Chapter 2 Beginning?

52ABY, 1st Melona, Datunda 9

Relief and confusion arose as I said, "Oh, I found For-shoo in the Forest of Brightness. It's so pretty in there whether it is day or night. Going in there makes me feel at peace. Well, hmm... let me think on the other question."

Tuk waits for me to gather my thoughts.

I respond with assurance, "I think For-Shoo showed me the moon's life force. I also think For-Shoo wanted the force, or energy, to guide me. But why do you ask Maior Tuk?"

While raising one eyebrow, Tuks eyes look at me as though I'm getting close to solving a puzzle.

"Think harder, Alani. There may be a deeper meaning to what For-Shoo wanted to show you." He says this with the feeling of wisdom backing his words.

I ponder why For-Shoo showed me the moon's life force. I wonder if I'm the only one who has seen For-shoo, but how could anyone miss For-shoo in their sight? They're too bright to be overlooked, so why have I felt For-shoo's presence when no one has discussed them in Flora Cultivation?"

"Maior, am I the only one who has seen For-shoo? What kind of flora is For-shoo?" There's innocent ignorance on my face as I ask Tuk curiously.

Tuk faced me with a slight smile, saying, "Alani, these flora are called Harbingers. What you saw is a scarce flora that doesn't normally thrive in such dense forests like ours. Most species don't usually see Harbingers unless they want to be found. They're very unknown in the galaxy for why or what they want, but not many have seen one, let alone talked to them. Most probably do not know these floras can communicate, and not through normal means, at least. Their name alone can bring armies to a group effort to find them. Wars can be waged just by the sight of one."

I'm shocked by how valuable Harbingers are. I didn't realize For-Shoo was a rare floral, but this just means I cherish my time with For-Shoo even more.

I asked Tuk another question with more vigor and curiosity, "Maior Tuk, For-shoo's shine stood out so easily, though? Anyone could have seen it. For-Shoos' smell and sound were much different from the other flora in the forest. The music the other flora played were beautiful, but anyone could have heard For-shoos shining voice. For-shoo smelled like a cherished memory that brought joy and a mystery that wanted to be solved."

Tuks eyes opened wide, while his oaky hand covered his mouth as though he was pondering what I said.

A few moments pass, and Tuk asks, "Alani… what do you mean by For-Shoo's sound and smell are different from the other flora?"

My eyes are slightly squinted at Maoir Tuk, trying to understand how he is confused about what I said. Surprisingly, I say, "Maoir, does the forest not speak to you? The flora communicate with each other, and I can understand them. I thought that was something all Neti could do. I mean, we are trees, after all. They have their own lovely songs, too. Sometimes, I like to sit and listen to the music they make. I thought everyone could at least hear that cause of how many of them sing. Every day always feels different from the last song. Now that I think about it, it is weird how no one seemed to understand when Flora made jokes during meditation."

Tuk gets up and puts his hand on his forehead. He frantically paces in the room as though he heard bad news. As Tuk paces, he asks me with subtle panic, "How long have you been able to communicate with the flora in the forest? Do the songs have words, or are they just sounds?"

I say joyfully, "As long as I can remember. Lately, though, it has been even stronger. The songs are transcendent-like sounds, and they don't have words. I make my own words sometimes, and it is really fun! Adding words to them feels like a duet."

Moving my hand from my heart to the air while looking in the distance, I dramatically say, "I, the beautiful Neti, dueting with the rich and lux Forrest. No one can stop our power of the heart." Tuks eyes are squinted at me. His hand slides from his eyes down to his chin to stop.

Sarcastically, Tuk says, "Really, Alani? You're serious?"

I say with a smile, "Awww, Maior Tuk, you're no fun. I was kidding about about the power of the heart."

I set my hands on my legs and look away, saying under my breath, "Sort of.."

Tuk waves his hands while looking flustered, saying, "Your daydreaming is not important right now, but what is important is you and the flora."

I can see the curl of his eyes and the break of the spaces of wood on his forehead. Tuk asks curiously, "Where do the flora guide you, Alani?"

I passively say as though nothing is unusual, "They've taken me to different caves and dens full of Flora and shiny rocks. I want one of the shiny rocks. Their voice was different from the flora, though."

