Chapter One
"Come on, Fil!" Ano yelled from the 'trail', "It's not that bad!" Ano was a strong Spirit Guardian, as they were called, although usually more refered to as just forest spirits, as they didn't actually do much guarding. Ano was one of the stronger spirits, and he looked it, too. His arms were large and toned, and his legs were no exception. He looked tough from ear tip to hoof.
Ano was standing over the edge of a pile of rocks forming what he called a path. He and a bunch of his friends claimed it would be safe. Fil didn't agree.
"Yeah, sure," Fil mumbled, as he watched his siblings walk the poor excuse of a path. "That could break at any minute. They're going injure themselves."
Fil was an intelligent spirit, and was quite skinnier than most of the other spirits. He was such a contrast to even the average spirits, not to mention Ano. You could barely tell they were even related.
In spite of his skinniness, Fil was actually quite athletic. He was quite the rock climber, and loved to climb whenever he had the chance. He just would prefer to trust rocks that were more stable.
"Oh, come on, Fil!" he continued, "It's fine! Even Ilo's up here!" That earned him a glare from Ilo.
Fil ignored Ano, and studied the valley, trying to find a better way up. He wasn't often in the Valley of the Winds, and the rocks were unfamiliar to him. He tried to find a good place to climb that would give him a nice challenge, and avoid using the dangerous rock pile they were trying to use.
He turned back to his siblings, and studied the rocks beneath them. As far as he could tell, the rocks shouldn't be supporting their own weight, not to mention a group of forest spirits. How it could stay stable with them walking around on it was a feat beyond even his knowledge.
"You're not scared of falling, are you?" It was Nir this time. Nir was a sassy girl, and was picky who she liked and who she picked on. And not only did she pick Fil as someone to pick on, but she somehow found a form of entertainment out of it.
It was at that moment that she felt the need to stomp on the ground. Fil's tension grew with each hoofstomp.
Her smile was grew as she saw his fear creep on his face. "Or are you scared of the rocks?" She jumped and stomped down with full force. The rocks knocked together, clacking loudly and releasing a billow of dust. The cloud quickly approached him, and his vision was blocked immediately. Fil's lungs filled with the particles, making him cough. He could hear some laughter over his wheezing, and faintly saw Nir and Ano doing a little celebration.
"Come on, guys," Ilo said, trying to round everyone up the path, "it's getting dark. We'll be in big trouble if we're not back soon." There were many spirits that felt the need to pick on him. At least Ilo was always kind to him. After the dust fully cleared, Fil could see the sky, confirming Ilo's statement. He turned back to studying the rock face, trying to find an optimum place to climb, which was becoming increasingly difficult in the growing darkness.
Fil never liked being out at dark, even if he did glow. Creatures loved to hide in the dark spaces of the forest, and not even a forest spirit's glow would reveal them. Sure, they were always around, even at day, and he could avoid them. Mostly. But during the night? When they could hide in the open? No thanks.
The wind was also rumored to pick up at night, and it seemed such was true. Fil figured it would be best to leave now. The wind was really growing strong, and with his weight (or lack thereof), he wouldn't stand a chance.
"Well, this is lovely," Fil mumbled to himself, "Looks like I'm walking home. Alone." His anger destroyed his fear, and started his climb up the cliff, careful to avoid any loose rocks on the way up. He soon went into autopilot, and let his mind wander.
Fil needed some time to relax, and nothing did that better than a nice climb. Sure, there were caves that lead to the Spirit Tree, and it would probably be faster, but he enjoyed climbing.
Also, there were monsters in caves.
Fil shook out that idea, and continued his climb up the cliff face. If it weren't for the fact that he glowed brilliantly, he probably wouldn't risk the climb. He wondered what it was like to climb in darkness, or be in darkness in any form. He'd never seen it, and probably never would. Such a thought as being in pure darkness was baffling to him.
Fil grabbed a loose rock, which immediately came free. He had been so completely in thought, he forgot to watch for danger. Time froze as he fell, and he reached for the nearest hand-hold. He didn't dare open his eyes for several minutes, only clinging to the small stony anchor he hoped would stay put.
After a good while, and assuring himself he wasn't dead, he continued the climb. The fear of the fall dispersed quickly as he continued his trek up the valley wall. He smiled, glad to be back on a safe path.
His smile quickly faded as he watched the last of the sun disappear behind the trees. Now he had to walk in complete darkness. Well, almost.
Fil wasn't often in the Sunken Glades during this time of night, especially not out this far. He tried to avoid exploring at night. He liked to stay put where he knew he would be safe. Or at least protected by those stronger or bigger than him, which was most of the forest spirits.
It was quite beautiful at night, he observed. The gentle light of the moon was shining through the trees, and it put a gentle, calming light on everything. He loved how it shown through the canopy above and made fascinating shapes on the grass below.
