The song goes on

[DragonofTaters 920]

Deep in the forests, little stirred. Crickets chirped as night birds warbled. The cry of an owl echoed in a haunting way. Fireflies lazily danced about; their light blinking from view, reappearing nearby. 

Little stirred, save the creatures of the night. Scavengers skulking through the dark, foraging for any tidbits or morsels they might find. Rodents skittering through fallen leaves and undergrowth. Serpents' tongues flickered elsewhere, trying to catch the scent of prey. Predators stalked in silence, eyes created for nighttime peering into the dark.

Something rushed past. Darting from one tree to the next. Moonlight caught its form as it filtered through the canopy. Silver illuminating the crouched body of a scrawny raccoon. That creature wove its way forward. Scrambling along dry trunks, flying from one swaying branch to the next. Over rocks, up cliffsides, it climbed. Deep into the forest, 'til it came to a place buried at the center. A temple, kept secret upon a plateau within the pines.
~*~
Shadows gave way to moonlight in the area directly around the temple. The creature stepped into one, yet did not emerge on the other side. Rather, a mask fell away. Form morphing, and it was an armored elf that stepped forth to be bathed with moonlight. Wings and horns caught it, casting a shadow as she paced to the abandoned temple's entrance. Bits of seaglass, beads, and bones clinked quietly as she shifted from darkness to light, then delved into the pitch black building. 

Having helped build this, the figure followed familiar patterns of boards. Going to where she knew doors could be found, hidden with clever construction. A press here, a twist there, and something beneath her opened.
~*~
Stone collapsed across a tunnel. Tireless hands reached for the first. Roots from trees far overhead were called. Together, forest and druid worked in tandem. Hours passed, and rocks moved. Just enough to open a space for a small being to pass through. Once more that grey form took over. Slipping through the crevice made, seeking the rooms beyond...
~*~
When golden rays bathed the forest, turning inky darkness to soft greens, stillness had returned to the temple. The tunnel blocked again. Doors returned to their places. The only sign of any having been present were scuffs in the dirt, from boots and paws alike. Earth disturbed in the walls from roots moving just beneath their surface.

Another creature went off. Tracking a long faded scent from a wandering Oyashi. Given a direction and a song, the animal would go. Not seeking true rest 'til its task was complete.
~*~
Off in the lands of the Oyashiman, in their ancestral home, a swift swooped down between trees. Within small talons was clutched a delicate basket woven of willow. Settled inside, four items. Each humming with a particular song. Unique, yet alive, despite the length of time spent far separated from the earth.

This basket would be set down before she who was called The Pink Witch, Symphony, The Geisha Ehiba. Having followed her trail and found the woman's song, its burden would be relinquished.

Within the basket, four items of nature: a seed, a crystal, a leaf, and a blossom. Each bearing a blessing of nature, keeping them alive. A second, to preserve a song from another's soul...

The seed, that of a sakura. Singing a familiar song, whispering of times from long past....
The crystal, pale blue, reflecting Faerie Fire from a domain seen only across the veil...
The blossom, a magnolia, blessed to retain its life. Preserving the voice of one soul known intimately to the druid. Calm and reassuring, steady in its certainty...
The leaf, a brilliant gold, kept perfectly at the moment just before it would fall. Within, a steady beat of warmth and assurance. The comfort of a fire that wouldn't fade in a hearth...

 

Spoiler

OOC: Funny little shenanigans my druid decided to get up to, given everything happening. Something done in the quiet of the night, kept between her, @craneiaand @lemonke's druids. 

 

[lemonke 6014]

Spoiler

 

 

The aged druid hid within the refugee shelter of Oyasha, far in the northern reaches where few could easily find her. She tended the plants there, using their quiet company to reflect on all that had happened in recent times. Born under an eclipse, she had been told she was destined for destruction, for evil, and for a long while she had believed she had proven that fate wrong. But now, with everything unfolding around her, a heavy weight pressed on her shoulders. The haven of her ancestors was destroyed, her people scattered and lost, all because of her, or so she believed. Because of the evil she supposedly attracted. Kurai-kuni, the Empire, Ichika and her lies… they all cut deeply, and she felt at fault to an agonizing extent. Was this supposed to be her ending?

". . ."

She looked over at the fox and the squirrel returning to her, the two of them bickering as usual, dragging something between them. The geisha had been thinking of them too. These two creatures were sent by her druid mentors, the same mentors who had done nothing to protect her grove, one of whom had even signed the missive that led to its devastation. Her teeth clenched, and the roots of the surrounding plants trembled beneath the soil.

"Injustice. Utter injustice…" she growled. "I'm sorry, Joy Wonder… ancestor of mine. Father… Mother… I…"

Her lament halted when she noticed something glowing between the paws of the two creatures, a basket. And behind them, she caught a glimpse of a silhouette. A man, clothed in ruined garments, blue eyes fixed on her. He lifted one finger to his lips, quietly signaling her.

“Doubt. It is part of us… but when we hand it over even to our comrades, to those who love us, then it becomes Obsession.”

She remained silent, listening to the angelic voice of the figure who followed behind the two animals. His voice carried many undertones, familiar ones, echoing beneath his own.

 

“You must believe in the future of those who have given you their trust. Who loves you, who cherishes you. To find liberation is to bestow joy unto others. To believe in a happier path.”

 

He knelt beside the fox and squirrel as they released the object, letting it roll forward and revealing a particular object. His hand extended, as though offering Ehiba the right to take it. “The world is vile. You will be betrayed, again and again, and yet you must continue onward. For many still need your hope… your belief. Become their beacon joy, and never give up.”

Her trembling hands reached toward the glowing item(s). A sapling of many songs and more. She gathered it into her palms, and in doing so, it felt as though she were accepting the touch of that ethereal figure with the blue eyes. She clutched it close to her beating heart. Fear, anger, doubt, they all surged within her… yet something else rose to meet them.

More hands appeared. One belonging to Magnolia. Another to Aspen. Distant yet close. She could feel them, her mentors, resting their hands upon her shoulders, offering comfort she long thought lost, and afterwards, more followed suit. Many hands: From Miyu, Kanba, Laymech, Fish warrior, and many more, as if her friends and ancestors had given her the strength to rise. They were supporting her to stand on her feet and remove the heavy burden on her shoulders.

 

Her eyes widened as realization washed over her. She understood what this gift truly was: a blessing, a sign of hope. A reminder that not all was lost. It was the sapling of the ancient tree under her grove.

 

Her lips parted, tears slipping down her cheeks as she raised her voice for all to hear. A simple declaration… yet one filled with an undying resolve blessed by the people she had met throughout her life:

 

“THE ROKUDŌ HAVEN STILL LIVES!”

[!]

And yet, only time would tell, upon her return, whether she could find and give forgiveness, whether she could truly rise against her foes and rebuild what had been destroyed. But for now, her path ahead felt bright, her future glimmering with the possibility that something could be regrown anew.

Spoiler