Jeshara

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

When I woke up, the first thing I remember was being cold. I mean really cold, like hypothermia cold. I was sore from sleeping in the aspen tree. Wait, why was I sleeping in an aspen tree? Oh... it all came back to me at once. The men in the woods, Mother Oak falling, their screams.

My head throbbed. I opened my eyes, it was night, no wonder I was so cold. I looked down on the clearing. Somehow it looked lighter than usual. I looked to where Mother Oak had once been. A three quarter moon was shining down on me in her stead. I began to shiver uncontrollably. I couldn't look down, I couldn't see the stump. I had to. Someone had to send Ayo back to the earth. Besides, I thought, you have to move or you're going to freeze to death.

I stood up shaking, I hadn't regained all my strength but at least I could move now. I slowly made my way down the aspen, and thanked him for holding my weight through the night. When I reached the bottom, I turned and let out a sob. The stump reached above my knees, the circles in the wood were clean and clear. She had been perfectly healthy, she could have lived another hundred years easily. That wasn't even the worst part.

The rest of Mother Oak, all her height and splendor was lying discarded like an old stick next to the stump. She had crushed several other trees on her way down. They hadn't even taken any wood, they had just left her to rot! I shakily made my way over to the middle of her main trunk. I rested my hands on her bark.

I hoped I had enough energy to do this. I closed my eyes and mentally felt around for Ayo's presence. There it was, a faint warm glow. I held back tears and reached for the warmth. I paused, sometimes the tree would say something before they left the world forever. I waited, surely Ayo would say something. I felt her stir.

Jeshara, she whispered.

Yes i'm here.

Go- she trailed off. To where the sun rises. I felt her fading and pulled her spirit in all directions as I had been taught. I'd never actually seen what it looks like because I had to keep my eyes closed, but I imagined that it looked like bright yellow fairy dust sprinkling from the sky. With that she was gone. I flopped onto the ground.

What do I do now? I wondered. Ayo had said, go to where the sun rises, but why would she want me to go east? Naiomi was gone, she had to find a new host and fast, in fact she had probably found one by now. Wait, Ayo said east, maybe that's the direction Naiomi had gone! What if it wasn't? What if Ayo was mistaken and I was left wandering for ages? Stop with the what ifs! I stood and looked up. There shining brightly where it belongs was the north star. I pointed myself east. With one last look around the clearing, I left the first place I had felt wanted, my first home.

The cold trek through the woods cleared my mind. I had to find Naiomi, I was nothing without her. The late dawn broke, bringing snow flurries with it. So much for warming up. The sun made its way across the sky. My progress was slow because I couldn't go through the trees. Still, by mid-afternoon I had made it to the tree line. The tree line?

I peaked out and saw a sprawling lawn up a hill and a red bricked mansion at the top. I remembered this place! This was where the little girl from last summer had lived. What did she call it... maybe... Calvern manor? Something like that. I wondered if I would have to cross the property to get to Naiomi or if I had already past her. I shook my head, I would have known if i'd past her. Just out of curiosity, I opened my mind and felt for her presence, I was more than a little surprised when I felt it. She was close, maybe close enough for me to talk to her.

Naiomi? I asked, Are you there?

Shara?

Yes it's me. Where are you?

I am not sure myself child. Oh, right she was probably still getting used to her new host.

Here child. She said. Do you feel that? I felt a gentle tug in my mind.

Yes, I told her.

Follow it, and you shall find me.

Alright, I said and broke of connection. The tug was still there. The only problem was, it was pulling me into the open field.

This is some rich persons property, I thought. I don't want to know what will happen if i'm caught on it. I thought about it for a moment, what to do, what to do. Hmm, is this considered a dire emergency? I think it's pretty close. I smiled, first the hair. I shortened it to a inch below shoulder length, and changed in from soil brown to more of a mouse brown, the same dull color it used to be. Oh, I don't think I've mentioned that yet. The way I look as a forest spirit in training; dark brown hair, tan skin, green eyes, and sturdy but elegant build, is not what I alway looked like.

I used to have lighter brown hair, fair skin, hazel eyes, and more of a fragile build. I decided to make myself look a little like Jessica did but with a sturdier build, tanner skin, and brown eyes. I turned my dress into a simple peasant brown, with an off-white smock. There, I looked at myself, admiring my handiwork. That's about and unscrupulous as people come.

I looked to the edges of the field. To the right there were a few widely spaced tree. They would be greater coverage than none. I made my way toward the trees, white pine to be more specific. Beyond those trees I could now see a small lake, as I neared the lake I could see a sprawling garden. Well, I couldn't see all of it, it was far too big. While it looked a little desolate at the moment, I was sure, come spring, it would be quite a sight. Speaking of sights, I turned to get another look at the manor and down dropped the jaw.

It was amazing, i'm not the kind of person who is easily impressed my splendor, but I had to admit, this guy had good taste. To one side of the mansion was a giant oak, probably younger than Mother Oak but not by much. I compared the two trees. The main difference was the way they had grown. Ayo had been tall, to reach the sun in a crowded forest. This tree had nothing anywhere near it and had spread wide. I felt another tug, this one toward the oak I had been looking at. No, no, no! That couldn't be her new host! That wouldn't work, I couldn't stay here. I carefully made my way across the few yard of open lawn to the oak. I quickly climbed it so no one would see me. When I reached the main branch, I stopped, closed my eyes, and reached for Naiomi.

I am here child.

Do you know where you are? I asked.

Yes, and I am sorry. It will take me a long time to regain enough strength to move to another host. I sighed. What was I going to do now?

This is Kia. I felt a new presence in my mind, not unlike Ayo's. I know you are saddened, I miss her as well. Then I realized something.

What do I call you now? I asked.

You may still call me Naiomi if you please, but my name is now Aikia. Eh, not as cool a name as Naiomi, but it's not like Kia had a choice in her name. I heard Naiomi chuckle.

Kia is a he, Shar.

Opps, sorry.

You must go child, I hear someone coming. Come back tonight, we will figure something out then.

I nodded, and began my descent.

I had nearly reached the first pine trees when I heard a male voice shout, "Aye! Lass! What are ye doing over here?"