Day 45

I'd been working. Oh, I had been working. Working and growing and testing. Scrapping and snapping and redrawing. Setting and tune-ing and calculating. And back from the beginning. Relentlessly, continuously. How long it was? A month? More? No idea.

The only thing I know is that I lost myself into it, so much that I had to resurface from time to time to stretch my legs and to remind myself that I wasn't just a plant.

It was tough work, joyous, yes, satisfying, yes, but tough as shit. I had to work out everything from scratch, trying to strike that perfect balance between strength and maintenance, toughness and flexibility, gathering and weakness. It was hard, the hardest work I had ever done.

But damn if it was worth it.

As I finally unrooted myself, my work completed, I was a new tree. Gone was the strange-looking, long-legged bush that ran around like a scared duck.

Now, I was tall, one half taller than an already tall man. My body was squat and heavy-set, all made of sturdy wood. The central trunk was thicker in the upper part, an armor of wood enclosing the part of me where I stored my light. This was my true vital part and I decided to call it my heartwood. Heartwood was soft and light compared to the rest of me and I devoted my densest material to its protection.

I found that my leaves had to go upward to get the best of their light gathering. So I made my new body slightly hunchback and made four knotted branches grow from its back. They all sported a bunch of verdant big leaves, the best I managed to grow. It was here where I counted to take my light from and since it was important, I made sure that there was no place that I couldn't reach with my hands. To be safe, I also grew a bunch of vines there and then and hid them among the leaves, as well as tipping them with wooden spikes each one palm long. If some nasty little thing managed to jump on it, it was in for a nasty surprise.

My limbs were trunks on their own: my arms were long and thick and I could reach the ground with them. They ended with thick roots that double down as fingers. When I needed it, I could roll them back into knotted wooden fists that would have busted a head like nothing.

My legs were a reinforced version of their previous model. Long and heavy, not much flexible but very sturdy and strong. My feet were built to be even sturdier and with a tougher grip than my hands.

And speaking of flexibility, the joints of my limbs and neck were my secret pride: I grew them out of thick roots that I fused and twisted together until they were only slightly less durable than rigid wood. I covered them as best as I could by extending the woods of the limbs so that the two parts almost touched, enough to narrow the exposed parts of the limbs but not enough to impede my movements. The result was that the edges of the parts forming my limbs ended flaring outward a bit.

Lastly, my head. This was the part that gave me the most headaches. I grew a thick and short neck to house it, making it all out of roots twisted together. The head itself had a roughly cylindrical shape, with two spikes as a chin and five spikes flaring up above. The eyes were two fissures and the mouth a jagged slash in the wood. The end result wasn't pretty, and it wasn't meant to be: that world deserved a war mask, not a pretty face. It was quite expressive nonetheless, with wooden eyebrows and me able to move the "muscles" as well as I'd do with a normal face.

To my extreme surprise, giving me two eyes that could see and the ability to speak wasn't difficult. It was all a matter of instinct: I just had to think about the ability that I wanted to have and they grew of their own. I fiddled with that for some time but to my disappointment, it wasn't a principle that could be applied too much. Mouth and eyes could be grown because I knew what it meant to have one and be able to speak. The structure inside was dizzyingly complicated and out of my reach to replicate piece by piece.

The mouth was a beautiful surprise. My voice was wooden and unpleasant, coming out as a mass of creaking wood. Still, being able to talk! I was overjoyed.

On the other side, the eyes were a bit of a step back. I got used to being able to see all around me, but when I grew two eyes, I realized that the 360 vision was very weak. I couldn't see very far with it, details getting muddled real quick. Having two eyes meant renouncing to it, but with them, I had a very good sight. All in all, it was a decisive improvement, so I went with it.

Another thing I had to accept was that for eyes and mouth to work, a thin filament of heartwood had to connect them to my core. The most important parts of them had to be made of heartwood as well, making them a weak point. The eyes were a nice shade of amber, but that didn't relieve me.

