04. Nion
The Forest Through the Trees04 Nionby Assilsasta(¯·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨·~-.,-(Prevarication)-,.-~´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)Sonet and Donovan arrived at the meeting grove apparently well ahead of anyone else. The main clearing was large enough to accommodate hundreds of furs as they would gather for festivals. At three sides stood large, ancient white fir trees each well over the average height of the species. Before one sat a carved stone alter table hewn from the local rock. Several large standing stones were strategically place around the main altar, spirals and celtic knots were carved into them. Donovan stopped and marveled at the sight straight out of a storybook. The nearby rocks were covered with moss and a small brook ran through one area near the altar, but obviously outside the designated atlar area.Sonet ran to and hugged one of the ancient trees as they came near the area. She looked at Donovan and said, "My grandfather used to bring me here on festivals to trade." She ran to a nearby smaller pine tree as she added, "We would lay out the fur here and set the herbs and charms out for people to see." As she spoke Donovan let the pack fall to the ground near the place she had indicated. and began to pull out the fur cloak and bag that he had inadvertently packed into his own bag before he tried to leave. As he did he saw Sonet from the corner of his eye pull the robe over her head and let it drop to the ground. He held his tongue as he turned and watched her lay down on the undergrowth and sigh as if fully relaxed for the first time since she left her home three days ago. "This place is powerful and old. Far older than the group that gathers here now."Sonet sat up as her ears twitched at the sound of approaching people, the talking and laughing nearly startled her before Donovan reached over and put his paw in hers and said, "They are why we're here, remember? You need to find out who you can trade with for supplies, so next time if there is not a meeting we can go into town and seek them out."Sonet smiled as she listened to the lynx speak. The possibly unintentional affirmation of him staying with her warmed her heart. She watched as small groups started to walk into the clearing from one primary direction. They carried boxes of items and wooden tables, a few even dragged small metal and plastic carts with them. she remembered the plastic crate her grandfather had brought with him once, he had told her that people in town often used them to carry things around and he had to borrow it to bring back the supplies after his wooden box had broken. She had marveled at the strange thing back them. It's yellow color looked wrong and out of sorts with everything around it and it felt like death and poison to her. She was happy when he took it back down and did not return with it on his next trip.They watched as the vendors set up their stalls and set out the goods, Much of it was hand made trinkets and charms, some random assorted jewelry. Several people set out tables with candles and oils. Sonet's nose twitched as the unnatural scents filled the air. They smelled of flowers and fruits but the scent was wrong, mixed with an energy she could not place.She slowly looked and sniffed as she tried to place the odd sent among the natural ones. As she started to stand, Donovan touched her shoulder and held out the robe Ariel had given her, "You might want to put this back on. I'm not sure how they will react to you nude." She smiled at him as she slipped the cotton robe back over her head. Donovan followed her as he thought it would be a good idea to get a look at the common prices and values of things before they started to trade. She wandered through the gathering crowd, her nose high in the air as she followed the scent. She pushed past several people as they started to lay out blankets and set up their own booths with goods to trade. Along the way Donovan swiftly apologized to those bumped into by the doe as she followed the scent blindly, a time or two even catching an item inadvertently knocked from a table.Donovan nearly stumbled over the doe as she came to a stop in front of a table with a selection of scented candles and soaps. The small set up seemed out of place to what he had expected with the attitude he received from Mark and the thoughts he had formed about the meet from his time with Sonet. The vendor had set up thick plastic folding tables beneath a large blue tarp tent. a white printed sign hung from the front of one of the tables with the lettereng, 'hand crafted all natural scented candles and
soaps." He looked as Sonet seemed to ignore, or possibly not understand the sign. She leaned over the table, her paw hovered over the candles as she asked, "wh.. what are these?'Donovan answered quickly as the mid 40 weasel walked to the table, "The sign says they are candles and soap.""I.. I know that. What are they made of?" She asked as he taped one and jerked her paw away.The lynx picked one up and rolled it in his paw as the weasel smiled. "If you believe the sign all natural stuff," Donovan said as he examined the object."There is nothing natural about these." Sonet stepped back as she looked at the sign not understanding the modern lettering on it. "What... what else does it say?'The weasel leaned against the table as he explained his product, "They are made of all natural ingredients gathered from our local grove..."Sonet interrupted him quickened as she yelled, "You lie.These things are dead and lifeless. I see nothing in them from the mother. They smell wrong... they give the air a taste