Kavan was born in a castle. Not a traditional castle, but a castle nonetheless. It was a fortress of trees that had grown together into one massive trunk. Unfortunately, the years were hard on the tree and it becamehollow, but it made a nice home for the small druid family. Kavan loved theirhome, and it’s where she learned to speak the Sylvan language. Her parents taught her to be kind and respectful of all creatures, regardless of their outward appearance. She learned early on that every creature deserved to be treated as though they were her family, even the ones she found a little creepy. She quickly gained the forest’s love and could roam freely without fear. She was naturally curious and often found herself in peculiar situations, but with the help of the woodland creatures and her parents, she managed to grow into a young lady.
Kavan was fifteen before she experienced hardship for the first time. Her family had moved away from civilization before she was born, so she had never encountered the cruelty that some people possess. One morning in late fall, she was awoken by a loud shout. She immediately heard the trees crying out in pain and the animals of the forest running in terror. She quickly made her way outside and froze in fear at the sight before her. Huge men were stomping through the forest, her forest. They held giant axes and were making easy work of chopping down the trees in their way. She screamed in horror at their actions, drawing their attention to her. One of them smirked and lumbered toward her; that was all it took for her to realize the danger of the situation. She turned to run but stopped when she saw her mother leap down from the tree tops, a small dagger in her hand. She landed smoothly on the man’s shoulders and plunged the dagger in his chest before he could react. He slumped to the ground and her mother landed on her feet beside him. The other men, infuriated by the loss of one of their own, came barreling towards Kavan and her mother. Her mother swiftly pulled another small dagger from her boot and thrust it toward Kavan. Her mother told her take cover and to use the small weapon if necessary. She ran back to their home and hid. She held the dagger tightly to her chest as she sat in her home terrified. She began having problems breathing; as she became aware of the smoke filling her lungs, she saw a large figure walking towards her.
Kavan gained consciousness when water rushed over her face. She gasped deeply, bringing in a much needed lung full of clean air. She saw her parents in front of her, and they told her the men had burnt up most of the forest. They continued to tell her about their family that lived in a village not far from them. Kavan would be staying with them while they went to find the druid tribal leaders to inform them of the great loss of the natural world. On the way, her mother spoke to her of great trials druids had overcome, and with positivity and empathy, the druids were able to constantly rebuild their world. She told Kavan to make sure she always remembered that trees can’t grow without the rain and that no creature’s life was worthless. Her father used the days of travel to teach her how to properly use the dagger; he also made her a small sling as it seemed Kavan needed more practice with the dagger. Her aiming improved greatly while they travelled. She was able to easily bring down berries or nuts from the tops of trees as they continued their journey. A little over two weeks later, they arrived at her aunt and uncle’s village where Kavan said goodbye to her parents.
It didn’t take long for Kavan to realize that her family’s home was not for her. It was made of wood, but wood that had been chopped down and processed. She stayed for three months before she gave up on her parents returning. One night, she snuck out into the mountainous forest surrounding the village. These woods were new to her. She struggled to remember which berries were good and which she should avoid. She had never spent much time in the cooler climates the mountains brought. The first night was miserable. She found a tree that still had a bed of leaves around it and made herself a small bed in hopes of protecting herself from the cold mountain wind. It didn’t help that it was deep in the middle of winter. She awoke with a start when she heard breaking twigs to her right. She reached for the dagger and held it close to her chest. The crunching was on the other side of the tree and she leaned around in hopes of seeing the danger before it saw her. Stunned, she put away the dagger quickly. A beautiful fox stumbled forward awkwardly. Kavan could tell the fox was in great pain. She rushed to the vixen’s side and felt the staggered breathing, and her eyes fell on the bloated stomach. She calmed the vixen and helped her through the night. By the time morning came, both the fox and Kavan were exhausted and heartbroken. The fox had given birth too early from distress. Four kits were lying on the ground around them, none of them breathing. Kavan wasn’t sure if the fox had any more left, but she did know that the animal was in bad shape. She carried her to a stream for water and then to a cave the fox knew was nearby. Kavan continued to keep her calm. A few hours later, they were both rewarded with the last kit to arrive; this one was barely breathing, but it was definitely alive. The fox finally relaxed as Kavan put the kit next to its mother. Weeks passed and the kit grew stronger, but the mother continued to weaken. Kavan woke one morning to find herself alone in the cave with the kit she had begun to call Naava. They waited together all day, through the night, and into the next morning, but Kavan knew the mother wasn’t returning. Most animals wandered off to die alone, and she knew that the poor fox had been in bad health. She picked up Naava and walked outside, welcomed by the first warm breeze she had felt in a while. She smiled to herself and looked down at the little fox squirming in her arms; a new chapter was about to begin.
