"Ivy-Mother, we are approaching an open area with multiple paths, shall we stay still until we can look the area over or keep moving?" a thorn told me while I ran a finger along the rim of the glass I was drinking from. Picking it up and taking one final sip of its delicious contents before I rose up and straightened out my dress. Placing a hand on my hip while the other one waved her off as I wasn't in the mood to be dealing with the rigidity of a thorn right now.

"No, have us settle down for now." I tell them as I walked off and looked down into a finely crafted case meant to hold something yet didn't. My tail whipping about in anger as I caressed the empty air. A seed was meant to be here. But, the foolishness of the Gilded-Bark's dearly beloved lost us that seed when she decided to take it on a little trip.

This trip, of course, went the way of the chick who fell from the tree...

A predator came along and took her, normally one might think that them being killed would've been more applicable. To my frustrations, however, she was taken instead and now we were on a pest hunt. While I could in no real capacity derail the Gilded-Bark from their chosen path for our most delicate flower... I could convince him that this was an endeavour that led to barren soil and have him bring us around so we could go back to what was our old destination.

Yet, as the Ivy-Mother of this flower, I had the job and role of keeping it together and keep it firm. And being seen arguing with the Gilded-Bark would wilt us brown. So with a sigh, I closed the case once I was done glaring at it. Moving my hands about in accordance with my rate of breathing and soothing myself out before I left.

Soon moving on so I could present myself before the Gilded-Bark so I could try once more to convince him on giving up on this hunt. The click and clack of metal against the finely polished gemstone-studded marble filling my ears as I left my bulb. Using an arm to move aside the rose-red fabric and stepping out into the darkness our ingenuity suppressed. Yet, then I heard words being uttered...

So, as such, a predatory expression formed within my eyes. All to make sure everyone was speaking in their natural state rather than through the ugliness of words. We were aelenvari! We had our true-voices to speak with!

And, while I was probably the biggest pusher for us heading to the grand mountain home of the wind-people. For the sake of going about our business and to see if any of the settled aelenvari had anything of note they might want to divulge to us, of course. I was no fan of the lip-speaking that they passed on to us out of necessity. Our true-voices were more than capable of passing on information yet we had to taint our lips with the ugliness of sound.

Turning my nose up at such thoughts as I headed towards the largest and most open of bulbs in this part of our flower.

Approaching the structure and taking what was but one more moment of me basking in the glory of its quality. A plethora of varying woods crossing over each other while still maintaining the visual quality one might've expected from only the finest of our females. Not a single flaw to be seen and not one obnoxious sight to be found along with the amber statuettes that were integrated into the woodwork. A true sign of the wealth and power of my flower, if the home of the petals did not prove it enough already.

For how many could claim to have such perfectly pure drops of the Plant God's blood? Very little I could tell someone that much. Of course, this was assuming that they too were perfect enough to speak to me. The only exception is if they were a thorn, who only got such leeway as it was their job to ward off what made way through the roots.

Shivering slightly at the mere quiet mention of the roots, even if it was from my own mind. But, luckily for me, I was close to the magic-rich pyre that dominated the centre of the Gilded-Bark's residence. So I simply bathed in its heat and cleansed my thoughts of such filth and refilled it with that of one of the most beautiful sights one could think of. That being the future I desired with the one in front of me.

Stepping around the pyre and then laying down on the arm of the Gilded-Bark who was silently gazing into the pyre. In their hand, much to my bitter resentment,the flower that his beloved was birthed from, the golden dandelion. It was a common birthing-type, yet, despite that, he held an affinity for it. As many of our finer petals that attended to him had such a wide variety of golds and other yellow-ish tones in their hair...

But, the one he held at the moment within his hard and armoured hand was not in honour of them at all. No, it wasn't even for his favourite colour of hair that he liked his females to have. Nor was it for those he had put a seed into. It was not for them either...

It was the equivalent of a child hugging a painting of their mother, for he could not let his mind off of that one member of his harem. The one he had learned to love because he loved them and not because his position presented him with the capacity to make love where he pleased. And in my envy, I pressed my barely clothed breasts against him tighter and hungrily devour down whatever sensation I felt from his coarse skin. My desire for the Gilded-Bark, our leader, our strongest male...

However, it would once again just go unnoticed... Just like how it was when I was younger and that thief snatched him from me! Just like she was snatched away by those parasites we call osibindah! Disgusting creatures that needed to be wiped out...

And yet, I did find it funny that I would damn those bugs with hopes of their eventual genocide. They had presented me with the opportunity to finally secure a place... No, -the- place by my desired lover's side. So, despite their parasitical and contemptible nature, they'd be useful for now.

