FTO Oneshots

What Trees Say

AN: So when I first saw Tapio, my thoughts were, OMG we can finally get Lo Pho a date, not that OMG they're related! So yeah, that's the ship for this chapter even if it's not the main focus, I just wanted to do more stuff with Tapio. 

Tapio had lived in the forest for a long time, to the point where he understood some of what the trees said. For a long time, they were the only beings he could talk to, the only ones around who could speak in a language that he could understand. So to them, he would listen, and sometimes he would listen for hours on end. Sometimes, he would talk for hours on end as well, and they would assuage his fears and his worries. 

Now he was on an island that had next to no trees and a lot of people and... he felt uncomfortable. Not that he didn't like the people here, these people were nice and he felt that he had found some true friends, not to mention he had met his boyfriend through these people, but at the same time, he missed the trees. 

A lot of times, he would sneak off the island and take the skiff to Atlantide. Not cause he was doing anything bad or, heavens forbid, he liked the lectures he got for just going off on his own, but so that he could go into different forests and listen to what the trees had to say. 

One time, as he sat in the forest near the Protectors' guild talking to some of the trees there, he heard footsteps. Not wanting to be interrupted, he climbed up into the nearest tree and watched to see who it was. His gaze softened as he saw that it was just his favorite orange cat. Lo pho seemed to be looking around in confusion, probably cause he had heard the sound of his voice, so Tapio whistled down at the other and gave a small wave when the other cat looked up. 

"Tapio? What are you doing?" (AN: me can't do accents, sue me) Lo pho asked as he looked up at the cloaked cat. 

Climbing down so that he could talk directly to his boyfriend, he explained. "I was talking to the trees."

"The trees?" Lo Pho asked before remembering. "Oh right, for a moment I had forgotten about your ability."

He nodded, looking around as the trees started to speak again. Lo Pho, as if sensing that Tapio was paying attention to a whole new conversation, asked. "May I ask what the trees say?"

Tapio turned to look at his boyfriend, and seeing the honest curiosity in Lo Pho's eyes, sat the other cat down before curling up next to him. While Lo Pho was confused by this for a moment, that confusion faded as Tapio began to speak. 

"Most of the trees here are older and speak from experience. They talk about ones who have passed before them as well as the younger ones that have begun to sprout. Some of these talk about how they saw the guildhall being built, while others complain about the fire dragon roar guy burning them. Then the younger ones..."

Tapio talked for hours about what the trees told him with Lo Pho just listening as his love spoke so avidly. Eventually, Lo Pho asked if he could ask certain things about the trees and Tapio agreed to play translator. 

After all, trees had a lot to say, they just needed someone to speak for them.