Nalai spent several months idling in Wapiti–the southern capital of the Cloven Realms–before the news arrived of the Mantis invading Doc Forrest.

She was bound up with maintenance tasks that the [Druid]s were expected to keep up with despite their declining numbers, and with pity always found absent whenever they failed to cope.

It meant the loyal members had to be treated as tools, with very few months of the year remaining freed up for projects of your own; which was why so many ended up absconding on their responsibilities. In turn punishing the rest of us with an increased workload, and probably talking us down behind our backs, making it harder to recruit. Oh, one must appreciate such solidarity.

And the only way to receive dispensation for longer projects–that would be preventing you from adhering to the schedule–was to make the request to the branches higher up. Where a panel of [Druid]s from different factions swiftly determined whether the project served Clovenkind or not.

Nalai had failed to get a personal project approved for the last three years. Roughly since the time of her divorce, although it was doubtful the two were directly connected.

But that had certainly been a time of shifting priorities for her, and Nalai had ended up fully sick of her priorities being ignored; quitting a prestigious position and throwing her lot in with a reemerging, ancient faction that had once been esteemed enough to rule cities, but which had since turned to being considered extremist by many.

It had but one ultimate goal; domination of every Eldartree–or to put it more practically–the continent as a whole.

It was anathema to the Cloven way of life this past millenia, which depended foremost on two principles, namely protect, and hold. The Cloven had always been steadfast, but back when they were an emerging power they had never settled for building walls and cultivating only where they ‘belonged’ already.

If they had not belonged back then, they had found things to plant until they did.

It could also be summarised as the difference between [Druid] and [Shaman] leadership. While all Cloven considered both the Volcano, and every Eldartree sacred–the Volcano was only sacred due to being considered the source of their [System]. While the greatest creations of nature that a Cloven had ever come across–the Eldartrees–was sacred due to its status as the epitome of their very way of life.

Nowadays Nalai's faction was not even fully in control of the local [Druid]s, let alone the city as a whole.

Although they had snagged the position of council leader just half a decade back after the failures of the previous [Druid] leadership to convince the city to mobilise during the past war between Mantis, or more accurately their greedy Coccin masters, and Doc Forrest. All while I was being a busy little worker bee, together with Safflan, while we remained alike ourselves still.

It was a time where the Cloven had discussed the best way to send aid for so long that in the end the Mantis managed to defeat themselves before any true army was sent. Which in turn then also turned their frosty relationship with the humans downright frigid.

If you asked Nalai they had certainly earned as much by their inaction; and were fools for not trying to compensate, somehow. Even if it was the Human lands, for a [Druid] it remained just as clear as in ages past that they still held a responsibility they could not start to neglect over some minor incidents. Not without having to admit to abandoning their precepts.

After all; they claimed to be the protectors of that very plant life that had been drained of all magic by the rituals the Coccin ordered deployed, and the land had suffered greatly from the Rift they had opened to their own detriment in the end.

Yet now, when the Mantis returned to do their master's bidding; still the Cloven stood handfallen, and the plants were saved by the skin of their bark through sheer luck in the end, according to dozens of animal testimonies.

Apparently a young Human [Druid] had used a flying animal companion to disrupt the work being done, almost from day one; and Nalai hoped dearly she would get to meet such a budding talent one day. Spirit’s willing it will be someone a lot less goofy than that one I gave the wolf to.

Nalai’s faction called themselves ‘The Cultivators’, and they were led by the raging tempest of progressive politics that was Gello’Naceii, the [Archdruid] of Wapiti; but who was also de facto leader of this political organisation holding on to such ancient roots and hidden depth based on true reverence for the Eldartrees.

They had always called themselves The Cultivators, but it was not a name they liked using much after the Foxkin had begun describing themselves as something similar… But they were equally reluctant to just hand over the lovely, clearly gardening-focused term so easily too. So, in the end, they mostly ended up using it when dealing with their Foxkin neighbours, to rub it in how they were using it first… Which would not usually happen even once a year, what with how their faction was mostly active in the south nowadays, far from the Eastern sects.

But joining a new political faction had been a wake-up call to Nalai in terms of just how much time she had wasted dealing with lesser issues; willingly blind to the greater picture.

She had worked tirelessly since that time, although the overall influence that she had wielded at the time took a nosedive outside of her new party.

Now she had been summoned once again to an emergency meeting, there to take part in the debate raging on how the [Druid]s of Wapiti should advise that the Cloven response be conducted. Even though they were not in control on the city council, they still needed to put a word in and cast their votes on a course of action.

Should they be successful in standing united and insisting on the Cloven becoming more active in the lands they were sworn to protect–even if they decided years ago, on neglecting every connection with its people–then the next time the Mantis came they would face the true wrath of the forces of nature.

Doc Forrest was still a bastion of carbon-based life; and they still remained its sworn protectors; and that included to all its many forms of beings, but the plant life especially.

Hearing news of a Rift being deployed, after they had done so little to prepare for it, and even chastised several [Druid] and [Shaman] leaders for letting such weapons be used successfully in the past–even if Wapiti refused to acknowledge critique from outsiders–now this served to put the [Druid]s in a position to sway Wapiti's reaction into compensating for the laxness of the past. Should they stand united then this might prove an optimal opportunity for finally being heard.

But that chance lessened considerably if their representatives showed up bickering. They had only three seats, and two of those seats simply did what the loudest voices of their party dictated.

If they were not speaking as one, then the [Shamanic] voices prone to inaction would without doubt prevail yet again.