Tuk walks to me and sits right in front of me. Placing his hands on my shoulders, saying firmly, "Alani, we have to start your studies early. I know we are supposed to wait until you reach the proper age, but this is important. I can't explain everything to you right now. And I know you want to know why I'm in such a rush, but you must trust me. Your journey is an important one." His oaky eyes feel warm and sincere. Showing his care and worry for me. It makes it hard not to trust him.

I look at Tuk with confusion and familiarity with what he said. I had to trust what he was saying, but I was also worried about what the future held for my journey. I felt like I was moving with a blindfold since I was born. It's not a fun feeling at all, but I trust Maior Tuk.

With a slight smile, I say with warmth and trust, "I trust you, Maior Tuk. I'm excited I get to study early, too! Do I get to study aspects of dancing (fighting)? Cause don't get me wrong; I love the general knowledge about flora, but I would love to know more about the dancing side of history."

Tuks grip on my shoulders untightened as he sighed in relief, saying warmly, "Hmmmm... I will think about it, Alani. You know our species mostly steer away from dancing. Most Neti prefers to study flora rather than get involved in squabbles."

Slightly antsy, I say, "I know that, but why do we never go to battle or even have knowledge about practical combat? Why don't we have historical knowledge about Neti evolution or the reasons behind our advanced capabilities? It seems most of the knowledge we have is about the flora around us rather than our species. I find it interesting how our language is intact, but mostly everything else is scattered."

Tuk gets up and walks to the carved mural of a beautiful Neti. He stands with his back towards me, waiting for me to finish my thought.

As I finished what I said, Tuk said in a monotone voice, "In due time, you will learn what is needed of you here. For now, my little bud, it is time to start meditating. We have delayed it for too long as is."

I rolled my eyes because of the blatant avoidance of my concerns. Neti can be so cryptic sometimes. Sometimes, I really want to shake the Maior Neti heads really hard and make answers come out. It seems like other Neti don't care about losing knowledge of battle tactics/strategies. But maybe there's a reason I'm not supposed to be curious about unknown knowledge.

I say huffingly, "Ughhhh, alright, let's get started on meditating then, shall we."

I sit with my legs crossed and my arms resting on my thighs. Breathing in and out slowly. Each inhale allows me to feel my body internally. Each exhale releases my energy and weight, making me feel lighter. I can feel something internally shifting my state of being. My attention is set on my breathing and the energy in the room. Maoir Tuk is guiding us through a trance-like meditation.

I hear him say, "Allow your body to carry the weight needed and let go of any tension you are carrying. Listen to your breathing and body."

I know my hands are set on my knees, but it feels like they aren't there. Like something has lifted the weight off them.

My legs are on the ground, but they feel like they have become one with the ground itself. My entire body has melted into the ground, as though there is no difference between them. In the darkness of my mind, I see a silhouette of myself outlined, sitting in a meditative position. A few moments pass, and I notice this flow of energy water coming to me. I don't know how to describe it, but the energy felt familiar. I think it was the force that was coming towards me. I have always felt the force but have never seen a manifestation of what it could look like. I wait and focus on breathing to keep myself calm. The wave of energy clashes with me, and I feel the force flowing through every part of my body. My silhouette vanishes before my eyes. It's like I become a part of the force itself. It engulfed my body and is reaching my soul. I feel my physical body lifting up and slowly letting go of the bounds of gravity. I'm fully immersed in the wave of the force. I see an image of a green being, and I hear,

"I am a manifestation of the Force, a Force that consists of two parts..."

Before I could see and hear the rest, I was cut off. I hear someone calling me from my meditative state. Who would that be?

"Alani! Alani! Wake up! The meditation trance is over for the day." Tuk is shaking me, trying to get me to awaken.

I come back to my senses and wake up from the meditation. I notice I'm floating slightly in the air. I look down and automatically plop down. I feel drained like all the life energy was siphoned out. What was that about? I felt like I witnessed something, but I don't know what exactly.

What was that green being? It looked old but powerful in the force. I don't know, but potent events have been happening lately. While feeling exhausted, I put my hand on my forehead to soothe.

