Chapter 7
"I don't want to!"
"Karis, if you want to learn to be a druid, you need to"
"Can I at least wear my skirt?"
"For now, yes, but once we are in the clearing you will need to take it off if you don't want it ruined."
From behind the screen in their shared room, Karis let out a cheer and hurriedly pulled her skirt up before emerging. Tylira had set out her clothes for her, and Karis had instantly taken a disliking to them.
She couldn't really call them clothes, either. They were simply pieces of cloth that only covered up what needed to be covered! Tylira had explained to her that it was best to wear something like that for training, as clothes tended to get destroyed a lot.
Standing in front of the mirror, Karis smiled slightly to herself. She was wearing the pieces of cloth, one wrapped around her chest and one around her waist, but she also had her skirt on now to give at least a little more privacy to herself.
Tylira walked up behind her, also wearing the pieces of cloth. Stifling a yawn, Karis turned and looked to the older Night Elf, rubbing her eyes slightly. They had gotten up early, so early in fact that the early morning mist was still moving through Nighthaven.
After giving Karis a quick hug, Tylira took a large piece of fine silk cloth from her bag and wrapped it around her own waist so that it acted much like a skirt. Karis smiled slightly and moved next to Tylira.
"Lets get you something to eat first, shall we?" Tylira said, taking Karis' hand gently in hers. Karis nodded in agreement as Tylira led her down the stairs on to the walkway, where the other people in the town were already starting to get up and set up shops.
After pausing to talk to a few people along the way, eventually Tylira came to a stop outside one of the inns in the town. Looking down to Karis with a smile, she led the young girl in.
"Good morning, My'lanna" Tylira said to a Night Elf woman standing behind a counter. The woman turned to look at Tylira and Karis as they sat down at the wooden counter.
"Good morning, Tylira" My'lanna responded with a smile. "You're both up early today. We don't normally get customers for some time."
Tylira let out a slight chuckle before ordering some food for both Karis and herself. Karis quite happily ate the food as Tylira and My'lanna continued to chat to each other, as if catching up on lost time. As soon as Karis was finished, Tylira rose from her chair and removed a small pouch that was hanging from her waist.
"Until tomorrow then" Tylira said with a warm smile, placing a few silver coins on the counter. With a nod and smile, My'lanna scooped up the coins and went back to her work, leaving Tylira and Karis alone.
"If there is anything else you want to do before we start, I recommend you do it now" Tylira said to Karis, placing the pouch back in its place on her waist.
"I don't think so…" Karis said, shaking her head slightly as she tried to think of anything else. After a few moments of thinking, she shook her head again and smiled. "Nope, nothing else!"
Tylira nodded and smiled, her hair swaying slightly as a gentle breeze blew past them. Happy that nothing else was needed, the two of them walked out of Nighthaven, Karis feeling the anticipation build up inside of her.
After walking down the path for a short distance, Tylira led Karis off of the path and onto the slightly damp grass. As they walked across the moist surface, Karis couldn't help but giggle as the blades of grass tickled her bare feet.
"This looks like a good spot" Tylira eventually said, coming to a stop at a location that looked no different to any other place in Moonglade.
Looking around, all Karis saw was either grass, trees or bushes. There was nothing remarkable about where they were at all. Tylira unwrapped the cloth around her waist that was acting as her skirt and placed it on the ground before sitting on it.
"Come, sit" Tylira said, motioning for Karis to sit opposite her. "And you may want to take off your skirt" she quickly added, smiling gently. With a grumble, Karis removed her skirt, placing it down on the cloth so as to not get it wet, before sitting down opposite Tylira.
"It's cold…" Karis said, shivering slightly in the cold morning air. Even with the cold, though, Karis was still feeling surprisingly good. The air was so fresh, filled with such interesting smells, and the gentle light that made its way through the trees gave everything a beautiful shine to it.
"Don't worry, the cold will pass" Tylira said, crossing her legs and placing her hands on her knees. Karis watched as Tylira closed her eyes and started to breathe in and out slowly, a gentle mist seeming to travel across their small camp, wrapping around them both as it did so.
Karis didn't dare say anything as the silence grew between them, the only noise present coming from the wildlife around them as it woke up. After what felt like an eternity, Tylira slowly opened her eyes again and looked at Karis.
"The first form a druid learns is what is commonly known as a travel form" she said, her voice soft and slow, but very official sounding.
"The travel form is what we use when we need to get around quickly on foot. There is no one travel form. Each druid can end up with a different form, ranging from a cheetah, to a stag to a kodo." Tylira paused for a moment, inhaling slowly before exhaling again.
"In order to obtain your first form, you must first learn to commune with the spirits." Reaching out, Tylira waved her hand through the thick mist that now gathered around them. As she did so, forms and shapes started to appear.
Karis tried to make sense of them, noticing what looked to be a bear, whilst another looked like a cat and another a raven. With another wave of Tylira's hand, the shapes vanished.
"You must remember, though" Tylira continued, focusing her gaze on Karis. "The spirits must be treated with the utmost respect. If you disrespect them, they will not help you. And you will need their help."
