Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Softly Falls the Forest (Closed)

It was a rainy day. Not the kind of soft sweet rain that falls upon upturned cheeks, nor the kind that drips slowly from glistening leaves and freshens the air. Those were the good kind of rain, life bringing, and good for a bit of fun. This rain was nothing but wet. Miserable, bone drenching, soggy earthed, air vanquishing wet.

Prinna didn't much care for soggy days. The ancient forest of Beloria only had rainy days like this one perhaps twice a year, as fall drew near. It seemed to herald the coming of the season in which trees began to pull into hibernation, green dripping from leaves and making way for the vibrant flame colored hues of red, orange, and yellow. When it rained this hard, even breathing became difficult, much less seeing or moving out upon whatever business one might have.

Pulling her leafy legging clad legs tighter against her chest, Prinna wrapped her petite arms around her knees as she sat beneath a large mushroom on the forest floor. Mushrooms seemed to be the only thing that thrived in the moist decay of fall, but at least they made good canopies for a pixie who just wanted to stay dry. Wings momentarily gone, Prinna had settled on her smallest size for the time being, no bigger than the thumb of an average man, her black usually curly hair plastered over both shoulders, wet and soggy as it stuck to her skin.

Her normally cheerful countinance and bluish glow were both dismally dim, reflecting the dreadful day. She was bored to death, for her beloved winds were nowhere to be seen when the rain was so hard, even the air seemed to be hiding. As she glanced upward past the tree tops overhead, she saw nothing but grey sky. But perhaps the rain would soften soon, and she'd be able explore some more.

Concern for her beloved forest stung Prinna's breast, for she knew not how to heal it. This fall was a bad one. The trees, rather than slowly fading into hibernation were dying, turning grey and lifeless in a death that wouldn't fade come spring. Those trees were gone forever. The death seemed to be falling softly, slowly, as if creeping upon stealthy paws. But she had noticed. It began in the forests heart, with the heart tree, the oldest and largest. She had been born of that trees song, of its magic. It was fading, and as it died, so did the forest around it.

The magical creatures that called the forest of Beloria and its surrounding countryside home, had tried everything they could think of to heal the heart tree. None of their powers had done more than give the heart tree a bit more momentary glimmer. Not even when the old fae races, nearly as old as the heart tree herself, had met and encirled her to sing their ancient songs. The tree had swayed, had sung with them, but her song had been dark, discordant, her voice more than wizened, it was diseased.

Prinna didn't usually think for long about sad things. She hated to be sad. Yet this problem was too big, to important even for her own capricious nature. A cure must be found, but how? A drop of water slid over her brow and down her slightly upturned nose to drip from its tip. Even the mushroom couldn't keep her dry. Tucking her chin closer to her knees, Prinna thought about the one race that she knew hadn't tried to healthe heart tree. the Magic-less race. The ones that mystified her, the ones that piqued her overwhelming curiosity. Humans. But why would they care about one old tree in the middle of an ancient forest? It wasn't as if they had magic or their very lives dependant upon the vitality of the heart tree and its forest. They were separate, and for all their seeming frailty, they would live on if the heart tree died.

But there would be consequences for them, too. They just needed to be made aware of them. They needed to be convinced. All Prinna needed was one human. Surely that wasn't too much to ask for. Perhaps she could find one in the nearby town of Hastvad, the crown city of the realm. Surely in such a large bustling place there must be one willing human.

She treads softly through the forest, long bushy tail flowing behind her. Rainy days such as this were perfect for what she is searching for, her spirits are high. She's singing softly as she goes to keep her mind off the cold, "And like a love-sick lenansidhe, she has my heart in thrall, nor life I owe nor liberty, for love is lord of all...." She stops here and there to collect herbs, and any pretty trinkets that catch her eye. Suddenly, a large gust of wind blows her cloak away from her face and she stares up at the sky above her, it would be dark soon and she should be heading home. "Strange, this wind, it's been a still day so far..." She adjusts her cloak around her shoulders, tucks her ears under the hood, and quickens her pace, the rain drenching through to her fur. "I'm only missing one item, surely there is time for that?" As Sidhe walks along, she can feel the moon rising slowly behind her, although it cannot be seen. The evening is still and quiet, the random gust of wind was troublesome and filled her with foreboding, her joyfulness dissipating. Finally she spots what she needs hiding among a pile of leaves on the forest floor, a large mushroom, blue in color, which she rushes towards..