And all I had to do now, and all I could do for now, that is. Was to just be there for the grieving Gilded-Bark and let my presence sink in so that, I, the finest of our women born under the rose could stake my claim to him. Alas, I first needed to turn his attention from the tracks he followed so passionately. Such a loveable man driven awry by someone who didn't deserve his affection.

"Ivy-Mother, why do the gods forsake me as if I was one of my ancestor's during the time of the Pestilence?" he asked me through his mouth, body unmoving and mind stuck on a question I had answered many-a-time before. But, it was for him, and I would endure that question for as long as was needed! So I readjusted my position and carefully wedged his head into the gap of my dress that led to one of my great bounties. Letting him listen to my heartbeat while I made sure to avoid the sharp points covering his malformed body.

I disdained speaking with words, I really did, but I would never put my own standards before a man who still bore the scars of a long-ago conflict, "They have not forsaken you, m- our most precious Gilded-Bark. We have beseeched them over you plight many times and I can ensure you that they will answer you. So maintain your strength, and they will grant you a reward you desire." I lied as I hugged him tighter. It hurt to do so, but to feel such pain from one as exalted as him was a pain I would deal with.

"I don't seek a reward... I want Dandel'lhia to be in my arms once more with our seed that we would have planted together..." the wetness of his tears soaking my skin. Gently rubbing a hand through his hair in an effort to calm him while my tail moved about the defined lines in his skin so that its soft furs would distract him.

If only this moment wasn't to do with her...

"Ivy-Mother! Ivy-Mother!" said an approaching thorn urgently as she ran into the Gilded-Bark's bulb uninvited. I understood that it was an open building but that didn't mean one could just come in without the say-so of the Gilded-Bark himself!

"What!?" I subtly spat out as to not draw the ire of the Gilded-Bark while I dealt with this intrusion by an individual who was most likely only a mere stem... A stem!

"A strong magical source has been detected ahead of us!" she informed us as she refined herself when the Gilded-Bark suddenly got up and approached the thorn. Causing her to back up from the sheer presence he commanded and what must've been the envy of a potential thief. Quickly inspecting my chest after he left my grip so quickly and making sure that the damage was not too noticeable. Using the greater power of the pyre to heal myself up before I joined his side once more. This time, however, I wasn't able to feel his touch, much to my anger.

"What sort!? Did you find the shaman who took my Dandel'lhia!? Did you!?" his voice hopeful with tempered fury while his actions were jittery and nervous.

"I... I am sorry to disappoint you, most sacred of Gilded-Bark's but it is no-"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE!?" the disappointment in his anger evident, slipping into his grip while he moved back towards his throne before the terrified thorn opened her mouth again.

"One of our wild-seers sensed something in their possession! A seed that has the signs of a son within, most sacred of Gilded-Bark's." wait... WHAT!? This shouldn't have been possible... The parasites got the only seed he ever sired with such charateristics!

"Who... Who has it...?" his expression returning to one of hope, but he did not perk up yet less this be some kind of ploy or trick.

"A group of humans it would appear, with one oxfuine as well."

"Why would humans supposedly have the seed of our Gilded-Bark?" I ask in confusion as no human worth the blood that filled them would've had any reason to be near the home of the parasites...

"We don't know yet, for we have only just sensed them... But we believe it may be linked to the one leading the group! Their power is very clearly of finer, trained stock!" the thorn explained to the Gilded-Bark as he sat down once again. Crossing my arms and waving my tail about aggressively for every second the thorn was here souring my mood.

"Then why are you still here!? Go get them!" I ordered the thorn as I shoved her on her way out. Straightening myself out once that intolerable excuse for a thorn had left our presence. Frowning once my eyes fell upon the Gilded-Bark... Their mutterings greatly irritating me as all I could pick up from that was his love for a lesser petal!

If only I could work up the courage to have him shut up about her!

I was frustrated now... How could have the gods been so cruel as to present the possibility that pitiful petal could be back in the arms of the Gilded-Bark!? No... I could not let that happen... I mustn't let it happen...

"I'm afraid I will need to leave now, Gilded-Bark so that I may inspect this... Seed... And ensure that the ones responsible for finding it were not suffering from some form of distraction or delirium of somehow getting into your good graces." I told him as I left, briefly looking over my shoulder to see if he was watching me walk away. Only to swear under my breath when it turned out his gaze was nowhere near me.

