Within the Neverending Woods

After the three days I spent in the barn as a "guest" of O-wen the Owl, the bad weather had come and past, and it was safe for me to continue my journey into the Neverending Woods. It had rained that third day, so when I awoke, the air was crisp with the smell of the trees, with a light foggy haze hovering the ground. The sun had yet to show itself, but was slightly blurred behind the morning clouds.

"Remember what I have said, Ren the Traveler, and...fair...you..well." O-wen spoke in a half sleepy voice. It had been daytime, and it was not surprising that O-wen would be trying to rest, he's most awake at night anyhow.

I gathered my things, and left the barn, carefully closing the door as to not disturb my host, then I followed the trail the farmer set down the previous days ago. As I walked further down the path, the pathway was split in two: one towards the home of Silas the farmer, the other path going deeper into the woods. Before going onward, I decided to do some stretching, in preparation for the journey ahead. I felt kinda silly, knowing that I should've done this before starting out, stretching in the middle of the road, but my eagerness to get on the way made me forget some of the important things necessary before starting any journey: exercise.

After stretching, I continued on into the Woods, as the sun began to peek out through the clouds, with the fog, still hovering the ground, welcoming me down the path.

The path into the woods snaked through the trees as i walked, going this way and that, almost as if the road itself were trying to shake me off course. Along the way one tree would lie directly in my way, forcing me to go around its large trunk, another time having almost to squeeze between two midsize trees slightly hugging the pathway. Continuing deeper into the forest, besides the fullness of the various trees, were the tree roots that I could see along and sometimes flowing through the path. I couldn't help but be amazed at how interconnected they seemed to be, each root helping each tree grow and thrive, a very lively, and sustaining organism.

The fog had lifted, and now the sun shone its rays through the branches, brightening the forest floor where the rays hit, revealing pillowy moss and some of the fallen leaves, I was still in awe of what I could now see, a landscape that even a painter might have the hardest time to describe if they could. At least two hours had past since I started my trek, and I felt that i'd hardly made a dent down this trail. It's no wonder why this was called the "Neverending Woods", it seemed like you could go on forever and never reach the end. Needing a temporary rest point, i found a downed tree a few feet from the path, rested my feet, and drank some water. I felt the light breeze as it came in, relaxing as it felt, but as lightly as the breeze came in, did I also hear the slightest breath of a whisper? Thinking I was imagining, I paid it no mind.

"Why are you here...?"

This time I know I heard a whisper, but from where I couldn't tell. I jumped up, and looked all around me to see if someone was around, but no one was there.

"Why are you here...?"

"Go away, leave this place."

Now this "whisper on the wind" was speaking more, echoing through the forest, as if it was coming from every direction. "I mean no harm, i'm only a traveler passing by through your woods."

"Come further still, prove what you say."

The echo felt haunting, and now repeating its last comment, but from different voices, whispers on the wind, leading me to go "further still". Feeling as rested as I could, I continued down the forest path until I reached a small clearing with a little creek dividing the pathway. It was at this stop i was to meet the ones behind the whispers.

Without realizing it, I was surrounded. My "hosts" were trees and leaves in the form of various animals: a bear, an elk, a wolf, and a hawk. Of these "spirits of the forest" that had me cornered, it was the hawk that spoke first.

"Why are you here coming into our land, following this path through our wood? you do not belong."

I replied, "I don't know how i have offended any of you. as I said, i'm only a traveler passing through, to find the Hall of Light and Shadow."

The Bear spirit spoke next, "You're foolish to search for a place you cannot comprehend." "Nothing good will you find there..."

"Life, death, rebirth", spoke the Wolf spirit. "Depends on whether you are brave or fool. so, which one are you?"

At first, I didn't know how to answer their question, then I answered, "I am searching for who I am, or something I have lost which I don't know what."

The Elk laughing, "This maybe the first time ever we have come across someone who is both brave, and also a fool! but I also sense in you honesty, which seems rare among your kind."

The other spirits joined in laughter, and I had a hard time whether I should quietly agree or be offended. In any case, I kept quiet.

Intensely now, the Hawk replied, "Be you brave or fool, you will not leave this forest until a task has been done for us." Knowing that I really had no choice, I agreed without complaint.

The Hawk continued: "In a section of our forest, there is a blight, an area of decay caused incidentally by one of your kind. We have done our best to keep this decay at bay, but it's trying its best to spread. You will go into this section, find its source, and put an end to it. Only by doing this, will you be allowed to continue your travels."

The Elk added: "When you have found the source, you must section off the area with stones from these woods, burn the grounds, then later plant these seedlings at the center." "Take this, as you will need it for what you'll find."

The Hawk spirit flew away shortly, then returned and dropped what looked like a water bag at my feet. Then the Bear spirit raised one of its paws revealing one of its claws and went by a nearby tree. Then the Bear poked a hole in the tree, revealing the sap as it came slowing pouring out.

