Where Trees Take Root

[Stace de'Lorne o'Breac]

Look at them all!

The canopy spread out as far as the eye could see. Tree upon ever-overlapping tree swathed the landscape with leaves of green. Below, the brown bark of the forest fell beneath the canopy and far past where light could conceivably reach. But the darkness beyond the streaks of sun didn't bother the towering stalks with their leafy heads. A tree needs no more than sun, light, and water to survive. Judging by the sight he could behold, Lorn figured that the lifeblood of the plant-world was in abundance here.

Wiggling in excitement, the little sapling's pot started to shake on its perch. Filled with dirt, and plenty of water, the pot was the only thing that kept him alive on long space voyages, where light, and sun, and water were nowhere to be had. The abyss always felt so cold and lonely. Even on the ships where he made acquaintances with those who flew or crewed, no amount of conversation could hope to fill the void he felt in the blackness of space.

So seeing such a change in surroundings was cause for much joy. Of course, this was not one of the voyages where he had befriended anyone. Not that he hadn't wanted to introduce himself. There just wasn't time. He had seen the ship on some other floating-rotating-town-like thing (which was at least slightly warmer but still not as good as a real planet) and knew, somehow, he needed to get on the flying metal tube. Lorn still wasn't really used to the whole spaceship thing. He certainly didn't understand it. The walking-talking-tree also wasn't used to this whole "Force" thing either. But he was sure it was what some of the other people talked about when he met them. Some kind of "feeling." He wasn't sure how to describe it really. It was just there. He had learned to listen to it when he felt it. Lorn was definitely sure you could listen to things that didn't speak though. He was quite sure that most other species were far too literal.

He was also sure there weren't enough words to describe the things he wanted to say. But he sufficed with "thing" more often than not and people seemed to know what he was talking about so that suited him just fine.

As the forest loomed ever closer in the viewport next to which Lorn had perched himself, he started to swell in size. He was just so thrilled to be near so many trees! All different shapes and sizes, so many new plant and animal friends to make! He hardly even noticed the structures that had popped out of the treetops. The ship landed and off he took. Over a few minutes, the sapling had swelled to the size of a small, adolescent boy. Pot of dirt emptied and on his head like a hat, he raced off of the slowly opening platform out into the sunlight...

Racing through the streets, so many people, so much interference, why was all of this in between him and the trees and then whomp! Face first he ran, without looking naturally, into a tree sticking up through a platform. The pot on his head made a ringing that vibrated through his roots and he looked about, a bit dazed at first, at his surroundings. He was a bit confused, having seen all those trees before but now being surrounded by what seemed like a big city. Lorn supposed that planets were big places and the entire thing couldn't be just one big forest, could it? So he supposed he just had to look around until he found the right way to go.

[member="Valae Kitra"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

A light freighter set down on the landing pad.

Behind the wheel was Valae Kitra, owner of the Tumbleweed. There wasn’t much about this ship that would signal anyone to the fact that she was actually the Grandmaster of the Silver Jedi. Her station could have afforded her any number of vessels for her travels, but she liked the Tumbleweed best. Sure, the ship had seen better days, but it was scrappy and determined – just like Valae.

Today she was returning from a bit of personal business and her choice of outfits certainly reflected that. Her usual Jedi garb had been packed away in her rucksack, and she was left in a casual ensemble made up of an old tee shirt, jeans, and boots. Her chestnut hair was as wild as ever, but she’d managed to tame most of it back into a ponytail.

Walking through the cargo bay, she grabbed her bag and a light jacket. Now that she was back, the duties of her office were calling. But there was something inside Valae that told her to put it off for just a little while longer. Sometimes she missed her carefree days. Actually, she missed those times quite a lot. And there was always a pang of guilt that followed this sense of longing. Perhaps it was selfish to indulge in such thoughts. Shaking her head, she lowered the ramp and made her way out into the space port.

Immediately, there was a rush of sensations.

The area was quite alive and bustling with folk today. With a bit of a sigh, she gazed out at the trees that lined the skyline… it was a nice day. Before she could get too far, the smell of food had caught her attention. The possibility of a warm meal was always tempting. Pausing, she turned her eyes around the space port – so many choices. It was then that she spotted a blur of motion that came to a sudden stop against the trunk of a tree. Blinking, she made her way over.

“Hey, you okay there?” She asked, looking down at what appeared to be… a tree-like being with a pot for a hat. The branchy form appeared to be quite similar in size to many of the younglings at the Temple, and so she spoke like she would speak to them. “You look like you’re in quite a hurry… where you headed, if you don’t mind me asking.”

