Orn’s eyes opened to see a familiar ceiling. He looked around recognizing his room at his Aunt and Uncle’s home. How did I get here? I was just in the forest.

He sat up, hearing the normal sounds of breakfast being laid out. What just happened? I was in the forest. I know I was. That cannot have been a dream.

The sound of a muffled voice drew his attention to the door. Is that mother?

Orn scrambled out of bed, and rushed to the door. “Mother?”

“Orn!” his mother replied smiling before standing and walking over to embrace him. “You are finally up. I cannot believe you took so long.”

“So long?” Orn asked confused.

“You were unconscious for four days.” his father replied, before wrapping his arms around his son and wife.

“I am sorry.” Orn replied instinctively, looking down. Four days?

“Orn it is fine.” His mother said chuckling. “You were in no danger. To be honest, we half expected something like this to happen.”

“What?” Orn stared up at his smiling parents.

His father laughed and tussled his hair before motioning for them to head to the table. As they moved to join Aunty and Uncle, his father began to explain. “The ceremony is part offering to the forest. In return, the forest gives its blessing to the hunter. The deeper your tie to the forest stronger the blessing, and the longer you are unconscious.”

“The sacrifice you make also effects that connection.” Uncle chimed in looking at Orn’s parents. “The forest only needs a drop of blood, so naturally you three try to bleed out on the stones.”

Father I understand, but.. Orn looked up at his mother in disbelief.

“Ignore your Uncle.” His mother wrapped her arm around his shoulder, and pulled him close to her on the bench kissing the top of his head. “You did just fine. In the highlands, they cut all the way across their hands.”

“Other places do this?” Orn was shocked. Kao said this was strange. Does she just not know?

“Barbarians, the lot of them,” Uncle snorted. “They have no reason to do the ceremony at all, but even if they did a drop is enough.”

“Perhaps,” his mother replied smiling. “But I definitely remember having very little control over the knife at that point.”

“She has you there Uncle,” his father added. “I know I had no control.”

Uncle’s shoulders sank and he sighed in exasperation. “I know you have no control, but I am beginning to think it is contagious. First your wife, now your son. Everyone else manages without issue.”

He looked at Aunty, “What will we do, if the others start to do this as well?”

“The same thing we do every time you bring this up.” Aunty rolled her eyes. “We let the child explain the challenge they were given, while you grumble about it.”

Aunty winked at Orn. “Ignore your Uncle, most challenges are minor things. But when you give a lot, the forest tends to offer a greater challenge. The last time he had this happen he had to walk your father all the way to the coast.”

“In the worst part of summer,” Uncle grumbled. “the bugs might as well have been a fog.”

Orn saw his father cringe, “It was bad, I have never seen so many bugs in the forest. Got badly bit up on that trip. But I do not stumble over myself nearly as bad.”

“Hardly worth it,” Uncle countered, “You always get a challenge, and rarely get a gift. It is like playing against a stacked deck, which is why no one does this.”

“Ignore him,” his mother said rubbing his shoulder, “All I had to do was stay in the village for a few months.”

Aunty gave his mother a meaningful glance, but turned her attention back to Orn. “it does not matter what others were asked to do. It matters what the forest spirit asked you to do.”

“What forest spirit?” Orn felt a bit awkward as they all looked at him.

“The forest creature that talked to you while you were asleep.” Aunty encouraged him gently. “I saw a large squirrel.”

“A hawk spoke to me.” his mother said softly.

Orn looked to his father, and realized everyone else was looking at him as well.

“Go on boy, tell us.” Uncle said with a malicious light in his eye.

“A lerm…” his father’s voice trailed off, as he looked away.

“Oh no. You do not get to get away from this. If you did not want to have this conversation, you would have made sure he only spilled a drop of blood.” Uncle leaned in grinning, “If I have to haul the poor lad around the forest you can acknowledge the spirit that chose you.”

“A lemming.” Orn’s father said glaring at his smiling uncle.

Clapping her hands to draw their attention back to her, Aunty started again. “As you can see the forest speaks through all kinds of guides. So what forest creature spoke to you?”

“No forest creature spoke to me,” Orn replied. “I did not even see any animals.”

Orn could see the shock on his mother’s face and a growing sense of hope on his uncles.

The hope instantly disappeared when Aunty started speaking again. “That is alright Orn, sometimes they do not speak directly to you. Just tell us what happened when you finished your oath.”

Orn slowly began to explain the vision of being pulled into the earth, and waking in the field with the large tree. He intentionally left out Kao’s presence. It was not that he did not trust his family, but he was not sure how they would take hearing her sisters did not like the ceremony.

…

{Before Kao woke Orn up.}

The spirit stared a the sleeping figure in the grass. “What a strange child. Why would I take this form?”

The spirit looked down to once again a the body of a green skinned woman. “Why a dryad? I can feel a deep connection to the land, but the shape should reflect his power. I should be a creature capable of guiding without the power to be threatening him. He may be a fledgling shaman, but he is a man. They always become entranced to dryads and die.”

Suddenly the ground shook, causing the dryad to stagger. A quick glance told the spirit, the boy was still asleep. Looking around the dryad searched for the source of the disturbance. A voice clearing its throat form behind, caused the dryad to spin.

“Why have you taken that form spirit?” The spirit froze as it stared into two pitch black orbs. “What did you plan to do to my knight?”

“I bow before the maker’s daughter,” the spirit bowed as it quickly backed away. “I do not choose the form, I only carry the messages.”

I see, the goddess said looking the spirit up and down. What is the message you intend to carry… in that form?

“I am to let the boy…” The spirit cleared it’s throat. “Your knight, is to travel to the great tree in the center of the forest. Even now it has begun calling to him.”

“If he already feels the call, then you are unnecessary.” The goddess smiled at the spirit causing a chill to run up its spine. “I suggest you act like a dryad. Hide in your tree blind and dumb to the world, less something dangerous see you.”

It did not need to be told twice. The spirit turned and ran for the tree.