Ignoring the many other bulbs I passed by while my mind was choked on by my resentment for the situation. Gesturing for a few of the more beautiful thorns to follow me and guard me while I went about my business beyond the area reserved for the petals of our flower. Some of my fellow petals had tried to propose that the stems and roots weren't completely disregardable. I found that to be complete nonsense for if I was to regard them to any degree then they wouldn't of been stems and roots.

Thorns, forever in my side, at least had a role that could invoke my attention. The other castes, however? They were some of the biggest wastes of time I had ever had the displeasure of dealing with.

So I could only hope that the human who alerted the wild-seers was one worth actually talking to, regardless if they were male or not. If they were of the other gender I could only hope that they looked the role of a petal rather than something lesser. I would immensely hate having to tend to the needs of someone who looked no better than a stem having such an imposing aura.

Placing both of my hands over my abdomen as the rich and vibrant grounds of the petal district made way for the notably more mundane stem territories. Keeping my face stoic as the ones who were still awake at this time commented on my passing and how important this must've been. Putting on false smiles whenever I did end up in a situation of having to deal with the stems during my trip down to the blandest parts of our flower. Parts that were, unfortunately, a necessity to the functionality of the flower as a whole.

One needed to have them to have order. One grouping that those who failed to meet the standards of the petals could vent their frustrations on to. As such, I could only pity such individuals. But, I suppose they didn't have it too bad as some males just simply didn't meet our standards either so they could at least have the potential so sire young...

With the roots being the complete opposite! No opportunities existed for them to breed less they cut themselves off from us and tried to taint their wombs with the pollen of another species. A noble intent in that they wished to see more males within our flower, across all flower's but the end did not justify the path taken. Nor did it any less pitiable that they did it so they did not have to see their daughters grow up without ever feeling the touch of one of their own male kin.

It didn't help that their lesser minds couldn't grasp the fact that only petals had any real chance of producing the seed of a male. The Gilded-Bark's pollen being the one with the best chance of them, our males. And, well, it was almost insulting. What, did they think that their situation was entirely predicated on them not meeting our standards?

Of course not, it was the result of combing the younger generations for those more likely to birth males. A process that has worked so far, even if the results of negligible. Such a process would not be quick, so that was to be expected, but I was a greedy one, I loathed the prospect of having to share a male. So I could only try and seek the means in which to achieve it.

A quiet sigh leaving me as we entered the brown monstrosity that was the home of the roots. And, unlike with the stems, I did not even bothering to smile at their covered-up bodies as they glanced at me from the shame of their enclosed homes. Their lives confined to staying hidden from the eyes of their superiors once they reached maturity, it was only a surprise that many did not spend their days dreaming about their younger selves. How they could've put themselves into a position where a male could be interested in them, that sort of thing.

But, no, many just accepted their life as a root or ran off to locales where the males of other species were abundant.

Shivering slightly at that prospect, there was the possibility that the males of this group if there were any, would fall into the trap of giving the roots the time of day. A concerning experience whenever rumours of marriage reached my ears. For the roots cared not for the love their new husbands gave them. We made sure of that when we raised them the way we did.

And well, I hated the idea of a loveless marriage... Something our affection deprived roots were very good at starting with humans. Even if it was a shared lack of love as they entertained themselves with the unused body of a root... It was still inexcusable.

"The lot of you stay back!" one of the thorns ahead of us declared to the roots who were gathering around. Unfortunately, it was not avoidable, curiosity was almost as infectious as power was on the mind. And so, it was with a regrettable acceptance that I did not order thorns to have them disperse. They'd be back regardless if I forced them away so I might as well have let them stayed and ruin what might've been a very joyful day for the Gilded-Bark.

"And where are these humans?" I asked impatiently to the thorn as the sound of their bulky leg sleeves clanging together rang in my ears.

"They're still on the approach, Ivy-Mother, would you prefer w-"

"Bring me to them, I do not wish to be here longer than I have to as I have more urgent matters to attend to." my dismissive tone doing much to motivate the thorns as my escort greatly bulked up in size. Carefully choosing my steps as we went through the foliage. All for the sake of not slipping into holes made by any thorns or roots who had already walked this path made of already soft earth. Also, well...

I was no ancestor of mine who had just left their garden-mount. Some level of refinement and cleanliness was expected of me! And I just refused to wear a leg-sleeve that bulked out towards the end! I was proud of the way my legs had formed, naturally, and I was hesitant to needlessly dirty them.

Of course, my dress, on the other hand, could be cleaned or made anew should it get savaged by the earth before me. It wasn't as important as my body itself, it was only there to make me more enticing to whomever I wished to consummate with. As obviously loose clothing held on by little to no straps was much more enticing to an interested male. Rather than, well, the bulky leather that roots wore or the disappointing modesty of the stems.

