There was an argument in the Clan of Eatohl. There had been a prophecy of great destruction upon the whole continent, this was the year of starstruck death, and the council of elders were undecided whether they should flee or not. This discussion have been ongoing scattered throughout regular life for the past 36 years or so when the prophecy had been announced the clan was not particularly concerned as to the general prophecy there was a belief that as the descendants of the great tree of little wonders they would be untouched, this was a prophecy for the fauna of the field. Up until the second last line “when forests far and wondrous are mere splinters on the stones” was said. The question then turned to whether they were the wondrous Forest. Of course as a clan of one of the longest lived races they had seen many prophecies pass through had started preparing immediately focusing on boosting everyone's self dantian and minimizing the growth of their two other dantians determined that everyone would be able to flee when the time came. “Moving would be catastrophic, we are ill equipped to do so. Were we to find ourselves uprooted, there would be few lands of respite to avail ourselves of. What of our infamous reclusion.” Said elder Firul, a 3 meter tall being with long curly silvery green hair mixed with curled weeping willow leaves of a matching colour, their face cast in a neutral but hard expression, eyebrows the colour of their hair furrowed over eyes a rippling silver as though the reflection of the moon in pool of water, their skin a warm honey with bark shaped tattoos in moonlight upon their exposed flesh. Wearing a soft saffron toga with silver embroidery in the shape of cuneiform, they were sensuality incarnate.

“Yes, you have said as much many a time, yet the sapling must sway with the storm, lest they snap in twain. As to our conundrum of an abode, six elders left with the last of the fruiting days in search of a secluded sanctuary.” Replied elder Dappled, standing second tallest at 3.4 meters tall, with tawny dappled hair that resembled a wild mane more than a head of hair, twigs and yellow leaves sticking out in all directions, seemingly growing and also caught from what one must assume was an intense tussle with a weeping willow. Their skin tone similar to the other three elders, yet lacking the defined bark tattoos, instead their skin was reminiscent of bark itself. Wearing only a bright red pair of pantaloons, they seemed wholly inhumane, yet if a mortal human were to come upon them, they would be hard pressed to keep said human from declaring intent to pursue their sex. “Their arrival is expected with the coming green wane, we shall hear then of their travels, and perhaps of new lands to bury our weary roots for the foreseeable future.” As the green waxing period was almost at the peak, they were expected imminently. “Finally, I cannot wait for their results and the waning.” replied elder Persi, as the youngest elder, they towered over the meeting at 4 meters tall, looking more treelike than anyone else there, they were most affected by the waxing of the green moon, and had spent the last four months denying their baser instincts and attempting to hide their fecundity. Wearing a chin to floor length deep black robe two sizes too large, they looked like a wrinkled wall with a wooden carving of a succubus’s face at the top. “This marks the second green waxing I have passed as an elder, without succumbing to the pull of the moon. Only four more and I can rid myself of this ridiculous robe of tradition forever. You all have forgotten how tedious and stifling this garb is, none of you have touched it in at least a millennia, I think the suppression formations have gotten stronger somehow.” “You should be grateful sapling, have you forgotten the origin of our clan? In our absence of objection, has the matriculation of the seedlings been cast to the wayside?” Said the final member of this clandestine meeting. “Please elder Portense, be not so disparaging, when your lovely trunk was but the width of a watermelon I heard similar words. As is the way of youth, quick to forget and quick to discover, quick in all manners mayhap, with the coming of rings will they find their seasons and be tempered.” Said Elder Firul, gazing lovingly at the elder with dark olive green hair, braided with matching leaves. Standing at 3.2 meters Elder Portense was the least remarkable in this room of treefolk, their olive green robes, hair, and eyes, doing much to blend them into the lush background of the surrounding forest, yet still they exuded a sensuality hard to ignore.

A small chime resounded through the clearing of elders, echoing through the grove with a peaceful and lasting tone. As one they turned, and with a wave of a hand from elder Persi, the privacy array was lifted and a rabbitkin ran in. “Elders.” He bowed, ears twitching gently in the whispered winds between leaves. “I come with an announcement of import, the travelling elders have returned and there is a meeting at once, all shall convene under the bows of the youngest elder, to hear of their hardships, exploits, and discoveries.” “Arise young one. Thank you for forewarning us.” Said elder Firul. Pausing slightly, they said “Are you aware of their timeliness? When they shall arrive?” The rabbitkin, quickly rose, and started patting down his bright blue star studded waistcoat, then withdrawing a gold pocket watch seemingly from one of the sewn stars, and glancing at its face, he said “of course elder, in twenty minutes, err my apologies, fourteen starlit melodies?” Chuckling elder Firul said “fret not, I have learned the youngsters minutes and hours, however the correct time passing would be thirteen starlit melodies, and one dawncraw trill. Who are you young one? A new face in the inner glades is a joy indeed.” “Thank you Elder, I am Toppie, I arrived here four years ago, I mean a third of a full season. Its been so wonderful here, and my new burrow is under the most beautiful tree.”

