"I'll see you both there, then?" I ask, hiding my shaking hands in my red cloak Jenny returned after I woke. It smells of lilac, so I know she had it washed before returning it. She also offered a bath... but I declined for now. I'll wait on such things until after the healer has seen Jill.

This all is a bit nerve-wracking. My hope and pleas are on this healer, and if he doesn't have the answer? What then?

Then we seek another answer until we find the right one, knowing The King will provide a way.

I hug my wolf bond, then turn back to Sir Hans.

He waits before us, having seen me and Ran to the edge of the city and nearly to the forest some hundred horse lengths from the large walls. Having a knight escort us from the city is much easier than having to climb those blasted walls. The gapes and jaw-dropped awe of the city guardsmen were quite humorous to Ran. I hope Hans doesn't get into trouble for helping a vigilante.

I climb up my wolf after loading up the food from Jenny. Ran grumbles about being used as a pack mule, but perks up as I remind her of what Jenny sent specifically for my bond.

"We'll be there," Hans says, waving me off and turning his blue roan horse back toward the city.

"Don't get lost!" I shout as Ran pads into the forest.

I feel his glare burning a hole in my back, so I smile as we trot into the forest. The leaves beneath our feet and the shadows of the swaying trees above lead us ever forward. We lope along deer trails and the occasional track of the rare Eldertree, as can be seen in the heightened soil along the edge of the trails that brim with moss and green trailing vines. What would an Eldertree be doing here? I nudge Ran, but she's already ahead of me, following the trail.

We pull up when we catch sight of the creature.

The Eldertree stands as tall as a one story building. Most think they are trees which can move because of the name, but Eldertrees are creatures with breathing bodies. They almost look like a lumpy pine tree with arms and legs, the bushy hair on the head a shimmering green that stands out from the surrounding forest in the way it is a deeper, more genuine green. Looking at the Eldertree, I think perhaps this green is the color the forest is supposed to be, instead of the other way around.

I nudge Ran to follow, watching as the feet shuffle along the dirt instead of step, shoving dirt up to form a trench-like trail and leaving plush greenery along the edges in its wake.

Its arms swing, long and slender like a monkey, but it's careful not to harm the trees on either side, bending around even the smallest sapling.

I nudge Ran to get ahead of it, realising it's female.

She recoils from us when we emerge slowly from the trail.

Her wide, double lidded eyes are slitted like a reptile, and she raises a knobby hand as if to keep us from harming her. One large foot the size of my home and crusted in dirt emerges from the soil at her feet, crashing back to the earth behind her as she steps away from us, turning as if to run.

I hop down from Ran, easing into the path before her, and bending my head in greeting.

"We mean no harm. Only help," I say softly, keeping my turned toward the ground at my feet to keep her from running.

Eye contact scares the slow, gentle creatures.

She shuffles forward until her foot is back underground, and she bends her massive head toward me.

A jumble of what I know to be their language emerges from her mouth. It sounds like the garbled musings of Jack when he's talking with food in his mouth.

She gestures to herself, then holds her hand high before slowly bringing it closer to the ground, pointing to a little tree near where I am.

"Your child?"

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She nods her head, the bushy, vine-like hair on her head moving forward with a sound of wind whispering through leaves.

"May we assist?"

She nods, bending to bring her hand to her foot, where I know the beating entity of her heart resides.

"Please, stay here. These woods are not safe for your kind. We will find your child and being him here."

She makes a moaning noise in the back of her throat and shakes her head.

Girl. The child is a girl, Ran supplies.

Oops.

"Forgive me. We will bring her here."

Ran moves forward, moving her nose along the feet and arms of the Eldertree, making the creature nervous.

"Ran, do you have the scent?"

She whines, then turns to me.

The child is injured.

Wonderful. Why can't this happen on a day when a healer is not coming to my home? If I get there after Hans and Jenny Momma is going to skin my hide and then revive me just to do it again. She hates unannounced guests.

But this is too important to just leave. Maybe Momma will forgive me. Someday.

