[MythicDusk]

((Please move the RP to Tengel Rainforest when the event is over))

There was fear in her heart, in her very soul. A thundering, wholehearted fear that threatened to consume her. She carefully swallowed as she stared at the thick, black mist. It was barely brushing against the edges of her forest. Her sacred place, her tousand acre altar.

She could feel it trying to seep into the far-reaching roots of the old oaks that stood guard. The ancient beings, alsmot as old as she. The sacred charms hanging from their branches sang in the soft wind, sending roils of mist up in towers before they settled back into the undulating mass she could not tear her eyes from.

By the gods, she was scared. She could feel the guardian oaks begging her for power, like a children's hands insistently tugging at her dress. She licked her lips carefully, shaking the yoke of fear from her shoulders, and she took in a breath. She would stand against this, she would keep her forest alive if it took every ounce of her power.

She turned away from the border of her land, huffing loudly. She fed some of her power into the oaks, and she could hear them audibly groan in thanks. She nodded lightly, beginning to retreat deeper into the forest, into the source of her power, towards the twisted wood throne, intertwined with flowers and vines, where she could think and plan.

She wondered, for a moment, if anyone would visit her forest during these bleak times, and if they did, if they could help.

[Jaykobell]

The clan had mentioned a darkness settling in. They spoke of danger, of something that would consume them, should they sit by and do nothing to rid the world of it. As powerful magical beings, the fae felt like it was their duty to protect the world from what was happening. Even though they had no real conception of what they were fighting against, the more they challenged it, the sooner they would find out, they thought.

Unsurprisingly, they had decided to send in some of their most powerful fae right into the fray. She was one of them.

She stood at the edge of a large forest that was threatened to be consumed by the black mist. She narrowed her eyes, staring at it curiously. Could she walk through it? Could she attack it? Could it attack her?

She crouched down, and she focused. A magic mist started forming around her, a soft peach color rising up. She then raised her head with force; and a small explosion of peachy mist popped just barely into the mist ahead. It spread the mist away for a moment, but then the thick fog returned to its original form, as if it had never been perturbed.

She tilted her head. She wondered if there were any other magical beings in that forest; beings who also tried to fight this menace.

[MythicDusk]

Borri could feel the closeness of another creature. Not a wild creature, not the light, thrumming heartbeats of a bird fresh out of slight, or the slow, steady thuds of a deer's hooves on the undergrowth. This creature had magic. She could practically taste it on the air.

One of the oaks screamed.

Borri ran.

She came to the site of the oak, near the intruder, she placed her hands carefully on the bark of the oak, murmuring soothing sounds with a frown, brushing her thumb carefully across the bark, watching as it seperated like fabric to see the infestation of termites that ate the old warrior from the inside out.

She snapped her head around, finding the only other vaguely humanoid figure, and she opened her mouth to cry out.

"Hey! Hey! You! Do you know any weak fire magic? He needs your help. He needs the termites burned out. I don't have enough power in me to get them out myself. Please!" Her voice cracked on the last word, a tremulous thing as tears began to push from behind her eyes, threataning to track down her cheeks.

[Jaykobell]

She was pondering this conundrum quietly, when a voice snapped her back to reality. Through the unsettling fog, she squinted; and she felt like she could see some sort of shape, inside the forest. They were... talking to her, right?

Her eyes wandered back up to look at the fog. Her magic had been enough to spread and paralyze the fog for a moment. If she kept up that momentum — maybe then, she would be able to slip inside the forest and get through the fog. She squinted a bit more.

She put her head down like a bull ready to charge. She took a deep breath; and she ran. While she ran, she focused her magic onward, right in front of her; and a slew of crackling pops happened, opening up a few feet through the fog at a time, as it found its shape again right behind the Kuhna, as she ran.

She ran, ran, ran, up until she had gone right through the fog. She stopped her magic, but her paws failed to follow through. With so much speed and so much focus, she found herself crashing down, chest sliding along the ground a little, haunches up in the air. Oof.

Slowly, she prompted herself back up on her paws. She shook the debris off; and looked up, to see the one who had spoken to her. "Sorry," she said in a soft, almost mysterious voice. "What did you need, again?" she asked, sitting down to scratch around her head; ear, cheek, neck. So many debris had slipped between her fur.

[MythicDusk]

Borri was nearly panting from exhaustion, trying so hard to keep the termites from burring any deeper into her friend's flesh. It was taking everything she had, every ounce of mental energy, every inch of power she had. She was steadily exhausting herself. This wasn't good. She already had so little power in her, since nobody came to worship her anymore.

"P-please. Please tell me you know some weak fire magic. Please. My friend..." She wheezed, blinking hard and trying to flick the sweat from her eyes with a shake of her head, her hands trembling as they still held open the bark, her head throbbing as the old tree continued to scream.

"Please, help him. He's screaming."

She knew that the cat-like creature wouldn't be able to hear it, wouldn't hold the same link she held with her forest.

She just hoped that the cat-like creature could help.

[Jaykobell]

The Kuhna blinked and focused her attention on the human as she spoke again, in a complete and utter state of panic. Those feelings, though, did little to inspire the same reaction out of her.

Instead, she glanced and turned to the tree. Only then did she notice what was wrong, and what the person was asking her to do. "Oh," she said flatly as she stood up. "I see," she added, and she walked towards the tree.

Slowly, she put a paw to it. She focused. Suddenly, the termites fell, one by one; and all around the tree, the vegetation started to grow just a little. The tree itself started to shift and regain its former glory, too, as if no harm had ever been brought to it, the bark stronger than before and the flesh at its healthiest. Not fire magic of any kind, but some sort of magic, definitely.