"Why?" Karis found herself asking before apologising for interrupting. Tylira smiled and shook her head slightly.
"No, do not worry about interrupting. It is good to ask questions" Tylira said, still smiling. "What you need to understand is that once the spirits are willing to grant you use of their form, the actual learning to change is a simple process. Trying to earn the respect and aid of the spirits, however, is the hard part of your training."
Karis nodded slightly, feeling her shoulders sag. She didn't know anything about talking with spirits, much less how to earn their respect. She found herself rather thankful that she had Tylira teaching her.
"A druid starts with learning their travel form because of the fact the spirits linked with such forms are those who are more willing to aid us." Tylira ran her hand through the mist again, once more various images appearing, showing various animals, all running.
"Most often, a spirit will ask a boon of you, a favour" Tylira said, pausing for a moment as the mist settled around them. "There is little a spirit can do in our world, unless called upon. They rely on others to help them with their tasks. That is part of what a druid does, and that is how you earn their respect."
Tylira went quiet for a moment, looking at Karis as the young girl soaked up all that was told to her. Her brow furrowed slightly, as if she was struggling to grasp something before she spoke again.
"What will they ask me to do?" Karis asked, a slight look of worry on her face. "And would I have to do it alone?" More worry appeared on the young girls face as her mind raced with what they might ask her to do.
Noting Karis worried look, Tylira smiled gently and reached out, placing a hand on the young Night Elf's knee.
"Do not worry. Although some may ask quite the task of you, most will not" she said, still smiling gently. "And as this is your first form, the spirits are quite understanding and will allow you aid if you need it."
"But that doesn't answer what they will ask…" Karis said with a slight whimper, looking down at the ground.
"That depends entirely on the spirit at the time" Tylira said, returning to her prior sitting position, breathing in and out slowly. "Sometimes they will ask you to deal with a corrupted element of the species they represent. Other times they may simply ask you to clear some weeds from the place where their avatar died." There was a pause for a moment, as if Tylira was thinking upon something, before she continued.
"You won't know what it is until you ask the spirit" she said, her voice sounding slightly quieter than it had been. "I am afraid it is something that you cannot prepare for."
Tylira easily saw the sad look that now made its way across Karis' face. Getting up, she moved so that she now sat next to the young girl and placed her arm around her, holding her close.
"Karis, no matter what happens, no matter what they throw at you, I will be here to help you, ok?" Tylira said with a gentle smile. Karis looked up at Tylira before putting her arms around the woman, cuddling up close to her.
"I'm scared…" Karis whispered, closing her eyes tight as she stayed close to Tylira. "I want to learn to be a druid, I really do…but I'm worried about doing something wrong…or failing…"
Tylira smiled and lightly stroked Karis' back. She gently rocked her from side to side, soothing her as best she could.
"You will be amazing, just you wait and see" Tylira whispered, looking down at Karis. Karis slowly looked up at Tylira and smiled weakly. "Now come on, let's get you started, hmm?"
Karis nodded, slowly letting go of Tylira who moved back to her position opposite Karis. Tylira crossed her legs again and motioned for Karis to do the same. Once both were in the same position, Tylira continued on.
"To start with" she said, closing her eyes. "You need to regulate your breathing and clear your mind. Simply breathe in and out through your nose with long, deep breaths. Focus on your breathing and nothing else…"
Karis did as she was told, closing her eyes and breathing in through her nose before letting it out slowly. She continued to do this for a few minutes, focusing solely on her breathing. As she did so, she soon became aware of the quietness that had wrapped itself around her. When Tylira next spoke, it was as if her voice was echoing all around her.
"I want you to imagine yourself" she said quietly. "Don't stop how your breathing, and don't open your eyes. Just imagine yourself standing there…."
Once again, Karis complied with Tylira's request, picturing herself standing in the darkness that was currently her field of vision. In front of her, or so it looked, a blurry image of herself appeared. Karis frowned slightly as she focused on it more, trying to make the image clearer. The more she concentrated, the clearer the image became. Just a little more, and it will be perfect…
"Karis, its time we returned to the town" Tylira suddenly said, bringing Karis back from her attempts. She opened her eyes and looked around, blinking.
"But we have only just started!" Karis complained, not wanting to leave already. Tylira looked at her and simply smiled, shaking her head.
"Karis, it's the middle of the afternoon. We have been out here for quite a few hours" she said, holding out Karis' skirt to her.
"Middle of the afternoon?" Karis said in disbelief as she took the skirt from Tylira.
"Yes" she said with a smile, waiting for Karis to move off of the cloth before picking it up and wrapping it around herself. "It is surprising how much time passes when you try to picture yourself, isn't it?" Tylira let out a slight laugh and stretched out her arms.
"This is your first hurdle, Karis" she continued, looking at Karis as she put her skirt back on. "Once you are able to quickly picture yourself, fully and clearly, then we can move on to the next step. We will do this every day in the morning, and I promise you, it will get easier."
Karis looked at Tylira and simply nodded. Her mind was still coming to terms with the fact she had been trying for hours to picture herself, where it had only felt like a few minutes from her point of view!
One thing was certain, however. Druid training was not how she imagined it to be.