Skwyr Court

LeavingTheForest

Nourd awoke under Mother’s protective branches. The sun was just peaking out over the horizon, filtered through the budding leaves of the trees. Day returning to the forest.

He’d dreamed about the human he’d seen. Oshal, the boy with no eyes. He’d smelled different from other humans. He hadn’t smelled of fear or greed, but of curiosity and kindness. Nourd had thought that only animals could smell kind.

With Mother’s help, he found breakfast, roots and nuts. Fruits weren’t growing yet in the forest. He hated hunting, since he knew all the creatures he’d be hunting.

Nourd sat in the rising sun, absorbing its rays to nourish his body. Warmth spread from his head to his fingertips. He bent down to one of the streams in the forest and drank from it. After splashing water on his face, he stood up and listened to the forest.

He heard every living thing around him. The trees, the insects, the birds, the creatures, big and small, they were his family. They told him when they needed help, and he helped them. Mother had told him it was his purpose.

Mother called out to him, and he returned to her. He climbed into the treetops and swung between the branches. He moved like the apes, but he wasn’t one of them. What made him different?

He’d once asked Mother why he was different, but she’d told him he was no different from the deer than they were from the birds. Being human didn’t mean he wasn’t one of the forest’s creatures, one of Mother’s children.

When he reached Mother’s branches, he heard a voice. A human voice.

“Who is this boy you’ve been hiding?”

Mother told the human that she hadn’t been hiding anyone, merely protecting him. She told him that humans had been in the forest without a druid — that’s what Mother called the forest-smelling humans — present. That the creatures could’ve been confused.

“I know. After Lady Durwey’s last apprentice, I’m afraid she’s a little flustered, and this one’s quite different. Even so, she stayed within the neutral zone. Why did the boy approach?”

Mother told the human that, as it’d said, it was the neutral zone. Nourd had been allowed to be there. Then she called to him again, asking him to approach.

He climbed down from the treetops, and found the human with her. Nourd sniffed the air, but couldn’t tell if it was a male or female human. It smelled of the forest. It had peach-colored skin, lighter than Nourd’s, but still darker than the humans that usually lived in the nest.

“You must be Nourd,” it said. “My name is Grand Master Gorkle, but you can call me Gorkle.”

It stood up straight like a tree, then bent down for a moment. Nourd believed this was what the humans called “bowing”.

Nourd frowned at the human. He kept Mother’s roots between them. He didn’t like this strange-smelling human.

Mother told it that Nourd didn’t like to speak to humans.

“I see. I’m told you saw Lady Durwey and Apprentice Oshal yesterday.”

Oshal. He’d mentioned Oshal. Was he there? Nourd looked around, but couldn’t see anyone else.

“They aren’t here,” Gorkle said. “I’ve been sent by the court to assess the situation. You frightened them yesterday.”

Nourd shook his head. Oshal hadn’t been frightened. The other human, Lady Durwey, had been frightened, but not Oshal. Oshal had smelled of kindness and love. It was so strange to smell a human like that, a human not full of greed or fear.

“Oshal… smells different,” Nourd said. Mother had taught him long ago that as a child of the forest, he could communicate with all living things, and that included humans.

Gorkle smiled. “Yes, he does.”

Then Mother brought up the dragon human. As the elders had told Nourd, she was Oshal’s sister.

“That is correct. Apprentice Roshil is Apprentice Oshal’s sister. Before you say anything, I know she’s caused problems here. She isn’t well liked in the court either, but you know we accept everyone, and the court believes she can be trusted, even if she must be watched.”

Mother told Gorkle to keep her out of the forest.

“We have. I insisted to Lord Grund that she not be brought into the forest, and so far, he has taken my advice. But this isn’t about her, this is about the neutral zone. And Nourd. I want to return to the court with assurances that he won’t harm anyone.”

Mother told it that Nourd would only harm trespassers in the forest, just like every other creature of the forest.

“Good.”

As it turned to go, Mother asked it to wait. She had a request to make of Gorkle.

“You know I’m happy to serve the forest, Mother. What is it you would ask?”