The detail annoyed me and I thought long and hard over it. Eventually, I grew a pair of little arms on my face. They grew out of the sides of my head and I could fold them over my mouth or beneath my chin. They weren't very strong, but I made sure to make them thick and easy to move. They'd work well as a shield if the need come.

That idea pushed me to grow a pair of shorter arms from my chest. These I could hide easily as well, folding them against my chest as just another imperfection in the wood. These I made quick and strong. If someone managed to escape my bigger arms and get close, they'd work as a big surprise.

I couldn't move all these limbs at once. Moving two pairs at the same time was enough to fill all of my focus. But I built them to be used in different circumstances so I hoped it wouldn't come at it.

I am not gonna lie, I was pretty proud of my new body. With it, I could run as fast as a horse and just as long. I could lift boulders with my arms and my grip was strong enough to crack rock. If I punched a man, I could cave his chest in. Even that bear wasn't outside of my possibilities if I had to get to grips with it.

Feeling pretty satisfied, I passed the rest of the day working out and testing my new capabilities.

Honestly, I didn't think I would be able to do more than that, be it in terms of strength, flexibility, or more. It all needed to strike that perfect balance and I felt that I found it. Still, I wasn't disappointed by any stretch. That was as good as it could go, and I was happy with it.

Time would show me otherwise.

Day 48

After finishing my body, I passed three days becoming familiar with my new home. Yes, home. Because you can be sure that I wasn't going to leave that place if I could. Water, sun, good soil and security. That glade and its surrounding area was a true paradise.

After my days of danger, the security bit was something I was particularly fond of.

Not like nobody ever came there. On the opposite, during the period I had been rooted there, I saw a multitude of animals. Some were like those I remembered from my old life: foxes, possums, badgers, even a doe with her little one. Others, instead, belonged to that strange realm I found myself into: squat, armadillo things that had wings-like shields made of razor-sharp blades; strange, colorful birds that beat little wings as fast as insects and had beaks sharp enough to punch through the ground like it was wet paper; or that were so graceful that seemed to swim through the air and had voices so beautiful that their songs managed to make you weep; animals that resembled mooses but had no horns, only furred foreheads that looked sturdy enough for them to headbutt their way through a wall. A terrible rotten smell announced the arrival of a pig-thing coated in slime that dragged itself forward with the help of three tentacles and many stubby little legs. Once, what I can only describe as a plant held aloft by a multitude of verdant stalks came to dip its roots in the water. Another, a big, bulky furred thing lumbered in the meadow, so completely loaded with its clinging children that I couldn't make out where they ended and the mother began.

Many of the animals it was the first time I saw. Some, I recognized, be it because I met them already or because I remembered them from stories from my old life.

I saw a small squirrel the same color as fresh snow walk regally into the meadow, a band of twice as big squirrels with talons topping their long tails escorting him. Once, a couple of beautiful horses with a single horn on their forehead came to drink, an air of grace and peace surrounding them.

Even the mudmen made their appearance. A trio of the long-armed and big-handed guys shuffled over the grass, before disappearing once again with clay jugs filled with water.

And of course, the horned rabbits. I saw them more often than anyone else, surely because their home was close by. When it wasn't a band of fierce-looking males out on patrol or a more relaxed group of males and females coming to take a drink, it was a gaggle of enthusiastic children playing and running in the grass, herded by a few females and surveilled by an impressive bunch of males. Sometimes, even an elder made his appearance, all corded muscles and patchy fur. When it happened, all the rabbits moved aside to let the big guy pass, or competed for his attention.

To my surprise, the horned rabbits didn't seem to mind the presence of other animals. They watched them, especially the males, and the other animals kept a wary distance, but otherwise there was no breaking the peace. Some were even allowed close, with both children and adults pleased to exchange pleasantries. The unicorns even laid down on the grass, gently playing with the children while allowing the rabbits to groom their mantle.

Still, there was no doubt in my mind that they were the ones dominant in that area. Apart from their being there often, it was that there seemed to be no predators allowed. The strange animals were all well-equipped for a fight, but none of them ever looked like a meat-eater to me. Coupled with the episode of the bear, it was clear the reason why.

