In a world stitched by roots beneath the soil, where whispers of the wind bore ancient secrets, a sentinel oak observed the unfolding of centuries. Its bark, a tapestry of unsolved riddles, documented the passage of time in rings pulled tight by the embrace of solitude.
Her name, known only by those who spoke the tongue of the forest, was Eldra. Eldra stood as the arbiter between the realms of man and nature, her leaves etched with the stories of civilizations that had forgotten the language of trees.
One day, a young girl named Fern, with eyes reflecting the emerald hues of Eldra's canopy, wandered into the grove. Drawn by an unseen current, she placed her hand upon the roughened bark, and the air filled with a resonance that transcended words.
As a breeze unfurled through the branches, Eldra spoke—not in sounds but in a vivid dance of shadows and light upon the forest floor. It was an encrypted tale of migration, wars without end, and a silent pact woven with the roots of the earth.
The tale carried echoes of a time when the world was whole, before the steel and smoke of progress carved scars into its flesh. It spoke of harmony found in the solace of the woods, where dwellers of the sky and the earth became one in the tapestry of life.
Fern, understanding the silent symphony, vowed to be the bridge—an emissary of the verdant realms that whispered of mysteries yet unveiled. Bound by an oath written in the language of rustling leaves, she hurried home, her heart a drumbeat in time with the ancient rhythms of Eldra.
This story is but a leaf in a larger forest. To walk further, you may find other paths: Enter the Glade | Bark Chronicles | Roots & Revelations