Mother Earth, Father Tree

The sun was rising in the east as Theepoe ran through the grassland.

She was chasing after her cousins who were racing to the campsite on the other side of the forest.

Theepoe was not as fast as the others because she was enjoying the smell of the earth, and flowers, among the grass wet with morning dew. It was slowing her down. Her name meant “river” in her native tongue because she always maintained a steady pace despite any distractions.

She looked toward the lazy sun slowly rising over the horizon as she ran through the grass. The pink, purple, and orange hues were fading and being replaced by the brighter rays of the sun and a blue sky. The darkness of night was turning into daylight.

“Hurry up!” She heard her cousin yell at her as he headed into the forest.

Theepoe looked up just in time to see them disappearing into the tree line. She ran a little faster, not wanting to get left behind.

As she entered the forest, she noticed no sounds from her cousins who were laughing and making lots of noise as they ran. She yelled “Hey! Where are you?” There was no response. She yelled out once more and the only reply was from the Whippoorwill among the trees.

She stopped and stood in silence with her eyes closed. She was trying to hear the movements of her cousins ahead of her. Still nothing. She could only hear the sounds of the forest around her.

She knew how to get back to the campsite but her father did not like her going out on her own to get the morning fish. He always sent a few of her cousins with her. They were all going to get in trouble if she came back alone.

The air was cool and the mossy trail was damp as she walked on through the forest. She could hear the wind blow through the tops of the trees and looked up at them as they swayed reaching for the morning sun. She could smell the earthiness of the lush forest. It was her favorite place to be.

Theepoe was the middle daughter of the tribal chief and the most headstrong of all of his children. She was always testing the boundaries with him. He knew she was more than capable of leading them someday. He was counting on it, so he gave her some leeway when needed.

Theepoe was deep in thought and not paying much attention thinking about what she was going to say to her father when she returned by herself. She did not notice that she was being followed. Intruders had seen them fishing by the river that early morning and were following them back to their campsite.

As she walked along, she noticed the spring onions were starting to bloom. Thinking it may smooth things over with her father, Theepoe stopped to gather a few for him because they were his favorite.

“Those are not ready yet” a voice spoke out. Theepoe startled, stood up to look around. “Who said that?” she spoke out loud. There was no reply.

She thought maybe it was one of the cousins who came back to find her. “That’s very funny, why don’t you help me gather some for morning meal” as she continued picking some more.

The hair on the back of her neck started to stand up and alerted her that she was being watched. She quickly drew her knife and turned around, prepared to fight. There was no one there.

“I said those are not ready yet,” the voice said again.

Theepoe stepped back and blinked a few times. Did that tree just speak to her?

“Did you just talk to me?” she asked the face now peering at her.

The face yawned with its droopy eyes among the grooves and crevices of the weathered old tree bark. “Yes” “I said those onions are not ready, they are too small.”

Theepoe started laughing out loud, convinced she had just lost her mind.

“Why are you laughing?” the eyes were fully open now and looking at her. She did not know whether to yell, scream, run, or maybe all three.

Then the words of her grandmother came to mind. “If you are ever lost or in danger in the forest, ask Father Tree for help.”

“Are you Father Tree?” she asked timidly, feeling less confident than before.

“I am one of them in this forest” he replied, still looking rather sleepy, yawning, and kept closing his eyes.

Theepoe asked, “Why have you never spoken to me before?”

Father Tree spoke back rather matter-of-factly, “You never asked any questions before.”

Theepoe just stood there, a million questions going through her mind, not knowing which one to ask first.

“Have you always been here?” she asked. “Yes,” he replied.

“Do you watch us when we play in the forest?” she asked hesitantly. “Yes, we always do” he stated.

She realized at that moment the stories they had grown up with were true. The stories of the talking animals, plants, and forest. The stories about Father Tree and Mother Earth watching over and protecting them.

Then an uneasy pit started forming in her stomach, she was also told the forest could see danger approaching and would warn them if it was needed.

Earlier, when they were down by the river catching the morning fish, Theepoe thought she saw encroachers among the trees on the other side. She never told her cousins and just kept an eye on the stands of trees but never saw anyone else.

Theepoe asked, “Father Tree, are there invaders in the forest?”

“Yes, they followed you in and are hiding, waiting for you to walk back to the campsite.” His gaze slowly looked over her shoulder indicating the direction where the encroachers were hiding. The Whippoorwill cried out from the trees again.