As he was admiring the moonlight, he heard some rustling to his left. His thoughts were cut short, and his heart started to race. He put his arms up, and tried to put up the best fighting pose he could. It wasn't really intimidating.
Whatever was out there left, and Fil was left standing in his pose for a good half hour before he convinced himself to keep moving. It wasn't long before his thoughts carried him off again.
He turned back to the sky, but looked at the stars this time. There were so many, and he couldn't get enough of it.
Again, through his absorbing thoughts, he forgot to watch where he was going. Fil tripped over a rock, landing face first into a river. The mud of the bank squished on his face, filling his mouth and nose. He spat as he sat up in the water. After washing out the gunk, he sat for a while, watching the river's flow. His thoughts were once again swept away, completely forgetting about his destination. His mind started running slower and slower as he watched fish swim around. It wasn't long before he gave into sleep.
When Fil awoke it was light again. The trees looked quite different with the lighting change. He laid there, soaking in the sights and sounds; chirping birds, leaves rustling in the wind, and a really annoying nagging sister.
"Fil!" Nir yelled as she saw him waking up. "Where were you!?"
It wasn't what he wanted to be waking up to. He sat up, and found his left leg was asleep. He stood up, stretching it out and ignoring his sister.
"Hello? I'm right here!" she said, anger increasing.
"Sorry, I fell asleep on the way back," he said finally, testing out his leg, making sure it was still working right. He started heading toward the giant tree looming on the horizon. "I kinda had a long trip."
"So!? Dad was worried sick!" Again, he ignored her. He didn't like to be rude, but he also hated arguing with people. Nir was just one of those people you let rant, and nod occasionally to keep her going. It also gave him time to think.
"We've been looking all night for you!" Nir continued. " We had to cut our party short because of you! How did you fall asleep walking back?!" He started to let his mind wander, watching the leaves move in the breeze. He started to think about the Gumon. They were a fascinating race. They were brave, smart, and quite different from the forest spirits. They were always inventing and coming up with cool and new gadgets and gizmos. Why wasn't he one of them?
"Are you even listening to me?!" Nir's yelling broke his thought train.
"Yeah. You're mad at me for not coming home on time because it interrupted your 'precious' party." He hoped she hadn't gone off on a tangent, making his comeback make him look more guilty. But, of course, his party comment made everything else he said irrelevant.
"It's not 'just a party', as you always put it," she said with a sigh, her worried tone leaving and direct rage replacing it. "This is a special party we put on every night, and I'm ashamed you don't see it's beauty."
"Well, if it were so special, why do you have to hold it every night?" he responded.
"Because it's an extremely-"
She was cut off by the Spirit Tree: "Fil! It is a relief to see you have you back home safe!" She took this as her cue to leave. Typical. He turned back to the Spirit Tree, hoping he could ease the tension.
Fil looked at the Spirit Tree, a little nervous. He was tall and wide. His roots spread wide, and he had many spots around his trunk that glowed. His canopy was full of leaves, but showed a hint of white light, signifying new Spirit Guardians coming soon.
"Oh, hi. Yeah, sorry, I kinda, well…" He wasn't sure how to put it. It wasn't like him to spend a night in the forest, even if he did accidently fell asleep.
"You are not hurt, are you?" That was always his first question. At least he was caring.
"No, no," he responded, shifting nervously in place, "just a little stiff from the sleeping on the ground."
"Really? And why were you sleeping out in the Sunken Glades? That's not like you."
"I, uh..." He hesitated to say it. It was always nerve racking admitting anything to him, even when he knew he wouldn't be mad. "I guess I lost track of time, honestly."
"Ah, is that all?" the Giant Tree said, relieved his Fil didn't cause any harm to himself.
"Yeah… Sorry to worry you," he said. He cared about him. Some of his friends saw him as a burden, but when you have free access to shelter and food, what's left to complain about?
"Not to worry, Fil. I probably shouldn't be worried so much. I know you can take care of yourself out there."
"Yeah, sure," Fil said. He didn't quite agree with him. He'd seen some of the toughest spirits come from the forest with some severe injuries. If they had it bad, he probably didn't stand a chance. Fil took that as his sign to go.
"Oh, and one more thing," the Spirit Tree said, stopping Fil in his tracks.
"Yes?" Fil said, turning, "What is it?"
"Well, I fear there is something wrong with Reem. He doesn't seem himself, and since you and him are great friends…"
"You want me to check up on him?" he finished. Reem was one of the few people that actually cared about him, aside from Ilo, of course. But Ilo cared about everyone, so that was a given.
"Yes. It's not like him to be quiet, and I fear there may be something he's not telling me. He won't talk to me, and I am hoping you can get through to him."
"Of course. I'll see him now."
"Great. Thank you so much." With that, Fil walked to Reem's favorite spot. The Spirit Tree watched him as he walked away, still worried as ever.