Some males seemed to like modesty, but that was their loss. Finer gifts awaited them in the bulbs of petals yet they were fine to go after a stem if it suited them. But, the thorns would firmly make sure that none left the stem areas should they have gotten even more curious. Couldn't have roots being brought further up the flower than they needed to be now, could we?

That did not matter for now, though, so I came to a standstill once we left the shadows of the soon-to-be felled trees. Our eyes being presented with the shadowy outline of a waterfall whose water was gently lit up by whatever moon was out this night. Looking about the open area nestled in this junction of the stone giants to our left and right and then turning to the wide slope that led up to a higher path. And while I was no wild-seer, I have had some training in magic use by virtue of me being the Ivy-Mother of our flower.

And I had to say, I was impressed by what I saw.

The individual that alerted us was powerful. Be they as powerful as they seemed or more deceptive would remain to be seen, but such quality could not be ignored. If only they were of the same kin as me or any other petal, then they might've caused me to give up on the Gilded-Bark. But, no, they were human so my affection for the Gilded-Bark had little to fear.

For now.

Once again walking when I had finished discerning the direction the humans were. Gesturing my escort forward so they could intercept them should they have tried and snuck past our flower. Then again, if they were trying to sneak then why be so obnoxious with your external magic? Only reason that made sense to me personally was that they specifically wanted to be found.

But why would they want that...? Unless they planned on trying to barter what might've been the only seed of the Gilded-Bark that would hold a son. If that were the case and this was solely my decision I would've ordered them dead and taken the seed so it could be returned to its special display above the other lesser seeds.

Yet, as of this moment, I could only wait, so I did. I waited and waited until the light from the bulbs of the thorns became clear once more and their pure voices were heard. Now was the time to see if this was worth the effort on my part.

"Explain." I ordered the closest thorn as they came to a stop in front of me with the group. A subtle sneer forming on my face when I saw how filthy and disgusting they were, and the smell... By the gods the smell... A smell that reeked of smoke, death and parasites...

"They want to see the Gilded-Bark."

"No... We will find out why they're here first... And why they have a seed!" the bulbs on my head flaring as a finger pointed towards the seed that was within the clutches of what appeared to be the strongest amongst this group of five. My eyes cautiously following the man who was dressed up like a root while their grim and sullen expression just disturbed me with how it mixed with their energetic actions. Ignoring the oxfuine that he let off his back before they stepped forth with an extended hand.

The thorns were quick to reach for their weapons when emerald light formed on their palm and while they did not attack they did not put away their chains or staves when this man stopped moving forward.

"We would like to speak to whoever is in charge of your caravan." asked a distinctly female voice from the light in this individual's hand. Raising a brow at this revelation before dismissing my surprise when it became clear to me that this 'man' was, in fact, a woman. Admittedly one had to understand, they wore clothes that weren't hugging their figure in the slightest, and their all-around build was greater than that of even a thorn!

Such a strange species humans were...

But that wasn't relevant for now, so I responded by lighting up my bulbs seen as they were accomodating me rather than I them, "And under what pretence should I allow you?"

"Jus' show her the rock, Valkinvar!" the eldest amongst them said with words that were as dirty as his face as he carelessly handed the seed to the now identified individual. Stepping back slightly in awe and shock when I heard that word. It would certainly explain the sheer scope of this woman's power but why was a servant of the War God all the way out here...? So far away from their most sacred of homes?

"I... I would like to ask for a favour..." she asked as her other palm carefully held on to the seed.

"And what favour do you wish to ask for?" eyeing the seed carefully as to check its markings, of course, it was so dirty at the moment that it was hard to tell.

"I just need help..." a Valkinvar comes to our flower for help? How odd, then again, her current attire already made this situation odd. Why was a maiden of Waionr dressed as some lowly root while expressing themselves like a thief on their way to the rope?

"I see... And you wish to use this seed as a means to pay?" reaching for and taking the seed and walking towards the water on my own and then carefully cleaning it and running my hands along its shell. An angered expression going on my face while it was hidden from everyone by the dark and distance. This was the Gilded-Bark's son-bearing seed alright... But why did they have it?

Did Dandel'lhia lose it when she was poached? Or, was the parasite not responsible...?

No, they smelled of them or at the very least were stained with their stench so they must've at the very least been in or around the hive of this particular group of parasites...

