Dread Mage

Sonder couldn’t help but find the way treants nourished themselves quite peculiar. It stood in stark contrast to the other races she was familiar with. Most beings she knew that could at least talk, whether through their appearance or their culture, shared characteristics with humans, at least in some recognizable way.

But the treants were different. They were just as alien as they looked.

The adult treant towered over Sonder like an actual tree. Despite its size, the treant handled the younger one with surprising tenderness, like a giant cradling a delicate flower.

“My little Twigling, where do you find such boundless energy?” it mused, placing the small creature on its broad shoulder. With a rustling of its own leaves, it turned its attention to Sonder. “You resemble a man, and yet, in many ways, you do not. What is the reason for this?”

“Well, for starters, I’m a girl, not a man,” she explained with a smile.

“Girl?” the treant echoed. “What distinguishes a girl from a man?”

Sonder paused, scratching her head as she tried to articulate the differences. “Girls often have long hair, men do not,” she began, then stopped, realizing that that wasn’t true. “Actually, some men do have long hair,” she corrected herself. “It’s more complicated than that. We’re different in ways that are obvious to us but hard to put into words.”

The treant nodded slowly, absorbing her words. “Worry not,” it said reassuringly. “I am known as Pith, and you may call me that. I am but one of many guardians of these woods. My Twigling and I are seeking a new sanctuary, as our previous dwelling was lost to a fire. Tell me, girl-man, do you know of a place where we might settle?”

A pang of guilt flickered through Sonder. The fire Pith mentioned was because of Vell.

“There’s a house not far from here,” she offered. “You could settle nearby. It should be safe from fire, and there’s a stream close by if you need water.”

The treant pondered her suggestion, emitting a sound like a tree bending under heavy winds. “That sounds delightful, man-girl.”

“My name is Sonder,” she interjected, “man-girl sounds really strange.”

“Would you lead me to this house, Sonder?” Pith asked, having just a bit of a problem with pronouncing her name.

“Yes,” she agreed, and she began leading the treant toward her home.

The journey, though short in distance, took a long time because of Pith’s slow pace.

As they walked, Pith spoke again, “Sonder, as a token of my gratitude, I would be honored to teach you how to draw nourishment from the light around us if you find yourself still hungry.”

“Would you?” She asked excited. Though it wasn’t very grand, the idea of learning such a skill did thrill her. “I would love to.”