They were an hour into the meeting by now, and things were not looking good. “Phfffrewt. If we don’t have enough working relations with the bald ones then from where would you expect us to do our work? Should we transport materials to build a settlement, or just have our [Druid]s go there to grow houses from scratch to then live in alone?”

The [Druid] speaking was a southerner of especially small stature; which meant he looked closer to a sika than to the elk cloven of the north, or the largest moose cloven of the east. Although they were the closest to their roe cousins who’d originally sprung from the realm furthest to the west.

Of course nowadays interbreeding was near and far, yet one of the four was always dominant in terms of looks. But it didn’t help that this southerner's voice was extra honking either, nor how he kept snorting.

The critique of the formal plan being proposed continued unabashedly. “Phfffrewt. This plan of action of yours Gello, it requires years of work to get done properly, if not decades. And the complications hardly lessen with us having to avoid the Humans, too many view us with suspicion for no good reason, although many of our own act even worse, it must be admitted. Phfffrewt. Maybe here in this chamber it is not so bad, but are we to go at it alone then? Is it such a mere mission, to stop the Hives enganging in their interests, and outside our realms at that?”

Another one spoke up in support, but Nalai had to admit this one at least cut a fine figure, with horns that went on for days, with the most excellent curves. “I too cannot see how it ends well, we will require proper commitment, which we will never get. Or else cooperation from the Humans, which we will never have. It will not work. Not unless you expect us to send only those who can commute through the use of Skills, and deploy even the most desperate and costly of means once there, I’m talking enhancing predators and the like; unless it is done on those who would eat naught but insects then you know how insecure the results. I don’t think they even have many anteaters or the like so far south?”

The first Sika-buck took the reins again. To Nalai it looked rehearsed. “But then even if that were an alternative, I can count the candidates we’ve got available on the two of my hands. Much better that we take our time and do it well than get stuck having rushed things, only later finding that we will have to commit even further resources?”

He was painting a reasonable picture, but it was far from a complete one. Even if rushing things was indeed suboptimal, arguing for anything less than urgency would simply serve as [Shaman] ammunition to shut them down before they got off the ground; even should they win the initial vote while this near-tragedy remained fresh.

And indeed, they seemed fully aware of how it would not hold up long term, with how they rushed their argument near the end. “All in favour of lending our support only to a long term engagement, with full commitment and chance of success, in slight opposition to what our dear leader suggests?”

“Not so fast please Affrap,”

The next to speak up were the twins; known to value the lives of the plants they personally cared for even higher than they did their fellow Cloven.

“We have spoke of plentifold suggestions for things we need do now, without delay, even should we lack the support of our fellow Caster Classes. For one we should be pushing for immediate action to evacuate the dearest plants; even if it is costly. Letting something like this occur again with us not having a single hoof on the ground is unacceptable,”

Her twin picked up the thread, and if the earlier pair had seemed rehearsed then these two spoke like the dual parts of a singular hivemind. “Indeed, we have the magic and we have the means, with vegetation at risk. You are delaying for nothing but political reasons, as usual, when we all know how fast the Mantis and their Coccin overlords can act once they have their target set in mind,”

The buck cut in desperately, trying to add on some reason to the passion on display. “But don’t forget the Rift was closed, almost no permanent damage to the forest itself was done,”

“And it may as well have been due to sheer chance; it’s not something you just leave in the hands of the bald, are you meaning to delay forever because they proved themselves sufficient just once?”

The second twin kept up the badgering. “While we may be diminished as an organisation, especially to how we used to be; that is not about to change, as you well know. Recruitment is down again this year, and we cannot be seen sitting idle and useless if we hope to recruit anybody with some passion for the life we curate,”

The pair of bucks tried one more time. “But how are we meant to throw such prompt resources at this project, when there is bound to be little to no return, and with our future budgets already in jeopardy?”

Their passionate opposites were not having it. “Always with the economics; we will whore out our magic as per usual; it is what we have done best these past hundred years after all, if you mean for our decline to continue then by all means; go at it, and plan extensively for funding all the tools we will require to avoid the Humans while we set up miniature hidden realms. When has that ever failed?”

That was when Gello finally spoke up for the first time since having opened the meeting by laying out her extensive proposal to send [Druid]s within the month, and further support to aid them by autumn, when their passage by road should be negotiated with room to spare. “If you all want us [Druid]s to continue to grow rather than return to stagnation, then it is going to take assuming some true responsibility and for us to be in a position where we grow from outside experience; to do so you must face facts and throw yourselves in the deep end, despite the thorns. Because we are sorely needed; indeed the plants are at risk, and there is no compromising from our end there… There can’t be. But I believe us Cloven are at risk as well; how can we not be, when the rest of our people are so willing to compromise our identity already. Somebody must speak for those with no voice, loudly enough to be heard in the ears of the dreamers,”

Nalai saw her chance, and so she pitched what she’d pitched so many times before, but in a way to fit this new iteration of their issues.

Although it took her several minutes to be noticed and get a word in. “If we are truly so in need of both speed and the preserving of resources, even with such acreage on the line, then please let us also consider proposing the sending of a mission to the Humans, one to establish true cooperations,”

As expected her Cloven colleagues met her bringing up the Human’s with their usual dismissiveness, but Nalai did not let that deter her. “The Humans have some well-respected [Druid]s among them as well. Leaders of communities in fact; what you can gain from those connections is yet to be determined. Especially now I would argue that the need justifies at least making the attempt,”

They heard her, and they kept debating, but the votes fell on excluding her addition to the mission in the end.

But Nalai had never been one to wait around for approval.