[member="Lorn Breac"]

 

[Stace de'Lorne o'Breac]

A scratch of the head after shaking off his daze, there was a voice. More specifically a voice directed at Lorn, as there were plenty of other voices around the bustling port. He turned his head to and fro, still slightly confused from the bonk to his head. The pot shook with his twisting neck. The Neti looked past it and yet could not find this source addressing him, but he was sure he heard something.

Maybe they were behind him!

He hopped up suddenly and spun around. Standing there was a human, a female supposedly based on what little Lorn knew, or cared to know, about anatomy, societal garb, and any number of the other indicators that seemed so casual to humans but so foreign to him. The fleshy folk were so complicated. He wasn't sure if he was even a he. Lorn had always been called "he" "him" or other masculine form of pronouns so then he became that way.

"Hello!" Lorn responded enthusiastically to the woman. "I'm not in a hurry. Well not really anyway. I just saw a lot of trees when we were flying in and I got really excited!" The young tree gesticulated wildly as he spoke, jumping and waving his arms. Then he could feel the leaves on his head wilt a bit. "Oh!" He took the pot off of his head and let his hair down, as the humans would say. His leaves wriggled and stretched as if coming out of a deep sleep.

Lorn tucked the pot under his arm and looked up at the woman. "I'm called Lorn! What are you called? he said. "Do you know where I could get some water?

[member="Valae Kitra"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae’s smile grew wider, as the tree-being greeted her cheerfully. As he – well, she assumed it was a he – mentioned the trees, her eyes turned in that direction. Indeed there were lovely evergreens standing tall in the distance. Returning her gaze to her new companion, she could certainly see the appeal of the forests here. Watching as the pot was removed from his head, her eyes grew wide at the sight of his leafy foliage.

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Lorn!” She said grinning, “I’m called Valae, but you can just call me Val, if you want to.” She said with a small nod.

When Lorn asked for water, she took a quick glance around the space port before remembering that she did have a canteen in her rucksack. The crowd was winding around the pair now, the two new friends attracting some attention. Valae offered an apologetic smile to a man that grumbled about them blocking the way, and then motioned for Lorn to come along.

“I have some water, let’s go over here.” She pointed to a small ledge off to the side.

Setting her bag down, she knelt and began to root around through her belongings. Her rolled-up woolen robes were set onto the pavement for a moment, along with a few packages of crisps. Valae’s hand sank down to the bottom and finally grasped the canteen buried beneath everything else. Spinning the top off, she held it out to Lorn. “Here you are, help yourself.”

“So, are you from around here?” She asked, nodding towards the forests.

[member="Lorn Breac"]

 

[Stace de'Lorne o'Breac]

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Val!" he responded with a broad smile, an impossible twinkle appearing in his deep, dark eyes.

Sure, the excitement of seeing all those trees was just natural. Lorn was a tree after all. But how silly of him! The Neti forgot just how much life there was everywhere! So many voices, so many presences, so many feelings. Looking around the port, bustling with activity, he could sense just how much life there was here. The beings swayed about the platforms like waves of water jostled in the sea. Wind of purpose drove them to their destinations. Electricity flowed through circuits and conduits to provide the energy that powered these people's lives.

No different was this place than a forest full of water and plants and sun.

Still, he was plenty excited for the trees. And the sun. And the water, which he graciously accepted from his new friend. "That's so kind, thank you!" Lorn gave a little bow of his head as he grabbed the offered drink. He took one big glug before pouring some into his hand and dribbling a number of drops over his leafy scalp. The leaves seemed to jostle as if dancing autonomously.

"Much better! Space is just so dry and cold. No fun." He brandished his pot for a moment in a fashion somewhere between a noble sword and a revered home. In his best deep voice, trying to mimic one of the more dramatic holodramas he had seen, Lorn said: "Luckily I have my trusty pot to keep me going." He laughed at his own performance, not really thinking of the woman to whom he was speaking.

Oh! That's right. He handed the water container back to the woman. "Nope, Lorn said quickly in response to her inquiry. Then, after a second of thought, "Well, maybe. I don't really know where I was born. I don't know my parents or if I even have parents. I just know this isn't where I woke up. I don't even know where this is! Do you know where this is? Oh! Do you know how to get to the trees?!"