The drenching rain continued unabated, the clouds blanketing the tree tops heavy and ominous. It looked to be a very long and wet evening. There was still perhaps a good two hours yet of daylight, if one could call the smidgen of light illuminating the darkness of the forest floor such a thing.

Vibrations along the soggy ground alerted Prinna of the being who moved toward the small cluster of mushrooms, one of which she'd claimed as a haven. The plants and dampened air currents whispered to the pixie of the passerby and she perked up in curiosity, her glow brightening a fraction. Who in their right mind was out in a such a torrential downpour as this? What a glorious happening! Her day had just gotten less gloomy.

Wings popped into existence with a blue shimmer behind her and she flitted out from under the mushroom growing a bit out of necessity. She had to be bigger than the raindrops if she were to move about under them and now drown. Childsize now, but with a graceful figure and glowing capricious eyes, and a knowing demeanor, she lacked only the womanly curves of an adult, giving her an odd mixture of age and youth.

She leaned her elbow against a nearby tree, resting a hand to prop up her head as she peered easily through the dim rain, waiting for the being she knew would come her way. She dimmed her glow to almost nonexistent and her tapered ears were hidden beneath her dark blue black locks, so on first sight, Prinna might truly seem to be a child.

"What brings you out in this weather, silly?" She asked the being, staring unabashedly at her tail.

Sidhe makes her way quickly towards the patch of mushrooms, happy to finally see what she needs, and focused solely on finding the perfect one, her pulse slows down as she zeros in on her prize. A voice snapped her out of her slight trance and she jumped back suddenly, her tail bushing out to twice its size, the hairs on her spine raised up, heart racing for the moment. "Who is there, where are you?" She peers through the downpour to see a small figure leaning against a tree, and she laughs softly despite her worries. "Hello, small one, I'm searching for the perfect mushroom, I'm in the middle of a spell you see.... Wait, why are You out here in this dreadful rain, and did you feel that gust of wind before?"

She stops her nervous rambling, biting her lip as she remembers what she is here for, focusing on calming her beating heart. The night was fast approaching, she wasn't too far from the burrow. She had very little time to prepare the mixture, and get to her garden before the full moon was at her highest point in the sky.... Cursing herself silently, Sidhe steps softly forward bending to pluck up the nearest mushroom, keeping her eye on the dark haired creature before her she stashes it away in the belt across her chest, patting the pocket gingerly. When the Moon is at the full, mushrooms you can safely pull, but when the Moon is on the wane, wait ere you think to pluck again. The old rhyme plays across her mind.. Tightening her cloak against the rain she watches the other with much curiosity, head tilting slightly to the side, ears perking up and trying to peek out of her hood as she searches for this ones heartbeat. Slow, steady, with a more sporadic beat here and there, as if they are excited, but wish to hide it.....

Pushing away from the tree, Prinna bent over, for all the world seeming oblivious to the downpour which had soaked her soft blue leaf-like dress and light green leggings. As the woman picked several of the blue mushrooms Prinna wrinkled her nose in distaste and disapproval. "Oh but mushrooms are so much nicer and happier when left here in their home. Why must you cauldron folk ruin good things?" She kept her nose wrinkled a few more minutes, though she made no move to interfere as the mushrooms were safely tucked away.

Straightening up, Prin put both hands on her hips and tilted her head as she looked up at the furry woman. "Well, just see you don't take too many then." She said, before giving a soft laugh and skipping over to pet the woman's tail, reaching out a small slender hand to stroke the wet fur. "This is glorious." She said wistfully. "I've always admired the forest creatures who are clothed in such beautiful fur, and here you are, with fur too. Lucky you!" She giggled again, then regarded the woman's face a moment, head tilted, rain running down her face.

