Solar Bright

Splinter

I don't want to point any branches, so I'll just say that somewhere along the way they lost Splinter, and somewhere along the way Glow made a serious impression on Fog. Haha, get it? Impression... cause he's a softwood. No? Fine, he liked her.

Anyway, the trio decided to check on the King before searching for Splinter again. It was a good thing they did, as they found out when Cieba found them.

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"Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you." Cieba ran towards them, the many torn and broken tendrils of his body arresting to the truth of his words, but he stopped before he reached them, as Fog's great height made it's impression in him, "Who is this?"

Solar reached out to Cieba, and he clung to her almost automatically, his exhaustion making him forget decor um even in the presence of this stranger. "This is Fog."

"He helped us find a landscaper to-" Glow stopped as Cieba released Solar and flew at Fog, tendrils pulling at Fog's branches as if he could pull Fog down like a vine. "Run girls, I'll keep him busy. Go to your father!"

The girls just stared at him as Fog easily pulled free of him, dangling him in a repeat of his actions with Splinter. "Cieba, he's our friend."

Defeated but still adamant, "Remember what I told you about landscapers. Run!" Cieba yelled.

"He's not a landscapers Cieba."

"He's not?"

"No."

"No Cieba, now come back and rest your tendrils are shredded." Solar reiterated.

Cieba didn't move when Fog put him down. He just asked again, "Who is he?"

"My name is Fog." the tree answered for himself.

"He's just a traveller." Glow told him. "He helped us catch the landscaper."

"He did what?? You did what?!?!!!"

"Hey, vine, don't blame me for their idiotic idea." Fog spit out.

"We needed the landscaper to help dad." Glow started, then turned on Fog, "Idiotic?"

"Why were you looking for us Cieba?" Solar asked, to stop what would clearly becoming an argument.

"Oh, yes, you have to come home now!"

"Is dad-"

But Cieba didn't let Glow finish. He started walking towards the king's grove, and stumbled.

"Please Cieba, let me carry you," Solar offered. "You are so weak, you didn't even make a scratch in Fog's bark.. Do you want to slow us down?"

Nodding sheepishly, Cieba reached for Solar, clinging tightly to her, or at least as tightly as he could. Solar began walking and the other two followed. On the way back to the King's grove, Cieba informed the girls about the changes in their father's health. The king was close to death.

"And Dài hasn't helped him!?" Glow asked in outrage.

"Why, Glow, would you think that the queen could help the King when he has the fungus?" Cieba asked, his words coming out slowly and deliberately.

"Because-" Glow stopped. "I'm just hoping that someone could help, that's why we went to look for the landscaper." It was unclear why Cieba didn't want to acknowledge the queen as a landscaper, but he had shown the same hesitancy when she first asked him about the queen's lack of flowering.

"Who is with the King while you are here, Cieba?" Solar asked. Dài had not gone near the king since the news came.

"I left the hedges to watch him, but he didn't want me anymore. He was calling for you, and I had to find you."