"Fill the bag with the blood of this tree, you'll need it for the fire." I did as was told, then the Elk gave me the other two items. The seedlings, four in all looked like acorns, which i put in my pocket. The other was a wooden sword taken from the branch antler of the Elk itself. At the hilt of the sword was a stone. The moment I held the sword with my right hand, the handle grew and wrapped around my hand to my forearm. In that moment as my eyes began to flutter and my vision blur, I could see and feel the totality of the forest itself! The pulse heartbeat of the trees, the motion of the water flowing through its streams, the lifeforce of every living creature in the forest. I could also see the blight area which they told me about, a grayish color devoid of life. Once the sword had unwrapped itself and returned to a handle again, I regained my senses standing in front of the spirits again.

The forest spirits(in unison): "Go now to that place and complete your task." With that, the spirits' animal forms melted back into the trees again, leaving me pointed in the direction to the decayed area.

About 30mins. I reached my destination, the area differed in my vision, but was just as devoid of life as I had seen it. The grass further out felt brittle under my shoes, and as I moved in closer, I could smell the stench of rotting grass. Strong as the smell was, I covered my nose with my arm for a little while until I got used to this rottten smell. At the center of this space, lie the source: a decaying figure!

The decaying figure had the armor and uniform of a soldier. Though his armor plating lied scattered around him, his uniform seemed somewhat intact, but showed signs of deterioration. The body, for whatever reason, had been left in a semi kneeling position, with their sword stuck in the ground, hands gripped around the hilt, and the head bowed.

"Who would leave one of their own in such a manner. not a proper way to honor a fallen fighter?"

Suddenly, as if hearing my words, the body' head turned my direction! "Who would indeed," it garbled. "As if I weren't worth their time, why me?"

"I faithfully served without question, did any and all that was asked of me, and this is what I get?" "To be left alone, unburied and unremembered?"

The undead soldier gets up from its kneeling position and pulls his sword from the ground. Still grumbling, "I'll make them pay for this injustice, oh yes, they will pay...., but maybe my buddy will come, yeah, i'm sure of it! he won't forget me, he'll remember our promise!"

I stood strangely amazed at what I was seeing, and while keeping my distance asked, "If you don't mind me asking, what did you and your friend promise?"

An awkward look came across the soldier's decayed face. "To die and be buried with honor of course! I may have been young to meet such an unfortunate end, but still, to be brought back home would've been at least something, someone to mourn for me! By the way, how goes the battle, have we won?

I replied, "Any battle that you may have been in has long passed."

Hearing this, the undead soldier started to grumble again, "So, it's over, i've been forgotten, and cursed to exist in this rotten shell! He's forgotten about me, they all forgot about me!!! oh, I will make them pay...oh yes. I strangely feel a little hungry....I guess you'll do quite nicely.

"Sorry, i'm not on the menu!" I replied. With swords in hand, our fight began. I didn't think my wooden sword would be a match against this undead soldier's blade, but found it held up very well. With each clash of our blades, I would get a flash vision of the soldier when he was alive, at different points in his life. I was seeing him with eyes that seemed like mine, from memories that could have...belonged to me?

The fight seemed to drag on to no end, and I knew I would tire long before he would, this fight had to end, and soon. With sudden instinctive thought out of nowhere, I disarmed the undead soldier, and plunged my sword deep within his chest.

"Ha, ha, ha, you can't kill someone that's already dead. I'll have this out before you...."

He didn't have time to finish his words, for quickly the wooden sword's handle branched out around his body, and anchored him to the ground where he stood. As he struggled to get free, dark clouds began to form directly overhead. Quickly I backed away, as the slow rumble of thunder opened to a burst of lightning, striking the undead combatant in the chest where the sword lied. The clouds soon cleared, leaving now a charred body lying on the ground.

Barely able to move, the undead soldier whispered his last words to me. "Freedom...Freeeeeddoomm, you....remembered.....Reeennn..... Puzzled at last words to me, could I have known him? Who was he, what was his name, I don't know, should I have?

As quickly as I could, I set up the stone perimeter with the sap lining the inside, plus making a proper burial site for the soldier, and set it alight. Two to three hours later, I planted the seedlings in the charred remains and left.

I returned to spot where I met the forest spirits, where once again they met me in their animal forms.

"I've completed your task, i'm sorry I couldn't bring back the sword you gave me."

The Elk spirit, having already regrown the lost wooden antler replied, "It wasn't necessary for you to bring it back to us. "If you had..", The Bear finished, "We would know you had failed, and there would be...consequences."

Before I was to leave on my way, The Hawk spirit flew down and rolled to me some kind of fruit resembling an apple. "Take this, it will recover your lost strength from your battle."

"May I ask a question from you before I go? The spirits stayed slient, but nodded in agreement.

"What was the war the undead soldier talked about?"

The Wolf spirit replied, "All your answers you'll find should you reach the Hall of Light and Shadow."

The Forest spirits(in unison): "As you came in peace, leave in peace."

With that, the path I needed opened up, I gathered my gear, and walked down the path, eating the fruit that I was given, my strength slowly returning to normal.