“They’re here-here,” the lionade flower sang. She pulled her petals shut and plopped to the ground.

Kiri rolled onto her back and watched them approach. Where had they been all morning? The sun was up and she still hadn’t left to tend to either the Grove or her lot.

As they drew nearer, she noticed Ajalla’s frizzled hair and the tears in Johann’s shirt. She frowned, pressing her lips into a thin line. They were keeping a secret from her. She searched for her top and found it on a nearby rock. She gathered more than enough sunlight and minerals to last her the rest of the day. Kiri slipped it back over her head and made sure it sat firm over her breasts. Kiri meant to tease him slightly last night, but the look he gave her only made her heart soften. She couldn’t be soft on him.

“Where have you been?” Kiri demanded of Ajalla. “You said you would check up on him but that was an hour ago. It doesn’t take that long to get his butt out of bed.”

Ajalla shrugged, bashing her eyes. “Then how come you didn’t do it? We were just talking and then had some morning food. You’d be surprised at how good it tasted.”

“Morning food?” Kiri narrowed her eyes. “I can’t believe you stooped that low and started eating as well. It’s pure waste when we don’t have to.”

Johann kept his distance, nervously shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

“If you enjoy being in his company that much, then you should take care of him. I don’t have time to waste being patient with such a dim human,” Kiri growled.

Ajalla regarded her with a pained expression hidden in her eyes. She couldn’t keep it from Kiri, not after growing up together for the past two thousand years. “What happened to you? You weren’t like this before going to Gaia and Tamulan. I understand your frustration but this isn’t like you.”

Kiri sighed and turned away from Johann. “Nothing’s changed. I have merely opened my eyes to the human atrocities. I can’t ignore and pretend they’re good creatures worthy of our aid. I never should have left Pilamo.”

“Don’t say that. You did good saving him.”

“I’m leaving.” Kiri turned on her heel and marched towards the edge of the clearing. The knot in her stomach tightened. “If he wants to come, then fine. If not, then I leave him in your hands. You seem to be getting along just fine with him.”

Ajalla and Johann had a brief exchange Kiri didn’t bother listening to as she walked. She’d been kind from the start, but he was the one that chose Zafira when given a free will. He only left after being confronted by her deadly methods. Now he was flirting with Ajalla. Her seedling. Together forever and he was putting himself between them.

“Wait for me,” the human said. Kiri didn’t wait. She’d done enough of that already. In two days she’d be rid of him and could focus on becoming a Warden. She worried about Zafira and the plans the Elders made to close the cove if she didn’t change her ways.

“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting,” Johann said, drawing up beside her. He combed his hand through his blond hair. “You’ve done a lot for me. I’d like to make it up somehow.”

Kiri paused, nibbling on her bottom lip. “You know how to care for plants?”

“Not exactly but I owned a cactus as a kid.” His shoulders slumped. “It died of dehydration.”

Kiri remained speechless for a moment as she tried to process how negligent someone would have to be in order to let a cactus perish. She decided to change that. When he returned to his world, he should at least be able to take care of a simple plant.

“Come along,” she said, waving him to follow her. “But keep quiet. The animals in our forest won’t be a threat to me but you’re defenseless.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. How far away is this place we’re going to anyhow?”

“It’s a grove and it’ll take about twenty minutes for us to get to. Longer depending on how slow you are,” she said.

Johann nodded, not questioning the reason for their departure from the village. If only he could be this quiet all the time.

They made their way down a beaten down path through the brush. It was just large enough for them to wander without scraping themselves. Dozens of Alseid traveled between the Grove and Pilamo every day. The Elders spent most of every day in session with the Mother Tree and many Alseid took turns caring for the Grove as part of their service to the community.

The plant-life stirred as they walked, whispering to each other about the foreigner. She felt a little embarrassed, being called out by the plants that knew her for many years but saw her with a man for the first time. They hid themselves away and only popped out when they passed. Even the trees were curious and spoke to her. “Why is this human with you?”

“Don’t take him any further,” another warned and tried to block their path by lowering its branches.

Kiri remained silent and ducked under the obstacles in her way. Johann didn’t respond either, but she had a hunch that he couldn’t hear the forest the way she did. He didn’t share the same bond as her and therefore deaf to all non-verbal communication.

Halfway there, his breathing became labored and he trailed behind. Sweat brimmed his forehead. He didn’t stop or ask for a break but kept following. She slowed her pace to give him some respite on their way.

Twenty feet ahead a batch of leaves drifted to the ground and Kiri stopped to scan the area. The forest had grown silent around her. No gossiping or talking amongst the trees. Just an eerie silence akin to when the spiders snuck by overhead. She crouched down and peered up into the branches.

Tibane threatened her people. It didn’t seem too far off for Zafira to return and take the human from them. Still, she didn’t understand what purpose he served her.

