Splashing in the water, Amon was overcome by a strange sense of nausea. He could tell he was immersed in the pond, yet he felt strangely dry, the coolness infusing him and the waves batting at his limbs somehow failing to soak the tunic and leather he wore.

The feeling of disorientation intensified as the world spun around him - one moment up was down, then sideways - his left was somehow inside of him, and every second that he was moving forwards it somehow felt like he was falling deeper and deeper down a deep well. Everywhere he saw a blur of green and blue, dotted with purple specks and snaking bolts of yellow energy whizzing around him. Stuck in a maelstrom of confusing sensations, he shut his eyes and tuned everything else out.

Reality came crashing back into him all at once and he was sent sprawling on his back as he exited the other side of the pond. Hacking, coughing, he got on his knees and slowly stood back up and grumbled internally. A warning would have been nice.

A shimmering pool lay next to him, the one he had dragged himself out of. Standing up and peering down, he couldn’t make anything out. The surface was a medley of vibrant colors amid a murky blackness, reminiscent of stars scattered throughout the night sky.

The way back. Remembering the stomach-turning experience, he grimaced and turned away. Was he going to have to go through that again?

He took the moment to take in his surroundings, gazing at the new and unfamiliar world he found himself in. It was a forest - but unlike the one he’d come from. The trees were immense, the same he had seen through the still water before his unexpected dive. They stretched on for what seemed like a mile without an end in sight. The hazy yellow glow of the sky might have even been the canopy, hiding whatever might be the true tops above these gargantuan trees. He noticed dozens of various critters scattered about, too. They were small, weaving through the tangled undergrowth of exotic-looking flora that undulated against an invisible wind. An owl was perched upon a lone branch speared out of one of the immense trunks, staring at him oddly. It wasn't much of an owl, really, but it was the closest reference he could think of for the specter watching him. Instead of a beak, it sported a human mouth - opening it to smile wide at him. A shiver ran through Amon, the unsettling creature flying away after showing off its grin. A bundle of leaves and sticks rolled across the ground, perhaps influenced by whatever was causing the plants to wave about.

Which was why he did a double take when he heard the sound of them talking at the bottom of his feet.

“Hello!”

“Hiya~”

“Hey.”

Staring down, the clusters of leaves and sticks were a whirlwind of motion, multiple voices spilling out from the whistling wind of their strange dance.

“Um.. Hello?” Amon tentatively replied back.

The spirits dissolved into a fit of giggles in the form of an intermittent high-pitched keening. The breeze picked up, carrying the leaves and twigs up around him.

“Listen to him talk!”

“So unsure..~”

They spoke one after another. Or was it all at once? He couldn’t tell, but he understood them either way.

“He’s not from here.”

“He would be if he wasn’t alive!”

“Should we fix him~?”

Amon hastily interrupted them, concerned that the topic was going somewhere bad for his health.

“No! Nope – no need, thank you.” He said, “I’m Amon, and I came from the other side of the Grove.” He pointed towards the body of water behind him.

“We haven’t seen another human in so long!”

“There was the one like him?”

“Oh! But he looks so similar. Are we sure it wasn’t him?”

Amon spoke over their musings. Looks like they knew his father. “Well, what should I call you all? I’m looking to find a Lauu to bond with me.”

“We’re the wind!”

“The breeze~”

“The air that you breathe.”

“You should talk to the others! You can't find what you’re looking for like this!”

The wind pushed against his back, leaves fluttering around him and nudging him forward.

“Follow us!”

He worriedly glanced back at the pond, hoping they wouldn’t take him too far. With the wave of pressure behind him, it didn’t feel like he had much choice.

Walking through the forest he glanced at one of the gargantuan trees that they passed by. He rested a hand against its ashen bark. Surprisingly, he felt a pulse inside of it, the trunk expanded and contracted ever so slightly, like it was breathing.

“That’s a Titan Oak! They’re so stuffy and rigid.. Not like us!”

“They’re boring, forget about them~”

He stared up the length of the tree. Still couldn’t see the end. “How high are they? I can’t see the top.”

“Ask them! Ask them!”

“They can tell you.”

The wind snaked around him, enveloping one of the massive trunks. It pushed and swayed, but the only reaction it gave was the constant breathing of its trunk. It returned to him, sounding almost pouty.