Mother explained that Nourd was of the age of change in humans. That he would be seeking out a mate before long, and that he wouldn’t find one in the forest.

“By the looks of it, he won’t be of ‘mating age’ for another few years, at least in our society. How old is he?”

Mother told it that Nourd had seen the seasons change 13 times.

“And you want the court to take him?”

Nourd drew a sharp breath. Mother wanted him to live with the humans? Why? So he could find a mate? He didn’t want to leave the forest for so insignificant a reason.

Yet he thought of Oshal, and felt a longing to be closer to him. To smell that strange kindness again. Was that what it’d be like to be around the humans?

“We will take him. I can assume the role of his guardian and master if need be.”

Mother would accept no others.

“I didn’t think so. I will bring this offer to the court. He must be ready to leave tomorrow morning. Like me, he would serve the court and the forest.”

While Mother understood, Nourd did not. There was so much he didn’t understand, but Mother thought that this was for the best. If she believed it, then it must’ve been so.

“I’ll return then. Farewell to both of you.”

With that, Gorkle turned and left, leaving Nourd to wrestle with his offer.

#VolumeOne #LeavingTheForest

Nourd walked through the forest alone, thinking about his conversation with Gorkle. Invited to the human nest, this “court”, to stay? Away from Mother? Away from the forest? The forest was the only home he’d ever known. He didn’t know how he could possibly live among the humans.

You belong among humans. If you stay here, you cannot truly belong.

Mother had said that after Gorkle had left. How could Mother think he couldn’t belong in the forest? It was the only place he belonged. If he left, if he tried living with the humans, then he would never belong. They were humans.

He looked down at his hands. He was already different from them. His skin was lighter than theirs. It looked like Oshal’s skin.

Oshal. He would be there. Were there others like him? The birds said the humans were all different colors. Maybe he would fit in with them.

He didn’t understand what he was. He’d always been a creature of the forest, but he didn’t look like any of them. But if he was a human, why didn’t he look like any of the humans? Their ways were strange. The birds had told him about the human caves, built up from the ground instead of into a mountainside. And their strange smells, and their tools. Some of the creatures used tools, but not like the humans did. They wielded pieces of metal to kill creatures of the forest.

What about their magic? It wasn’t like the Power of Nature that Mother had taught him to wield. It moved and made things, changing them, disrupting the balance of nature. Would he have to use it too? Would he have to disrupt the balance of nature, simply because he was a human?

Nourd decided he didn’t like being human. But every time he thought he was ready to stay in the forest, he thought of Oshal and wanted to be near him.

The shifting of leaves behind him made him whirl around. He smelled the air, searching for the scent of a human, but it wasn’t a human he smelled.

Elder Deer leaped through the woods, then came to a stop next to him.

“Elder Deer.” Nourd spoke with the tongue of the forest, something all of Mother’s creatures could understand.

“Nourd. Chatter has begun to travel about you leaving.”

“Nothing’s decided yet. I was invited to the human nest.”

Elder Deer always held his head high, towering over Nourd. Creatures of the forest were never arrogant, but if any of them ever changed, it would be Elder Deer. He strutted around Nourd, who kept his own head high. He wouldn’t let his indecision show.

“Why don’t you go there?” Elder Deer asked. “Go to the humans, live with them. That’s where you belong, isn’t it?”

“This is my home.”

“You are the son of poachers. That’s all you’ll ever be. Like the other humans, you will hunt my people for sport, to sell our antlers and skins. You have never belonged here, human.”

Nourd took a step back. He’d grown up with Elder Deer’s fawns. He’d looked after them, warned them when danger was near. He knew the deer tribe didn’t trust humans, but he’d always thought they’d trusted him.

“You smell of betrayal,” Elder Deer said. “Did you think you were one of us? That you could ever be one of us? You belong with them, not with us.”

“Not every human hunts you. The forest-smelling humans don’t. They live among us peacefully. I would be one of them.”

Elder Deer tossed his head back and let out a barking laugh.

“No, you wouldn’t. Poaching is in your blood, human. You can’t escape it.”

