Solar Bright

The Firelands

As the moon cycles pass the girls grow together again, happily reliving their history in shared sap. Glow came to better understand what Solar was feeling in those last few moon cycles, and Solar shared the memory of Glow falling in love with her husband.
Glow noticed that Solar's obsession with their father was waning but also that the number of cardinals in her canopy were growing. Solar accepted the appearance of the birds as a sign that she was becoming as beautiful as the birch queen.
"But, she was more majestic than Dài as a sapling. How does she not see that?" Glow complained quietly to Fog when Solar was sleeping.
"You can't rush her, Glow. We don't know what fertilizers she has given Solar," Fog reasoned. "it has only been 3 moons. Maybe it just takes a while to wear off."
"And maybe those birds are-"
"I know, Glow. Calm down before you wake the seedlings. You've been so distracted by Solar, we haven't named them yet."
"Oh... Well, Solar and I... I mean we, I have some ideas." Glow stammered. She felt so guilty for sending Fog off to look out for signs of the Queen and depriving him of time with the seedlings.
Fog just stood there for a while letting Glow's guilt eat at her. Then he buried a root in next to her and started to survey the seedlings, "I think we should call that one Knobby. That was my father trees name and it reminds me of him."
Glow smiled in relief, "Yes, that's perfect. I'd like to name one after my dad too. See the tall needly one over here?"
"He would make a good Cy. I like it" Fog responded, and they spent the rest of the season happily naming seedlings.
Solar woke numerous times but, generally, slumbered through the season. When she did awake, she was cheerful but distracted. Then the bushes appeared, dozens upon dozens of them all clamoring for Solar. "Help, please help Solar Bright! The queen bush is in the Firelands! The Firelands! Please help! The queen bush! Help! She'll be burned, help please help!" they shouted over each have other.
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For those trees and weeds who might not know, the bushes have queens, like bees have queens. Each queen is mother to a species, and though the bushes marry and bloom and bud, only the queen goes to seed.
There are multiple queens in each forest, but the children of a queen only recognize her as queen. Even if they were to meet the queen of a different species, they would see her as only another bush.
So, these bushes were siblings, a family had lost its matriarch to the Firelands, and if you hadn't guessed by now, it was Dài's fault. I don't know how, but she was definitely involved. You'll see.
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Fog convinced the bushes that they would get no help until they calmed down. Finally, a single bush was chosen to speak, "Our queen is in the Firelands, and her majesty the birch queen refuses to send hedges after her. Please, we need your help. Your father the old King would have helped us, so we look to you." The continued his impassioned speech turning from Glow and Fog to Solar, "We know that her highness Leaves Glow is still with seedlings. Oh highness, Solar Bright, please help us!" the bush ended with a cry and falling prostrate before Solar.
Solar looked surprised but also more alert than any time recently.
"How long has she been gone?" Solar asked the bushes.
"They took her at the end of DewDrop last moon cycle." the bush replied, it's voice muted by its posture.
"And, how do you know she's not already scorched?" Fog added.
"Oh, no! We would know. She lives" Came the insistent but muffled response.
"Get up," Glow said in exasperation, "We aren't the birch queen. You should know that we don't ask for that kind of obeisance."
"Yes, highness." the bush said as it scrambled up with comedic assistance by the two nearest bushes.
That is when Glow noticed the cardinals. They were in an uproar, jumping from branch to branch and calling to each other. "Maybe... maybe you shouldn't go Solar." Glow stammered. "Fog can hold more water than you. Maybe, he should, umm, go." Glow winced at the scowl Fog sent her way.
"What? No, Glow, Fog has been away too much already." Solar protested.
"You got that right." Fog grumbled quietly.
"But-" Glow tried to say.
Solar cut her off, "You already said that the seedlings are close to weaning.. They will need their father then, and this is something our father would have done. It is our responsibility."
"It's the queen's responsibility!" Glow cried.
Solar shook her head, but Fog looked at her questioningly. "The birds," Glow tried to explain in a whisper, but he didn't understand.
Or maybe he wouldn't. She had been harping on the birds for five moon cycles now. It was the reason that she gave for settling so deep into the forest, even when she was dropping acorns. It was the reason for sending him to the edge of the forest to watch for the queen or her hedges. It was the reason she kept Solar close, even when Solar slept. He was probably tired of hearing about those birds, or he stopped believing her. Maybe he had never believed.
Whatever the reason, he frowned at her, saying, "Let her go."
Glow looked up at the birds again and sighed. "Just be safe, Solar. You're the only sister I've got."
Solar laughed, "Ah, you'll forget about me soon enough. You'll have little sapling to raise."
"And their every antic will remind me of you." Glow smiled grimly.
"If my memories serves me right, you were always the one getting into things." Solar returned with a broad grin.
"And you always saved me." Glow finished wistfully. "If only I could do the same for you."
Solar lifted her roots as she turned to the bushes. "Show me the way."
The bushes cheered, but Fog and Glow were too busy watching the entire flock of cardinals flying away to notice. Fog looked at his wife, seeing her apprehension and spoke up. "I'll walk with you for a season or two, Solar."
