In the pure and unfiltered forest, it was difficult for even someone as old as Tane to disguise any of his emotions, especially when they happened suddenly. And so at the mention of a name he knew very well, there was instantly an air of surprise in the glen between them that he could not repress. “…Ella?” He was concerned immediately that his reaction might worry Nikki, but he was equally concerned with the situation being described. The night of the fire… it had been Ella she was referring to? Ella had been the one in such a distraught emotional state that she’d walked through the fire, and in front of humans no less? What had happened? It was easy to see now why her energy had been so chaotic when they had first met…although honestly he had attributed that mostly to the fact that she was being attacked at the time. But it also did a lot to explain the underlying darkness that he felt constantly just beneath the surface whenever he was with her. He looked down at the forest floor, processing, and the woods around him seemed to pick up on his confusion and slight tension, beginning to stir up with wind and sounds of leaves and branches rustling. “Ella?” he repeated. “Are you sure?”
He wasn’t sure why he asked that- it was entirely within the realm of possibility and honestly, it would explain a lot about Ella’s recent state of mind that he’d been wondering about… Not that it actually explained much at all… he still had no idea why she was so upset that night. But suddenly it felt as if he was a step closer to her that he wasn’t capable of gaining by his own power. But that wasn’t important now, as much as he knew he couldn’t ask Ella directly about that night without cause, he knew he’d only feel deceitful and underhanded if he tried to get any answers from Nikki instead. He’d find out more when the time was more appropriate. Right now there was no reason to keep pursuing this line of thought. It was time for Nikki and her questions now, and although there was a lot he still didn’t know about Ella, there was something he could tell her that was relevant.
“Well, whatever was going on, I’m sure she doesn’t mean any harm to you or Kat,” he said reassuringly, hoping she wouldn’t pursue the matter further. Ella’s secrets were not his to tell, and so he felt he couldn’t explain about her being a Mataku. He felt bad hiding any knowledge from Nikki, but he was sure Ella wasn’t a danger at this point. The energy of unanswered questions that lingered around him died down as he calmed himself and made it fade from his wandering mind. The forest hollow also stilled and calmed again, reflecting his energy as it always did. They could hear the soft sound of water trickling through the streams again, and the songs of bird singing distantly. He turned his attention back to the questions he could answer, and refocused his attention on the lovely woman in front of him, whose song and love for her daughter had moved him so deeply. This wasn’t about him and his questions, it was about hers.
“The Fire Folk… they tend to have red hair,” he elaborated, walking a little circle around the glen to better connect himself back to nature, all the little plants and grasses from the ground bending to reach his outstretched hand. He loved the instantly calming effect this forest had on him, and he could only hope now that the proper introductions and tributes had been made, Nikki and Kat could find the same solace there whenever they were in need of it. “But it makes sense that it wasn’t one of them, they tend to like fires. They’re your traditional ‘faerie tale’ kind of faeries, dancing around big bonfires and the like… Good people generally but not much help when one wants to put out a fire…”
There were many connections between the forest itself and all other life, even now as he felt the pulse of the forest around them, he could connect it to what they were discussing currently. “You know, many young Te-Tini are very confused by fires, because we do try to put them out, to defend the forest… But afterwards we embrace the charred remains of the forest again. We tend to new trees there, we take our children there to learn about… the balance of nature and life. And they eventually learn, out of dark and painful things, new life can grow and thrive, new experiences… They understand more having seen these dark things… and I think the same is true for all children. As much as we would like to protect them from it all, learning these things and being exposed to the darkness helps them grow stronger, just as trees grow stronger in an area destroyed by fire.”
He paused for a moment and knelt down to put his hand more flatly against the earth where they stood. The healing energies of this place were especially so strong, being as deep as they were in the forest, and yet he knew there was an ancient history of darkness and death here, things that the plants had grown over like scars covering and protecting old wounds. He turned and smiled to Nikki again and suddenly she seemed just as powerful as the woods they stood in, despite being human. But he was beginning to understand that there was magic in all things, even places he didn’t expect. Some humans weren’t so bad… “The forest is a great mother, and we and the trees within, her children… It is because of her love and nurturing that we are made strong after hardships. Kat grew into the kind and loving girl that she is because she had a strong mother in you, Nikki. Your love is a light, and a shining water that helps the plants of her heart grow, and heal over her scars.” As he spoke, the plants under his hand warmed to his light and his touch, and grew up between his fingers, circling up his arm to where he still had scars of his own from the fire. The forest would see to healing him, and then perhaps she would be able to see her own power just as she could see the power of the forest around them.
She tilted her head at his reaction, tucking her hair behind her ear before giving a slow nod. "Yeah, she was ... I don't know how to describe other than ... insane." She winced at the word. "It was like she'd lost a big part of her or something. Like she'd lost something so important nothing else mattered any more." She wrinkled her nose petulantly, she didn't like it when people second guessed her, she was a bit of a pain about that. "Yes, I'm sure. I've seen her since and she seems more with it now. More mellow and comfortable in her own skin, in a way."
She gave another slow nod, "I don't think so either. She's quite different when she's mellowed out. She reminds me of someone I used to know, I just can't quite put my finger on who." She chuckled lightly. Something about Ella reminded her of an old friend, but which old friend she wasn't sure. Maybe it was more like Ella reminded her of someone who would've fit in with The Angels when they were teenagers.
She snapped back to attention as he began to speak and move around the glen. She set her violin case on a nearby rock and found herself drifting after him. Her feet barely making a sound as she moved, she could blame years of dance training for her light steps. "Fire folk huh? I'm not sure if I'm intrigued or concerned." She chuckled lightly, she ached to know more about it all though. She'd always been a know-it-all growing up and always wanted to know everything about anything that interested her. And this was a subject she found herself very interested in.
She felt like his words were echoing throughout the forest around them. There was almost a pulsing in the air, though that was crazy, she looked around at the forest around them and her breath caught in her throat. It was like she was seeing it all for the first time. Everything was bright and dark at the same time, like the light was growing out of the shadows in an enchanting way, showing her how wonderful and strong it was. She thought that this must be how Kat saw the forest, maybe even how the young blonde saw the world. Everything was new and exciting, an adventure waiting to happen. There was always something to explore and understand and protect and take care of for Kat, nothing was scary or worrisome.
She drifted closer to him when he knelt down, quietly sinking to her knees. She smiled back at him a tad shyly, an emotion she wasn't quite used to feeling, and felt her face flush once more at his praise. Her mouth dropped open as plants began to grow up between his fingers and she leaned forward with the eagerness of a curious child, the eagerness her daughter often displayed. "Amazing." She breathed, reaching out towards the plant tentatively, her fingers stopping just short of touching them where they'd circled up his arms over his scars.