Years ago, Nourd had noticed many of the older creatures shying away from him, keeping their young away from him. He’d asked Mother why, and she’d told him about his parents. How they’d been hunting animals in the forest. She’d used a word, a word he’d never heard then, “poaching”. She said that humans hunted them for food, but carefully, just like creatures hunted each other. In return, humans that didn’t hunt carefully — that’s what “poaching” was — were in turn hunted by the creatures of the forest. This had happened to his parents, but they’d left him behind.

“I’m more than that,” he said, as he’d said then. Mother had told him many creatures believed that he’d become another poacher, just like his parents. He wasn’t, and he didn’t intend to become one. He loved Mother, her forest, and all of her creatures. He didn’t understand why any of the creatures would think otherwise.

Elder Deer glared down at him.

“So you say. What will you say when you return here? Will you say the same? Or will you be too busy killing us? Will you make friends with the dragon human?”

“Never,” Nourd growled. “That thing isn’t human. It’s not like me!”

“So you say, but—”

“No creature of the forest would ever be friends with that thing.”

Despite spending his entire life in the forest, Nourd was never able to be as quiet as Elder Wolf. She stalked through the forest, leaving no trace, making no sound. When they needed strength, they sought out the bears or the boars; when they needed stealth, there were no better creatures in the forest than the wolves.

“Elder Deer, I thought we’d talked about this,” Elder Wolf said. She lied on the ground, her head picked up, her eyes trained on them. While she spoke, her ears swiveled, picking up every sound of the forest. “Nourd is no more a poacher than I am a human’s pet. Just because we share blood doesn’t make us the same.”

Elder Deer looked down his snout at them. He glared at Elder Wolf, knowing what would happen if he tried arguing with her.

“You will regret defending him, Elder Wolf.”

“I doubt that, Elder Deer. Why don’t you run along?” She stood up. “I would hate to see something bad happen to the deer tribe.”

Elder Deer looked from Elder Wolf to Nourd, then turned and leaped away through the trees.

Elder Wolf walked over to him.

“Come with me, Nourd. We have much to discuss.”

#VolumeOne #LeavingTheForest

Nourd ran alongside Elder Wolf. She went nimbly through the forest; nothing could slow her down. He’d been raised with her cubs, but watching her, he knew how much he still had to learn. He often found himself jealous of the wolves for having four legs. The apes had always told him they were the lucky ones; wolves couldn’t pick up food or climb trees, and what was better than climbing trees?

Nourd followed Elder Wolf back to her den. It was hidden away in the forest, far away from where any humans went. The cave looked like a small outcropping of rock to the untrained eye. Unlike the deer, the wolves only went out when they had to. All the creatures of the forest knew how to absorb the sun’s energy for nourishment, which meant they didn’t have to hunt as much. Even then, the wolves did, because that’s what they wanted to do. Elder Wolf had always told him “A wolf is the hunt. A wolf is her pack.”

Her pups were waiting for them, and ran out to meet them. They jumped onto Nourd, tails wagging. They nipped at him, and he nipped back, laughing.

“Are you staying for dinner?” one asked.

“It’s not dinnertime, yet,” Elder Wolf said. “You’ve only just woken up.”

“So?” another said. “He can stay until then, can’t he?”

“We’ll see,” Elder Wolf said. “Where is your father?”

“Sleeping,” came the tired reply. “At least, I was.”

Janam walked out of the den, nodding to Nourd. His fur was dark gray, in contrast to the lighter gray, almost white of Elder Wolf. He was bigger than her, but she held an air about her that made everyone listen when she spoke.

“The birds are chattering away about something,” he said. “Woke me up earlier with their calls. I’d just fallen back asleep.”

“I’ve been invited to stay with the humans,” Nourd said.

All three pups stopped rolling around and stared at him.

“No!” one cried. She whined and ran to him, nearly knocking him over again. Despite being pups, they were as big as he was. “You can’t leave!”

“Mama, talk to Mother!” another said. “She can’t make Nourd leave! He’s one of us!”

Warmth filled him, and he smiled. One of us. He’d felt like one of the wolves his whole life. While the deer and boars didn’t trust humans, the wolves, the bears, and the apes had always welcomed him. He was a part of each of their tribes, and they’d always made him feel like one.

