Walking through the thick forest known as La Forum you come across a small clearing. In the middle of the grassy field, a giant tree seems to have grown towards the top of the sky. In between the leaves and branches are various types of flowers in full bloom.
Awestruck by the vibrant colors painting the tree, you almost miss seeing one of the thick branches begin to dip and bend, as if something is weighing it down. The rustling of leaves and flowers breaks you from your trance and you focus on the area of the foliage that seems to be moving the most. As you move closer to investigate, the shaking of the tree branches suddenly halt and the clearing becomes eerily quiet. A warm breeze circles around you as your senses heighten, and if not for the silence you feel you would have missed the quick sound of something being slashed. Your eyes focus immediately on the victims that were most likely cut. Three small flowers fall gently toward the ground. Waving back and forth on the wind, they spin slowly as if dancing. Each one’s petals and sepals, still fully intact, were otherwise unharmed and framed their pollen anthers and ovules gracefully. Before the flowers touched the soil however, a blurred figure leaped out of the branches and caught them in what looked to be like a tail like appendage... but with a leaf for a tip. You assume that this creature is the cause of the flowers downfall, and finally gaze upon it with interest. The beast itself is a stark white with black spots on its back. It has a long snout with a big black nose and two fluffy ears that are pointed. It is very slim and sleek and it’s short fur outlines visible muscles that are only obtainable from extensive amounts of running. What catches you off guard most of all is it’s eyes and tail. It’s slanted almond eyes seem to change color constantly, as if you were staring into a swirling vortex of paint and it’s tail was merely a long thin black hair attached to a heart shaped leaf. You and the creature stare at each other for what seems like hours until the fox-like beast, you decide, blinks and beckons you forward with a nod of it’s head, before it sits down. Gripped with curiosity you step forward until you are a few feet in front of it. As you near the fox beast a strange smell encircles you. You feel your unnecessary thoughts leave you and they are replaced with feelings of warmth, love, and calmness. A soft tapping sound brings you out of your stupor and you are surprised to see that you unconsciously sat down next to the fox-beast. I suppose we are similar to the species known as foxes to you humans, and we do share a ancestor from many millenias ago, but we are more familiarly known as floxes my dear. You twitch as the warm tone enters your brain and turn your head slightly to gaze upon the... floxes... face. You’ve heard many other creatures talk before, rare as it is, but it still surprises you in the long run. You smell of the four different planets that many like you, years ago, stumbled upon and decided to assimilate. I used to visit the four worlds but that was well before I had to begin my duty as caretaker of this tree. How is the solar system now dubbed as Rescreatu, if I may ask? You nod your head at them in understanding and begin to address life as you knew it on your home planet as well as the three others as you often went shopping and hunting in them. The flox sighs happily as you explain current events and snorts when you recount funny situations. It seems life has evolved quite nicely for you to live in, and to have so many friends assist and help you is very excellent. I can the smell the joy of various beings on you so I assume you have made them quite happy with the love you offer them...Perhaps you could come to bring yourself to love one more. Confused you ask what they mean. You see, my dear, my species evolved from common ancestors of flora, and fauna. Over time we evolved to compete in our environment to survive. Due to such evolutions and varying degrees of dna not one of my kind looks alike. Although uniqueness is quite a valued trait amongst many, it caused my kind to favour certain qualities and reduced the number of offsprings in our community. In the end we evolved further and learned that we could reproduce using a tree as an incubator for all traits. Sexual reproduction is still accessible to us but because of dwindling numbers, finding a mate has been extremely hard and many choose to live out their days froliking among the cosmos. Feeling your head cramp a little bit at the overload of information you shake your head to clear it. Eventually you realize they avoided your question and urge them to clarify more specifically. While normal fertilization guarantees offspring, using the Mother Tree to grow offspring requires more... emotion based stimulation. A Mother Tree egg will not hatch until it is loved unconditionally.... The one fault we did not realize was that a flox pair could not hatch the egg, or any other flox for that matter. The egg must be loved by one not connected to the flox species, an error we could not and can not fix. Finally nodding in understanding you ask what you can do to help. You have many you already love, and I am now asking you to split that love again. Are you sure you are willing to do what it is I ask? Pumping your fist against your chest you state aloud how happy you would be to assist and that there is nothing you would rather do then help someone in need. Blinking in satisfaction the flox stands up and walks away from you slightly before lowering their tail and releasing the three flowers onto their final destination. Immediately after hitting the ground the flowers explode into three bright lights. Shielding your eyes you cover them as to not be blinded. Upon opening them you are greeted with three gorgeously decorated eggs, each surrounded by the flower they once were. Please choose one or as many as you think you would like to love. I leave their fragile lives in your care, but I do hope you will promise me to love them forever. I am sure that with your help we will be able to rekindle my kinds numbers and bring the others who wandered away back home. With that said the flox dips their head in finality and turns their back to you to leap back into the tree. Before they clear your line of vision you quickly ask them their name as you had forgot to ask earlier. My name? Floxes don’t really use names as we know each other by scent... but since you are not one I suppose I can offer you one... one I have not used for years. My name is Ink, please call me by it. |