War Of Misery

Chapter 4 Explain

'Born of tears and sorrows old, the Naiad strides, tall and bold.  Quite falls their gentle streams, roaring gush their mighty rivers.  Softly lay their lakes and puddles, disturb the mind, their drip it muddles.'

Mordra put a hand on her tree and turned her calm eyes to face the man "Showing, is better than telling."

The man looked confused as the wind rose violently.  Fallen leaves were flung into the air as they decayed into dust.  A growing dread gripped the man.  He noticed her piercing blue eyes as they glowed like summer lightning, yet were cold as ice in the Tanora winter.  The trees around them groaned in the thrashing wind. The axe marks in the tree knit themselves closed with knots of young wood.  Mordra turned her eyes to the man. He was on his knees, eyes wide with terror as he sat, breathless. The majesty of this Dryad had shaken his very soul. Never had he seen such a thing in his life, nor had he heard of it.  After all, no one had ever even seen a Dryad up close, or just hadn't lived to tell the tale.  the man had only heard whispers and legends of the Dornea of Red, but he didn't think they were real.

Mordra calmed the wind.  There was an eerie silence all around them.  She stared at the man with a smile, cold and natural as a spring. "So, my friend, what possessed you to cut into the largest tree in The Forest Of Red?"

The man could barely stutter.  He now realized why she had smiled when he was acting so cocky before.  He failed to get to his feet and stumbled backwards.  "I-I I just wanted to... Oh god..."

Mordra took a step towards him, holding out her hand. "'Just wanted to' what?  Child, I'm not going to kill you."  He was still stammering.  Mordra had forgotten how much she hated when humans blubbered. Her smile vanished, but the extended hand remained. "Get up.  You're not dead."

He quickly scrambled to his feet without taking her hand.  He took a step back "You just..." He pointed to the tree. "And you..." He looked back at her with a shocked expression.  He noticed for the first time just how tall and imposing she was.  He was by no means short, but her sheer hight made him feel as if she was right to call him a child.

Mordra sighed and shot him an exasperated look. She gave a low groan in the dryad language "I almost regret soothing my pain in front of you." Then lifting the lamree to her lips once more "Human child, finish your sentences. You aren't dead, nor will I kill you."

He shut his mouth and collected his thoughts.  When he was composed he said, "How did you heal the tree?"

Mordra shook her head. "Child, you don't know the first things about dryads, do you? The answer is all around you."  She gestured to the ground, covered with dust and withered grass.

The man looked glanced nervously around, "I- I'm not sure I understand. Does- does the air...?"

"Hahahaha" this time she laughed unreservedly as his shot missed by a mile. "To make it clear, child, is a long story, and a science lesson. Sit." Mordra motioned to an old stump. The man hesitantly sat down to listen, somehow sensing he wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon.

Mordra was about to start when she realized something, "Dear, I can't go on without knowing your name. Please enlighten me."

He had forgotten, as so many do, yet he hoped she wouldn't notice. "M-Ma-" he still couldn't think straight.

"Give me your serial number if you can't remember your name." He looked down for a moment ashamed that he had thought maybe for a moment he could fool her.

The man gathered his wits.  She had such an imposing air and he was so embarrassed that he could only muster just above a whisper. "Havoc Dragon R027 ma'am." 

She played the lamree so naturally she almost forgot she was translating "Havoc? Well that brings back ancient memories. So, they updated the ranking system, no matter.  Let's call you Mavric, shall we?"

He paused as a look of confusion flashed across his face. "How did you know the rank system was updated? Are you familiar with it?"

Mordra gave a little laugh. "Very, but I must start at the beginning or you might get confused." She started to tell him about a young girl in her 20s.

Mavric was getting impatient. What did this have to do with her?

Mordra paused and looked him in the eye.  Seeing that impertinent grimace, she looked up to the sky and exclaimed in the dryad language, "Right, I forgot how impatient these humans were." Turning back to face Mavric she translated, "I am the girl."

He was befuddled.  Mavric had never heard anything so absurd. "But you are a dryad. How can a dryad also be a human?"

Mordra touched her forehead out of exasperation "Mavric, this might be a shock, stay calm now.  You see, when a human is killed by another living creature, then her soul is either tied to a tree or transformed into a unicorn. Now, Naiads claim to be our kin, but they didn't start as human. Naiads are creatures born of rain. Rain comes from evaporated water. And-"

Here Mavric couldnt help but exclaim "Wait wait! You're going too quickly! You're telling me that you were once human?  That all dryads were human!?" As it sunk in, he began to feel sick.

Mordra rolled her eyes. "Yes, I was human."

Mavric's eyes widened as he put it together, how she was aware of the rank system... But that system changed shortly after the first century of the war due to a population crises and hadn't changed since. "So.. Not only human, but an original Havoc Soldier?" He squited at her, processing it while holding his stomach.  It was a tale all Svilkians knew.  The first of Havoc soldiers were pure Svilkians.  They had hair darker then midnight, eyes that were such a clear blue that they were almost white, and they were often of such height that they needed specialty back and leg braces to function on the ground.  That was from a time with no facilities or barracks.  A time when women were allowed to fight instead of being kept in those disgusting buildings. 

He was promptly brought back to earth as Mordra went on speaking.  "Yes. Now, you're welcome to catch flies with that big mouth of your's if you want to, but if not, please shut it." Mavric shut his mouth that had been slowly opening throughout the whole conversation. "Now, where was I? Right. Naiads. Rain comes from evaporated water. Water evaporates in heat. Heat builds throughout the day causing the-"

Mavric realized he actually knew what she was talking about now interrupted yet again. "Ah!  Yes. I had too many boring science lectures when I was still in school."

Mordra looked for a moment like she was going to slap him.  "Mavric, Would you please act as if your mouth was knit closed for just this short moment?" Regaining her composure, she said in a sweeter tone, "I am explaining it so that you won't ask me for clarification later. Alas, this will take the next millennia if you don't learn to sit and listen." Mavric went back to feeling small and weak as her words were spit at him through the lamree. Mordra straightened her dress and moved on. "Now, heat builds throughout the day causing the morning dew to evaporate. The early morning dew comes from the tears of The Whispers. Whispers are dryads who died or rot, by the hand of another dryad, or tgey are human children who died with strong desires." Mordra grew quiet as she spoke of The Whispers. "They are sad creatures, condemed to exist, but never contact anything. Whispers are what cause ghost stories. Few hear of Whispers, and those who do, never speak of them."  She paused, glancing at him for questions.

"So, you're saying that naiads are born of dead dryads's tears?" Mavric shuddered at the thought of the calm, peaceful race being born of sorrow and loneliness, but somehow it made sense.

The two beings sat motionless. The birds sang. Wind whistled through the trees.  Not a word was spoken for a few fleeting moments.  Mordra glanced around as she felt hooves coming closer through the forest floor.

She put her lamree down as she said under her breath in a soft bittersweet breeze, "Eluis..." The hoof beats had a limping pattern.  Who would dare harm her son, let alone a Unicorn.