"I think I'll come with you." She said at last with a nod to herself. She had seemed to completely miss the question the woman had posed her, in regard to her own reasons for being in the forest. Or perhaps she didn't realize that it wasn't perfectly obvious she belonged here. Upon closer inspection, Sidhe might realize there was a soft blue aura around her, but might think it was a trick of the eyes, if she wasn't familiar with fairies or pixies, for Prinna kept the light to a minimum.

As Sidhe plucked a couple more mushrooms and put them in her belt, quickly, almost unseen, she reaches into another pocket pulling out a handful of seeds and places them gently in the upturned earth. She uses her tail to brush it back into place, letting it fluff out behind her trying to shake off the moisture, with no avail, due to this downpour. "Thank you", she says, under her breath. Relieved to finally have what she needs Sidhe notices a soft tug on her tail, but did not recall seeing the girl move at all. Holding her breath, she turns slightly and watches as the small creature strokes her tail, her fur bristling against the light touches, the tip of her tail curling around the girls fingers.

Wiping the raindrops from her face she stares harder, noticing a soft blue aura surrounding her small frame. So, this one's fae, but seems harmless, for now, she thinks silently. Quite used to childlike creatures she overlooks the faes ignorance of boundaries, but pulls her tail away suddenly. "Come with me where exactly, I'm quite busy you see..." She cuts off her question, shaking her head and realizing it might be easier to just let her follow, there may need to be a witness after all..."Well, come along then, I don't have much time, the moon is already quite high, just try keep up, and I do mean keep up."

Sidhe turns on her heel, bending against the rain and starts walking swiftly away. Weaving her way through the dense forest Sidhe dwells on the fact that the moon is rising faster than she would like. The rain was beating relentlessly down on them both, and she was becoming irritable. "Not too much farther, we just need to pass over that hill and cross the stream. After that I will need you to follow my steps exactly, or you might scratch yourself on the thorns," she says to her companion while stepping over a fallen log. "Could you tell me your name by the way, if your going to come to my burrow, I would love to know..." Not hearing a response Sidhe turns around.

As the fox lady turned and strode away, Prinna didn't immediately follow, having been distracted by a small bird flitting on the branch of a tree nearby. Her eyes, the clear blue of a mountain lake, softened and she cooed at the bird quietly. Quickly her form shimmered a bit and grew until she was the hight of small woman, roughly 5'4", with a slender willowy figure, and soft full lips. Wings blossomed upon her back, varying shades of blue and looking to be somewhat like a mixture of butterfly wings and leaves. Lifting her hand, Prin cooed again and the bird flitted to her uplifted finger, and she immediately sheltered it from the worst of the drenching rain.

"My sweet, you should be hiding in your nest. The rain comes down, so hide away, soft in nest till light of day, stay safe and warm, my song my sky, so on the morrow once more you'll fly." Her voice became soothing and sweet, lilting in a song like cadence and when she again lifted her hand toward the branches of the tree the bird flitted up high to where a nest was tucked tightly in the crook of a gnarled branch.

Then, as if she had only just remembered the woman to whom she'd been speaking recently, she turned and began flitting lightly on bare feet in the direction the lady had gone. Following the whispers of the forest, she found the trail and, shrinking even as she ran to the size of a butterfly, flitted into the air to better catch up.

By the time she found the lady again, she had turned and was peering with some confusion out behind her. Prinna landed on her shoulder and patted the fur on her cheek in a consoling manner. When she spoke her voice was reminicent of tinkling bells. "I'm right here, don't worry. But.." she frowned a bit, then gestured deeper into the forest, off to their right. "The forest is sad, that way. Croí Crann is dying, her sadness and sorrow spreading. If your burrow is that way, you should find somewhere else." She seemed oddly serious, concern stilling her usually bubbly attitude until it was as somber as the rain pouring down.

