Entry 10: On Forests and Spirits Part Two
Title: "On Forests and Spirits" Part Two
Entry Number: 10
Author: shuriken7
Fandom: Original
Rating: G
Genre: Fantasy
Word Count: 1015
Summary: Humans may not know this, but whenever they travel to somewhere new and live on that land, something is born. It is a fusion of nature and humanity, a new life on the landscape. They wander the lands, not human and not animal, but something completely in between.
A/N: So in the spirit of NaNoWriMo I decided to just let my brain write out something. This is what it became, it's a pretty rough draft since I was finding the story as I wrote.
"Don't you trust me?" he teased, kissing her cheek before she transformed. She hugged Wapiti once more and leaped into the air. Black wings replaced her human arms, her body shrank and shifted, until with the first flap of her wings she was back. She had never wished for anything other than this form, although not the same was true for many of the others. Some of the birds wished they were mammals, but it often had far more to do with companionship, than an actual wish for a different form. Feathers meant being able to go places the others could not. It was lonely sometimes.
She flew across the sky, keeping an eye out on the woods, making sure that a confused eagle wouldn't try to knock her out of the air. She discovered the small valley where the new resident had begun to make her home. Branwen dropped down out into the lush green grass. The grass came up to her waist as she transformed. She ran her fingers over the soft petals of a golden banner flower, not fooled by its innocent appearance that hid its poisonous truth.
She walked towards the trees keeping her eye out for the odd sheen that hung around the place where a spirit makes their home. If she did not already have a territory she would consider this one, the stream running through the center would provide water enough and also an abundance of amusement when the smaller birds would come and play in the stream. She was so fond of the little nuthatches and sparrows. She smiled at a chattering pine squirrel, and he continued to scold her as she made her way within the edge of the towering Lodgepoles, a few young Douglas Firs beginning to make their stands on the forest floor. She had just reached out to run her fingers over the soft fir needles when she heard the rustle of wings behind her.
"Who are you?" the newcomer asked, her English a bit stilted, but with confidence. She sounded the way they all sounded before their tongues had decided to accept the new language the humans in their forest spoke, not all of them had to learn, but many did. After all, they were products of where forest and human met. Sometimes that took time. Branwen turned and gave her a friendly smile. The dark-haired girl looked back at her, tilting her head as though she were surprised by something.
"I'm Branwen, one of the ravens of this forest. Everyone's been curious as to who you are?"
"My name is Fen." the small woman replied. Branwen attempted to look past her human facade and saw a little swallow, swift and graceful residing inside her. "I know that the others have been curious about me. I have been curious about all of you as well."
"You should come and say hello. I think the boys are too shy because you are female and they are too used to me." she laughed.
"There are not many females?"
"Well, we will be the only two birds, there are a few females of other families. There is just a lot of masculine energy in these woods. Human men came here first before bringing their women."
"Ah, I see."
"You and I can be friends though, the boys are a little afraid of me." Fen turned her brown eyes to her, and Branwen suddenly felt very self-conscious. Had she said the wrong thing? Had she possibly offended her?
Fen walked forward and reached out to tug on one of Branwen's brown curls. Branwen laughed a little in surprise and said, "Did your humans not have curls?"
"Not like you have." she continued to touch her hair and Branwen wanted nothing more to shift into her feathers so she could be properly preened, she never trusted any of the boys to do it. Last time she had asked Azul she had ended up with one of her feathers pulled out. She had yanked out one of his tail feathers in revenge. It still adorned her nest as a warning against tricksters like him. They could be friends, but he certainly was not allowed to groom her. Fen was much more gentle and Branwen found herself sinking into raven form without thinking about it, enjoying the feeling of human fingers in her dark feathers. Fen sat down on the ground and Branwen hopped onto her folded legs. She knew she was being foolish, but Wapiti in his teasing wisdom had been right. She had been lonely. "I've been watching you, when you fly high up in the sky and dance with the other ravens. Your flying is so beautiful."
Branwen was grateful she was in her raven form, for her human cheeks would have been flushed at such a compliment. She tucked her head, under her wing, embarrassed. If she could form words in this shape she would have stuttered out something about it just being a talent ravens have naturally, she had simply had over 100 years to hone it, much longer than any mortal bird.
She heard the other girl chuckle kindly and shift as well. Her bird form was so tiny and delicate, she could disappear under Branwen's feathers if she wanted. The raven spirit delicately ran one of the smaller barn swallow's iridescent blue feathers through her beak, and the other bird nuzzled her closer. It was a nice change, Branwen considered, much more than her usual solitary watch over the forests of the Rockies. She began to tell the newcomer all of the things she would need to know to be able to fit in around the spirits already dwelling in these woods, chattering softly in her bird voice. The younger spirit listened and nodded, thanking her for her wisdom.