Evidently, the horned rabbits wanted that to be a place of peace.

I respected that, and not only because it let those animals take their fill in peace. That water… it was special. I saw wounded animals dip their legs into it and take them out healed or mostly so. It was healing water, the kind of stuff you saw only fairy tales, and I if didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it.

That finally explained to me the strange conditions of mama when she and the babies made their way to me. She must have been wounded by something poisonous, dipped her forepaw in these waters and had the wound close. That it wasn't enough to eradicate the poison told me how terrible the thing had been.

I wondered what kind of creature could produce it.

I was surprised by how all these animals didn't even deign me of a glance. Before, i had felt like everybody was gunning for me. Now, i was just another bush and nobody seemed to care.

I made a mental note of it, promising myself I would find the answer.

That said, I was enchanted by that meadow. It was a beautiful place and you can be sure i'd make it my home.

Now, you can call me selfish, but I believe in private property. Since it belonged to anybody but animals, I would make that glade mine.

I wasn't going to build stuff like fences or whatnot. All the animals would be free to come and go as much as they wanted, and the property i would share with the horned rabbits. It was only right.

But, other people, - talking, intelligent, not animals -; toward those, I'd be calling the place mine and guard it forever.

That was how much in love I had fallen for it.

With that in mind, I decided to explore its surroundings, wanting to know what was close to my new home.

That night, I rooted myself at the edge of the meadow and drifted into my growing focus. The water spring glowed softly in the dark and both the ground and the night air were cool and comforting.

I'd purr in happiness if I could.

Day 49

Walked to the east. This is the direction where I originally came from and I took this route just long enough to ascertain the distance. I wasn't going back there if i could, you can be sure of it.

On the way, I crossed paths with one of the strange animals. I kinda panicked, fearing some danger, but i didn't need to: the animal was strange alright - some kind of mixture between boar and rodent - but in no mood to fight. We just kept a wary distance and, seeing that he was wounded, I let him continue toward the waterspring.

Day 50

Walked to the west. I was eager to see what laid in the other directions, so I started as soon as i awoke and thought about walking a fair deal.

To avoid losing my way, i scratched signs in the bark of trees.

My exploration brought me to a small hill. Strangely enough, it had a peaked top, half of it missing like a giant had cut it off with an axe, making it vaguely look like a colossal lounge chair.

Ascending a decline, I reached the small plateau replacing the rest of the top. The plateau was filled with shrubs and ended in a wall of rock. Among the vines and plants obscuring it, i could make out the entrance to a cavern.

The place intrigued me. With the wall at the back and two of the sides covered by ravines, it made for a good defensible spot.

As much as I considered the wellspring mine, I couldn't just stand there all the time, with all that coming and going of animals. I'd need a true home, and maybe that place…

I'd think about it.

Day 51

Walked to the north, just as eager as yesterday.

The forest just kept going and going. Still, i felt a subtle shift in the air. It was like the atmosphere became less foreboding the more i walked.

The trees changed as well, turning smaller, less old and… less strange, I guess.

I was asking myself what could be the reasons for that change when I spotted a family of hares hiding under a thorny bush. No strangeness, no talons, no fangs. Simple hares, the same that I remembered from my old life.

That gave me food for thought. Maybe the meadow was at the edge of two different worlds, one made of strange, armed creatures and one similar to the one i remembered?

That was interesting.

As I kept walking, the forest started to thin out. Eventually, I emerged from it and found myself staring at a landscape of soft hills and grassy plains. There and then, I could see copses of trees dotting it.

It was a pleasant sight, but I felt no wish to go out into it. Despite my misadventures, I felt naked and out of place without the forest around me.

Still, I wondered. I doubted the hares could have come from that direction, but, if what I gathered held, out there could be a milder world than the one I had seen until that moment.

Launching a wondering glance toward the hills, I retreated back into the forest.

Day 52

Walked to the south. This time, my eagerness was cut short.

I barely set out that a band of horned rabbits barred my path. Their grunts convinced me to go back. That had to be the direction for their nests and sure as heck i didn't want to get on those guys' bad side.