of poison.""Young lady," the patron started, "These wares and goods have been sold here at this festival and many others for years, and I have received no complaints.""Um... Sir," Donovan started to talk as he picked up another candle and started to look it over and smell of it, "I don't know anything about you, this festival or what's going on. but what I know of Sonet, I would believe her over anyone in this place on what's natural and what's not."As the discussion over the vendors wares continued it began to attract the attention of others near by. Small groups talking amongst themselves and pointing to the young doe and lynx. The ruckus caught the attention of another attendee of the meet, a large, snow white polar bear dressed in a simple brown hooded robe, tied at his waist by a length of graying and tattered cotton cording. The big bear walked over to the young pair calmly until we was less than five feet from the stall, his
eyes going wide and a flush coming to his face as he began to speak, his features twisting into an angry snarl."Jenix Coonter, what are you doing here with those foul things again? You know good and well you're banned from festival, meets or any other gathering in this grove until the end of your miserable life." Sonet swiftly turned to look at the bear and smile as recognition and old memories rolled through her head. She turned back to the vender and stepped toward the table again. Donovan looked around as confusion of what was happening hit him hard.The weasel looked at the bear with an angry look himself. "I paid my registration fee and brought the required 'NATURAL' made goods..."An unnatural looking canine-like snarle crossed the doe-husky's muzzle showing the mix of carnivorous and herbivorous teeth, as she stepped forward again. "Natural? You bring poison and death into MY forest and lie to ME of it being natural and of the mother. Your black and muddied red aura tells me even more than my nose or tongue of you. You lie, you decieve and you bring this to trade with the unwitting, those who care for MY forest and brethren." As her hoof struck the ground with another step a clap of thunder was heard in the distance. "Everything you have brought is an abomination to this place and our ways. You care nothing for the mother and only for the things of YOUR world." Donovan started to reach for her to calm her as she pulled away. A light drizzle started to tap against the green leafy canopy above, too light to make it through to the festival grounds below, causing the lynx and others that now watched the commotion to look up. "You will leave My forest, and you will never return." Donovan was more shocked by the new strange look in the does eyes as they seemed to shift colors as the obvious anger rose in her. "Go back to your world where you poison the earth and slaughter the life. Go back and breath your poisoned air, filled with death and rot." Her final words were accompanied by a second, closer thunder clap, "LEAVE!" "I paid my fees," the weasle started to say, "And I will sell my wares, as will any other here. It's my right."As the confrontation between the weasel and doe had escalated Charles had motioned across the open grove, soon joined by a small group of
large teenage bear boys, each clad in little more than a loin cloth."What do you need brother Charles?" The largest of them, a huge hulking grizzly, asked as he drew near the small booth."Thomas, see to it that this despicable weasel is escorted to his vehicle, and that he and this filth he hawks leave the grove, the grounds, and the town of Winter Creek quickly. Otherwise Jenix," the bear said as he wheeled around to face the smaller male, "none here shall lift a paw as Sonet deals with your lies and treachery as she sees fit. You are banned from this land now and forever more, do not return, ever.""You're all nothing but thieving, greedy, hypocrites that come out and play wizard in the woods to make yourselves feel better," the weasel said as he leaned on the table a snarl of his own. Donovan looked at the group of teen bears as the confrontation escalated, he turned to the polar bear that had first joined them and asked, "What's going on?" As he did the leaves rustled as the wind seemed to flow in from all directions and swirl the fallen leaves into small funnels of activity. The tension in the doe visibly growing as she looked at the angry vender with a rage of her own, worse than what he had seen when he spoke of gathering wood.With a simple nod from the older white bear the group of teens grabbed the weasel, several of them scooping up his wares into the crates and boxes he had brought them in quickly."Your fees will be returned to you by mail as agreed in the applications, though I don't know how you wormed your way past being caught. Now get this person off this land before very bad things happen to him, not by my paw but by those that are guided by the mother." As the younger bears hoisted the weasels goods over head, three of them carrying him between them like an old rug, the group moved to leave the grove with their cargo securely in paw.Donovan was dumbfounded as the doe-husky's attitude and appearances seemed to change instantly as the vender was escorted from her presence. The wind and drizzle died of as he was walked away. She turned, her snarle replaced by a smile, and nearly leaped forward to the bear as she said,"Brother." She looked