Branwen smiled inwardly, they would most certainly be friends. The forest could use another guardian drifting through its skies.
Entry Number: 10
Author: shuriken7
Fandom: Original
Rating: G
Genre: Fantasy
Word Count: 1015
Summary: Humans may not know this, but whenever they travel to somewhere new and live on that land, something is born. It is a fusion of nature and humanity, a new life on the landscape. They wander the lands, not human and not animal, but something completely in between.
A/N: So in the spirit of NaNoWriMo I decided to just let my brain write out something. This is what it became, it's a pretty rough draft since I was finding the story as I wrote.
"Don't you trust me?" he teased, kissing her cheek before she transformed. She hugged Wapiti once more and leaped into the air. Black wings replaced her human arms, her body shrank and shifted, until with the first flap of her wings she was back. She had never wished for anything other than this form, although not the same was true for many of the others. Some of the birds wished they were mammals, but it often had far more to do with companionship, than an actual wish for a different form. Feathers meant being able to go places the others could not. It was lonely sometimes.
She flew across the sky, keeping an eye out on the woods, making sure that a confused eagle wouldn't try to knock her out of the air. She discovered the small valley where the new resident had begun to make her home. Branwen dropped down out into the lush green grass. The grass came up to her waist as she transformed. She ran her fingers over the soft petals of a golden banner flower, not fooled by its innocent appearance that hid its poisonous truth.
She walked towards the trees keeping her eye out for the odd sheen that hung around the place where a spirit makes their home. If she did not already have a territory she would consider this one, the stream running through the center would provide water enough and also an abundance of amusement when the smaller birds would come and play in the stream. She was so fond of the little nuthatches and sparrows. She smiled at a chattering pine squirrel, and he continued to scold her as she made her way within the edge of the towering Lodgepoles, a few young Douglas Firs beginning to make their stands on the forest floor. She had just reached out to run her fingers over the soft fir needles when she heard the rustle of wings behind her.
"Who are you?" the newcomer asked, her English a bit stilted, but with confidence. She sounded the way they all sounded before their tongues had decided to accept the new language the humans in their forest spoke, not all of them had to learn, but many did. After all, they were products of where forest and human met. Sometimes that took time. Branwen turned and gave her a friendly smile. The dark-haired girl looked back at her, tilting her head as though she were surprised by something.
"I'm Branwen, one of the ravens of this forest. Everyone's been curious as to who you are?"
"My name is Fen." the small woman replied. Branwen attempted to look past her human facade and saw a little swallow, swift and graceful residing inside her. "I know that the others have been curious about me. I have been curious about all of you as well."
"You should come and say hello. I think the boys are too shy because you are female and they are too used to me." she laughed.
"There are not many females?"
"Well, we will be the only two birds, there are a few females of other families. There is just a lot of masculine energy in these woods. Human men came here first before bringing their women."
"Ah, I see."
"You and I can be friends though, the boys are a little afraid of me." Fen turned her brown eyes to her, and Branwen suddenly felt very self-conscious. Had she said the wrong thing? Had she possibly offended her?
Fen walked forward and reached out to tug on one of Branwen's brown curls. Branwen laughed a little in surprise and said, "Did your humans not have curls?"
"Not like you have." she continued to touch her hair and Branwen wanted nothing more to shift into her feathers so she could be properly preened, she never trusted any of the boys to do it. Last time she had asked Azul she had ended up with one of her feathers pulled out. She had yanked out one of his tail feathers in revenge. It still adorned her nest as a warning against tricksters like him. They could be friends, but he certainly was not allowed to groom her. Fen was much more gentle and Branwen found herself sinking into raven form without thinking about it, enjoying the feeling of human fingers in her dark feathers. Fen sat down on the ground and Branwen hopped onto her folded legs. She knew she was being foolish, but Wapiti in his teasing wisdom had been right. She had been lonely. "I've been watching you, when you fly high up in the sky and dance with the other ravens. Your flying is so beautiful."
Branwen was grateful she was in her raven form, for her human cheeks would have been flushed at such a compliment. She tucked her head, under her wing, embarrassed. If she could form words in this shape she would have stuttered out something about it just being a talent ravens have naturally, she had simply had over 100 years to hone it, much longer than any mortal bird.
She heard the other girl chuckle kindly and shift as well. Her bird form was so tiny and delicate, she could disappear under Branwen's feathers if she wanted. The raven spirit delicately ran one of the smaller barn swallow's iridescent blue feathers through her beak, and the other bird nuzzled her closer. It was a nice change, Branwen considered, much more than her usual solitary watch over the forests of the Rockies. She began to tell the newcomer all of the things she would need to know to be able to fit in around the spirits already dwelling in these woods, chattering softly in her bird voice. The younger spirit listened and nodded, thanking her for her wisdom.
Branwen smiled inwardly, they would most certainly be friends. The forest could use another guardian drifting through its skies.