“If you were alone with the humans,” Elder Wolf said to her pup, “wouldn’t you long to live with the wolves?”

“But I am a wolf!”

“And Nourd is a human,” Janam said, glancing at Nourd. His nose twitched. “Even if he doesn’t smell like one.”

“I am,” Nourd said. The sadness Elder Deer had left with him returned. “Maybe I should go to them.”

“It wouldn’t be forever,” Elder Wolf said. “Like the forest-smelling humans, he would come here and see us. He would help protect us like they do.”

Nourd had never seen a wolf smile, but the way Elder Wolf looked at him, he felt that she was smiling at him. It was as though, like Mother, Elder Wolf was proud of him.

“You’ll come visit?” one of the pups asked, wagging his tail.

“Of course,” he said. “This is my home.”

He looked at Elder Wolf and Janam. Until that day, he’d been certain that the forest had been his home, but now he was filled with doubt. What if Elder Deer was right?

“And it always will be,” Janam said.

“I’m sorry we woke you,” Elder Wolf said to her mate. “Unfortunately, we only needed to stop by for a moment.” As her pups began whining, she added, “But we’ll be back later, if that’s what Nourd wants.”

Nourd nodded. Living with the humans scared him, but knowing he’d always have a home with Elder Wolf made him feel more at ease. He could always return, couldn’t he?

“Nourd, please, follow me.”

Nourd and Elder Wolf left the den. They ran through the forest together, taking a path Nourd didn’t recognize as leading to anywhere. Elder Wolf always had her reasons. Of the tribe elders, she was one of the oldest and wisest. She understood the balance, and she’d met many of the humans. She knew that humans weren’t all the same.

Nourd kept telling himself this as they ran. Not all humans were the same. He wouldn’t be a poacher like the humans that had given birth to him. He’d never known them, and he didn’t want to know them. He was more than that.

Elder Wolf slowed her pace. Nourd didn’t see the significance of the where they were.

“No matter what happens at the human nest, I want you to remember us. Pay no mind to what the boars or deer say. They fear humans, and fear that you will become like the humans that bore you. But those humans are not your family. We are your family. You were raised here, in the forest, by us, by the creatures of the forest, and by Mother. She knew it was wrong to kill you even though others feared that you might turn out like those people. It is clear to me that you haven’t, and I know you won’t.”

Tears ran down Nourd’s cheeks. He ran over to Elder Wolf and buried his face in her side.

“I’m afraid, Montala. I’m afraid that I’ll become like them. I don’t want to be a human. I don’t want to leave here. This is where I belong.”

“Come now, my pup. Not all humans are the same. The forest creatures should know that by now. And you won’t leave the forest. The human nest is inside the forest, and we see them every day.”

“I’ll come visit you. I promise.”

“You must follow the forest-smelling humans and their teachings. The one in the forest earlier, Gorkle, is a good human. You can trust him. He will teach you well, as we have done.”

Elder Wolf’s words comforted him. He didn’t want to leave her, but knowing she’d be there when he returned made it easier to say goodbye.

#VolumeOne #LeavingTheForest

Nourd spent the night with the wolves. In the morning, he ran through the forest to talk to the bears. Elder Bear’s cubs were just as happy to see him, and just as upset to see him go. Elder Bear told him that he’d have a place with them. Just like Elder Wolf had, Elder Bear reminded him that he was one of her cubs too, and if anyone at the human nest upset him, she’d tear them to pieces.

He spoke with the apes after that. They too were sad, but they all understood the desire to be with his own kind. As much as he looked like them, they knew he wasn’t like them. After all, he only had a funny-looking tuft of fur on the top of his head, and he couldn’t grab things with his feet (how did humans live not being able to do that?)

When he was ready, he sought out Mother. He rested in the shelter of her branches for a time. This was his home, and he would never forget it.

Mother woke him and told him that Gorkle had arrived in the forest. When Nourd reached the base of her trunk, he found Elder Wolf and Elder Bear waiting for him. The three of them walked together to the entrance to the human nest, where Gorkle was waiting for them.