him over she added, "The mother has been good to you over the years, but something has changed." Her eyes went suddenly wide as and almost giddy looked cascaded over her robed body, "sugar crystals... you were the one with the sweet sugar crystals."The young lynx looked around, as he said, "I still have no idea what's going on... I thought your grand father would come here to trade for supplies. All I see is stuff just like what we brought. Maybe a few people selling ready to eat food."She turned the the cat boy and said, "It's been years and I was young then. He traded for stuff then traded with others after. I don't really remember, I played with the other cubs."Donovan turned the the bear man who had intervened in the confrontation. "Excuse me sir." he waited for the bear to look at him as he said, "Um... We need supplies for the winter, and Mr. Mark said it would be better for Sonet to trade here then try and go into town.""You're a stranger to these parts young one," the older bear said with a gentle smile on his muzzle. "For that reason I do not expect you to know of or understand the ways of this grove. Yes it would be better for her to trade here. But this is a part of the gathering meant more for trade with those less enlightened in love and caring for the mother. Think of it as a time for educating the less informed. She will be able to trade for the supplies she needs, tonight and tomorrow when the townsfolk that normally trade with her grandfather arrive. It is the way we have arranged with him some years ago now, to keep with his wish that his lovely granddaughter not need to be exposed to the modern world any more than she desires. I have arranged for his old teepee to be brought to the grounds for her to stay tonight, or as long as she wishes too. It has been far too long since I saw her last."As the bear spoke the doe's interest was taken by something new as she ran toward a spot where smaller cubs were at play. He started to move and speak as he watched her pull the robe over her head and toss it to the side. "Fuck, I'm just going to not say anything.""That would be wisest young one, she is as at home here as she can be. She does not embarrass herself or anyone else by being nude. I must warn you though, if nudity makes you uncomfortable, you're
in for a long day. She is, as are many others that will gather here today and throughout the night pagan, druids, wiccans, and several other earth and nature based faiths. We don't see nudity as something to be ashamed of, even though the years may not be kind to all of us, myself included, we see the body as something of beauty. A thing of beauty that has been given to us by the earth mother."Donovan shrugged as he watched the doe drop to her knees be the younger cubs and start talking to them. "It's all new to me. I just stumbled into her home out of the woods and now..." He thought for a moment, "... now I'm here and still driven to do what I can for her. I guess I'll just have to deal with it.""Or perhaps find it within yourself to try a bit harder to see the world through her eyes," the older bear said."Great, another one," Donovan mumbled to himself, "Look I already got the 'I'm an evil influence that knows nothing' preaching for the past day and night. When I say deal with it it's one of those stupid backward city ways of learning what I need to live with it and what ever." With that he started to walk back to where Sonet had started to set out what she and her grandfather had gathered and made.As he walked he picked up the discarded robe only to be nearly tackled by Sonet as she started to pull off his shirt. "Come Dawn, soak in the sun and wind and let your body breath." He let the doe pull the shirt from his chest, getting it caught on his arm with the robe in his paw. Her paws pushed into his thick fur as she said, "The mother has given you such beauty, it should be shared."The lynx sighed as he said, "Okay Sonet, But one of us needs to find out what all that stuff we brought is worth, you don't want to get cheated.""Worth?" she asked, "what do you mean?"He looked over his shoulder at the bear, as he said, "Nevermind, I don't know how things work here so I'll just sit and watch the stuff while you go play with the cubs or something."The doe kissed him on the end of the nose as she said, "The mother provides what I need. We
have things they can not get otherwise, we should freely share what we have." Sonet trotted off into the groove again as she pranced aimlessly around the trees and rock. The lynx slumped against the tree next to the blanked of goods, toppless, as he watched her frolick and dance with the youngest of the cubs, nearly ignoring all the adults in the clearing as they moved about and talked. He leaned his head back as he looked up to the treetops. "I'm going crazy, and having the time of my life doing it. Whats wrong with me?" He sat in silence for a moment before he added, "And now I'm talking to myself and waiting for an answer."A young teen squirrel knelt by the blanked and pointed to a jar of dried leaves and asked, "What are those?"Donovan sat up and looked at the jar, picking it up he tried to read the strange markings, He knew how Sonet must have felt when she looked at the printed sign at the vender. He looked up at the girl and said, "You know what, I have no clue." He then shouted toward the crowded at the un seen doe, "Sonet, I need your help."The nude doe-husky bounced through the crowded, "Dawn!" she sang, with a quick glance at the jar in his paw, "Dried wild sage, two moons past. Good for the use of smudging and cleansing. Would be better fresh, but will keep for a winter.""Thats what I thought it was," the young squirrel said, "I needed some for a... um... tea that my friend wanted to make."Sonet looked at the girl as she said, "This is not for that. And nothing from me with be placed in your paws.""Um... Sonet," Donovan looked up ad the doe, "Part of the concept of trading... it is trade.""We will trade," she said, a look similar to that she had for the vender in her eye, "but not with her. To desire the manipulation of another is wrong, works against the flow." She looked back at the girl as she continued, "You will do better to look for another rather than steal out of jealousy and envy." The girl stood