Not wanting to waste the day, I went back to the cut hill and started cleaning out the plateau. I found many branches to be good for weaving, so those I stacked on one side, counting on making baskets out of them.

Exploring the cavern i spotted earlier, i found a nice surprise: the place had a small opening but then widened substantially. Inside, the cavern consisted of a large space with a somewhat smooth floor and a tall, round ceiling. A few holes opened there and then into the walls. Exploring them, i was pleased to find them all blocked.

That was really a good place for a home. It'd take some work, yes, but the result would be more than worthy.

My only doubt was about the chance of some big, nasty thing coming there. Despite the place being close to the wellspring, i hadn't forgotten how i had been forced to leave my previous attempt to a house, nor how every predator seemed to have been coming for me. Even if that had apparently stopped, I still wasn't sure how and why and the uncertainty was a nasty thing to chew on.

Walking further to the west, i found something that eased my disquiet. In that direction, the air and the forest shifted to the milder, more normal atmosphere i already felt. I even met some normal animals.

Things being like that, building a house in that area could be a good idea: if the wellspring was between it and the savage wood, I'd be safe enough from its inhabitants.

I was convinced: I'd build my new house there.

Day 55

These last three days I passed working on my new house.

After cleaning up the plateau, i cleaned the cavern, taking out all the loose stones and debris that I could find and knocking down the pieces of ceiling or walls that looked loose. To help me in this, i used a big curved piece of wood as a makeshift shovel and bucket. Once that was done, I marked a large half-circle on the plateau. I meant to build a wall on it, so to keep animals out of my property, and since I still wasn't completely sure that nothing bigger than a bear could wander in, i decided to build it as big and sturdy as i could.

I started right away, chopping down trees and dragging them up the incline. In that work, I quickly found myself wishing for something better than a stone axe. Despite my strength, it was still a lot of work and the progress was slow, especially because I chose the biggest trees I could chop down with my meager tools.

I was some way in when I decided that, since that work was going to take a lot of time, i'd better work on more immediate survival tools.

Going into the forest, i found some tall trees and i cut large strips of their bark off as well as the lower layers, using stone knives I previously sharpened against other rocks. While doing so, I made sure to keep the bark together. These large strips I then lashed together with ropes made from vines or bark fiber twisted together. After lashing them, I made myself a series of clips with pieces of wood and rope and used them to reinforce the way the strips were held together.

Like that, I made myself a bunch of bags made of bark that could hold on liquids.

I filled them all with the healing water of the wellspring. Regretfully, the water couldn't heal me the same way it did with animals, but i found that if I drank it with my roots, it gave me a great quantity of light, far more than with any normal water. In a way, it was super-fuel for me.

I stored the filled bags in my cavern, counting on using them if things got ugly and i needed a burst of energy.

With that done, I started fashioning myself spears and gathering rocks as I had done in my previous house. This time, though, I decided to add some traps as well. I wasn't going to set traps willy-nilly around my house, but the decline up the plateau was still a good place for stuff like that. Using my roots, I started digging the ground. I made a series of holes, some big enough for a man to fall into it and the rest just deep enough to impede movements. All of these were then covered with reed mats i wove and then these with leaves. The result was a nice impeding field, the only way through a twisting path I made sure to memorize.

This work took a lot of my time and effort but I didn't mind. I always liked manual work, and this was for survival.

Still, when i had my time of rest, some concern invariably ended nagging me.

As a tree, i didn't have nearly as many needs as a human. I didn't need shelter, food problems were non-existent and it wasn't like I needed clothes. Winter could be a problem, but honestly, with some fire and a roof over my head, i couldn't see it much of a burden to overcome. The only trouble was security, but that was well in its way. Even if a beast ended in my house, and i doubted that I could always run to the wellspring, if not just batter it down with my strength.

And that left me with a nagging question

What was I going to do?

I am a farmer. I need stuff to fill my days. I couldn't just stand still and watch the grass grow. I needed to do things, I needed work.

