Connected

‘Is it warm where you are? I hope it’s peaceful…’

The sun was setting, and the birds chirping had started to quiet down already. While spring was definitely here, the nights were still a bit chilly, and the other wildlife would be preparing for the cooler winds. Usually Magni would as well, his den-mates waiting inside their cave for him, but not this day. He sat beneath an oak tree, looking up at the fresh green leaves. Footsteps behind him caught his attention, but the only sign he heard was a twitch of one ear.

He tilted his head slightly to look at Asuna as she sat beside him, “Magni?” he hummed to show he heard her, “What are you doing out here?” She looked up at the oak to see if maybe he was watching something, but nothing stood out to her. “Is there an animal up there?” Ever curious, her questions just kept coming.

“I’m just thinking of someone.” He answered, when she paused a moment to let him, “My sister…”

“Magnolia?”

“Moria.”

“Oh… You’ve never told me about her. Is she in Magnolia’s Hollow?” The young vixen settled in to sit beside him as she asked, expecting a story.

He shook his head, “She’s…” He had to take a moment, the words hard for him to say even now, “No longer with us. During the winter, a wolf got her…”

“Oh…” Asuna’s voice cracked slightly, “I’m sorry Magni.”

“It’s not your fault, Asuna. We’ve all lost someone this winter.” He murmured, looking back up at the tree.

“Yea… Maybe… Maybe Moria and Germain are keeping each other company.” She suggested softly.

“Maybe.” He smiled at her innocent suggestion. Looking back towards the tree, he continued speaking, “I like to come out here to this tree and talk to her.”

“Really?”

“Mhm. When I first arrived, I told Belus I was upset to not be near my lost family anymore, and he told me to find a tree, and we’d be connected.”

“How does that work?”

“Well… He said it’s because a tree’s roots reach much further than we can see. This tree’s roots reach out, connecting to another tree, which connects to another. And because when we’re gone, we are returned to the earth, a tree like this one can connect you to where your loved ones are.”

Asuna looked up to study the tree, a new light in her eyes as she thought about the fact, in a way, she was still near her brother. She reached out to press her paw against the exposed root, “So… If I speak to the tree, maybe Germain will hear me?”

“I don’t think you have to speak out loud… I come here to pray. Spirits have a way of hearing us, you know?”

“Oh… Can I pray with you sometime? I want Germain to know I still think of him… That I still miss him.”

“Of course, Asuna. I’m sure he knows that, but why don’t you sit with me for a bit before we head inside?” He suggested, bowing his head to finish the silent conversation he had begun before the younger fox had arrived.

She looked at him before bowing her head as well, ‘Germain? If you’re listening… I just want to say, I miss you… Keep an eye on Alec, okay? I couldn’t but if Magni is right, I know you can. He’ll need your watchful eye now,’