up with a huff, "You have no idea what you're talking about," then stormed away toward the other vendors.Sonet sat on the blanket with her legs crossed, her body once again framed by her arms and legs, "She will persist and someone will unwittingly give her what she's looking for."(¯·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨·~-.,-(Revelations)-,.-~´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)Sonet and Donovan sat together much of the rest of the evening as she traded and swapped trinkets and sweets for the herbs oils and jewelry they had brought, often trading the sweets to other cubs for trinkets and toys, only saving the crystal like colored hard candies that were formed and sticks and strings. Donovan didn't question the girl or her method of exchange as the worry slowly grew with the lack of anything he could see much value in. The atmosphere of the clearing changed as many of the vendors packed up and left with their wares sold and traded off. Sonet had taken to leaning against his bare chest as he leaned against the tree. He had become all but oblivious of the fact she was nude, as his paw often rested on her side or hip as she would answer questions, only moving from the spot to measure out amounts of oils or herbs."Sonet," he asked as the crowd slowly dwindled, leaving what he assumed were more local or dedicated flowers of the faiths, "how long would you and your grandfother stay when you did come?""A night or two, depending on the season and weather," she answered, "We would stay until we had what we needed for the season. We might have to stay two nights with. Soon some one should come and talk about what we need. Dried breads and meats. We look and smell, if it smells wrong we refuse it. They take the charms and such in trade. We don't need them as I know how to make them all myself. it is a fair trade in the end, we get what we need and they have gotten what they need." She help up one strange medallion as she said, "I have seen this one every year that I have been here, it is as consistent as the wind. It is always around but never coming from the same place. Some times they would ask grandfather for blessings and cleansings for things and places. He would go off for a time and come back with some supplies."Soon those left at the gathering started to congregate in what Donovan assumed was the
ritual area in front of the stone altar. And started to hum and chant. He felt the young doe quietly join in as she continued to rest against him. "The dancing should start soon. It is the wiccans that do more of the dancing, but they are welcomed into the gathering by the grove members. There will be two or three rituals, we usually stay apart from them as not to interfere. Grandfather said that the things they wish and work for differ from us so we would off balance their efforts. We do nothing unless they ask."As the young pair sat listening to the singing the older bear returned, walking to a spot near by before he spoke. "May approach and speak with you young druid?" He asked in a clear voice that sounded far louder than the soft, nearly whispered tone belayed.Sonet sat up as she smiled at the old bear. "You are always welcome brother. Grandfather spoke of you often, even after I stayed in our grove.""Thank you Sonet," he replied as he drew closer. With a little trouble and more than a few grunts the older bear seated himself across from the pair as he looked at them with a gentle smile on his face. "I see that you have calmed the young wildcat that arrived with you, and knowing you have been teaching him what you can of our ways, and yours." As he looked more intently at the lynx his tone became even softer than it had been. "I realize much of this is strange to you Dawn, I do believe that is the name that Sonet gave to you earlier?"The lynx sat up and reached his paw out as she said, "Donovan sir, but everyone calls me Don. When I first told her that she switched it up for the sunrise." He smiled as he spoke.Chuckling softly he looked at the young man and said, "It may have been the rising sun that gave her the word, but the meaning behind it is much clearer. It is what she sees when she looks into you that inspired her to give you that name. A new beginning, for the both of you, new hope for the days to come, this is what she sees, as do I.""She said as much sir," the lynx said as he sat back."Then the question is, do you believe her? Are you ready to step out of your world a little as she has done of hers? Are you with her because you
