The Bond of Nature

The trees whispered to River as it flowed the secrets down its frigid, sloshing streams towards the land where the people were. The people were protected by the trees. The trees gave them shade when it was hot; the trees gave them sun when it was cold. The trees kept the people's food inside. The people, who were very kind to the land they were given, returned the favor to the trees. The people fed them nutrients with rich, earthy soil and quenched their thirsts with water which they gathered from River. The people and the trees worked together to keep everything stable and steady, the way it was meant to be.

The people lived in what the land called tribes. The trees lived in what the people called forests. The people's legends say that the leaders met long, long ago to create this bond. The Chief of the tribe and the Master of the Trees made agreements. The people were only to take what they needed, and they would care for the trees with great respect and gratitude. The trees were only to take what they needed, and they would provide protection and benefits to the people with great honor and respect. The bond of the trees and the people was one so strong it was nearly impossible to break.

The bond lived on for many years with no worries or troubles. The people lived happily in the tribe and the trees lived happily in the forest. Falls fell by, winters blew over, springs rained away, and summers evaporated in the heat so very quickly over the course of many years. As the bond of the people and the trees grew, the shield between the two became stronger. It became so strong that it caught the attention of their Mother. The Mother of Nature was high on alert as she realized the strength between the two. She could not allow this force to overpower her and rule the lands that she knew best. She wouldn't allow it.

During the next fall, Mother began to form her plan. She had thought of the perfect way to destroy the force between the people. She would throw the tribe into harm, destroying everything that once was. As the terror would grow into cold chaos, the trees would be framed for the terrible outbreak. Little did they know, but the people and the trees would soon fall into hate caused by their very own mother.

The days were becoming shorter, the nights were becoming longer, and the air was becoming colder. The ground soon hardened and developed a pale, fluffy face that the people walked upon and that the trees grew upon. The Chief of the people was inside his hut, when he felt the wrongness of the air. He felt the numbness among his fingers and noticed the freezing of his hair strands. He decided that he would keep it to himself until real trouble arose.

Meanwhile in the tribe, the children began to play like dragons. While they breathed, the air turned white and grey like smoke that had arisen from a warm fire. The mothers began sewing thicker animal skin coats and the fathers began spending more days hunting, for food was scarce. When they came back with only two deer and a small rabbit, the Chief decided to release his worry to the community. No more than a few days later, a small child was found lifeless and frozen in his family's hut. The Medicine Man spent days trying to heal him, but he, too, was also found dead along with the boy's family by the next sunrise.

The people broke into chaos, keeping inside their huts, feeding off of small nuts and berries that were stored from the warmer weather. Friendships shattered as parents demanded that the children stayed away from anybody else but their own family, for they didn't understand what was happening to their people. While the tribe silently went frantic, the Chief decided to pay a visit to the forest to speak with the Master of trees. As he entered the forest by performing his bows and paying his tributes to the trees, he began his journey deep into the center with only a small sack of food and a walking stick made of fine birch wood. Mother watched him and a grin grew upon her lips.

The Chief kept walking slowly into the heart of the forest. He dug his stick into the snow and tripped as it pulled him backwards when he stepped forward. He let out a small puff of pain as he fell to the ground, unable to get up because of his ancient age. The trees in the area looked down upon him and let in the sun to give him warmth. The trees scared away the predators and sent a message through River to the people, calling for help. As the message was nearing the people, Mother released a storm. She dropped buckets of rain and rolled decibels of thunder through the air. While this happened, the trees blocked the sky and covered the Chief from the rain. Right when they thought all was good, an evil bolt of electricity was thrown upon a young tree by the Mother of Nature with the power of Satin.