Have you ever wondered what came before us?
There are some that feel a connection to nature on a primal level, an innate bond with the earth itself, animals, and even plants.
They have called themselves many things over the centuries: Seers, Druids...
⚠️TW: thoughts of teen suicide/ideas of jumping from a cliff. Child lost in a forest/hypothermia.⚠️
Eli's black curls bounced wildly on his damp brow as the slim teenager, pressed on, running as fast as he could up one of Rainer's many hiking trails.
The trees watched him leave the path time and time again and waited with unease.
Why was he here so close to La'lor Ae?
Eli had left his campsite and the warmth of the fire just as the sun had begun to set, needing to feel nothing but the forest around him. His teeth gleamed, mouth splitting wide in a smile that radiated pure joy. He was reckless abandon and chaos incarnate as he lept over fallen lumber and tore through the forests undergrowth. Beneath his hiking boots plant life and small creatures were snuffed out of existence in his wild strides. He gasped for oxygen and felt the burning become an intense fire in his legs and chest as he moved. The wind carried him, the trees lead his way and the night sky filled him with excitement as it dimmed. His laughter rang out through the mountainous terrain and echoed back to him. He stopped only when he reached a small peak overlooking a valley, his arms spread wide like wings as he leaned over the rocky edge. He could probably jump, enjoy the flight and never regret the landing. Should he?
"Eli! You better stop! We hav'ta go back!" Liam's small voice rasped with the effort he put into screaming for his older brother, and wavered with the threat of fearful tears. He was struggling to keep pace with Eli for so long that he had begun to get scared he would lose sight of him completely. He had been running and laughing with him for a while until he could no longer keep pace without pain searing his muscles. He began to cry as he came to a stop several feet behind his sibling. He Looked up at him and at his wide stance on the ledge.
Eli smiled out over the valley, ignoring his brother's persistent wails. He shouldn't have followed him, in fact he had told him not to. He was a tall athletic boy, and at sixteen he was not willing to put up with his six year old permanent leech of a sibling. His glanced back at Liam's cherubic face and golden hair. They may as well have been complete strangers. Where Eli was dark and wild, Liam was light, soft spoken and well behaved. He knew their mother favored him because his calm demeanor was much more like hers. Eli clenched his jaw, it would be so much easier if he were alone.
With out another word, he sprung from his perch and flew into action again, his long legs never breaking stride as he glided over the forest floor. He did not look back and closed his eyes in reverie as he ran, ignoring his brothers cries even as they faded to be nothing more than a distant murmur.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
