A Trial of Friendship

[Mewliet 451]

[Artist Unknown - Representation of the forests outside of Nevaehlen]

 

 

“Animals are such agreeable friends. They ask no questions and pass no criticisms.” -George Eliot

 

Day One

On the morning Tanila woke, she remembered her task at hand. To find a young creature who lost its parents and raise it. Teach it and befriend it as a companion. The pale woman rose from her bed and got herself dressed, the words of a particular Bruin echoing in the back of her mind.

“When I miss her, I go to the rivers to speak with her.”

 

An idea struck the young Aureon and she set out on an adventure - one that would surely change her life. For the first time in many years she would leave the walls of Nevaehlen, crossing the bridge with the aid of her walking cane and disappearing into the tree-line of the forest. She slowly followed the riverbank with her eyes and ears peeled as she made her way through the trees. Memories of her childhood played in the back of her mind, remembering the companion she had when she was younger. She wouldn’t leave the forest until she found another.

 

Tanila traveled further up the river until she spotted a small beaver’s dam that appeared to have been destroyed. Whatever family that lived there was nowhere in sight, and the predator was long gone. Crimson colored eyes searched through the forest as she stood in place, looking for any signs of remaining life. Just as she began to make her way off, she heard a faint rustling of grass followed by a low-pitched whine. The woman turned in an attempt to find the source of the noise, but at first she found nothing. Not long after she would hear the same thing, and her gaze fell to the ground to find a small beaver, young in its years, and alone with no mother in sight. It seemed to be the only survivor of the ruined dam.

 

Hours the woman would spend in the forest, aiming to gain the kit’s trust and bring him home. Lowering herself to the ground, she would sit just a few feet away from the small creature while reaching for a small chunk of fallen tree bark. Slowly her arm would reach out with the soft bark resting in the palm of her hand, the kit eyeing it curiously but making no move yet.

 

“Come on little guy, it’s alright. Whatever it was is gone now, and you must be hungry.”

 

Tanila spoke with a soft coo to the young beaver, tempting it with a little wave of the bark she held in her grasp. It offered a few curious sniffs before slowly it would inch closer to her, keeping a cautious eye on the Aureon woman. She remained as still as she could with her hand held close to the ground, allowing the beaver to feast with ease. Finally the kit came to a stop just before her, reaching tiny hands out to grasp onto the small chunk of fallen bark to munch on. With small yet large teeth the young bit small chunks of the wood off to feast on. Meanwhile a hand reaches out, seeking to gently stroke the top of its head. It ducked down a few times but slowly warmed up to the woman who fed him. Slowly she gained his trust enough to take him home with her.

 

A month later…

The young beaver had grown quite a bit and entrusted Tanila fully. She fed him every day and even made him a little wooden structure beside one of the ponds within the village where he could learn to be independent. Soon enough he began to seek for his own food and fend for himself, even adjusting the small structure to his liking. Once Tanila felt as if she completed the task she set out to do, she would search for her guide.