bit before she responded, “I’m just traveling through, I didn’t feel like going around.” It had been so long since the last time Puu got to talk with anyone, that it made sense when Zira mentioned going around the woods as an option. Zira had stiffened again, then quickly relaxed, all Puu could do was assume that some unpleasant thought had crossed through her mind.

“It has been so long since I have run into anyone in the woods,” Puurimi started, “I was shocked when I smelled the Colour Wood burning.”

Zira stopped moving, staring at Puu; having not realized what she was saying could be construed as a threat. But if the traveler had figured out that Puu was one of those Guardians of the Woods like her story suggested, then her being on edge would make more sense. Zira opened her mouth to say something just as Puu added in, “I am not trying to put you on edge,” she spoke with an even voice, trying to keep the traveler calm, “I am simply stating a fact.”

“Oh, I see,” Zira seemed to be at war with herself, now watching Puu with even more suspicion.

Perhaps if she were to ask innocent questions to put her back at ease, then they could enjoy some time in each other's company, even if Puu did not like the smell of the fire they shared. Even Puu could not deny that her brethren are just as beautiful burning as they were when they were standing tall in the woods. “I would like to ask if there is any news of the world outside these woods?”

It took some time before Zira responded, “How long has it been since last you talked with someone?”

When was the last time she talked to someone, she thought back to the beast who had used her trunk to relieve its bladder, that was… three frozen seasons, or was it four. Or if it was talking to another, when was that? She vaguely remembered a young man singing deep in the woods, she had talked to him for several days. How many frozen seasons ago was that? Eight, twenty, she could not remember so she said instead, “I have lost count of the frozen seasons between the last time I talked with another.”

“Then do you know about the cities that border the Colour Woods, or…” A yawn tore through what Zira was about to say, “or…” the traveler tried again as another yawn took over before she could finish her thought. Puu was surprised this girl had shown no signs of being tired just moments ago, so why now?

“I’m sorry…” Zira tried again, only to be interrupted by another yawn. Puu recognized these symptoms, she leaned toward the fire, looking for anything that would explain the travelers strange change in state.

“I’m not usually this… tired…” Zira’s voice was thick with exhaustion now, Puu caught sight of the likely suspect of this traveler's sudden exhaustion. What could Mother Gamiani want with this young girl, she thought to herself as Zira stared at her, slowly curling up onto the ground not far from the fire, her exhaustion taking over.

“Oh dear,” Puurimi spoke as she stood and moved over to the girl, placing a quick hand against her brow. “You seem to have added Gamiani’s branches to the fire, I wonder why Gamiani would give you her branches, she knows that in most species burning them causes true dreams to occur.” Puu could tell the girl was gone, lost to the dream world now.

Curiosity took her a moment, wondering why Gamiani would choose to send this child into a dream state, and what kind of dreams Zira would be made to go through. “May your dreams be ones of good times.” Puurimi spoke as she moved her hand from the girl's brow, “I will watch over you while you sleep.”

And with that she tossed a few more pieces of wood on the fire and moved to the edge of the clearing. Placing her pack between her legs she started to shift, her roots encircling her bag, the clearing, the fire, and the girl. Her branches now back to their dark blue hue, her leaves were a mixture of blues and greens, ranging from dark to light. As a final thought, Puu shifted her roots over the small traveler to shelter her from anything that might disrupt her dreaming state.

END