Aphion's Flora

Aphion, goddess of foliage, always liked to sit on her rock in her forest surrounded by flowers and herbs. She watched Iva, her daughter, run around in the grass with Kasula. They had known Kasula since Iva was small; she came to live with them in more recent years.

One day, a traveler came across Aphion's forest and began picking plants to put in her basket. Aphion didn't notice the lack of flora until Iva fell sickly and weak. Kasula stayed by Iva's side while the Goddess went on a journey to find the culprit making her beloved daughter ill. She eventually stumbled across a travelling wagon a few kilometers east of the forest, where a small-figured woman lay napping in the sun. Aphion didn't think much of her, until later that evening when she was making her way home from travelling further and noticed the woman had many fresh flowers in her wagon. She walked up to the woman and asked, "Where did you get these flowers? What is your name?"

The woman replied, "I am Qhin, a traveler; I got these flowers from the forest nearest to here. Why do you ask?"

"My daughter Iva is sickly. The growth of my flora is the way in which she lives, and by picking them you are killing her," the Goddess strained.

"But the flowers...they will look stunning in my backyard back hom-"

"No!" Aphion interrupted, "My daughter is not going to survive if you do not bring them to her. You must come with me and deliver the flowers to her."

"I do not care about your daughter whom I do not know, or the lack of flowers in your forest. My yard will look beautiful with the help of your growth, which I thank you for. Now excuse me, I need to take them there," she began placing the last of the flowers from her basket into the wagon. Aphion stuck her arm out in front of Qhin, holding her back from the wagon.

"If you do not comply, I will have no choice but to turn you into a creature so small that you will be able to do nothing but help grow my forest and restore my daughter's health," Aphion warned.

Qhin grudgingly went with Aphion back to the forest and delivered the flowers. When they got there, Kasula was sitting beside Iva and got up quickly to bring the flowers. Aphion placed them beside Iva to heal her and it was beginning to work. She then noticed Qhin rushing away from the forest with a single flower left in her hand. Running towards the travelling thief, Aphion snapped her fingers and turned her into a small yellow-and-black striped creature.

"You will now help my flowers and daughter grow. No longer will you be disrespecting my bit of Earth." Aphion turned away from Qhin and went back to her daughter and Kasula. Iva was healed entirely; Kasula and Aphion made sure of that. Qhin spent the rest of her short life as a grumpy bumblebee pollinating Aphion's flora.