Again she stroked the woman's fur, almost as if she were comforting the both of them. Then, she suddenly recalled her thoughts from before this being had distracted her. "Oh! I need to help her." Conspiritorially she leaned closer to Sidhe's ear, "I think a human must heal her. I need to find one. Do you have a human?"

By now the evening had set in truly, and the moon, if it hadn't been so rainy, would have been visible just between the trees as it began its rise. The usual sounds of night, the buzzing of insects and the calls of the nightbirds and creatures were all absent, the rain chasing away the signs of life and primising a soggy dreary night.

Sidhe was both annoyed and worried, having turned to find that her new companion was nowhere to be seen. Chewing on her lip and trying her best to see past the torrent of rain, she searches for the small girl. A soft mew escapes her lips when, out of who knows where, the fae lands gently on her shoulder and touches her cheek. She gazes intently into the girls eyes as she listens with much interest to what she is saying, her ears perking up of their own accord as she mentions Croí Crann, of all things! Sidhe whispers excitedly to the fae, "I'm have no connections with the non magic creatures that roam Beloria, my apologies. However, Croí Crann is the whole reason I have risked being out here tonight, my dear!" Sidhe chuckles softly and lets out a long sigh. "So, you have noticed the trees as well... Hmm, maybe you should stay on my shoulder, it will make the rest of this walk go more smoothly, we have to get to my burrow, Now."

Sidhe takes off, running swiftly towards the stream, holding her breath against the cold, as she steps in with much haste, battling the fast current. "The water has definitely risen, Small One, something is Wrong about this rain," she says to her companion tucking the hood of her cloak around the girls small figure.

As she reaches the bank, she shakes out her tail grumbling softly and turning to the left, heading towards a vast thicket of thorns. Her former worries about the safety of her burrows whereabouts were pushed quickly aside. These were urgent circumstances after all, and she reaches under a small bush pulling out a medium sized staff whose wood was twisted at the tip. Expertly, she uses this to pick up a bundle of thorns, revealing a well worn path leading up a hill. Along this path were small jars lighting the way, upon closer inspection one could tell that there was nectar lining the bottom of these jars, which were filled with fireflies, who could come and go as they pleased. The path winds its way up the hill, along this were other trails, leading this way and that, lit by the jars as well. Sidhe, of course, ignored them, knowing what each of the pathways were for; some had been made for a definite purpose, others to lead creatures astray.As if they could even find a way into the thicket, she thought with a grin, and begins to explain this to the girl clinging to her shoulder.

After many twists and curves, they make their way up the maze-like thicket of thorns, finally coming upon the door of Sidhes' small and humble burrow. She stops, touching the carving on the doors mantle lovingly, which was a small ritual of hers. She removes her hood, talking quietly to the girl, "This was carved many centuries ago by the lady who lived here at that time, her name has been long forgotten and she was known only as her title, Moon Woman. Well, little one, here we are,", she says pushing open the door to her home. She step quickly inside, untying her cloak and walking to the fireplace hanging it on a hook she had placed there for the purpose of drying this most prized possession of hers.

As soon as Sidhe would push into her cozy burrow, Prinna would drift off of the female's shoulder and flit quickly about the room, peeking here and there in all the corners and crannies. Once she'd satisfied her initial curiosity, she flew back to hover near the doorway, where her form shimmered a translucent blue and she grew a bit until she was once more the size of a woman, her features filling out. She stood quietly for a long momemoment, a graceful hand on the doorpost as she washed the rain, listening to the patter against thorn and bush, earth, and wood.

When she finally turned to regard Sidhe her face was somber, composed, yet etched with a flash of wisdom and solidity that was so rarely seen upon her. She searched the other woman's face as she shook her head softly, the blue black locks of hair dripping down over her shoulders and chest. "Croí Crann weeps for those she has already lost. Those who are not as strong as she, for she cannot keep her curse from spreading." The rain seemed to pelt down harder momentarily, as if in acknowledgment of the statement, and for a long minute there was only the sound of rain between the two - rain, and the dripping of water onto the floor of Sidhe's home as it ran from both the woman's cloak, and Prin's own clothing.

