A cool chill eased Fenix awake. His muscles stiff, his head sore, and his brain still fogging from the night before. He didn’t even want to move, just lay in the dirt until somebody came to rescue. But who would? It was miles before anyone could arrive and why would they check the farm first? With care, he wiggled his toes and fingers. At least nothing was permanently damaged. Taking a deep breath, he went to sit up.

“Hurugh” a stab of pain shot through his chest. His lungs seized up as he fought for air.

Leaning to the side, he began coughing up a foul substance. A thick, tar-like combination of saliva, ash, and mucous. As the fit began to slow, he wiped off the spittle and glanced around. The entire region was under a layer of thick soot. What burned the night before slowly fell across the lands. No wonder it hurt to breathe. Pulling out his pocket knife, he cut off a bit of fabric from his pants and made a quick mask. It wasn’t perfect, but it’d at least help keep the dust out. With the filter secure, Fenix hobbled to his feet. He scraped off as much gunk as he could, but the night of sweat caused it to stick to the skin. Sighing, he shuffled over to the well to wash off the mess.

He took three steps before seeing that bit of metal sticking up from the ground. Yet that little spigot made him pause. His brain was flooded with painful moments once more. All the times he fought his parents to wash up, him and his brother pranking each other by dumping a bucket on em, or just fetching water for dinner; it was gone. So many things caught up to him.. Each and every one centered around this tiny object. So much of his life he brushed off, yet now. Now it is over. The only thing left is this stupid little spigot. Emotions ran wild as a bellowing rage swept through his body. A visceral scream of anguish and agony reverberated from his throat. It wasn’t fair! They weren’t rich, they kept to themselves, yet why did it happen? What cruel god set this fate before him? He screamed and yelled until hoarse. It wasn’t healthy, but he didn’t care. He just let the grief overtake all sense of thought.

Each memory of his former life is a painful reminder of what he lost. His dad teaching them survival skills at night, the smell of delicious cookies his mom would make on the weekends, he and his brother laying on the roof to watch the stars. So many moments of joy and a blow to the gut. Fenix wasn’t sure how long had passed, only pulling himself together when there were no tears left to shed. Wiping the snot on his arm, he continued forward in silence.

He grabbed the old rags and leaky bucket. With each pump, he filled the container with fresh water. Using the damp cloth to wipe down the dirt clinging to his skin. Thankfully, the cool liquid helped soothe his sore body. It took a bit of rubbing to get rid of the layers of grime. As he scrubbed down, he began to dissociate from this world. He just needed to retreat from all the pain, letting his base knowledge clean himself as his thoughts went blank. Within moments the ground was soaked and he felt fresh once more. It wasn’t much, but it did help. Placing the bucket down, he muttered to himself.

“Ok Fenix, pull yourself together. What did dad say to do when stranded…”

He began to rehash the lessons learned as he journeyed back to his collapsed home. Stepping over the charred wood, he saw the little creature diligently working. Already the curious thing had cleared out a tiny circle in the living room. It wasn’t much, but it gave some space to maneuver through. As Fenix approached the strange being, he saw a faint glow emanating from the center.

“What are…HEY!” He called out.

Somehow the twig found his collection of seeds. His face went red as a wave of anger overtook him. He’d spent good money on his collection and was going to start a new garden when he moved.

“Stop that!” He yelled.

His loud voice started the creature interrupting whatever spell it was casting. The living twig ran under the rubble to safety. Fenix quickly went over to pick up the scattered seeds, carefully dropping each into his pockets. As he reached for the last bits, he noticed that some had begun to germinate. Holding it up to the light, he saw the initial sprout poking out from the hardened shell. It was at that moment he realized how blinded he was from grief. Why would the creature try to steal? He felt like a total jerk for over-reacting. Getting to his knees, he crawled to where the cowering creature hid.

“Come on out little guy. I didn’t mean to scare you” He held out a hand.

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The strange creature refused to budge, instead it sat motionless under the debris. If Fenix didn’t know what to look for, it would have been impossible to find. It was just a small pile of sticks resting on the charred floor. Something you’d see on a forest trail or walking out between the fields. Nothing of importance, yet it was very much alive. Realizing this wasn't going to work, Fenix tried a different tactic. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a few of his prized collection and offered them up to the little guy.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. But once the creature noticed the seeds, it slowly crawled over.