My hands were tied if this were the case, I could not in good faith as the Ivy-Mother turn away a fellow servant of the gods. And yet my own selfish reasons made me want to turn them away and ensure that they never gave the Gilded-Bark a whiff of the trail his hopefully dead beloved could have been found on! Despite those thoughts, I returned to the group with the now clean seed of my precious Gilded-Bark. Touching the hand of the Valkinvar for but a second so they knew to follow me.

However, I gestured at the rest of the group to stay still and await further action.

This lead to a lot of grumbling from them as I took the Valkinvar with me to the Gilded-Bark for further elaboration on this favour. Returning the seed to her as a sign of some trust during our trip back to the finest tip in our flower. Soon reaching it after having thorns we encountered along the way force the roots away or guide the stems. Smiling once we found ourselves standing before the Gilded-Bark who had already risen from his throne by the time we got there.

His eyes wide and hands shaking once he saw the seed, "I-Is that...?" nodding at him with a smile as he delicately snatched the seed from the Valkinvar and hugged it tightly while barely controlling himself. It was a sight I enjoyed, to see him happy and joyful, even if it was because of another petal's work. His behaviour soon mellowing out into one more befitting for the ruler of our flower as he turned to the Valkinvar who was not at all dressed properly...

"Do I have you to thank for this?" he asked the Valkinvar with his intent most likely being that he wanted to make sure his thanks went to the right individual.

"No... The person you have to thank isn't here..."

"They died in retrieving this?"

"We... I don't know... We were trapped within the grounds of the osibindah before we escaped with the seed but he never made it out..."

The Gilded-Bark's expression hardened at those while I worried on the inside, "Osibindah hive you say?" the Valkinvar nodded in response to this question, "Which way is this hive?" he asked as his own personal magic flared up, while the Valkinvar probably couldn't appreciate such power given her own I found myself barely able to keep a straight face... It was just so imposing and enticing.

I had a certain composure to keep, however, so I just coughed into my hand to get the Gilded-Bark to calm down, "I do believe she wished to call in a favour." I tell him with my words as he stood beside his throne while glancing down at the seed which currently occupied its soft cushions.

"I will answer no favour for you."

The Valkinvar seemed to emotionally die when she heard that as if she blamed herself entirely for this individual not making it out. And I was willing to guess that her 'favour' involved this individual.

"I will instead honour the one who saved my unborn child... My son! Again, I ask that you now tell me where the hive is." he demanded as he stepped towards the Valkinvar while his hands twitched eagerly for his personal weapon that rested along the spine of his throne.

"Take a right when you come before the waterfall-fed lake and somewhere between an orbit or two's walk depending on your pace." she answered quickly as her voice showed signs of rejuvenation.

"Ivy-Mother, when we are done here. You will assemble our best thorns... Be they wild-seers, barbs or meadow-maidens... Assemble them all in the described area and have them prepare for an assault on this hive!"

"Of course, Gilded-Bark, anything else I should do while we settle down in this area before leaving?"

"Yes, have her clean herself, I will have no bug stench within my home!"

"And what of her compatriots?"

"The same, have them be the first users of whatever the workers do with the lake. Give the meadow-maidens the rest and relief they need before we march to meet these bugs in three days time."

"Three orbits." I then translated to the Valkinvar just in case as her use of the word 'orbit' made it clear she recited a different calendar.

The Valkinvar didn't seem to like this, "Three orbits! We can't wait that long!"

"If you wish to go on ahead then do so but such a sudden purge of the parasites will only indebt you to me rather than I to you! Now go, clean yourself, Aahtha knows you need it." the Valkinvar could only nod as she began to leave alongside I, "Ivy-Mother, set aside a small portion of the lake to be heated and tended to by your fellow roses, our potential dead will either bathe themselves under the moon's embrace or be found by Undwote!" was the last thing he spoke before attending to his seed, his hands clutching it as tightly as they reasonably could as we left his tent.

"Go join your accomplices, you can either wait for the roots to do their jobs or work with what is available before they are done. Either way feel free to make yourself at home in any spare bulbs in the upper end of our stem." I told the Valkinvar as I returned to my own bulb so I could think on how to about this. It was clear that if the seed was returned dirtied but unharmed that there would then be the distinct possibility of Dandel'lhia also being alive... Though, if luck would have it then the bugs would've had their way with their favourite kind of female to mutilate into their queen.

But... I would have to wait and see... It made me furious that I had to deal with such a possibility...

I would be ready for Dandel'lhia's potential return... And the Gilded-Bark would be mine... It would be our seed to be planted in the sacred groves... All I needed now was the scapegoat in which I could use to ensure both were gone.

Both Dandel'lhia and her seed!