"What are you?" Hearne asked, curious to know what these human-like beings are.

"Humanity and other younger races commonly refer to us as Elves, but we, the Children of the Forest, choose to use this term when speaking of ourselves." The Elf woman said as she bowed before the young god. It was truly remarkable to witness the immense amount of respect that was shown to him, and this contributed to a truly unmatched experience. It wasn't that he had any qualms about earning respect; rather, it was the random nature of it that made him feel uneasy. Despite this, he was determined to conceal his emotions from the Elves and made a deliberate attempt to do so.

"Forgive me, but can you explain to me what you want again"

"We want to worship you as our God."

"Why me? What have I done to deserve your worship?"

"To be honest, my lord, you lack confidence. You have just brought a clay bird to life, yet you doubt your worthiness of praise."

"I suppose that is deserving of praise, and yes, I accept you all as my loyal worshippers." Hearne declared and after that, all the animals that had witnessed the rebirth of Orlaith had bowed before the Elves, paying respect to the first worshippers of Hearne, much to the Elves' amusement and surprise.

"Now my loyal worshippers tell me how I can help you?"

"In your presence, my Great Lord, I am reminded of the countless curses that have plagued our ancestral home, sentencing it to eternal sorrow and corruption. I humbly entreat you, my lord, to shepherd us towards a new dwelling, where the scars of the past can be healed, and a new chapter can be penned." The Elf leader reverently knelt alongside her cohort before their god, clasping their hands together in prayer. Despite their god's inability to physically hear their prayers because of his inexperience, he sensed an overwhelming flood of their collective passion, hopes, dreams, goals, aspirations, and adoration converging upon him. This tidal wave of emotions was so powerful that, as an inexperienced deity, he felt as though he might burst with the intensity. Fortunately, he managed to quell these surging emotions, and with a newfound sense of serenity, he addressed his devoted followers.

"Children of the Forest, do you believe in me?" Hearne asked as he put on the facade of a more experienced, wiser god that had seen all the world had offered and despite his young appearance they seemed to hang on his every word.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Of course, we do, my Lord."

Children of the Forest, if I told you to do something, would you do it?"

"We will, my God."

"Children of the Forest, do you trust me to lead you to your new home?"

"Yes, we do."

"Then submerge yourselves in the water." His words initially confused the Elves, but their trust in their god led them to obediently lower themselves into the cool embrace of the river. Standing at the riverbank, Hearne extended his hand and touched the water, infusing it with the power of his divine word, 'Beast.' This act bestowed upon his devoted worshipers who had submerged themselves in the sacred waters, the unique ability to transform into an animal of their choosing. In the moments that his hand met the water's surface, Hearne observed the manifestations of his followers' chosen animal forms. Half of his faithful followers had embraced the freedom of flight, opting for the graceful realm of birds. The other half had sought the strength and agility of the creatures of the land. A small minority had sought the mysteries of the sea, choosing to embody the otherworldly form of the creatures of the sea.

"Children of the Forest, I command you to rise from the Waters." And following his commands, his worshippers had arisen from the waters in their natural forms and walked on land, but they had remembered their animal forms. Instinctively they had transformed into their animal forms, those who had chosen to transform into birds and beasts of land were fine. Still, the small minority that chosen the mysteries of water had struggled to breathe and soon they flopped their way to the water and stayed there for a long time until one male elf had emerged from the water.

Before Hearne, the male elf knelt, making his plea much to the shock of the Elves. "Oh Awesome God, let it be known that we do not dissent, but we ask that we separate ourselves from you and our kin as we have embraced the ever-shifting sea as our new home."

"I accept your separation from me and your kin, but know this, should you ever require any assistance from me and your kin, blow on this horn and I shall hear it." Hearne said as he gifted the kneeling Elf his Hunting Horn which he had made from the horn of a great beast, but the worshipper who held it as if it was made of glass "Never forget although we may be separated from each other by natural barriers you all are still my worshippers and should you and any of your followers choose to live on land once more than you shall be accepted with open arms but if you simply want to meet us again, then come here and we shall always be available."

"Now go on, for you and your followers are no longer Children of the Forest but instead you are now the Lords of the Sea." Hearne said giving the male Elf one last hug and soon all the Elves even the ones that hid in the sea in fear of Hearne's wrath had all gathered in one great hug but that did not last forever as the Children of the Sea had dove back into the river and were carried away to the horizons beyond their wildest dreams.

Noticing the sad faces of the Elves who had been separated from their kin. "Do not mourn the separation of your kin, for they have gone on their own path, and we shall meet again, but first we must find a home for you, my worshippers." Hearne said confidently, knowing that he would lead them to their new home.