“He won’t wake up!”

“What a jerk.”

"Told you they were boring.."

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Undeterred, Amon pressed both palms to the trunk and looked up at it. It felt silly trying to talk to a tree, especially one that made him look like an ant in comparison, but this was Lerenda.

“Hey, titan oak? Can you hear me?” He asked.

Amon waited expectantly for an answer. He wasn’t sure how it would talk back to him, but he was confident it would. The rhythmic expansion and contraction continued unabated with no indication the oak had heard him or cared. About to give up hope, he began to turn away when he heard a crrack sound coming from above him. A small, almost tiny dot was in the sky approaching him. He couldn’t quite make it out. It was a red color.. round, wait, why was it getting bigger?

A hard thwack echoed around the clearing as a crimson-colored seed collided with his head.

“Ughh.. Okay, answer received.” He groaned, rubbing the top of his head. The wind dissolved into a fit of giggles around him, before reforming and pushing him back up on his feet.

“Jerks! They’re sooo obstinate, told you.~”

Picking up the seed the oak had dropped, it was hard and wrinkly. It was about the size of his fist and the grooves over its surface formed strangle intersecting lines. He had no idea what they meant, but nonetheless tucked it under his arm and kept walking. His father told him to merge with a part of the Lauu – this seed would count, wouldn’t it? But looking at the humongous seed, he quickly discarded the idea. For one, he doubted that he even could choke down something of that size without suffocating. And more importantly, he needed to find a spirit he felt a connection to. The oak was tall and imposing, but it was nothing like him. He certainly didn’t feel any connection to it.

His thoughts turned towards the wind whipping around him. It was friendly and playful – definitely a better choice than that oak, but he quickly decided against it. It seemed too wild, and frankly, he wasn’t even sure the wind would give up a piece of itself or that he could handle it. Something told him it was a lot more powerful than the small creatures surrounding them with the way they rushed out of their way. His father's warning was fresh in his mind, and he didn't want to find out what 'too pure to safely consume' meant. He might have a stick up his ass, but he was usually right.

Following the wind on its winding trail through the forest a small mouse caught his eye. Its ears were thrice the size of a normal mouse, and sharp black needles covered every inch of its skin instead of fur. The mouse poked its head up, sniffing the air cautiously.

“Hey, wind?” Amon called out.

“Mhm!”

“What is it~”

“Can you stop that spirit from running?” He asked, “For a moment at least.”

A chorus of agreement followed, and the breeze swept around the innocent spirit. The small mouse grew agitated at the wind’s presence, hopping up with powerful legs in an attempt to escape. The wind pressed down on it from all sides, denying it the opportunity. It shed the spine-needles that coated it in defense, but they harmlessly passed through and were scattered away. Eventually, it meekly hugged the floor waiting for it to end.

Amon rushed up to the cowering mouse, waving his hands to disperse the strong winds.

“Whoa, whoa! That’s enough, I didn’t mean for you to be so violent!” He said.

“We kept it from running!

“Held it in place~”

“It’s what you asked.”

The winds dispersed, leaving a slightly shaken needle-mouse on the ground. Amon crouched down, hoping to talk to it.

“Hello? I’m sorry about that, I didn’t mean for them to be so forceful.”

The mouse lifted its head up at him, tiny nose twitching. It didn’t speak, though Amon hadn’t really expected it to.

“I’m Amon – I came here looking for a spirit to bond with. Do you.. uh, feel any connection between us?”

“What that Lauu did was totally uncalled for,” Amon grumbled, picking small needles out of his nose. Despite how deeply they were embedded and how freaking painful each of them felt to drag out, not a single drop of blood welled out afterward. “And it was totally your fault, why do I have to be punished?”

The wind whipped around him giggling, enjoying his frustrations.

“You told us to~”

“You’re terrible at this!”

“Yeah, yeah..” Amon muttered, halfheartedly batting the winds away. So far none of the Lauu he had come across were potential partners. None of them were even okay partners, which was ridiculous. There were dozens of spirits everywhere! And he couldn’t match with ANY of them? Honestly, the wind was the best partner for him so far. The wind. Sigh. If his face wasn’t dotted with needles, he’d have buried it in his hands.