“What do I do?” she asked as she squatted back down and continued pretending to pick more onions. She knew she was outnumbered and did not want to lead them towards the campsite.

Father Tree’s eyes turned toward her “The Whippoorwills have already alerted Mother Earth and she will be here soon.”

There was a low rumble starting to move among the trees. Theepoe could feel it beneath her feet, a slight vibration, something was coming towards them.

The encroacher’s leader crouched behind a bush and watched the young girl as she stood by the trees. It appeared she was talking to herself. Maybe it was some sort of ritual or prayer he thought. He did not know much about this particular tribe and was not briefed much about the forest. He was waiting for her to continue walking toward the campsite.

The group of men had tried unsuccessfully to get through the forest over the past month. They kept getting turned around and lost. Ending up at the edge of the forest despite marking their trails. They realized that some of the tribal members would come down to the river early in the morning to fish. They had planned to follow them into the forest and waited by the river every morning for them to arrive.

The leader of the encroacher group was told by some of his men they thought the trees and animals were watching them every time they attempted to go through the forest. Every morning they woke up and a few more had left during the night. Rumors of the forest being haunted or bewitched were starting to circulate. They were all seasoned trackers and had been paid to track this particular tribe. The group had been following them since winter.

The spring campsite was said to be by a huge lake with waterfalls beyond the forest. It also had large swatches of fertile land suitable for farming. The government wanted it to become a military outpost.

They were the second group sent to track them, the last group never returned or was ever found. Just empty wagons, untouched supplies, and personal belongings were all that was left behind. No one had been able to get through the forest yet.

Theepoe was trying to figure out a way to delay the outlanders until Mother Earth arrived. She sat down and pulled out her water pouch. She poured a little on the ground for her ancestors, as she had been taught, and then began to slowly drink. The men were still watching her and waiting for her to start walking again.

The wind stopped blowing among the treetops, the birds suddenly stopped singing, and the forest became noticeably quiet and still. Mother Earth had arrived.

A loud voice filtered through the trees with the rays of sunlight and seemed to be coming from all directions at once. “Interlopers, why are you here?” Theepoe quickly moved behind Father Tree with her knife drawn and peered out into the forest where they stood.

The leader of the group stood up and then the rest stepped out from among the trees, bushes, and rocks they were hiding behind with their weapons at the ready.

Confused and thinking that the girl was talking to them, the leader yelled back “We mean you no harm, we are just looking for the lake beyond the forest.”

The leader thought that they could negotiate and she would lead them through the forest.

The loud voice spoke once more, “You are not welcome here.” “Leave them alone and never come back.”

The leader realized it was not the little girl, the voice was coming from the rays of light in the forest. A few of his men realized it as well and started turning away to run out of the forest but it was too late. Mother Earth was now defending the forest and her protectors beyond the trees.

The wind started blowing again, dirt and debris started flying swirling through the air, and animals started scurrying from their hiding places. Father Tree used his branches to form a protective barrier over Theepoe.

The forest came alive and started protecting itself as well. The frightened men tried in vain to fight back with their weapons but they were quickly outnumbered by every plant, animal, tree, and insect in the forest.

Theepoe peeked out from behind Father Tree’s smaller branches and could see the fighting begin among the forest and the men.

The gnarled roots came up through the dirt, grabbing, and holding some of the larger burly men down as the smaller animals pelted them with sticks and rocks.

The insects formed a wall of protective shields on the pathway as the encroachers tried in vain to break through but they just kept reforming and becoming larger.

Flocks of birds swooped in and started pecking at the men and the weapons they carried. The men started dropping them and running out of the forest.

Mother Earth kept the winds blowing and encircling the trespassers, slowly pushing them back out of the forest.

Theepoe came out from her hiding place and watched as the men were finally pushed out of the forest. She watched from the tree line as they ran away, yelling, and screaming across the grassland.

The battle-weary leader turned back and looked at the forest. He saw Theepoe standing there and yelled “We will be back with more people.” Theepoe, not understanding this intruder’s language, turned and walked back into the forest. She picked up her belongings and began running back to her campsite. Father Tree had told her to move quickly, she had to warn her people and tell them about what she saw.

Mother Earth’s voice carried across the grassland with the wind. The encroachers ran back towards the river.

“I will always be here to protect my children.”