Susi walked confidently toward the forest’s edge. The sweet grass was soft underfoot, and she drew a deep breath to inhale its fragrance. Closing on day’s end, darkness creeping earlier as the year turns, and slanted sunlight burnished the overhanging branches with a welcoming glow. Walking in the shadow of the tall trees, alone amongst giants, she felt the peace of their aged wisdom settle around her. Far from the ceaseless drone and shrill of human traffic, she knew the deepest sacred darkness remained sheltered in the forest’s ancient heart.
Unbothered by the voices of the wind breathing trees, or the tiny doings of heartbeats scattered amongst the brush, she moved deeper into the shaded realm, dry leaves and tinder brushed away with her step. This, this breath, this moment of primal entanglement, with the moisture of moss and the tang of the trees in her blood, is what she has been searching for and missing for so long. It has been too easy to be distracted and unfocused. Dazzled by easy imitations and copious copies of what should be simple Truths. This is a weakness and a surrender that cannot stand, she thought to herself, drawing up her shoulders with determination.
A movement, untied from the life around her caught her eye, and she raised her head in brief greeting. Silent and serene, a night owl glided amongst the trees as an impossible vision. No sound stirred with the motion of wings, even for her keen ears. This deadliest of predators, Messenger of Spirit and Keeper of Wisdom, and humans name this vision after their humblest constructions, a barn owl. Susi bowed her head, perhaps a sign that the Magic has truly been lost, the sacred transcribed to the mundane.
A quartet of does watched from the thicket, always alert, as they continued lazily chewing. They seemed to know she offered no danger to them this night. She kept on, following the sound of a stream to her left. Now, as she walked, she noticed piles of metal and broken scraps of unidentifiable rubbish glittering along her path. She sniffed, and her lip curled as she sensed something toxic. A low growl began in her chest. Sacrilege, she thought. This disgusting disrespect. They have lost the ability to see what is real, believing only what is apparent.
As she bent to drink from the sparkling stream, her reflection appeared in the water. Her golden eyes seemed to ripple with the current. The eyes of a wolf, fierce and wild, legendary huntress in her own right. The forest was hers to protect, its cycles bourn in her bones.
She rose as a new sound caught her awareness. Tracking its dancing path on the wind, she was drawn towards the top of a low hillside. Now the scent of woodsmoke edged her breath, and that deep, instinctive fear sharpened her awareness, Fire.
Needing to investigate the danger, she moved forward, more cautiously now, but with definite purpose. She slipped between the trees, her predator’s stealth making her one with the shadows. She heard noises, laughter, and muffled language. The smoke rose from a small fire, ringed with rocks and surrounded by a group of people, a family, perhaps. The youngling seemed entranced by the dancing light of the flames, and the grown ones watched protectively. Around the scene, she saw more of the metal and scrap piled within easy reach. Were these the ones destroying her forest? Rage stirred in her heart. She could destroy them too. Her muscles tensed, ready to spring. She could leap down this minor slope and tear these invaders apart with teeth and claws. Righteous vengeance for profaning the land.
At that moment, she noticed the moon rising above the clearing, changing the light in the forest from its earlier bronze to shining silver. Below, the young one seemed drawn to this new light, reaching toward its glow. Crouching in the darkness of the surrounding foliage, her ears perked in surprised recognition to hear the jarring rumble of voices change and raise. They attempt in clumsy, ill-formed notes to pay their tribute to the shining orb above. The young one’s shaking treble howl even causing Susi to chuff in amusement. Was this a sign? Did they still retain some memory of the time their ancestors ran with the pack and lived with the land? In respect for this insight, she quieted her ire and decide to leave these ones in peace tonight. Walking away, in search of a quieter rest, she found again the embrace of the trees. Perhaps there is hope for them yet, the great wolf thought, as she headed back to the depths of the wood.
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The Plant That Thrives Without Water, Loves Heat, and Turns Any Yard Into a Butterfly Haven
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