The pair continued traipsing about Lerenda, with Amon stopping to talk to the other Lauu on multiple occasions. Some spirits exhibited curiosity at seeing a human in Lerenda - something so thoroughly foreign. Strands of overgrown vine slightly wrapped around his feet and legs as he walked, investigating the unfamiliar peculiarity that was rudely stomping about. Their interest was passing, not even strong enough to hinder him as he walked. That didn't mean the sight of grass and other vegetation sticking and wriggling across his boots didn't disconcert him.

The older, larger spirits didn't react much to him, if at all. They passed underneath the legs of one of the enormous spear-hooved deers, its size making the titan oaks surrounding them look like normal trees in comparison. Its abdomen was thrice the size of Amon himself, at a height above him that the tip of his family's manor wouldn't reach. Its legs were spokes digging into the dirt, each step a fresh stab into the ground. It didn't notice, or care, as Amon and the wind passed by underneath it. Nevertheless, he exercised great caution to not accidentally be speared by them as it lazily walked on.

A few of them, such as the needley mouse that had given him its lovely parting gift, responded to his interest in them with equally rude surprises. Some words with Mother would have to be had about this. She had said they were harmless! none of them had been truly hostile to him, sure, but his nose hurt, dammit! The wind found this all terribly amusing, it's signature intermittent whistling indicating laughter accompanying his misfortune.

Eventually, he found himself asking the wind about Lerenda.

“Hey, there’s a sky above the trees, right? The golden hue?” Amon asked, rubbing his eye where the hoof of a bipedal gazelle with crystal horns had clocked him.

“A sky?”

“Doesn’t he mean the sky?

“What’s the difference?” He asked. He didn’t expect the wind to be so pedantic.

“The sky is the biggest!”

“Bigger than the wind.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Amon sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose and rolling his eyes. The wind was a decent enough guide, and its comments made him smile, but they could be a bit useless.

His father had mentioned that this would take a while. And he had had enough of annoyed spirits using his face as a calling card. He turned around, hoping to get back to the pond and back home to rest and process the journey. However, all he saw were more towering trees and waving grass, the entire forest a continuous flowing canvas he couldn't tell apart. Crap. Which way had he come from? He strode forward, retracing the direction they had come from. After what felt like an hour of walking to Amon, he was again surrounded by more indistinguishable forest.

He had gotten so wrapped up in following the wind he’d forgotten the way home.

The wind meandered aimlessly around him, singing a soft tune. If it had gotten him here - it could get him back. Right? He watched as it spun around a tuft of grass, making it jiggle and sway spastically. He was so screwed. Biting his lip, he called out to it. “Hey.. Do you know where the pool is?”

“Leaving so soooon~?”

“You only got here!”

It pressed down on him in a light squall, protesting.

“I’ll be back again.” He promised, covering his eyes to prevent them from popping.

“We don’t remember the way~”

“Nope! Forgot!”

He rubbed his forehead again. “But I won’t be able to tell everyone about the amazing Lauu I met here, right? You wouldn't want that.”

“Hmm..”

“Mmnn..~”

The wind formed a dull thrum as it pondered his words.

“Which pool?”

“Where do you want to go~”

Amon raised a brow at that. Other pools? "The one you found me by - that one." He clarified.

"He wants to go back inside!"

"It's the closest by~"

A strong gale blew past him, snaking through the trees. Amon breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know what he would have done if the wind had kept refusing. Breaking out into a job, he followed the tailwind. After a brief jaunt through the uneven forest floor, he found himself in front of the shimmering pool that marked the start of his journey. It appeared undisturbed, its sparkling stars swirling about in the vivid, multicolored waters.

“Here!”

“The inside~”

Stepping towards its edge, he waved broadly at the wind surrounding him. “Phew. Thank you.”

“He thanks me!”

“No, he thanked me~”

Opening his mouth to stop their bickering, he closed it after thinking better and smiled wryly instead. Best leave them to it. Next time he'd find something to surprise them with for their help. What would a spirit consider a surprise, anyways? He'd have to ask. Holding the crimson seed he’d gotten from the oak, he peered over the pool again and tucked the seed under his shoulder. Standing above the shimmering water, he took a breath and closed his eyes before plunging himself back into its depths.