I wanted a garden and i was sure that i was going to make one once i had the means and time, but was it really enough?

If it was to survive, maybe. But I didn't really need it, and that left me uncertain.

First world problem, uh? How to pass the time and not to drown in boredom.

Part of me felt a bit silly at having such doubts. The rest, well, not so much.

Thankfully, or not, i never had to face such a situation. Because, after that long period of peace, my life was about to change, as abruptly as i tell you this.

Day 56

That morning found me walking toward the wellspring. I was in high spirits: work was progressing and more importantly for me at that moment, I had my fill with the healing water, my inner light shining strong.

I had also finished a project I had in my head for some time.

Focusing all the light i could muster, i grew myself a new branch. It was a bit shorter than my own arms and less thicker. The bulk of my work went to its density. I made it as strong as I could, the strongest up to that moment, ignoring any chance for flexibility. Then, i passed the entire night working to cut it off from me. Thankfully, i made the section connecting it to my body less sturdy.

Once the branch was severed, I lashed a big rock to it, lopping vines I had grown just for that use around it until I was sure it wouldn't come away.

When the work was over, i had a weapon, a maul to smack any danger coming my way. It was a big, bulky thing and I don't think a man would have been able to move it around with one hand. But with my strength, i managed to do so just fine. I was proud of it, maybe a little too much since it was little more than a big club. Still, having a weapon in my hand was a nice sensation, the fierce kind, and i relished it.

And so, there I was, happily stomping among the trees, my new weapon lashed to my back alongside one of my wooden water jugs. My supply had run out and I counted to fill it up before getting to work.

I was nearly there when I heard what I think was the most unlikely sound of them all.

"Help! Help! Someone help me!"

I froze, and for a moment, I thought I was dreaming things. But no, the call was repeated again. Someone - a woman - was frantically calling for help.

Without thinking, I broke into a run.

As I stomped down the path, my thoughts were running. I expected everything, but not a woman wandering in the glade. Because there could be no other place the voice was coming from.

That place was as isolated as it could get. Where the heck had a human come from? She sounded like she was in a panic. Had she angered the horned rabbits?

Shoving those thoughts aside, i focused on running. There would be time for questions later!

It didn't take me much to emerge into the meadow and once i did, i stopped dead in my tracks. Honestly, I don't know what i was expecting, but it surely wasn't that!

There was a woman in the meadow. Or least, I think she was. Don't get me wrong. She looked like a woman. A beautiful woman, in fact.

She was tall and slim, her skin a delicate pearly white. A flow of hair the same color as the leaves of blooming cherry trees cascaded down her back. Clear emerald eyes looked with a mix of desperate determination and barely contained panic from a face that looked like it was carved out of marble.

A beautiful woman indeed, but I think that the similarities with normal women ended there.

She was barefoot and wore a dress made of leaves that left most of her legs bare. But what truly hit me was that she seemed to glow. There was a soft light emanating from her, one i could see both with my eyes and with my spiritual sense. It spoke to me of the pollen riding the spring wind, of blooming flowers and verdant leaves shining with dew. But now there was a note of anger in it as well, the wind rushing among the trees and branches snapping.

Because the woman was under assault.

A mob of emaciated corpses shambled into the meadow. Some still wore tattered clothes and wielded rusted weapons. Others were little more than skeletons, their jaws rattling and clicking. They all stretched their bony hands toward the woman and they would have probably already reached her if not for the barricade of thorns obstructing them.

As I watched, stunned, the woman threw her hands outward. The thorns came alive, twisting around ankles and grabbing wrists, sinking into dead flesh.

Completely unfazed, the undead just chopped and stabbed and ripped, their movements methodical and relentless. A few managed to break their bonds and lunged for the woman, others coming after by trampling over their comrades. The woman jumped back but not fast enough to avoid a bloody scratch on her arm from chipped nails.

Her scream roused me.

I dashed toward her, calling.

She turned toward me with a start, her eyes widening as she took me in.

"It was true!" She cried out, relief flooding over her expression. "It was true!" Letting go of her thorns, she ran toward me.