[member="Valae Kitra"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae couldn’t help but offer a good-natured chuckle as Lorn proceeded to dizzle water onto his leafy head. The way the leaves seemed to sway reminded her very much of the lovely plants and trees in the woods. They always did seem to perk up after a good rain. Soon, her chuckle grew into soft laughter as her branchy friend put on a bit of a show.

“Well, I’ve got to say that it’s smart to travel with your own pot.” She nodded.

Reaching out, she took hold of the canteen as it was offered back. Canting her head to the side, she listened as Lorn attempted to work out where he really did come from. It did seem rather complicated. Valae couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to simply wake up – and be. But it seemed that Lorn handled it in stride. She could already see that his easy-going nature helped.

As Lorn asked about the trees, her eyes moved in that direction. It wouldn’t be a terribly long or difficult journey, and she figured that she did have a couple of hours to spare. And she had to admit that this little plant was amusing. His story, no matter how short, was quite endearing, too.

“This here is Kashyyyk.” She answered, gesturing to the landscape in the distance. “It’s quite a nice place, if I do say so myself.” Valae grinned. “And it’s a lovely day; I could use a walk… I’d be happy to take you to the trees, if you’d like.”

Placing her backpack on again, she stood up and gripped the leather straps lightly.

“So, are you here visiting? Or looking for somewhere to… put down roots?”

[member="Lorn Breac"]

 

[Stace de'Lorne o'Breac]

"Wahoo!!" was the immediate and enthusiastic response Lorn gave. He began jumping about with arms raised in triumph and exuberance, his pot outstretched in his right hand. After a few moments his jumping became less random and more planned, as if following a rhythm only the tree could hear. His leaves wriggled in joyful anticipation. Eventually he noticed his new friend gathering her things and with an "Oh! Lorn halted his jubilation, tucked his pot back under his arm and looked upon his newfound companion.

The Neti resolved that he needed a backpack. One that shrunk. Or maybe just a backpack. He'd have to work on that.

He followed at the side of his much taller guide. Often breaking into brief moments of gleeful movement while he talked, often emoting with every word. "I don't know if this Ka ... shee ... ee ... eek will be my home or not. Kahshee... Kuhshi... Kashy... I've been traveling for a long time now. Meeting new people, seeing new places. It's all very exciting. I started this journey to look for my family, but I haven't found them yet." The talking tree's tone grew briefly melancholy, but just as quickly returned to upbeat as he continued speaking. "But in the meantime I'm just seeing what's out there!"

Lorn babbled for a few moments, still attempting to grasp the pronunciation of the convoluted name that someone had thought a good idea to name a planet. Kah-shik. Kash-eek. How the rot do you even spell that?

"Is this your home, Val?" he asked with the genuine wonder of a child. "You're sooo lucky to be surrounded by so much life!"

[member="Valae Kitra"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

The movements of her small friend were full of excitement, and drew a smile from Valae. She couldn’t remember ever having been so enthused about anything – except maybe for a good cake. The Jedi healer giggled as the branchy being attempted to say Kashyyyk. Though, she knew that she really couldn’t laugh… it had taken her a couple of tries to get right herself.

“Hmm, I see.” She said, looking to the side at Lorn. “It is good to travel around; I did that myself for quite a long spell.”

Her time spent as a wanderer seemed ages ago now. Valae had lived the life of a drifter, just going wherever the wind took her. During this time in her life she had discovered quite a lot about herself. Perhaps this was just what Lorn needed. Though, as she watched him walk next to her… she found herself hoping already that he would choose to stay, at least for a little while.

“It is nice here, isn’t it?” She grinned, “I suppose you could say that it is my home now.”

Though the Silver Jedi had settled here, it had taken some time to really feel like it was her home. But now she was very accustomed to the trees, and she liked it very much.

“I’m not from here though; I grew up on Tatooine – in the desert.” Suddenly hit with a wave of nostalgia, she continued. “As you said, this place is full of life… I love it.”

As the two left the space port behind them, the surroundings grew quiet. The sun filtered down pleasantly between the branches above, giving them a bit of warmth, but not too much. Mountains stood high in the distance, and they were getting closer to the tree line. If she recalled correctly, there was a small path nearby that wound down to the lake. It was a nice hike, and that came from someone that was generally a bit indoorsy and didn't like hiking all that much.

"You know, I don't think I've ever encountered anyone like you before." She said, curiosity tugging at her mind. "I'd be interested to know more about your kind, if you don't mind telling me more about yourself."

[member="Lorn Breac"]