Johann caught up to her and bent over, hands on his knees, panting. “Is this it? I was kinda expecting something a little more--”

“Shh!” Kiri motioned for him to stay put while she set off on her own. She stepped off the path and took a wide arc around a nearby shorea tree. A twig snapped, drawing her attention to the side where she spotted an eagle perched in the canopy. The apex bird cocked its head after noticing her and leapt off to circle above them. Kiri made herself smaller and pressed her back against the trunk of the tree. The eagle squawked, breaking off its circle to soar down with talons spread apart.

Kiri dropped to the ground to avoid the four foot bird of prey, only to realize that it wasn’t targeting her. It swooped over her head and continued to where Johann idly stood twiddling his thumbs.

“Get down!” She lunged forward, knowing full well she wouldn’t make it on time. He didn’t hear her but caught sight of her running.

Johann screamed as the eagle’s talons dug into his back and lifted him into the air. He flailed, grabbing onto twigs and branches as he flew higher.

“Should’ve listened to me,” she said between gritted teeth. Kiri reached out, channeling a shot of energy from her basin to animate a vine. It sprang up and with a twist of her fingers, she controlled it to snatch his leg.

Johann cried out as the vine tugged on his leg. The eagle wasn’t prepared to give up her prize that easily and dug her talons deeper into his back.

“Help!” Johann’s voice was laced with agony. He raised his arms and tried hitting the bird but the angle had each of his blows miss.

Kiri intensified her connection with the vine and streamed more energy into the plant to increase its size and strength. She pulled back, trying to reel him back to the ground. The eagle gave in for a moment as it changed course. Vines cracked, nearly breaking in two but still kept ahold of Johann.

The eagle became wary of Johann and the amount of effort she invested into such a meager meal. She released her prey and soared off into the sky with bouts of protest at Kiri having turned against her.

Johann fell through leaves and collided with branches on his way down. The sixty foot drop would have killed him, had Kiri not caught him with the vine a hairsbreadth before making contact.

Kiri’s heart slammed against her chest. Any harder and it might burst. She lowered him gently onto his side and raced over to be with him.

He rolled onto his back, pressing his hand against his hip. “I think it’s broken.”

“Let me take a look,” Kiri said as she lifted his shirt and examined his scarred body that told her he’d been through a lot on Gaia. She laid both hands on him and reached out into his body with her mind. Healing wasn’t her expertise but she had enough experience with small animals to navigate.

Johann groaned, writhing on the ground and making it difficult for her to progress. She pressed harder and pinned him in place. His left leg had popped out of the socket and was swelling.

Kiri gripped his leg on both sides and sent a stream of energy to loosen up his muscles. Then she snapped the leg back into place. Animal cells differed from plant cells and didn’t allow her to heal him directly. She reached into her pouch and pulled out an emerald leaf and bound it around his leg. The emerald was named after its leaf-like form and came with a variety of healing qualities she often used.

“Get up.” She cleared her throat, regretting that her words came out harsher than she meant. He was her responsibility and so his injuries were in part her doing.

“All right,” he said, taking deep breaths before rising. Johann stood on his right leg and tested his left, slowly shifting his weight over. His mouth dropped as his attention went from himself to her. “You’re amazing. I knew you had a trick or two tucked away but couldn’t imagine it would be like what I’ve seen today.”

Kiri got up, brushed off her knees and poised herself. A grin crept up along the edges of her lips at the compliment he gave her. “Thank you but now you know I’m serious. To many creatures you are just a snack which is why you need to listen to what I say. The Grove is just ahead and we will be safe there for the time.”

“Sure. I know we met under trying circumstances but I’m willing to learn and be a friend. This place is so different to the city I lived in. I’m not sure if a flower might pop out and rip my head off.”

“Some may,” Kiri said flatly. She should have left that part out because it made him look even weaker than he already did. Johann reminded her of the reason why she hadn’t taken in any young seedlings yet. Constantly having to look after another’s well-being was tiring. “Let’s go. You’ll need to help me in the Grove to make up for the delay. If you complain, I’ll just leave you hanging the next time.”

Johann shrugged but instead of being put down by her words, he smiled. “Fair enough. Show me this place you keep talking about.”

“It’s not just a place,” Kiri explained. “The Grove is home to the most sacred tree in our world. It’s from there that the Alseid emerge and in exchange we care for her.”

“A her? I didn’t know trees had a sex.” Johann limped forward. He still felt a pang of pain whenever he put pressure on his leg but he seemed glad he could stand without crutches.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course. All life has a sex even if they do not require a partner to procreate.”

Despite his clumsy and often times loud nature, she felt a tingle stir in her ethereal basin. He was curious about nature and if she could work on expanding that knowledge, then she might no longer need to hate him as much.