I was surprised by her reaction, but the undead coming for her back took me out of it. Running to her, I swung. My fist soared above her head and slammed into undead flesh. I felt the zombie ribcage cave like I was sinking my hand in rotten fruit. The undead flew back, slamming against the others behind him. They all fell in a tangle of limbs.

The woman seemed to barely notice. She threw herself at me, her little hands finding my arm.

"It's true!" She repeated, enthusiasm and relief shining in her expression. "There's a treant at the Healing Waters. The Land heals herself!

In any other moments, I would have been intrigued by what she said. With the undead in my meadow, I just barked to her what the hell she thought she was doing and to get behind me, quick!

Her expression turned to one of absolute surprise for a moment, before the shuffling and moaning of the attackers brought her back to reality.

Throwing me a half-stunned glance, she did as I told, scurrying behind me.

I had a mountain of questions, but I shoved them all back. There was a bunch of undead already in the glade, and I could see more lurch their way from the forest.

Reaching behind me, I grabbed my maul. The wood handle felt touch and strong and beneath my fingers and, as I pulled, the weapon easily slid off the satchel thrown around my shoulder.

Having a weapon in my hands gave me back some courage. Some. I had never seen things like zombies and skeletons and i'd lie if i said that the things didn't scare me the living hell out of me.

But there was no time for that. Two undead came at me, one swinging a sword like a drunk and the other reaching for me with outstretched fingers.

Their stench enveloped me, rotten dirt and dried flesh. I hesitated for a moment, gagging, but then survival instincts reasserted themselves. Keeping my maul high, I hit the sword with it, the weapon clanging against the stone and flying off. Bringing the maul back, i smashed it against the other undead's face. There was a wet crunch and the undead flew back, his head almost flying off from its neck.

Uncaring, the other skeleton reached for me. I backhanded it, sending it flying with its skull in splinter.

More came, reaching and grabbing. I smashed one down but two managed to grab me, their fingers scrabbling themselves bloody against my wood. Panicking, I kicked, sending a zombie slamming against its comrades with an indent in its chest.

But they didn't care. They just kept coming, a tangle of chipped nails and vacant eyes.

Forcing back my panic, I stepped back, crushing a skeleton to the ground as I did so. I swung two times more, each swing smashing an undead to pieces.

I was lucky that they were stupid. In their haste to reach the woman, and now me, they didn't use their numerical advantage. Instead of streaming out, they formed a thin line, getting in the way of each other.

I kept backing away, smashing those that came in reach. They were slow. If i kept moving…

I barely finished that thought that a change came over them. Like they suddenly had an inspiration, the undead behind the ones i was facing stopped trying to push forward and started to spread out. The three undead I was facing at once became five, seven, ten, a dozen.

I turned around, eyes wide. The meadow was filled with shambling bodies, a horde of grey flash and grabbing hands.

I stowed my fear.

Gotta keep moving…

Turning, I met the woman's horrified gaze.

"Get on a tree", I barked, and again when all she did was watch me, uncomprehending. Realization sparked in her eyes and she nodded.

I nodded back and turned to the horde. Breaking in a run, I dashed along the edge of the meadow.

Like it was a single being, the horde turned to follow me, many undead flailing in the attempt to catch me.

I swung as I ran, crushing those that came too close. But damn, it felt like drops in the sea. The horde wasn't looking like it'd be thinning out soon.

I kept running circles around the glade, forcing the undead to struggle to keep up with me. Unable to mass, they couldn't use their weight of number to overwhelm me and i crushed to pieces all those that managed to come too close. Again, their stupidity was my biggest help: instead of blocking my way, they massed toward where I was, getting in the way of each other.

I was just starting to hope that another change came.

Like they had read my mind, some undead stopped pushing against each other and instead threw themselves en mass in my way.

I cursed. I needed to stop jinxing myself, goddammit!

There was no time to stop. If I did, the ones close to me would have the chance to grab me.

I lifted my maul, tucked my chin and howled.

The impact against the undead felt like slamming against a barricade made of flesh. I swung my maul with everything I got, smashing bones and heads, trampling rotten flesh and still flailing limbs.

