"Dead Wood, Live Stone" by Jessica J Zimdars

Her steps seemed to be guided as she walked through the forest. Where she was going she had no idea, all she knew was that she would know she had reached her destination when she was there. All around her the forest seemed to be holding its breath, as if her passage was part of some fatal moment in its existence. She wondered where all the animals were, in all of the times she had walked through this forest as a child she had never seen it so empty. She knew were each little house was, and knew who lived there. She had always been friends with every bird and badger.

That had been before she’d been sent away from her home, sent to live among the humans and learn their ways so she could one day come back and share what she’d learned with her people. She had been gone from here for five years, not a very long time, yet to her it had felt like an eternity.

Everything the humans had done had always seemed to very loud. The food they ate was so strong with flavor it had been bitter to her. Even the language they spoke in felt harsh, over the five years she had never grown use to the way the words seemed to stick in on her tongue instead of rolling gracefully and musically off as the language of her own people did.

She had been sent in hopes of preventing a war since her people believed if two people understood each other they would have no reason to fight. Yet she did not feel that she had gained any understanding of humans.

They fought among themselves like young wolves fighting over a scrap of meat. In stead of sharing all they had they seemed to hoard things. Food and whatever else was needed for life was traded for, and those who did not have anything to trade with were allowed to starve. Those who had plenty did not seem to care about anything other then getting more so they could who it off to those who had very little.

No, there was no way she could ever possibly understand the race of humans.

Another oddity among them is how they seemed to hate anyone who was just a little different. It did not even have to be that the person looked different. She had noted how often if someone simply thought in a different way from those around they would be shunned. In some cases they were even pushed out of the villages or beaten till they were near death - and no one would stand up for them because the same would be done to them.

She did not think that she wanted to understand them, nor did she want her people to become as callous as the pale skinned humans.

“Perhaps that is why they are so pale.” she thought, stopping next to an oak tree that had been very old when she was only a child. “When they became so unfeeling to their brothers they became less alive and so their skin lost its color”

She looked at her hand on the rutted tree trunk, the dark tan with its almost red hue looked right at home on the dark bark.

“But there are dark humans as well, and they are no different then the pale ones.”

A small smile touched her lips at the familiar voice that touched her mind. She had never been certain if it was just her own subconscious or something else. The old people in her village had claimed it was the voice of the forest. She was now starting to believe them. She had missed hearing it while she was among the humans.

“Very true. I have seen that as well. I cannot understand them. But what has happened to the forest? Why are there no songs? Where are all my friends?” she looked around again, wishing desperately for just one bird to welcome her home.

“Hunters of the humans have chased them away. Your people have left here. Open your eyes and see the truth, little sister.”

She blinked and looked around. So happy had she been to be coming home she had not noticed the signs of humans all over her beloved woods. There were trees cut down, not old trees that were half dead, but young ones who had just started their lives. Bushes and under brush that would have housed small animals and birds had been cleared away. Even the great oak looked like the humans had tried to cut him as well.

Tear slid down her cheeks as she closed her eyes, trying to feel the life that had always been so abundant here in the forest but there was nothing now. It was no different then the forests around the human villages, its spirit was broken and it was little more then a slave. Trees would grow just to be cut and used for fire wood.

Numb now and barely thinking she continued walking until she came to where her village should have been. There she sank to her knees and stared for a long time.

This area had been burned; nothing was left of the Elvin village that had been built in such a way that none of the trees were harmed. Everything had been lost to a fire. If her people had been here and suffered in the fire she would never know. Already fresh green was starting to cover the black ash so she knew this had happened some time ago. If her people had left before the fire there was no sign at all saying where they had gone.

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she realized how alone she was. She would not return to the humans, not after what she’d seen here. Now she couldn’t bear to be around them. And she could not join her family; they were gone, possibly dead.

As she cried she bent double so her forehead was against the ground. The gray cloak she wore now hid her completely. As she knelt there crying night descended around her, cold fog rolled around her and she never noticed it.

Two girls walked through the forest, laughing as they enjoyed the fresh early morning air. The trees cut down a little the noise of traffic that was always present in the city.

“I am so glad this is still here. It makes you wonder about what Milwaukee looked like before it was Milwaukee.” One of the girls said as she leaned against a tree.

“I know. The old oak back there would probably be able to tell you; that is if oaks could speak.” the other giggled.

“I bet that rock there could too.” the first motioned to a large gray rock.

“You know, I always thought that rock rather looked like a person kneeling and crying.”

The first tilted her head and really looked at the rock, “Yeah, I guess. Come on, let’s get going. I could so use some coffee.”