Free Fall - Into Other Worlds

Chapter 9 - Living Forest (Part 4)

After rescuing Kara from the vine, Eron had barely picked his things up off the ground when he caught sight of movement on the ground. Another vine was slithering its way over, but this time towards Mage Wix. Eron's brow furrowed while he sighed with frustration.

"Mage Wix!" he barked. "Can you please control your thoughts?"

"Huh?" Mage Wix looked up in shock. How did he know what he was thinking? But then Eron pointed to a vine lurking near him. Phew! He thought with relief. "Sorry, I'll be more careful!"

Wix had actually been a little jealous watching Kara clinging to and hugging Eron's waist, chest and shoulders. He'd been wondering if he should put himself in a similar situation so he could have a try. If Eron hadn't pulled him from those thoughts, he would've had his chance. Unfortunately, if he attracted a vine now it would make him look incompetent, and that wouldn't do. He had to keep his pride as the top mage in the country after all.

"Seriously, are the two of you little children?" asked Eron once he'd loaded his back once more. "Is it that hard to refrain from dwelling on negative thoughts? Trees and plants are very sensitive to negative energy, especially when they're already in a bad mood. So please, for the rest of the day just focus on putting one foot in front of the other without thinking of anything else."

Having been scolded, Wix and Kara simply nodded in agreement and followed after him while trying not to sulk.

That evening once they'd set up camp, Eron drew out a basic map of the forest in the soil using his machete. Calling the other two over, he pointed and drew an X on the dirt map.

"This is where we are now," he told them before pointing to a long line. "This is the river that runs through the whole forest separating it in two. We should reach the river sometime late tomorrow, and hopefully cross it without trouble." He then circled the area between the river and another line. "This middle section of the forest is the most dangerous. It's the deepest part of the forest where most of the larger more dangerous animals live. The river here, and the deep gorge on this side keeps them safely in the middle of the forest. Unfortunately this area is also where tribes of the Forest Clan live. So not only will we have to watch out for wild beasts, but human traps as well. The people of the Forest Clan are not friendly to outsiders, and will probably attack us without caring who we are. So its best for us if we don't run into them."

"But aren't you a member of the Forest Clan? You're clearly a child of the forest," asked Mage Wix with confusion.

"My mother ran away and abandoned her tribe before meeting my father. The only other member of the Forest Clan I've met is my grandmother, and she's always told me to stay away from the Forest Clan Tribes. So I always avoided areas of the forest where the tribes have settlements," explained Eron.

"Wait, you have a grandmother? I thought all children of the forest have a short lifespan." Now Mage Wix was getting interested. So much was unknown about the Forest Clan, and now he could get the inside scoop.

Kara had been listening, but her ears pricked up at the mage's last sentence. What was he implying?

Eron sighed. "She's not my real grandmother. When my real grandmother died, she was the one who raised my mother." He drove the blade of his machete into the ground and leant on its hilt. "Being a child of the forest and being of the Forest Clan are different things. The people born into the Forest Clan are allowed to reside in the forest without being rejected like outsiders, but they cannot harness forest magic or communicate with the trees. Only a few bloodlines and rare chosen ones are born with forest magic in their veins. So there's only ever a handful of those who can be called children of the forest alive at any one time."