play_arrowgifThe Tree Of Winter WonderBy the morning when the winter sun had appeared in the sky, Kimene and Amaru left the small northern settlement where they had stayed the night. The friendly folks of the village wished them good luck on their journey as the duo headed even further north. Winter had come suddenly in these parts, which wasn't really anything surprising to the individuals who lived here, and the snow had fallen and covered the land only a few days ago. The road Kimene and Amaru followed was coated in snow like everything else around them, but luckily there had been enough travelers so they had left a clear trail in the whiteness that seemed endless. Heavy snowfalls could make traveling difficult, but at this time it wasn't a problem and the duo could walk through the woodlands without it costing too much effort. They hadn't wandered far away from the previous village when Kimene started blabbering. “The kingdom in the north is an interesting place, I tell you”, he said excitedly. “For example, there is a garden with flowers and trees that you won't find anywhere else! And they bloom even in the middle of winter! It's said that a lot of spiritual energy has gathered there and sometimes you can even see celestial creatures visiting the garden. In addition, the castle is an ancient one with many mysteries concealed within its walls. Like, there's treasures that are rumored to have strange powers no one understands. Oh man, I've been wanting to visit the place for so long and see all these marvels myself!” Amaru was a bit amused by his partner's enthusiasm. But Kimene was cute when he was like that, always curious to see and learn new things. His passion for wanting to experience all sorts of mysteries was a remarkable one and it was one of those traits Amaru liked about him. “So, how long is the journey we have ahead?” Amaru asked. “Umm…” Kimene seemed to ponder something, tilting his head slightly. “I'm not sure. But I think we just need to stick to this main road and we'll eventually reach the place. It just makes sense, right? That the most used path leads to the biggest towns? Oh, maybe we should have got a map…” “Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find our way to this kingdom for sure”, Amaru tried to assure him. Kimene gave him a little awkward smile. “Yeah.” He squeezed the collar of his puffy winter coat a little bit and shivered, not necessarily because of the cold but because of anticipation. But it definitely was a little chilly, too, even though the morning was beautiful. Kimene and Amaru had bought winter coats about as soon as they had reached the snowy northern lands, since their usual clothes wouldn't keep them warm and shielded from the freezing temperatures. Now they could traverse the cold region more comfortably. The beautiful morning eventually turned into a lovely day. The sun was shining brightly in the sky and its golden rays made the snow glimmer. There was certain beauty in such sight and Kimene and Amaru walked through the woods with joyful minds. Kimene was once again retelling the stories of the north that he had learned from his mother and Amaru happily listened, enjoying how his partner was sharing his passion. In the winter, days are short, and the sun begins to set sooner than what the two travelers were used to. The snowy world is silent, but as the light was fading away, it seemed like the woods were becoming even more silent as the darkness was settling in. But Kimene and Amaru didn't let the lack of natural light stop them just yet and when it was too dark to see around, Kimene snapped his fingers to create a sphere of light that would grant them illumination. From his command, a white glowing orb appeared before them, being about the size of an apple, and it swirled and bounced around in the air in a playful manner as if it possessed the mind of a child. But it did its duty well and showed Kimene and Amaru the way in the darkness. “Look, it's actually a bright one this time”, Kimene commented on his little creation; he was able to use magic, sure, but he wasn't exactly great with this ability, unlike his father who happened to be a royal court mage. Amaru knew about the complicated relationship Kimene had with his father and it was likely that creating a source of light when nothing else was available was just one of the many things they had practiced together, but Kimene had never mastered it, no matter how simple of a trick it was. Wanting to be supportive, Amaru said: “You did well, it's a good orb of light.” Kimene smiled a little, pleased by his partner's compliment. “Thanks.” His creation banished the darkness well and the two travelers were able to continue wandering through the snowy woodlands a little bit longer after the sunset. But exhaustion kicked in eventually, and they decided it was time to rest and resume their journey tomorrow. They made a little camp by the side of the road, cleared a patch of snow out of the way and sought some firewood nearby. A dead tree that had fallen on the ground a long time ago appeared to be a perfect source for wood they needed and with a little clumsy axe made with magic, Kimene harvested some logs from it, Amaru then carried them to the spot where they had set their camp. Once there was enough firewood for the night, Kimene lit a campfire with a little fire magic and so they had a warm source of light; the little white orb wasn't needed anymore and it faded away, disappearing into the cold winter air like a ghost. Kimene crouched near the crackling fire and held his hands close to it to warm up; it felt so good after traveling in the cold all day. Amaru sat down a little bit further away, but still close enough that he could feel the warmth too. He generally didn't like fire, but understood the necessity in this situation; they would probably freeze to death since the temperature had dropped after the nightfall. After a while Kimene decided that he had warmed up enough and moved toward Amaru. He sat down in front of him and Amaru wrapped his arms around him gently and held him like that. Kimene let out a content sigh and watched how the flames danced in front of them. It was hypnotic, in a way, and eventually it made Kimene drowsy, he almost drifted to sleep while being embraced by Amaru. A sudden noise brought him instantly back to this time and place. It was like a loud yell of a child, echoing through the forest. Kimene's ears perked up as he waited to hear the sound again. “What was that?” he whispered to Amaru. “Could be a spirit of some kind”, Amaru replied; he had lifted his head to listen as well. Now that Amaru mentioned that, Kimene was able to connect the