The Forest and the Trees

Once upon a time, two elves were walking in the forest, Arty and Chuck.

Arty was a happy-go-lucky Elf. For him, every day traipsing through the forest was a new adventure! Would they see a butterfly today? Would 'Bobaah' the squirrel play and throw acorns at them, then scamper away as if he were scared? Would the morning fog in the meadow catch the sun's rays just right today, and give them a rainbow? Would the turnip stew warm his bones, like the Stories of the Day from 'ole Gram?

Chuck had a chip on his shoulder. Every morning he woke on the cold forest floor with the chill's icy fingers caressing his bones. Every day was exactly the same. He'd fall in step with Arty as he rambled awe at every overturned leaf and every moving critter. The peace of the forest was never to be found with all that inane prattle. As oft as not, he'd be pelted with acorns by a squirrel to the point he would lash out in a rage and the squirrel would scamper off. Then, after lugging a day's gather of wood on his back all the way to the house, Chuck was subjected to the same ole gruel, and the same ole grueling stories of the senile cook. That was life for Chuck, and he expected it to stay that way until the morning he didn't wake up.

Getting High

It seemed another glorious day to Arty, and another dreary one to Chuck - but there was something special in the Dawning Light that morning, in the icy urgency of the chill in Chuck's bones. Though it landed differently on each of our Elves, there was an Energy in the Air.

Bobaah was feeling the energy too, and his playful Spirit was stirring. When Chitter and Grumpypuss made their way through his territory on this day, it was with a special zeal that he pelted his acorn at Grumpypuss. The acorn struck true, smack in the furrowed brow of Grumpypuss the stick-gatherer.

Chuck went into a Rage. His reason took a back seat. Had it not, it would have objected to the notion that there was anything to gain by climbing up a tree in pursuit of a squirrel. It was in the backseat in Chuck's mind, for Chuck's mind burned with Rage.

With a swiftness and a fervor Chuck wouldn't have imagined himself capable of, he shot up the tree after that squirrel. He lost sight of Bobaah by the second branch he grasped, but by then it was simply automated movement. Blind rage channeling through his muscles as branch after branch Chuck climbed higher and higher. He didn't notice the branches getting thinner, the light flooding in as he worked through the canopy. Branch, grab, pull. Branch, grab pull.

Skybreak

Until the movement a leaf, knocked loose by Chuck's efforts, obscured Arty's view of Chuck - Arty had not known fear. The falling leaf, Chuck disappearing from view... the dots connected in Arty's mind and he recognized Chuck was in danger. He had not known danger. He had not known fear. His heart thumped twice.

The fear coiled in his muscles, and Arty sprang into action. Chuck missing a grab, swinging out of balance, falling toward him - the image fueled his climb as he kept an eye on Chuck's actual progress. As he scaled branch after branch, blue sky opening above him, Arty was ready to reach out and snatch his falling friend.

Perched at the top, Chuck had found stillness. He was still in his body, wrapped around the seven-pointed top of the tree. He was still in his mind, his eyes projecting his mind full with the most immense beauty he had ever seen. The mountains backdropping his daily forest, the purpling sky as the Sun tucked itself away. The cool of the air caressed rather than chilled Chuck in his stillness, and a growing warmth within him stirred as his perch shifted from Arty's efforts to climb.

Arty reached a secure branch below Chuck (who had reached the top before he bothered to stop climbing!) and his tension relaxed...into horror. A foul wind had caught his nose, which called his eyes to the source of the stench. The sky was filled with firey glowing black destruction. The forest was ablaze, as wide as the eye could see across the horizon, burning death was on the way to his home.

Coming Down

As he dropped the last few feet to the ground, Chuck was excitedly listing all the animals and people that needed to warned about the fire. Arty was silent. It wasn't until Chuck was asking Arty which of them should go warn 'ole Gram that he noticed his sullen friend. He stopped, looked at his friend and waited.

After a long while, Arty raised his gaze and looked at Chuck with wet eyes.

"Everything we know and love is going to burn, Chuck..."

"Arty, there's some of it we can save."

*wrote this yesterday as part of a different post - thought it deserved to stand alone.
Image sources: @realkiki85 and @lyubovbar