Tuks brow lowers as though he's worried and asks, "Alani, are you ok? I have not seen you ever float during our meditation sessions before. I tried to wake you up, but you were lost in something. What was it?" He crouched towards me, putting his hand on my shoulder.

As I groan from the exhaustion, I say, "I was... Engulfed in the force, I think. Like.. I felt like I was one with the force. My being was absorbed inside of it. I still didn't really understand what was happening, but it felt like my body was air itself. I... I also saw something. A green species walking with a short cane in a strange place. I heard the phrase, 'I am a manifestation of the Force, a Force that consists of two parts...' The cut-off is when you were waking me up."

Tuk is shocked by the words that have come from my mouth. Like he has seen a ghost of his past. Tuk moves close to my ear and says quietly, "Do not tell anyone about the vision or anything else we talked about in this room." Hearing this, I'm a little startled. I understand why I shouldn't tell anyone about For-Shoo. But Why is it so important for me to keep my abilities hidden? They aren't hurting anyone, nor do I think the other Neti would want to hurt me. Considering no one here is even interested in battle. What makes Tuk believe it would be best for me to hide my abilities? For the time being, I'll play along and see what happens.

I get up abruptly, saying in a monotone voice, "Fine. I trust you. I'm ok. I just need some time to rest." Tuk looks at me from afar, wanting to comfort me. He reaches out his hand towards me but then pulls it back.

I sensed the care in his voice as he said, "I only want to protect you because I care. I hope you see that with time." What is he trying to protect me from?

I say with a softer voice, "I know. Could you... give me time to gather my strength. Just a couple of minutes."

He gently nods his head slightly, saying calmly, "Sure." Tuk walks to the exit of the meditation room at a slow pace, waiting for me to gather myself.

I walk back to the pillowed seat and look at the ground for a couple moments. As I gather my strength, I ponder whythese things happening to me lately. I get up from the pillowed seat and hurry to Tuks side. Walking out of the Den Meditation, we see the pathway to the Flora of Energy.

The pathway is kinda patchy on the ground, and our right side is the dense forest. Maoir Tuk tends to like taking his time walking, which is understandable. But sometimes, I wish he could walk faster. At times, I've caught myself moving faster than Tuk. Sometimes, I hope he could be more honest with him. I was a little moody while walking with Tuk. But when I looked at Tuk, I was reminded of all the times he was there for me. It's hard to hold a grudge against that old Neti.

As we walk to Flora of Energy, Maior Tuk seems too quiet. He's usually lecturing me about the lessons I should have instilled in me. I don't know how to explain it, but right now, it feels a bit uncomfortable being around him.

I ask Maior Tuk in a hopeful tone, "Maior Tuk, is everything alright?"

I look at him, waiting for him to respond, but it's like he is lost in another galaxy. As I worried about Tuk, my voice was slightly unstable as I asked, "Maior Tuk? Are you listening to what I am saying?"

Pausing in my walk, I expected Maior Tuk to stop as well. Tuk continues to walk as though he doesn't see or hear me. It was only after a few moments of walking that he noticed I wasn't beside him. As Tuk walks to me, his eyelids are lowered. I face him for a moment before I turn away from him.

I can feel he is genuine as he says, "I'm sorry, Alani. I didn't mean to ignore you. I got caught up in my thoughts about... some things."

In the last part, he said 'some things' I wonder what those 'Thing' were. He's standing in front of me, looking as though he has set his thoughts aside and is finally present in the moment.

I tell him in a pouty but reassuring tone, "Hm! I feel you ignored me, and I was worried about you. But you were just caught up in your thoughts, like a big dummy. Hmph!"

I look away from Tuk, crossing my arm branches. Tuk faces me with lowered eyelids and slightly poked-out lips a little bit, like a perro, as he speaks hopefully, "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you, little bud?"

With a mischievous smile, I say gleefully, "Show me a hidden artifact." I plan to get a peak at what the Maiors are hiding. Why have they been so sneaky? Too much is in the dark, and I will find out one way or another.

Tuk reluctantly says, "Alright, Alani, I will show you an artifact, but only after we are done tending to the flora."

Sighing, I say briefly, "Alright, maybe something interesting will happen in the garden. Who knows?"

Walking again, we finally arrive at The Flora of Energy.