The beastkin brushed her hair back one more time over her slightly furry and pointed ears, patting down her clothes so she looked as presentable as possible. It didn’t help very much, considering everything she wore was made out of leaves and bits of interwoven plants. Druids were proponents of crafting everything they used themselves, so they rarely went around in clothing that could be even remotely considered fashionable.

Any other meeting between druids would not have afforded such fuss, but this meeting was special. She wasn’t meeting with just anyone, this was the Divine Priestess. She had lead cult of nature since time immemorial, worshiping the trees and the land rather than any particular god.

Or at least that was the official philosophy. The Divine Priestess had been around so long no records or memories ever stated a time before her leadership, and when your cult includes elves, dwarves, dragons, and fae, records and memories go back a long time. Between her timeless unchanging visage, limitless power, and indiscernible species, many druids had turned to worshiping her directly as their patron goddess, despite her disapproval of the act.

“No use dawdling, Yavin.” The beastkin whispered to herself. “She’s the one who called for you, remember.” Or at least that was what Yavin believed. She had begun receiving visions and her dreams every night. At first she thought it was just restless sleep, but now she was certain that something was calling her here.

Yavin continued walking through the narrow path. Massive trees loomed around her, far larger than anything that grew in her homeland. Looking up between the small open clearing along the path, she could see the tops of the trees piercing the clouds in the sky. The druid in her wondered how the trees got water to branches that high.

At the end of the wooded path came a meadow of unparalleled natural beauty. The arrangements of blossoms and flowers seemed chaotic and random at first glance, but the longer she stared the more she became certain that there was a pattern too complex for her to comprehend.

Yavin’s anxiety returned. Why would the Divine Priestess call for her? She was a druid from a quiet mountain village. Nobody of importance. Maybe she had misheard the high priestess and she was about to make a fool of herself in front of someone who might actually be one of the primordial gods.

Just as Yavin’s feet were about to betray her and turn around, a pair of wood sprites materialized from the woods off the path. To one not as versed in bushcraft as Yavin, they would have seemed to appear from nowhere.

“You are Yavin, of the Berrypaw clan of beastkin, yes?” one of the sprites asked.

“Y-yes. T-that’s” Yavin began stuttering in her shyness, but she stopped herself and took a deep breath. “Yes. That’s me.” She repeated, firmer.

“Good, youngling.” The other sprite said. “Now pass through the arch of thorns. The Divine Priestess waits for you beyond.” Just as they had appeared, the sprites vanished into the forest in an instant.

Yavin looked up and saw that there was a gap in the meadow she would have sworn wasn’t there before. It was as if the rose bushes had parted to form an arch, revealing a path that lay beyond. Yavin touched a finger to one of the thorns and noticed no matter how hard she pressed against it the thorn would not draw blood. She decided that was proof enough she was welcome here.

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Then Yavin saw a figure at the other end of the meadow. It was feminine, she had long hair that was green as the grass at her bare feet and skin that shimmered like the reflection of dawn’s light off a clear mountain stream. When she turned, Yavin met her eyes for just a moment.

This was the Divine Priestess. The tiniest glimpse into the priestess’s eyes told Yavin a story of countless eons. Her eyes radiated with the life of a million sprouting seeds. That one glimpse revealed a thousand truths to Yavin that were beyond the comprehension of mortal minds. The beauty and harmony of all life resonated within this being, all species singing one song.

Yavin fell to her knees. If what stood before her was not a goddess then there were no gods. The thousands of lines she had rehearsed in her mind for this moment all evaporated. And then in a heartbeat the feeling was gone. The serenity that had enveloped her in it’s pleasurable warmth vanished, and she was left quietly yearning to feel it again.

“Please, stand.” The Divine Priestess reached out her hand to Yavin to lift her up. Yavin was afraid of sullying such a perfect form by touching it, but she was more afraid of offending the priestess. She took the priestesses hand, noticing how it felt as smooth as a summer breeze and yet as tough as tree bark.

“Yes… Divine Priestess.” Yaven whispered breathlessly, her vision still unfocused from her recent experience.

“Please, that is a title others use to venerate me, but I desire no such worship. I am Gayia, and that is what you should call me, Yavin of the Berrypaw clan.” Hearing her name come off this beings lips brought a child-like glee to Yavin’s flustered mind.

“I had a vision…” Yavin began.

“I know.” The priestess hushed. “I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Anything.” Yavin replied with certainty. “I’ll do it.”

“You haven’t even heard what it is yet, young one. Let me tell you a bit about myself. Long ago when I was but I child I had someone who I held dear. When I was lost and alone he was mentor, guide, brother, and lover. He helped me like no other being has before or since, save the Creator. And now the time has come for me to repay the favor.” The priestess opened her hand, and in it was a gray stone. It was shaped like a disk, but it’s edges were shattered and broken. “The first piece of many. It is time to rebuild what was shattered.”

“What would you have me do, Gayia?” Yavin asked.

“You have heard of the city of Orlem?” Yavin nodded in reply. “I would have you go there and seek someone out and give him this stone. A boy, not yet a man. Humble now, but with vast potential in the future.”

“That’s all? How will I know him when I see him?” Yavin asked

The priestess smiled and cupped Yavin’s hands. Between them she gently placed the gray stone. “I will guide your hand.”

Yavin held up the gray stone to the light. “I have to ask, why me?”

“Of all those who heed nature's call, you are the most suited to this task. But I warn you not to underestimate the journey before you. It will be longer and harder than you think.”

“I am prepared for the challenge.” Yavin replied resolutely, holding the stone in her closed fist.

The priestess wrapped her hands around Yavin’s closed fist. “Keep it safe. A spirit dwells within this stone. The bonds that hold it tight will come loose with time. You must deliver it before then.”

Yavin nodded, gazing at the gray stone in her hand. When she looked up, the Divine Priestess was nowhere to be seen.