Despite being so much more than damp, Prinna eyed the fire with suspicious distaste and did not venture closer. The warmth was nice... but she didn't trust the tongues of flame that so easily consumed whole forests. On a night like this though... such a thing would be all but impossible. Suddenly Prin smiled at Sidhe and stuck a hand out toward the woman. "I am called Prinna. I like your burrow, its cozy. The thorns outside are an interesting choice, but they do keep away a good deal of trouble. They say such nasty things sometimes though." She shook her head and shared a conspiratorial grin with Sidhe, having overlooked the fact that not everyone can hear the whispers of plant life.

"What do they call you?" She asked, moving about the room as she commenced a more thorough investigation. She knew many of the creatures that lived in the ancient forest, but it was vast, and she couldn't hear all the gossip all the time. Such a thing would drive her crazy. Before Sidhe could answer her question though, Prin made a soft sound of intrigue and pointed at the belt across the lady's chest. "And how in all the winds do you plan on helping Croí Crann with a mushroom?"

Darby was in a particularly foul mood all afternoon - someone had apparently made off with one of his little stashes of buried gold. The weather only served as an excellent backdrop as he grumbled and kicked his way along the forest floor. He had just been about to turn back home when he noticed another creature moving along in the same area as his treasure had been.

Aha! I have caught you this time! He slips out of visibility and follows along. The other is clearly looking for something but never heads in a direction toward any of his other hiding places. Still, Darby's curiosity is piqued. He recognizes Prinna when she shows up and considers making himself apparent. He quickly decides against it in the hopes that he might be able to play a little prank on them.

The stream is easily teleported across, but the thorn patch makes a much more formidable obstacle. He's been following at a distance that now makes it difficult for him to clearly see the path they take up the hill. And the funny little fireflies lights grab at his attention from time to time. Even with his small size, it is with much difficulty (and several scratches) that he picks his way through the thicket. Sometimes he stumbles into the trail for a minute and then loses it again.

Several minutes after the two have entered Sidhe's burrow they hear a faint yowling and then a loud thump against the bottom of the door.

Sidhe reaches out to the fae, who had just referred to herself as Prinna, and through her giggles says, "Yes, the thorns are pricks, however they do an excellent job at keeping strangers away. It's lovely to meet you, my own name is Lenansidhe, but you may call me Sidhe. I would enjoy showing you what exactly what I plan to do, except, I may need some assistance. We have a ritual to perform, and very little time to prepare.. If you would boil some water for me it would be much appreciated for the time being.." she says hurriedly.

Lenansidhe turns on the spot and begins to chop up different roots she pulls from pouches on her belt. Finishing that task quickly, she drops assorted herbs and seeds into her mortar and begins to grind them up. Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, there is a loud thump and strange yowling coming the burrows entrance, causing Sidhe to jump and drop the pestle. "Downright impossible," she exclaims, and makes her way to the door taking a few shaky breaths. She gathers herself, and slowly pushes the door open, revealing nothing but the empty pathway, she turns to her companion. "There appears to be nothing here, did you happen to notice anyone behind us Prinna?"

The pestle rolls along the floor, forgotten for the time being......

He would have been discovered too, if the door had turned inward. But just in time he heard the click of the latch and scrambled away while cloaking himself with invisibility. You see, he had gotten himself most of the way through the briar patch when he tried to teleport to the door. But he missed and landed in a very thick patch of thorns. They grabbed at his jacket and held him quite fast. In his attempts to get free, he had grabbed a handful of thorny branch and howled in pain. Then, as he pulled himself free, he rolled tumble-bumble headfirst into the door. In all the pain and confusion, poor Darby had quite forgotten to remain invisible, and that was how he was almost caught.

Now, only several feet away from the open door, the lady of the house looks straight through him. Darby grins and blinks into the little room behind her.