“Go on, we can share” Fenix smiled.

The thing carefully took a few of the seeds and went back to its circle. It glanced back at Fenix who gave an approving nod. Placing them onto the floor, the animated twigs began to channel once more. Fenix carefully crept over to observe. While he had met with the local magician before, he’d seen nothing like this. A warm glow surrounded the tiny seedlings, the kernels pulsing in light as they took in the energy. Within moments, the first cracked open and a tiny stem grew.

“Wow…”

But the creature didn’t stop, once one seed sprouted he moved onto the next. As Fenix watched, he noticed the glow weakening. After the third sprouting, the twig creature collapsed.

“Oh…” he quickly ran over to try and help.

Staring at the unmoving mass of detritus, he began to panic.

“Come on little guy, you ok?” Nothing

No no no, He couldn’t lose another. The two had only just met and he felt a strange connection to the spirit. Rubbing his temples he began to brainstorm.

“Ok, Fenix. Think…What did the voice say? [[Mote of Earth]]. GOT IT!”

Bending down he gathered the remains of the creature into his palm. He was extra careful not to damage the twigs. Heck, It didn’t feel that different from regular sticks. A nagging thought clawed at his brain that this was all some crazy hallucination. All that trauma and now he was talking to inanimate objects. But at the same time, if it helped him cope, so be it. Fenix searched the room for an old bowl. Heading outside, he filled the container with soil, partially buried the twigs, and gave it some water. It was a stupid idea, but he had to work. The thing was clearly a plant of some kind and plants needed good soil and water right?

Placing the bowl down he waited–but nothing happened.

“What else…what else. THE SEEDS!” He exclaimed.

Reaching into his pocket, he planted the other seeds around the creature. After a few moments, the little guy began to twitch. A sense of relief allowed Fenix to finally relax. With his tiny friend recovering, he decided to salvage what remained. With care, he walked through the remains pocketing anything of use. As he reached the door, a faint flicker caught his eye. It was just some coins reflecting the sunlight, but he noticed a few bags torn open. Rummaging through the raider’s remains, he found some candles, rope, jerky, and other supplies. It wasn’t much, but at least it would help. Gathering up the material, he tried to salvage some of the wood and formed a pile outside. The sun was already starting to set and he had to move quickly.

With care, he began to form a lean-to out of the remains. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a basic shelter his parents taught him to build in an emergency. A few wooden posts to hold it up, sticks to form the basic roof, and some old hay to make it covered. As the moon began to rise, Fenix returned to the cellar to grab some preserved fruit. Dipping his hand into the syrupy material, he ravenously devoured the contents. Normally he wouldn’t be able to stomach that much sugar, but he couldn’t halt the hunger. As he finally filled the aching stomach, a sense of weight overcame him. All this work began to catch up. Since last night, Felix had been running on stress and adrenaline. Now that he was somewhat safe, his body was forcing him to rest. But he still had one thing to do before crashing.

Heading back to the farmhouse, Fenix lit a candle and went to the earthen bowl. His tiny friend had mostly recovered and was tending to the various seedings. Felix had to do a double take with how much they had grown. What should have taken a week only took a few hours. He knew some high level farmers had skills like these, but it required many many levels to accomplish. Not to mention they had to specialize in rapid growth to even have a chance at getting something so efficient. Whatever this [[Mote of Earth]] was, it was special. Grabbing the bowl, the twigs turned his way. The little limbs waved at him to stop.

“Shh calm down, only here to help” and he lifted the container.

Carrying it back to his new home, he placed it against the wall and laid down. The hard dirt was anything but comfortable, he’d need to get more hay and build a bed. But this was fine for now. Gazing out into the night sky, he wondered where they had taken his brother, whether his parents survived, and what happened to the town. There was so much to do and very little time. Yet; even with all the raging thoughts, he quickly fell into a deep sleep. If he couldn’t find them, he would be sure to make home a place worth returning to.