maturity ages slowly | aofe

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@aofe

it had been more than a little while since he'd walked through the wildwood. he'd always been more prone to spending most of his time back home but he did feel he'd been neglecting the tree's his family had been growing for centuries on the druid safe haven. his father normally tended to this particular group of tree's but he'd been held up at home and it had been jak who had come to see what needed doing. he rested his hand against the bark of a tree that had been planted many years before he'd been born. like a few others it was almost ready to be felled and taken back to his father's workshop. there weren't many tree's on hy-brasil that were reaching maturity but there was enough for him to go home and tell his father about.

it was the soft crunch of leaves, the change in the howl of the wind as it blew through the tree's and the sound of wings flapping that alerted him to the fact he wasn't alone. he let his hand fall from the trunk of the tree as he turned and started walking down through the shadow's being cast by the sun that hung high in the sky above. he walked behind a large oak as himself but stepped out from behind it a lynx. the shift quick and quiet as he leapt onto a fallen log and he sat there, listening to the footsteps that were growing closer and closer. his claws pulled lightly at the bark beneath him and he flicked his ears back lightly while he waited.

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It was another wonderful day on her beautiful island. Aofe loved Hy-Brasil. While her position had led her to travel a lot over the last few months, she could confirm, that no where was as good as home. Though there was one place that came close, another settlement of druids that had welcomed her. The woman often wandered the Wildwood, even when she was young. But now, their always seemed to be a part of her that was constantly on the look out. What was she looking out for? Well, anything unusual, or that needed to be addressed. As a ranger, it was her job to ensure that the island maintained it's balance. And Aofe wasn't just any ranger, she was the head ranger.

Every tree in the forest contained magical properties. Non-magical plants and animals couldn't thrive on their magically rich environment. The short druid moved around as if she were dancing. She knew this area well. It wasn't long before Quinn, her bonded phoenix flew to her. She raised his arm, and the large bird, perched on it and nuzzled her. She scratched at the creature lovingly as it moved it's neck onto her shoulder. The large red bird cooed at the attention.

Fallen logs and trees weren't uncommon, especially after the barrier went down and scared many of the creatures away. Aofe didn't mind leaving them where they were, but she did make a point to ensure that they weren't impeding the growth of anything around it. If that was the case, she would remove it, see if the wand makers could use it, if not, they could chop it up into firewood for those who needed. She walked along a hidden path, rounding an exceptionally large tree, she saw the glinting eyes of a large cat. She wasn't startled, on the contrary. The only non magical creatures that inhabited Hy-Brasil were Druids. She herself could transform into a mink. She gave an amused smile. "What exactly was your plan?" She spoke in Brasilic, assuming the druid, or wizard would understand. If not, she would know that they weren't a native.

@jakke

[Deleted]

@aofe

it was a familiar redhead that appeared at the edge of the clearing and jak flicked his ears a little, listening to her movements, his eyes moved to the large red bird that was perched upon her shoulder and for just a second the instinct to lower into a crouch overcame him. his tail flicked just a little as it moved softly through the air behind him and he dug his claws into the wood of the log just a little more. her words brought allowed him to focus once more and he flicked his gleaming eyes from her shoulder to her face. had it been another face he'd known, he'd have slinked off the log and into the shelter of the trees before they'd ever really been able to get a proper glimpse of him but since it hadn't been anyone else, he jumped down from the log onto the grass, shifting from four paws back onto two feet.

he ran his hand through his blonde hair quickly and he felt the corners of his mouth twitch into a smile as he sat back down on the log he'd been sitting on previously. "i did not let my family know i was coming." he said as he stretched his legs out in front of him. "i was hoping to keep it that way." it wasn't that he didn't want to see anyone in his family but he wasn't planning on staying any longer than he needed to. "i was checking the forest." he said as he glanced towards a small cluster of tree's that his family had planted at the edge of the clearing.

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Coming face to face with a carnivorous beast would make most scared, at least the islands guests would. But Aofe had stared down and helped dragons in distress. The wild cat, whom was obviously an animagus, didn't phase the girl. Sure, their was a cat in front of her who seemed to be interest in the large crimson bird perched on her. Not like she would let anything bad happen to Quinn. She stood confidently as the creature decided what it was going to do.

In a swift move, the wild cat turned into a man who she instantly recognized. Jak mentioned wanting to avoid his family, which Aofe could understand, but not fully. She loved her family, and when she was home, she lived in the family home. Though she did understand how nice it was to be out alone in the forest. She laughed a bit. "And their are so many Eurasian lynx's in the area." She teased. The man mentioned checking the forest and she nodded. "I haven't noticed anything too destructive. Not many guests make their way over here." Most stayed close to the pier or the small town, following the near invisible paths to the mountain and such.

@jakke

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@aofe

he smiled when she laughed and his shoulders raised in something of a light hearted shrug. "easier to outrun them with four legs instead of two." he joked with her. if his family had discovered that he was visiting it wouldn't have been a bad thing. he'd just rather do what he came here to do and then find his way back home by the end of the evening. if his plans changed it would have been okay but there was part of him that always felt slightly uneasy when he was so far from his own village, even if this island was just as much his home.

he glanced around at the tree's when she said she hadn't noticed anything too noticeable with them. he hadn't spotted anything of concern while he'd been checking if they were ready to fell but it was important to check them all very close. disease could spread quickly and it could spread easily among the other tree's in the forest. best to keep them healthy than to try and heal them. he walked to touch his hand against the rough bark of one of his families tree's and he nodded a little. "that's good." he said as he looked at her. "want to check the rest with me?"

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The man mentioned that four legs were easier to run away from someone. That was fairly true. Size did matter with that philosophy though. True, a lynx would be fast and get away from whoever he was running away from. Though her small mink form was fast, but couldn't out run someone on two feet. But her dark fur was specially created for swimming. That just went to show you, that every animagus form had it's drawbacks, and positives. "Well, you have a point there." She giggled.

It was true that family could become a bit of a distraction from work. That happened often. Aofe never minded, seeing as she could consider just keeping an eye out for trouble while anywhere on the island. But when in a hurry, it was hard when someone came to talk to you.

While the rangers helped keep everything in balance, she couldn't always take a close look at all the trees. If something bad became prevalent, they would take immediate action, but it were the tree farmers that kept a closer eye out for the early signs of destruction. Just another perfect example to show how the druid communities worked hand in hand together. Keeping the trees health was intergyral in maintaining balance on their small island.
"I'll do my best to keep a eye on them while you're gone too. She promised. Sure, she there were many times when she was off the island, especially now. But there were always a few rangers on the island. He wondered if she wanted to check the rest with him and she nodded. The phoenix took off and she smiled "I'd love to help." She then moved over to a tree and started to look it over, checking for signs of disease or decay.

@jakke