dots. It had indeed sounded like an otherworldly noise. But was it a good or a bad sign? Kimene and Amaru weren't strangers to spirits, they had encountered both benevolent and malevolent ones, but often you don't know beforehand which one you're dealing with. So, this one could also be either. Without communicating with words, Kimene and Amaru were on the same wavelength, just listening carefully. The sound repeated itself again, this time coming closer. In addition, other similar noises joined in, it was almost like a whole chorus of high-pitched voices that eerily resembled cries of children. Terror tiptoed into Kimene's heart and he squeezed Amaru's arms tightly. Amaru tried his best to calm him by holding him tightly, but Kimene couldn't stop worrying; even though Amaru was able to deal with spirits, if these were malicious ones and there was a whole pack of them, it would give trouble to Amaru. And Kimene couldn't do anything about it. All of a sudden, something jumped through a snow-covered bush and right in the vicinity of Kimene and Amaru's little camp, startling the travelers. It was a blue little creature, resembling a frog with transparent wings and had huge yellow eyes. And the more Kimene and Amaru stared at it, the more they got the feeling that this thing wasn't hostile. It was also eyeing the two travelers with great curiosity, tilting its head. Soon it gave them a weird sound, like a yap, and it jumped back to the bush where it had come from. Kimene and Amaru were left to wonder what the critter had been – until it came back. It repeated its yap again and signaled with one of its front limbs at them. Then it made another bounce to the bush, but its head was peeking out, intently watching the duo. “I suppose… it wants us to follow?” Kimene said, however unsure of the little critter's motives. “Seems like it”, Amaru responded. “Should we do it?” Kimene pondered this for a minute, but his adventurous side was taking over. So he said: “Yeah, let's see where it wants to take us.” He slowly got out of Amaru's warm embrace and stood up. Amaru heaved his body off the ground as well and kicked some snow on the fire to extinguish it, the flames died with a hiss. For a second the world was utterly dark, but Kimene used his magic again to create a source of light. A glowing orb appeared out of nowhere, but this time it was blue and a bit less radiant. “I guess it's good enough”, Kimene surmised, although being a little disappointed in himself. Amaru patted him on the shoulder. “It certainly is good enough.” Kimene decided to leave it at that and he took a step closer to the weird creature. Its head disappeared and rustling noises told Kimene and Amaru that it was going somewhere. For a brief moment they lost the critter from the view, but then noticed it again as it took flight. It made sure that the two travelers saw where it was going and began to fly deeper into the forest. Kimene and Amaru glanced at each other and went after it. They followed the creature for a little while when Kimene asked: “What do you think it is?” “I don't really know”, Amaru replied. “But it's not definitely a spirit.” “Maybe it's a fairy”, Kimene guessed and seemed to be very pleased with this idea. “Oh, there are so many stories about fairies, it would be great to tell one myself!” Amaru chuckled a little. There it was again, that enthusiasm. “Well, let's hope so.” Every now and then the little creature glanced back to make sure that the two travelers were still following. It was a little tough terrain to walk through because of the blanket of snow and the vegetation was dense. But Kimene and Amaru managed to push through and the critter continued to show them the way. Still, they had no idea where it was taking them. Somewhere ahead of them a sudden light burst out, like a warm fire. It faded slightly, but didn't vanish. Kimene and Amaru didn't know what it was, but the little creature was flying towards it. It appeared to become more vigorous after spotting the light and hastened its pace, not looking behind anymore to see if the two travelers were still there on its trail. Kimene and Amaru struggled a little to get through this part of the forest, it was so dense, and the little critter managed to get further and further away from them. But at least the duo knew where it was heading, so it didn't really matter that much. Suddenly, however, the forest somehow became easier to traverse, almost like the slumbering plants had made way to Kimene and Amaru, although they didn't see them actually moving. But they were still grateful for this, and soon enough they reached the place where the light was shining. Both Kimene and Amaru were speechless. There was a ring of fire surrounding a huge spruce tree, but there was something magical about the flames; even though they radiated warmth, they didn't appear to be able to burn living things. The two travelers saw this with their own eyes as little creatures, similar to the one that had led them here, were going in and out of the fire, not harmed by this at all. They were dancing and letting out the strange noises similar to cries of children; so these beings were the ones Kimene and Amaru had heard earlier. Some of them were flying around the spruce, a magnificent tree that stood taller than any other in this forest. Sparkling balls of light, glowing in different colors, decorated its snow-covered branches. There was also golden dust sprinkled around, giving the tree a holy look. Kimene and Amaru had never seen anything like it, but it was gorgeous and definitely worthy of being mentioned in Kimene's book, much to his delight. It was a secret celebration of some kind and Kimene and Amaru noticed their little guide having fun with the rest of its kin. The two travelers had apparently earned a special invitation, which Kimene was happy about; he could have his story about fairies. He sat down on the ground, in front of the fire and watched how the creatures celebrated the winter and the grand tree. Amaru sat down by his side and silently they observed this magical and possibly rare festivity. Side by side they followed the winter celebration, until sleep started to take hold of them. Leaning against each other, they fell asleep, but still, the little critters continued their festivity, lasting even to the moment when the sun would rise. Then they disappeared, scattering into the woods to hide again. Their magical fire faded away as they left the spot, and so did the decorations on the great spruce. When Kimene and Amaru woke up soon after the celebration was over, there was nothing left except the grand tree. And so they were left to wonder; was it all just a dream?