Inherently Innocent

Why Do We Walk Into The Forest

Juniper kicked the roots that had her restrained. Maybe Dera had helped her somehow, but she managed to get out easily.

She hurried to Thyme, the closest nymph next to her, and tore apart his wooden chains. The boy immediately reached for his own wrists, feeling the soreness the wood had left them with. Then Juno moved to the next one, Xochitl, but by that time the mountain ishine had noticed.

The earth started shaking, dust started falling. Juniper already knew what would happen.

Thyme kneeled on the earth and placed his hands on it, immediately willing the earth to stop shaking. The ground heard, but the ishine's will was stronger.

Roots shot up from the ground like spears, targeting the legs and arms of nymphs. Liliac was still bound, but free enough to move her body. She shouted when wood pierced through her pants. The extra sizes on them helped her avoid being stabbed, but she lost the cloth that covered her calf. Another nymph screamed, not having been quite as lucky.
Xochitl placed her hands on the ground and made something revolutionary. Juniper saw how a branch shot up, but immediately stopped at the height of the girl. It had its relief carefully constructed to create a sharp end and a round body. She had made a spear. In a swift movement, she plucked it from the earth and charged. She pierced an ishine's shoulder, carrying their body back as she kept running. But by then she was too close.

"Xochitl!" Aloe cried out for several reaons in unison, but they had to stay beside Peony.

The earth started shaking, breaking. Who knew where the ishine would send Xochitl if the earth managed to tear?

Juniper had to be quick.

"I am not like my forefathers!" She shouted the words she remembered from her grandmother's speech. "It was not our fault that the Earth had died. But we're here! We deserve to live as much as any of the blades of grass you helped bring back." Juniper protested. "Humans and ishine deserve to live together in peace. I was born free of guilt and I will die with the clean consciousness that I've done what's best for this planet."

Where there are humans there is no nature. The mantra looped in Juno's head. Even if she was certain the words were pushed in by the surrounded ishine, it sounded exactly like the voice that told her every night about her house by the sea. About her shared bed with Aloe. She had to convince herself those weren't her own thoughts.

Juniper reached down to pick up a broken piece of wood.

"Humans are as much a part of nature as any living thing on this planet. This planet nurtured us and gave us life and death. We just took what it offered like the ant digs its tunnels and the bee builds its hives. Just like you preach you protect nature, we live in it like we've always done, like you've always done. We did not lose nature when we made an atomic bomb. We did not lose nature when we made steel. We did not lose nature when we harnesed fire. We are nature! Where there are humans, there is nature! And nature, along with humanity, will forever, inherently, be innocent." Juniper held the piece of wood between two hands, holding it forward like a certain statue held a bronze seed.

Juniper heard Thyme take a deep breath.

The roots that surrounded the rest of Horizon Hill retreated. Golshan stumbled forward, Peony stayed on her knees while slightly wounded at the extremities, Liliac fell on the ground. Aloe opened their eyes and moved to meet Juniper's. Their eyes were turned down at the sides, raised with pity.

An unknown voice spoke.

"Rocio Marull?" A mountain ishine walked forth from the group. Every ishine turned to look at the speaking mountain ishine with surprise.