After a frenzied moment, i was through.

Just then, showing far too much intelligence, a skeleton threw itself against my legs. I sent it to pieces with my momentum, but in doing so I tripped. With a cry, I fell, slamming against the ground.

The horde was instantly on me.

Nails and chipped weapons scraped against me, skeletal fingers ran across my bark, searching for weak spots.

In a panic, i swung and kicked, but the zombies were everywhere. They piled down on me until their bodies dimmed the light and their combined weight pinned me down. Heart thundering - if i still had one - I flailed, but couldn't dislodge them.

But then, suddenly, the weight lessened.

I took the chance. With a roar that sounded like a log being broken in half, I pushed myself up with everything I had. Zombies and skeletons flew off me, with a few hanging on for dear life.

In a frenzy, i swung my maul, pulping head and smashing bones. All i could see was flailing limbs and chipped teeth. With both fury and panic to push me, i waded into it, my maul coming alive in my hands. I took too many blows to count, but i barely registered. I staggered and risked to fall, but my momentum kept me going.

Eventually, the horde ended and I was through.

Turning, I saw a corridor of devastated bodies. But the undead were still so many, and more were filling the hole I left.

My mind ran, fury and fear intermingling. They were just too many. I couldn't kill them all by myself.

I needed something to take them out all at once.

Something… something…

My attention fell upon my light. I had consumed a fair deal of it during the fight, but i still had a lot of it.

Light, yes; Light was life. And those things, skeletons and zombies and whatever, they were death.

Maybe…?

I focused, launching myself into my trance of growing. There was no contentment now, no calm eagerness to grow and become. No, now it was all panic and rage and will to survive. All of these I threw into the light. I didn't call for growing, I didn't call for healing. No, this time I called for an attack. A big, heavy maul to crush those things invading my house.

And the light answered, in the best way possible.

Suddenly, I felt like I was choking. Something had appeared inside my chest, something angry and rushing, and it pushed to escape.

Without thinking, I slammed my mouth open and blew.

It had to be the first time I did so. As a plant, I didn't need to breathe. Still, it wasn't air that came out. It was flame. White, angry flame. It billowed out of my mouth, engulfing the undead in front of me. In a moment, five zombies had turned into torches. Stumbling and flailing, they smashed against the other undead, only spreading the flames.

I stepped back, coughing smoke and sparks. I felt like I had a fire raging in my chest.

The speed with which the white flames spread stunned me. They moved from undead to undead, rushing on dead flesh like it was dry tinder. Those still not burning pushed at those on fire, with the result of having the flames engulf their hands.

The way the undead were massed, the confused flailing of those already on fire only added to the carnage. In the end, the meadow was filled with dancing figures of flames. Even as they burned, the undead didn't scream, they just moaned feebly.

I kept stepping back, horrified. Shadows danced across my frame.

Desperate, I wildly turned my head around. All that fire… it was going to burn the forest to the ground!

And yet, it didn't.

Even as the undead stumbled around, moaning and flailing weakly; even as whatever dark magic kept them moving failed and they slumped one after the other to the ground, to be consumed by the flames and turn to ashes. Even while it happened, not a single blade of grass caught fire, not a leaf, not a branch. Only the undead burned.

And they burned. They burned until there were only piles of white ash to show that they had ever been there.

As the last zombie gave out, silence fell, heavy as a shroud.

For a few moments, I remained where I was, still too stunned by what had happened.

Eventually, I moved. Slowly, because… I didn't know why myself. There was a deep silence inside of me and I couldn't keep my eyes from the ash now filling the meadow.

Walking to it, I prodded it with one foot. The ash, white and fine, remained on my roots.

I tried to shake it off, but it clung to it. Giving up, I shivered down to my heartwood. It was done. I won. But I didn't feel like a winner. There was only disquiet inside of me.

I turned my back to the ash with relief.

Looking toward the trees, I spotted a pair of wide amber eyes watching me from amongst the branches.

I huffed, steadying myself.

Time for some questions.