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Elder Firul laughed, sounding like leaves rustling, and the light in the clearing turned paler as if under a full moon. “I am gladdened to feel such joy, and quite cunning of you young one. You must be my newest resident, I felt your arrival amongst my roots. Were you aware or merely guessing that my tree shelters your burrow?”

“I was guessing elder, your beautiful hair, curled just as your corkscrew leaves, and your enchanting gaze reminds me of the moonlight you sparkle with on each drop of water, that touches your graceful bows.” Said Toppie, looking a little dazed as he started walking towards elder Firul, unable to look at anything other than the vision of erotic perfection in front of him. “Ahhh” said elder Firul “On that note, mayhap a moment of recollection and meditation would do us all well. My apologies Toppie, the power of the green moon is upon us, your desires are not your own.” With those words, elder Firul seemed to stretch into the sky before shrinking upon themself, becoming somehow less present in the grove, and less noticeable. Like the first drops of rain falling on ones head, Toppie glanced up and seemed to awaken. Blushing furiously, and fidgeting with one of his drooping ears, he rushed to say “No, no not at all Elder Firul. I have wished to meet you, and dance beneath your bows, since the moment I saw you thirteen green wanings ago.” Looking surprised Elder Firul murmured “ah yes, the last time I left the inner groves.” Then to Toppie they said “well if you wish to return and pursue me on the darkest day of green, you may. I am not one to ignore such cuteness.” Saying so they reached out and ruffled Toppie’s hair, and gently petted Toppie’s erect ears. As their fingers wrapped around Toppie’s left ear, and stroked from the base all the way to the tip of his ear, they left a mark of pursuant. Toppie moaned quietly in pleasure, his right foot thumping the ground faster than a mortal could see.

Blushing he looked up at elder Firul and noticed his left ear glowed like the moon. “Ah what has happened? Why is my ear glowing?” Elder Firul smiled “that is the sign of the pursuant, should you decide to call me on the night of darkest green, I shall hear you and come. Else with the rising of the first sun the moonlight will flee and it shall be as if no words of desire had been spoken. Now let us meditate, you may ask your fellow disciples should you desire greater clarity of these traditions. Seeing you have the mark of a pursuant they will be able to share this information with you.” Looking around Toppie realized the other elders already seemed to be meditating. He was a bit shocked to have missed them sitting and returning to meditation, yet he also acknowledged that he had completely forgot their presence once elder Firul had laughed. Moving to the edge of the clearing Toppie assumed a seated position, crossed legs, back straight, ears to heaven, tail pressed to earth, palms up, and returned to meditation. As he sat there Toppie let the unanswered questions float away, what did it mean that he had now become a pursuant? Many of his fellow disciples had developed glowing characteristics over the last few years but had refused to speak of the matter. What brought such attention to him? This was the first time he had spoken with any of the core elders, and they had been much kinder than he was expecting. And why was he asked to stay? This was a meeting of the ELDERS of the clan of Eatohl, and he was a mere inner grove disciple of the Small Wonders Sect, one of the newest, if not the newest. Was he going to stay for the meeting? That seemed extremely improbable, but why else would he be asked to stay and meditate in the grove?

As these questions slipped away, Toppie’s mind quieted, returning his attention to the first dantian, the dantian of the self, emotions, instincts, and bloodlines. In his dantian he saw five rabbits, and two humans with slight distortions around them. The rabbits, three varying shades of green, one white as moonlight, and one a soft grey, all sat looking up into the darkness. The humans, one with grey hair constantly changing slightly in movement and apparent age, and one with shockingly white hair and eyes that seemed to radiate starlight sat as well, however they gazed down. As he relaxed into his practice, Toppie gently let the feeling of his race through the forest, permeate his dantian. As those feelings of excitement, boundless movement, and rush to be on time spread, multicoloured strands appeared, seemingly spun from his emotions. He gathered them up, and pushed them through the meridians stretching out from his first dantian, cycling them in a long circuitous route through his body, dipping first into his second dantian, before circling again, and entering his third dantian. Finally leaving his third dantian cycling through his body before returning to the first dantian translucent. Once there they gathered around one of the rabbits and one of the humans, seeming to make the distortions around these two selves thicken slightly. As he recentered himself to reflect once more, he heard the chime of the array announcing the arrival of elders to the grove. Awakening quickly, he got up, and turning to the origin of the chime, he bowed. He wasn’t sure if he would be allowed to stay but his best behaviour would certainly not hurt his chances, and the longer he could spend breathing Elder Firul’s air the better.