She got back down on all fours. "Is this good?" she asked, turning to the human. It wasn't what she had asked for, but as far as the Kuhna was concerned, this was much better.

[MythicDusk]

She felt a sob push through her chest, like a bubble wanting to burst from her lungs. She rested her forehead against the gnarled bark, letting the tears flow for a second before pulling away, patting the old oak with a hiccup and a slight smile.

"Thank you, little one. Please, make yourself at home in my forest. You saved one of the oldest guardians, and I could never be able to repay you fully for that service."

Her smile was soft, almost timid as she began to pull away from the trees, looking them all over.

"They're as old as me." She hummed, smiling gently to herself.

[Jaykobell]

The Kuhna watched in silence as the human cried against the tree. The reaction was a little confusing; had she done something wrong? Well, it wouldn't do anything for the Kuhna to cry over it, if that were the case.

No; they were but tears of joy, after hearing the words from the one who seemed to be the owner or guardian of this forest. The Kuhna's ears twitched. This seemed pertinent to her task.

"You're welcome," she said passively. "You own this forest?" she asked right afterwards, jumping into a topic of interest quickly. She was happy she had been able to help, but this might prove useful for her.

The mention of her age went right over the Kuhna's head. As a magical creature herself, ancient and old beings were nothing new. "Do you know of the mist?" she asked. "The black mist." If this person proved to be a deity or a magical being of such level, perhaps she would be able to help the Kuhna.

[MythicDusk]

Borri pulled her fingers away from the bark, crossing her arms across her chest for a moment as she seemed to ponder on how to answer the question.

"You could say this forest is mine. It is the seat of my power, where my most fervent worshippers came to rest their head at my feet and hear the trees talk to them, listen to the leaves sing them the sweetest songs." She paused again, tilting her head, seemingly thinking on the second question.

"I do not know what it is, but I know that it cannot come past the oaks. I don't want it to come past the oaks, I would rather keep my temple pure."

[Jaykobell]

She wasn't one to be impressed by magical creatures, being one herself. Still, she could appreciate the worth some of them carried, such as being worshipped or sporting immense power further to being revered. It was impressive: she just so happened to know many, many more impressively powerful magical beings.

Her ear twitched, but her face remained relatively the same: blank. "That sounds nice," she commented. She didn't mean to be rude, but she had no other thoughts on the matter.

Instead, her interest rested in what Borri knew about the mist. "I need to investigate it," she explained, turning to look over her shoulder. "It could become a threat to the nature all around us. As faes, we ought to protect Mother Nature." If anything, this was the most extensive reply she had said so far. She frowned, though. "Do you truly know nothing about it?"

[MythicDusk]

Borri couldn't help the gentle smile that flowed at the mention of mother nature. Is that what they were calling her now? How quaint.

She blinked slowly at the question before shaking her head softly. "I do not, child. I just know it is powerful and pushing at the boundaries. It is all I can do to keep it back." Her voice had taken on a worried tone as she watched the fog, wringing her green-tipped fingers in her hands, chewing on her own lips before turning away from it, as if it hurt her to look at.

"Come, you must be tired. The guardians are safe, and they are able to keep the fog back for another century or two. I will allow you to rest here, in the Sanctum."

She tilted her head carefully, motioning to the small, thin and winding path that led through the forest.

[Jaykobell]

It was disappointing to hear that Borri knew nothing of this strange mist. The fae felt like she could have been a source of knowledge on this, but it turned out to be a dead end. Well, perhaps with her good deed here done, she ought to—

Now she was being invited to rest here? Her mind tried to process the invitation quickly. "I'm not tired," she pointed out, tilting her head. Unless it had been meant as a general invitation, simply to take a breather before she moved on to a different location? Of course, she had also heard that it was rude to deny hospitality. "But if you insist."

[MythicDusk]

Borri couldn't help the soft chuckle that rolled through her as she began to lead the way up the path, flowers and greenery springing to life under her feet. "I suggest you follow me closely, child." She tucked her green-tipped fingers into her long sleeves, the intricate, delicate greenery patterns on the brown. It was a strange kind of cloth, one that moved like silk but looked remarkably like wood bark.

After a whort while of walking, Borri waved her hand carefully and some of the plant life shifted, slowly parting to reveal a brightly lit clearing, filled with flowers and a small, stout hut. It seemed to have been made from the stump of a giant tree, but the stump easily towered above Borri as she pulled open the rough wooden door, motioning for her visitor to follow her in.

[Jaykobell]

She followed the woman quietly, looking around her as the scenery shifted. The both of them clearly had magic of their own, and they were somewhat similar. Apart from that, the Kuhna's mind was busy thinking of the mist. Her mission here was to find out what to do about it: not to accept a stranger's invitation to rest.

Still, accepting the offer and staying for a bit might be the best thing to do, for the time being. If she rested for a bit and insisted she needed to return to her task, it might go over better than trying to fight her way out, so to speak. A quick rest, and back to her mission she goes.

She followed Borri inside, listening to the commands as they were given. She was a quiet one, though, offering little in conversation to the woman. She didn't speak unless spoken to, usually.

[MythicDusk]

Borri smiled at her entering, and she walked in soon after her, waving a hand and the wood moved from the walls, revealing a selection of fresh fruits placed delicatley on wooden shelves, looking as if they had gron from the tree itself. She plucked one up, humming at the sight of it, taking a bite from it and then motioning to her guest to take her pick before sitting at a rough, wooden table. She carefully crossed her legs, taking another bite of the fruit.

"Not many people would have followed me so willingly." She stated simply, swallowing down the fruit. "You are either new to this world, incredibly confident or a fool." She tilted her head in wonderment.