want to be or because you feel obligated to be?" The old bear asked as he leaned back, his paws behind him on the ground."Sir," Donovan said, his eyes closed as he tilted his chin to his chest, "I'm sorry but I've been bombarded with that ... stuff for the last two days. I'm here because I want to be, I walked away from the obligation part this morning. What ever comes next... we'll deal with that when it gets here."Sonet looked over at the old bear with a sincere look in her eyes as she said, "I would like you all to leave him be. If he stays it is what he wishes. If he leaves it is what the mother had ordained. To continue your questions of his intentions is the question the will of that which is beyond you." she leaned forward and picked up a small wooden stick with crystals sugar on in as she finished, "I hope there was more to your effort the rest that that brother.""I'm sorry sir," Donovan said, "We just had a little falling out with a man that lives between here and where Sonet does. So... Um... I don't know what I'm going to do, but I am not going to leave her out here to try and make it back home with whatever she needs alone." He pause for a moment as she looked at the bear, "Sir, you mentioned something about a tent. I think we are going to stay here at least tonight and what I have is only fit for one. I don't think Sonet would sleep in it anyway.""That should arrive shortly, I assumed you would be staying at least the night and arranged for the teepee to be brought up and erected for you," the bear replied as he turned again to the young doe. "I do apologize for the continued questions Sonet, but I am only keeping within the wishes of your grandfather. He charged me personally with watching over you when you came to the meet as he knew you would. As for the... disagreement with the man you speak of Donovan, I understand far better than either of you know. He is only doing the same and keeping a promise he made, nothing more. Though his methods may have been more than a bit lacking in tact and diplomacy. Sonet is precious to us all as she is to her grandfather. Her best interest is our only concern, though it seems she has been a far better student than even he may have understood. My only concern is that while you may not understand our ways that you keep an open mind to them, even if they seem foolish or silly. We have been watching this young one since her birth and she is like our own child to everyone that has ever known her. She touches your heart in an instant,
and leaves behind more than she gains." As he rocked back, looking up to the early night sky he said, "The traders will be here soon Sonet, they all look forward to seeing you again, it has been far too long since your last visit.""It has been a long time, and much has changed," she said as she wrinkled her nose, "The scent of the air smells... There is something close that was once far off. The outside slowly reaches into this place, and it brings with it things I don't understand. Thing that I will need to learn that everyone has refused to teach me." She looked up at the bear her young nude body catching the lynx eyes once again. "You have all made promises to grandfather to protect me, and in doing so have left me defenceless. Now the mother has brought me someone not bound by your promises, and he will need your help to do things that will break your promises to grandfather."Sighing slowly the old bear looked at the doe with the same gentle smile on his muzzle again. "I see you have inherited your mother's directness and your grandfathers stubbornness. But you misunderstand Sonet. The promise I made was to protect you from the things that can harm you, not from the world around you in totality. That job falls to the young lynx, he sealed his fate when he decided to stay with you. The mother brought him to you, but it was his free will to not accept the role he was given. My duty is all but fulfilled, as is the young Mr. Jamesons. Our charges neared an end once the mothers gift had arrived in your grove. I said Mark's methods were askew, but he had to decide how best to test your teacher and the mother willing, your mate. But test him he did, and your companion obviously passed handsomely. He is the one best suited to help you learn of the changing world around you, my only responsibilities are to keep you in good health as best I can, and see that the traders are here and ready when you have need of them. Marks charge is no more than to keep your home as safe as he can from being overrun by that which threatens to invade your grove and rend it to pieces."Sonet crawled on her paws and knees over to the Bear as she softly asked, "Do... do you have any of those... those berry flavored sugar treats? The ones with the boysenberries? Those don't grow naturally in the grove." Donovan looked over and said, "Maybe we can get some seeds and grow some in a pot or something." The doe turned abruptly as she rolled onto her bottom to look at the lynx. "But the seeds should be spread from where they came. why would we remove them for that?""Well," Donovan glanced at the bear and then around the grove, "Not everyone thinks like that and some people save the seeds to grow them where they want." He paused as he saw the look of horror forming on the does face. "But, they're going to do that any way, it's not much different from how ferals spread the seeds from place to place in their fur. And if we grow them you will know there is not ... um... poison or anything used on them. And growing them in a pot would keep it separated from the grove.. if thats important..."As he spoke she watched the dark royal blue hue radiated through his aura. She knew what he said was true but it still appalled her. She sprang forward, pinning him to the tree, "Separate? Even when you steal things from their rightful place you do more and keep them from their connection to the mother, the giver of life?" She looked deep into his eyes as she continued, "How would it thrive, bring forth good fruit without the love of the mother flowing into it? To keep it separate would be akin to separating you from your nourishment, you can survive but you will never thrive.""Sonet, there are places where even the love of the mother can not always make plants thrive. But some people have taken it as their duty in a way to aid the mother by