Entish or Treeish

As the sun was setting, casting its last gentle golden rays upon the land, David stirred from his slumber. His eyes opened, expecting to find himself in the familiar surroundings of his bedroom. Instead, he found himself lying on a bed of moss, surrounded by an unfamiliar forest.

,, So it wasnt a dream huh? I really died ,,

,, ...A tree... ,,

It had been a couple of days since he regained consciousness, trying desperately to lie to himself that it was just a bad dream, it would soon be over, but every day he woke up and he was still here.

Gazing into the distance, his eyes became glossy with remembrance and thought to finally come to terms with his situation. While he reflected upon his past memories of an unfulfilled life, marred by sadness and an untimely death, his mind wandered to his childhood. From his early years to his teenage ones. he had desperately sought his father's approval, yearning for even a glimmer of recognition. But instead, he had been cast aside like an unwanted stray, rejected by his own family. And just when he had found happiness in the embrace of the forest, in the simplicity of his daily tasks and the pages of his books, fate had played a cruel trick on him.

As he remembered, anger filled his thoughts, causing him to question the true essence of his life and whether he had ever truly experienced happiness. In that introspective moment, he realized the painful truth—he had merely been running from his problems, escaping from the harsh truths into a self-made reality

,, What a waste,,

With a heavy heart, he acknowledged the self-imposed illusion of contentment he had constructed. The forest had offered him respite, a temporary escape from his sad reality, but it had never provided the lasting fulfillment he truly sought. It had been a mere distraction.

,,Never again,, he said while coming back to reality and pulling himself together, he finally looked at his surroundings

,,Beautiful,,

Being deep in thought and shunning reality he failed to notice the scenery around him and its peculiar aspects. Towering trees, with moss and vines, reaching skyward, forming a verdant canopy that filters the last rays of sunlight into a breathless play of lights. Soft glowing flowers, emanating a soft glow as dusk descends. In the air could be heard the gentle song of the rustling leaves alive with the symphony of unseen creatures while amidst the dense undergrowth, a hidden pathway winded through glistening ferns and carpets of moss.

A sense of magic weighs heavily in the air as if the very essence of dreams and legends has taken root, making this fantasy forest a sanctuary where it seemed like one's own will would have the power to bend the world to its whims.

,,Still .... a tree ?, Why couldn't I have been reborn as the son of a traveling band of musicians with secret power in my bloodline and a skill for the lute that made the moon sway its hips or an Elf-lord blod and rash with an enviable talent for creating trinkets and gems of frightful power and beauty.

,, Well let's not cry over spilled milk, if I've been reborn as a tree into what looks like a fantasy world, surely there must be magic and if so there must be a way for me to evolve or to gain the ability to speak and walk , a humanoid body of sorts,,

While brainstorming ideas, plans and methods for a body of dashing beauty and unparalleled power a thought, no, a feeling of sorts kept nagging him insistently, something he could not quite make out like there was something there but at the same time there wasnt. It felt calm, soothing, nourishing yet powerful and knowing, after some time he found out that he could connect with this strange presence, and he did.

Unknowingly, days passed, then weeks, then months he forgot about the sadness, the anger that he felt in the beginning and concentrated wholly on the mysterious essence, it was hard to describe what he felt, and what he saw, it was like–knowing.

Knowing the way the wind rushed through the forest, the way the leaves swayed, and even more the way a rock formed, how countless years of sitting in the river shaped it. And later came the realization that if he wanted to he could change it and shape it to its will. He came to realize that this mysterious presence was in fact the energy of the world which every living being draws upon to grow and flourish. It was...Intoxicating.....it was...

,,AAAAA, HAAAAA,HHAAAA ,HA haa ha,,

Pulling himself from the terrifying thing that tried to snatch his mind away and drag him into the bigger picture he started shaking and breathing heavily, the same you do after waking up from a terrible nightmare

,, That was scary, it felt like I was loseing myself,,

,, Oh whats this?!?!?,,

Looking around he finally noticed it, to his right out of nowhere now stood a tree with vague human traits, watching her he immediately noticed the striking presence she had. Her eyes were bright and amber-colored, holding an intense, unwavering power, combined with a motherly gentleness and depth of wisdom that comes from years of living

,, Why were u shaking little one, trees aren't supposed to shake like that,haha,,

She had shoulder-length rust-colored hair with what looked like cherry blossoms in it , a slight hunch, a gentle face with a slight curve around the corners of the mouth and a glimer in her eyes. in one hand she had a woven basket with different types of mushrooms and berries.

,, You're a strange one arent you ?? So young yet i can feel the desire to uproot yourself and venture forth into the world, very strange indeed,,

,, Usually, trees don't become Entish before they pass their 10th winter some go up to 15, and some never do ,,

She smiled warmly at him and said

,, You don't look like a soon-to-be Huorn, so ill give you a piece of advice, you can use essence to shape yourself and evolve into an Ent, but be careful to much, and you'll become a Huorn to little, and you'll stay treeish, you need to play around and find the balance, don't rush it, be calm and methodical,,

,,Listen to the forest around you, you'll get it eventually hahaha,

Chuckling at her words she pulled her basket higher up her arm and started walking along the small pathway

,, I'll be on my way now, ill come back to visit and see the progress, hopefully, there will be good news when I pass by again, oh Ill bring you a slice of my delicious berry pie, one more admirer won't hurt, heh,,

,, So that's an ent,,

As the old ent slowly left, David couldn't help but notice the fact that she made no sound moving through the forest, this and the strangeness of their interaction

,,She was quite weird, are all ents this cracked ??,,