He leans sideways and at a precarious angle against the wall by the fireplace behind both ladies. His little arms cross across his chest, and his hat sits at such an angle as to threaten to drop off his head at any moment. Dropping his invisibility and puffing cavalierly on his little pipe, he exclaims, "I say, ladies, what an excellent evening for some cards; stew; and a good, strong stout, don'chya think?" His eyes twinkle, and a jolly little chuckle follows his question.

Nibbling upon her lower lip, Prinna watched Sidhe turn to begin grinding up this and that, and her eyebrow rose at the woman's hasty tone of voice. Glancing toward the fire, she shook her head adamantly. In order to boil water, she'd have to venture too close to the flames, and just the thought of doing so began to upset her. Instead, she wandered over to peer around the woman's shoulder and sniff the air near the pestle, identifying the bits and pieces that were being smashed.

"Hmmm." Prinna murmered, opening her mouth to observe something inconsequential, when the thump and subsequent yowl ensued from out the doorway. A surprised yet delighted laugh escaped Prinna even as her companion jumped, dropping the pestle to the floor before approaching door. Carefully bending to replace the dropped tool back into the mortar, Prinna turned to observe the door, one hand moving to rest upon her hip, her head cocked a bit.

She'd know the owner of that yowl anywhere, yet it was such fun to watch Sidhe try to figure out what was going on, that Prin held off from announcing who she thought it was, not out of any mean-spiritedness, but rather for the sake of the game. It was a good game, too. If Sidhe glanced Prin's way now, she'd noticed the pixie's gaze darting around the room and a knowing smile lifting her lips.

As soon as Darby's voice leaps from thin air behind them both, Prin spins with a gasp followed by another soft peal of laughter, clear blue eyes sparkling her excitement. At the same moment, her form shimmers and she shrinks until she is once more child-size, roughly equivalent to Darby himself. Wings popped into existence upon her back with a light blue shimmer and scattering of pixie dust and she shot forward to give the lounging gnome a tight squeeze, ready or not, pipe and all.

"Darby!" Prinna had momentarily forgotten her fear of flame in the late excitement, but once she was done giving the unfortunate gnome a good squeezing she realized how warm her wings were getting and leapt back to eye him from a safe distance. Turning she glanced at Sidhe and gestured to the red haired being. "Watch out for this one. He's trouble." She, of course, was a perfect judge for such things. Then, a sheepish look crept over her face and she reached into a small pouch hanging upon a slender strap about her hips. Drawing her hand forth, she offered several pieces of gold to the gnome.

"You need to hide it better." She chided while beaming. "I'm only sorry I didn't get to see your face when you noticed it was missing."

"Hey, Prin! Oh-pphff" Darby nonchalantly greets the excited pixie before almost being knocked off his feet by her overzealous hug. And her squeezing reveals that there are still a few thorns stuck throughout his jacket by the various jabbings he feels.

He is just about to introduce himself to the other, more bewildered, person at the door when Prinna produces his missing gold. He stands upright and the crossing of his arms seems more agitated now than relaxed. "Prin! Why you naughty, little... thief!" Darby hastily reaches for the coins and slips them into a pocket. "And you know good and well that it was a perfectly acceptable hiding spot. You musta seen when I put 'em there!" He won't admit that the whole reason for his checking on the little treasure in the first place was that was worried the rain might wash it away.

His face is flushed and rather petulant-looking, but the mischievous sparkle in Prinna's eyes quickly does the trick. He grins. And then chuckles. And then laughs outright at himself. "Ah! But a jolly good joke it is! You little devil."

Darby turns to the mistress of the house and doffs his hat in her direction. With a sweeping bow he says, "Darby Murphy, at your service, miss. You seem to be all in a tizzy this evening. What is the business at hand? Oh, and do you happen to have any bandages? I seem to have a couple pricks stuck into my hand."

((If anyone suggests removing the thorns, he'll most likely have a meltdown and fuss that it'll hurt too much. A quick inspection would prove that they could removed quite easily and painlessly. He's a baby when it comes to pain.))