caring for plants in these pots he speaks of. As a way to ensure that they do not perish entirely from her face," the old bear said trying to help her to understand the concept that was alien to her. "The pot is a vessel the holds a small portion of the mother within itself to nurture the plant."Sonet looked at the bear, then to the lynx as she sat back on her heels. "Oh," she said softly, "I... I'm sorry. I... I didn't know, I thought..." She trailed off and she looked down at the blanked they sat on. Donovan reached up and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay," he said as he pulled her body against his bare chest, "It's kind of like when... I don't know how things work for you." He squeezed her tighter as he felt her soft budding mounds press into his fur, and his paw against the bare fur of her back. He started to blush as he realized what he had
just done, but his arms refused to let her go as she wrapped him him her own. He continued to talk not sure what to do next in the now music fill wooded clearing. "It's like everyone has said, we are different and we need to show each other things. even things we might think are simple, like you and all the herbs and plants and things. I don't know any of that stuff." He held her away from him and looked her in the eyes, partly to avoid looking over the rest of her body as he finished, "After all you've shown me, do you really think I would knowingly suggest something that might hurt a plant?"Sonet looked back at him, her eyes drifted over his masculine body before they met his and she said, "I... I guess not." She looked over at the old bear and said, "Can... can you get me one of these... pots so I can grow some... boysenberries?"Chuckling softly as he watched the two teens struggle against their own desires he replied, "With pleasure Sonet, I'll just go and fetch that right away," as he rose from the ground and stretched. "I shouldn't be long, maybe a half an hour Donovan, unless these old foot paws start acting up then it may take closer to an hour," as he turned and walked away.Sonet's smile dropped toa look of curiosity as Donovan rummaged through one of the pockets in his backpack and pulled out a book, "What's that?" she asked as he flipped through the pages."It's a flora field guide," he said as he stopped, "It's how I learn about the plants and stuff." She leaned against him as she looked at the book. He pointed at the page and started to talk, "Here it says the Boysenberry grows on a trailing plant, that means it crawls across the ground, so it's not really a bush or anything, so growing one in a pot we would need a lattice or some simple structure for it to hang on or it will grow out of the pot and into the area around it."The doe reached out and put her paws on the book as she ran her fingers over the page, "It... its made from a tree.""They make lots of things out of trees," he said," A long time ago they just cut them down and made the things. Now they have to replace the trees they cut down with new ones." He saw the tear forming in her eye as she listened, "I know it's not the most desirable with you would do things, but they are at least trying to replace what they take away." He
wrapped his arm over her shoulder as he took hold of the book in both paws. " They even have found ways to make paper and stuff without using trees, but that can cause more damage. Like when they make something of plastic if someone throws it away it just sits there for years and does nothing, even covers a chunk of ground so that nothing can grow. When they use trees and other plants they break down and turn back into dirt. and can be used as fertilizer. Or they can use it as fireword or to make something new." He flipped the book over and pointed at a small green triangle symbol, "See that, that means this is made from recycled stuff. So this is made from a tree that was made into something else before and then made into this so that they didn't have to cut down another tree just to make this book."Sonet touched the simple triple arrow symbol on the book cover as she mumbled, "re-sigh-called." She looked up at him and asked, "do they do that alot?""They recycle a lot of things, like plastic and metal. So they don't have to make more. But sometimes things can't be recycled so they reuse them, like some plastic crates and boxes. and those tables that one guy you ran off had. He'll reuse those tables over and over... I hope.""Dawn?" the doe asked as she pushed the book open again, "How do you know what it says?""You don't know how to read?" he asked, not really surprised after the look in her eyes from the sign earlier."I... I can read, but I... I don't know these letters," her fingers ran slowly along the length at of the uniformed lines on the printed page. "I can read Ogham, the letters of the trees. And I have to remember the common names for the old plants and herb so that I can tell them apart , but those I've mostly memorized."He smiled as he said, "I'm sure teaching you these letter can't be that hard. I have a book I could read if you want." He pulled the book out and leaned against the tree. Sonet snuggled against him under one arm as he started to read. She listened intently to his voice as he spoke of thing she did not understand. The strange story of the 'Private Dick' confused her more than anything. She had long stopped listening to the words and only to his voice as it changed and varied with the dialogue of each character, the inflection of his mock emotion driving the story more than the unfamiliar, alien content. Together they sat in eachothers
arms, nearly oblivious of the happening around them.