“Elder Bear, Elder Wolf,” it said, bowing. “It is an honor to see you.”

“Nourd is one of my cubs,” Elder Bear said. She stood on her hind legs. “You will treat him with the love he deserves, or I’ll devour you.”

“You’d better hope she does,” Elder Wolf said. “You don’t want me to get to you first.”

“Gentle beasts, there’s no need for threats,” Gorkle said. Nourd caught a slight scent of fear. “The court will treat Nourd with the same love we treat all our people. I will oversee him personally. You have my word that no harm will come to him.”

When Nourd smelled the air again, he caught another scent. A second human, a familiar one. Happiness burst forth from inside him.

“Where’s the other human?” Elder Wolf asked. She lowered her head and eyed Gorkle carefully.

“Someone else wanted to see Nourd,” Gorkle said. It turned back and motioned someone forward.

The scent was two scents. The two humans that had been in the forest a few days ago.

“Oshal!” Nourd said.

“Hello again,” Oshal said.

With him was the other human, the one Gorkle had called “Lady Durwey”. Oshal walked with a stick, tapping out the path in front of him before he walked. He came to a stop and held the stick on the ground.

“Who are these humans?” Elder Bear asked. She fell onto all fours then stepped forward, eyeing them and smelling the air.

“This is Lady Durwey and Apprentice Oshal. They were in the forest a few days ago, and Apprentice Oshal wanted to meet Nourd.”

Elder Wolf glanced at Nourd. She leaned in closer to him.

“This is the boy?” she asked quietly.

Nourd nodded, keeping his eyes on Oshal.

Elder Wolf walked up to Oshal then lied down. She sniffed him again. When she did, he slowly held out his hand.

“Hello,” he said. “Who are you?”

Not being of the forest, Oshal couldn’t understand anything they had been saying. Even so, he smiled. He smelled of happiness and trust. He wasn’t afraid, even when he knew there was something large in front of him. Elder Wolf could’ve swallowed him whole, but he wasn’t afraid.

Lady Durwey stepped closer, but Gorkle held out his hand to her and she stopped.

“This is Elder Wolf, of the wolf tribe.” In their language, he added, “Elder Wolf, this is Apprentice Oshal.”

“He smells different,” she said. “But there’s a hint of something I don’t like.”

Nourd knew what that was. It was the smell of the dragon human. He didn’t know what that thing smelled like, but he knew that it was supposedly Oshal’s sister. That still didn’t make sense to him. How could a dragon human have a family?

“I promise I’ll take care of Nourd,” Oshal said. “We all will. They’re all very nice at the court.”

“That’s enough,” Lady Durwey said. She smelled a little nervous. “Grand Master Gorkle, we must be going.”

Sadness built up inside Nourd. It was the moment he’d been dreading all morning. He turned to Elder Bear and hugged her, as well as one could hug a large furry tree.

“Come home soon, my little cub,” she said.

He hugged Elder Wolf next. He buried his face in her fur, and smelled the warm smell of family and love.

“Remember, you’re part of the pack,” she whispered.

He never wanted to leave her side. She and Mother had looked after him his whole life. But he knew it was time to go to the human nest, to live among them instead of the creatures of the forest.

“I love you,” he whispered to her.

“I love you too, my pup.”

He backed away from them, toward the human nest. The court. That’s what they called it. He’d have to learn to call it that too. He’d have to learn to live with this new sadness. Was it worth all this to be among humans?

Mother whispered to him, telling him not to be afraid, that he would always have a home with her. They were never far away.

Nourd wiped the tears from his eyes and turned to Gorkle, Durwey, and Oshal. Durwey still smelled of fear, but something else too, something that smelled like sadness. Gorkle was full of smells, many of them from the forest. Nourd liked the thought that he’d never stop smelling like the forest.

Oshal smiled at him, a smile and air full of kindness.

“It was hard for me when I said goodbye to my father,” he said. “But everything will be alright.”

Nourd nodded and walked with him inside the court. It was a new place, a new world, but he was sure that Oshal was right. Everything would be alright.

#VolumeOne #LeavingTheForest