Sidhe sighs and removes herself from the door immediately going over to Darby and examining the thorns stuck in his skin, she laughs. "Well, it seems the thorns did at least part of their job, but they were Supposed to keep away strangers, you're in for a rough night of itchy scratchys my friend, at least, you would be. I'll most definitely need to remove them for you, and give you something for the pain."

She goes once more to her work bench, grabbing a different mortar and pestle pushing the other aside, she grinds up white willow bark, and nettles, for the pain. She fills the pot hanging over the fire with water and starts to steep some chamomile tea which relaxes the drinker and promotes healing, for this to go into. She heads for a pantry in the back of the small burrow bring out a small jar and hands this to Darby, "This is for after we remove the thorns, for the itching."

Feeling somewhat defeated Sidhe sits down on a chair next to the door, sighing deeply as they wait for the tea to steep. "I've been working on a concoction to talk to the spirit of Croi Cronn, it has never been tested and I am not sure of what the results may be, or if it will even be accomplished tonight..." she says, deep in thought, for this night was So not going to plan..

"Wait. You're gonna pull 'em out? No, no. I don't think so. Just cover 'em up or something," Darby asks nervously. "Won't they just come out on their own or something?" He shuffles about with a worried look on his face and tucks his wounded hand behind his back to keep away meddling fingers.

He brightens up suddenly when Sidhe mentions the task she's set herself about. "Oh! Can I help?" Darby secretly hopes that she'll forget all about the stupid thorns for a while. "Is there a problem? Why can't it be done tonight? C'mon, Prin! Let's help!"

Eyeing both Sidhe and Darby as the two spoke, Prinna stood with both hands on hips, an eyebrow raised at Darby. "Don't be such a baby." She chided him and glimmered to the size of a woman, grinning to Sidhe as she pointed at the gnome. "I'll hold him down for you. He won't be any fun until we get the pricks out."

Advancing on the gnome she held out both hands and cooed at him while she batted her eyelashes several times, a deceptively sweet smile curving her lips upward. "This won't hurt near as much as you think Darby-do. Just... let... me... hold your hand and everything will be okaaay." She spoke in an exaggeratedly slow and consoling voice, but the flash of mischief in her eyes spoke of how much she would enjoy pulling each thorn.

If Darby allowed her to grip his hand, Prin would settle down beside him to await Sidhe's minestrations, keeping her wings away from the fire and watched the furry woman for a long moment. As she listened to the crackle of the fire, tuning out any whimpers Darby might let loose, Prin became suddenly serious.

"Croí Crann 's voice is hard to understand. I can hear her... but she doesn't speak in the usual language of plants. She is older, deeper, wiser. She is the heart of magic. She is the birthplace of magic, her very sap, her lifeblood is magic." She looked troubled. "I will help you Sidhe, but others have tried to speak with her, to heal her. Some have slowed her dying, but.. she dies still." Her voice became small, afraid. Prinna knew what would become of her, should the Heart Tree die.

Darby glowers at Prinna's words. This betrayal just might worse than the first. He tries to avoid her grabbing hands, but she catches hold of his sleeve anyway. His heels dig into the floor for a moment as he splutters his ridiculous protests once more. Then he gives in with a sigh and droop of the shoulders as of one being led off to the hangman. "Now, Prin...," he whimpers several times, "That just isn't fair!"

When she speaks of the seriousness of the condition of the forest and especially Croí Crann, he at least becomes quiet and more subdued.

Sidhe, amused by watching Prinna hold down Darby, walks slowly towards them both, immediately plucking out the nearest thorn in his hand. sidhe makes quick work of all the thorns, she had done this many times before, and she tosses the thorns outside. Brushing off her hands she closes the burrows door, walking back over to the tea and pulling the pot from the fire to cool. As soon as it cools she goes to the pantry and pulls out three mugs pouring a generous amount into each, and tosses the other ingredients into Darby's. She hands this to the little angry man, gives the other to the fae and sits back down on the stool by the door.
"If it hasn't worked for anyone else Prinna, why should I even bother, my concoction cannot be any better, I made it all up as I went along..", she says sadly. "Oh, and you are going to want to use that salve I gave you Darby, for the itches."