Terra Natus

IX

She sat huddled in the corner against one of the giants that served as her shelter, being invisible.

All that moved were her large dark eyes, which watched as the beings came one by one and joined her Protector. He would stand as they came, each greeting the other in the usual way, before settling down again together in what was quickly becoming a circle of sorts. None of them paid her any mind as of yet, much to her relief, leaving her free to stare at them openly; which she took full advantage of.

She wondered how they'd known to come. Seqoui had said they would, but did he ask them personally, call them through the wind, or had it been less specific? Had a need just been sent along the breeze and those who felt it wise had joined? She wondered why these ones and not others had gotten, or felt, the call.

It was fascinating, seeing them in this new social setting, in a semi-relaxed fashion. She had begun to recognize that tree beings, of themselves, were not violent or tense beings, but that she unfortunately brought out that side of them. They reminded her of a dog, who would protect his family from strangers ferociously, and yet spent most of his time as a silly, gentle puppy.

Well, maybe 'silly' was a little extreme she thought, smiling to herself as she watched them interacting in their quiet way with each other. And yet, she could see better now the humor between them. And how they socialized so much in gestures, in looks, and hidden smiles; how much the lack of saying something could sometimes be just as powerful as speaking.

They were like shy adolescents, embarrassed or uncomfortable about showing too much emotion in any form; whether to speak passionately, laugh loudly, or cry openly. Still, that didn't mean the emotions weren't there, it was just...different. She was learning though, learning to recognize, to understand.

Lessons that were more important now than before.

Because now, she was not going home, not yet.

Sequoi had spoken. Or rather...she had spoken, and beyond all understanding, Sequoi had agreed with her.

Sitting up slowly until her back was free of the trunk, she glanced one more time at the Protectors, to make sure she was still going unnoticed, then carefully slipped the shoulder of her robe down. She had fallen asleep the second they'd returned from her ordeal with Sequoi and the Life, only to wake up a few moments ago with darkness falling and the Protectors already gathering before her. Which meant she hadn't ever gotten a chance to inspect what the tingling had done to her, but finally, curiosity overcame her desire to remain invisible.

She pressed her hand against the wrap, then carefully rolled her shoulder this way and that. It hurt, but it didn't knock her out as it might have done only a day before, nor did she feel the warmth of fresh blood as she moved it. Turning so the firelight from the cooking fire of the Protectors fell on it, she gently peeked inside the wrap. There was a gap, jagged and harsh as ever, but it wasn't as deep, scabbed over in most places now; as if a week or more of healing had been done in a moment.

At first, she was just stunned, staring at it in disbelief. Then slowly, the realization of what had happened sunk in and her eyes brimmed with tears. Mother had healed her, T had used its precious Life to heal her, lowly...human...her; and the Protectors, who called her enemy, had helped.

She tipped her head back, closing her eyes, feeling as a tear of gratitude slipped down her cheek. Then quietly, so as not to draw attention to herself, she kissed her fingers and pressed them to the terra.

She opened her eyes to find her Protector watching her, perhaps she had never been as invisible as she'd supposed; at least not to him. He was crouching by the fire and after catching her eye, he stood, coming towards her, something in his hand. Yet again not forgetting her as she thought he might, when surrounded by his own kind.