"Oh!" Solar chirped in surprise. "You don't need to-"
"I will. Glow is right. I can hold much more water than you." Fog interrupted.
"But, what about Glow and the seedlings?" Solar asked.
"I'll be back long before they are weaned." Fog answered.
"Oh, that will be perfect." Glow enthused. "Then even if it is the dry season when you get to the Firelands, you will be well watered."
The bushes were murmuring among themselves, but only Solar noticed, and she attributed it to their excitement over having two trees come to their aide. "It's a good idea, but I do worry over you Glow. Our mother-"
"...was burned by a fire sprite invasion during the dry season. I am close to a lake in the middle of Tropical Forest. I will be ok." Glow smiled widely for Fog as well as Solar. Fog was looking at her with concern. "I know you'll come back to me, and you've kept me well watered."
Then one of the bushes spoke up. "If you like... Umm... I could stay. I would bring water to her Highness Leaves Glow, while you are gone sir Foggy Swamp."
Fog looked closely at the little busy while it wailed before him. "Your water would barely suffice for one of her roots."
More bushes volunteered and Solar smiled, "This is wonderful," but Fog just kept scowl img at the bushes.
Maybe he had caught Glow's suspicion or maybe it was natural hesitancy, but he didn't agree until one of the little bushes recited, "May my sap dry up and my roots fall off, if my word I do not keep." Other bushes joined in until nearly a third of them were repeating the phrase.
Solar chuckled and Fog relaxed, "Ok, well, let's get going."
The bushes cheered and the trees smiled as the excited little bushes began to show them the way toward the Firelands.
Solar and Fog follow the bushes to the Firelands. Solar tried repeatedly to send Fog back, especially as it ended up taking nearly a full moon cycle to reach the edge of the Firelands, but Fog was insistent and followed them all the way to the border.
"Let me water you Solar." Fog said as he informed her that it was time for them to part ways.
"Oh, no Fog. There is only scrub nearby and you will be dehydrated. I'll be fine. I got a drink at the last pond." solar protested.
"As did we all, Solar. My whole point in coming this far was to give you water at the border. I'll go back to that pond in my was back, but you must let me water you." When Solar still seemed reluctant, Fog continued, "What will Flow say if I tell her that I didn't do as I said I would."
"I just don't want you to-" Solar cut herself off. Solar was confused. Why did she resist water? She was heading into the Firelands. "OK. Of course... I need water. Go straight back to that pond, and take care of my sister."
Fog wasted no time. He gave her most of his store of water, and watched as she followed the bushes into the Firelands.
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Now, before we go any further, I just want to say that I've been told by willies that fire sprites aren't really bad creatures. They are, according to those wise trees, a happy and fun loving people who dance all day and hug everyone they see.
That's the problem. Try hugging a fire sprite and you will end up burned. Scorched if you are particularly unlucky and more than one sprite hugs you.
Water helps, both to limit the hug burn and to ward off a sprite, they are as fearful of water drops as we are of their hugs. Solar knew this from the sap. So, now back to the story.
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"OK, if you see fire sprites coming, give a little spray of water." Solar suggested, "bur not the same one each time. Take turns, and we can call be safe. There were at least 100 bushes, so she expected it not to be a problem. It wasn't until the first bush burned that she began to worry.
It happened during what would have been Seeding. The was taking much longer to reach the bush than she'd hoped, and the sprites were returning from their annual foray into the various forests.
The sprites were particularly excitable and were laughing, in their tiny hisses and crackles, and hugging each other and the flora they found unexpectedly in their midst. The water was effective but draining, and letting one hug you usually led to more trying to hug you as well.
Solar was in the middle of the bunch, so she was mostly protected, but that poor bush.
The bush had tried letting just one sprite hug it. That's how everyone learned the folly of doing so. Soon the bush was covered in hissing and crackling fire sprites and its water steamed up to Solar's branches.
They were more careful after that, but it didn't help much. Soon their numbers were diminished by half, and all were losing hope, when a miracle happened-
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Look, don't get on me about the narration, it's the sap. That's how Solar thought of it, as a miracle, so it's a miracle.
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A miracle happened. Solar was spraying a wavering stream of water to keeping the dancing sprites from reaching her or the bushes when she started to heat splashng. She knew that she was a goner then; she was hallucinating, but as she backed up the sound only got more distinct and louder.
When her foot hit the water, she noticed that fewer sprites were dancing near them now. Only the little ones dared to come close to the lake.
And, it was a lake, a huge shallow lake with mounds of what looked to be tree stumps. Solar looked around, stunned at the multitude. Then she noticed something else, the bushes were getting excited.
It didn't take her long to find out why. "Our queen! Oh, mother. Dear queen, are you well?" and numerous other exclamations were coming from the bushes around her. Apparently they had found her. Solar was happy for them, but she was so taken aback by what she saw around her that she couldn't pay it much attention.

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