Ran lopes back through the trees, in the direction we came from. You have it? I ask.

Yeah. Not sure how you're going to coax her from her hiding place.

You know where she is?

You'll see.

We come to a portion of trees older than most and with char marks from a recent lightning storm.

There.

I glance up, and clinging to a large oak is a small miniature of the Eldertree mother, but with a lighter, almost white bark and light emerald green hair.

She keens low in her throat and clings tighter to the swaying tree as if it were her mother, the long arms wrapped around the bark.

Ran, you're climbing up there and getting her down.

Nope. I'm not. I'll keep watch down here and catch you if you fall.

I growl at her, but she just rolls, knocking me from her back and into the dirt. She proceeds to roll like a dog, scratching her back.

Great. Just great.

I look up the tall tree. This is going to be such fun.

Ten minutes later, sweat drenches my back and I've only succeeded in getting the little creature half my size to climb further up the tree.

Ran, so help me... if you don't help, I will put tomatoes in your food, throw away your rug by the fire, and put peppermint leaves in your favorite broth.

Fine. Connect to her as you have me.

"WHAT?" I clap a hand to my mouth as the outburst causes the little one to climb to the tiptop of the tree, keening and shivering.

I look down and almost fall out of the tree as the world swirls around me and I grow nauseous. This is so much worse than climbing buildings to keep up with Ran.

Oh, and I wouldn't look down.

Thanks so much.

I cling to the tree until the world stops spinning and the nausea passes without me chucking up my breakfast.

How do I connect with her?

Establish a temporary bond. You’ll be able to transfer her thoughts to yours, and visa versa.

I perk up, then gulp as the tree sways and my stomach rises to my throat. Does this mean I can communicate with any animal?

Erm…

RAN! WHY HAVE YOU NOT TOLD ME THIS BEFORE?

… I did not think to tell you. Her voice is small and sheepish.

I thunk my head against the cold bark.

Sometimes a wolf bond is fun. But sometimes? Not so much.

I imagine the little link connecting me and Ran, and I follow it back to my bond below, who has her tail tucked between her legs and her ears tucked firmly against her head in sheepish consternation.

I’ll deal with you later.

She hangs her head against her chest, and a part of me feels bad. The other part wonders how much we can use this Gift for, how much this Gift could've helped me in the past… and another part of me finally gives into the knowledge that I’m a mage. Great. Just one more secret to keep. And an untrained mage in Irisia? If the upper tier finds out, it wouldn't be good.

With a tentative, shy grasp, I mentally drag what feels like peace and goodwill towards the little creature shivering in the treetop.

She perks as the little imaginary rope reaches her, and for a moment I’m afraid she’s going to reject it as she recoils away, almost falling from the treetop and sending the entire top swaying. But she reaches a tentative hand to it, and I feel it snap into place.

Hello? The tentative, shaking voice is a soft ocean breeze in my mind.

My shock keeps me from responding. That actually worked!

Hello? the voice says again.

My name is Aria, little one. I’m here to take you to your mother. She’s waiting.

The Eldertree child freezes, and a cracking sound comes from just above my head.

I freeze, my eyes popping from my head as I watch the top of the tree begin to bend further than is strictly advisable.

No. Nope. Absolutely not.

My internal grumbling does nothing.

The treetop bends and sways further on the next gust of wind, the cracking sound moving to a pop and grind as the top leans at a precarious angle.

So help me Ran, you better catch me.

I climb as the little one is frozen in her terror, her eyes wide and her nostrils flared.

The last few feet to her are the hardest, mentally and physically, as the tree grows ever thinner and I feel like I’m climbing a bean pole.

I reach out and grasp an ankle that is surprisingly smooth and soft. I ease my hold on the tree to slide down as I would a flagpole in the city, bringing the child with me and getting a boatload of splinters.

She keens louder, entirely releasing the tree in her panic and hiding her face in her knobby white hands. And that is how I end up holding an upside down Eldertree child by the foot, clinging to a breaking treetop bending like some overgrown bow with the child as the arrow.