War Of Misery

Chapter 2 Mordra

'Through the glassy pool, all is seen, all is known, and all is found. Nothing escapes its eye. Stars display their glory in it's untouched water. Not a breath of wind dares disturb it. The Keeper alone may be blessed with it's knowledge.'

Drasha gazed into the Astral Pool. "Mordra, there's been a battle in Oaken Wood." Drasha looked over to the oddly calm Mordra.

"Child, my kin in Oaken Wood are not easily opposed. Still, they are not invincible. How many have fallen?" Mordra had been a part of the Great War practically since it started. She knew that there was little to worry about.

"Thirty two saplings and ten adults." A tear fell from Drasha's eye. "Their names were Torok, Trisha, Nadria, Mazxia, Crisvar, Fravpe, Zerga, Kahle, Laris, and Dorma. The saplings were to young to be named."

"How many did we gain?" Mordra seemed almost dismissive as she laid aside the casualties.

"Over seventy. Do you even care for our dead?! You act as if they never existed. Not to mention the fact that your senseless war just ruined seventy families hope of ever seeing their loved ones ever again!" Drasha refused to let the matter go.  Every life was precious to her.

"What families! Soldiers have no 'families'.  You have no idea how the Humans have survived, do you?  It's sick, and twisted.  And the Dryads are no longer themselves.  They forget who they are when they change. I have fought too many years to care about 10 strangers. They lost their lives honorably. They are unlikely to become Whispers.  Be thankful they did not live to rot." Her words pierced Drasha's heart with the knife of apathy.

"Have you checked on your tree recently? You sound a bit hollow, as if you are the rotting one.  And you forget!  You all remember it if you live long enough!" She snapped back.

Mordra fixed her with a piercing gaze. "Do I seem like I have lost my sanity? I doubt that is the case. You are just too naive of a Naiad to understand that not all losses need be mourned by all. If everyone stopped to mourn every death, that is all our lives would be. It is sad to have lost our kin, but it happens every day. I haven't the time for more then a nod. I acknowledge their lives as honorable and their deaths as valiant. What more do you wish from me?"

Drasha had never before felt such contempt towards her mentor. "I only wish that you cried at such news as this!  What happened to you?  There were legends of your selflessness."

"Nothing has happend to me." Mordra snapped back. "The deaths I cry for are that of my friend's. I have never been to another forest. It is not possible for a Dryad to go far from its tree. You should already know that."

"Do not lie! You are an old Dryad with deep roots! They could easily carry you miles upon miles if you let them!" Drasha felt herself steaming.  Naiads are empathetic, yet quiet beings.  It pains us to watch death, yet we cannot escape it.

"Foolish child! There is more to travel then the length of my roots. I should not have expected a young Naiad to know this." Mordra paused, "Without the company of my own kind then the connection between myself and my tree will be lost. My tree would retract its roots and I would most likely become a-" Just then, Mordra felt a tremor through her roots as she doubled over and groaned in pain. Her lungs felt as if they were being filled with lava.

Drasha knew exactly what had happened. "Go! I won't hold you.  Take one more life.  I won't care."

"Child, you must learn to watch death if you are to care for The Pool." Mordra coughed as another stroke hit her tree. She started to move towards the door. "Remember to heal Aleixaes today. A simple Dryad healing is not enough to help her." Mordra slowly stepped out just in time to find that someone else was coming in.  The two made eye contact, but they were already in the process of moving forward. She tripped over him in a flurry of limbs and fell on her face, only adding to the rhythmic pain.

He laughed as he squatted down beside her. "A fine way to make and exit Moa! Do you always greet the ground on your way out?"

Mordra scowled at her adopted son as she attempted to pick herself up. "Thank you, Ellie." She squeaked in pain as another stroke landed on her tree.

Eluis' brow furrowed. "I'm kind of offended that you called me 'Ellie', but what happened?  Did the fall really hurt that much?"

Drasha glanced over and did her best to look calm. "Someone's cutting her tree."

Mordra coughed as she finally stood up. "Eluis, would you mind helping me with something?"

He took a moment to consider than dramatically said, "Anything for your dying wish, mother dearest." He gave a smirk and an overly elaborate bow.

Mordra rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help feeling slightly amused. "I'm not dead yet, you oversized child.  Do all you Forest Unicorns have this inability to gauge when anything is serious?  I need you to keep other Dryads away while I talk to the human."

Eluis scoffed. "You can't be serious."  Mordra just looked at him. "She's serious!  Which form?"

"Which form do you think?  The horse one."  Mordra laughed. "You think you can hold back a Dryad looking like that?  They're scared of unicorns, not pansies."

Eluis gave a sarcastic air of importance.  "I'm offended that you would insinuate that I, the great Eluis, adopted child of Mordra The Wise, am a pansy!"  Mordra coughed and swayed with pain.  Eluis caught her just in time.  He was filled with concern for his mom. "Moa..."

She gently pushed him away.  "Eluis, please..." There was fire in her eyes as she cringed with the next stroke of the axe. "We need to go."