A peaceful mind, and in a tranquil place

[Selphia Dek]

The forest was a place of tranquility. The soft chirp of birds as they fed their younglings. The chattering of squirrels echoing in the treetops as they gather food to store for the coming winter. Trees stretched to the heavens here. Perhaps this was why Selphia liked this spot so much. There were no people, at least none she had come across. She was once again thankful for the silence. It gave her time to collect herself, not her thoughts. She had more then enough thoughts to go over and sort out. Too many at once often caused her to suffer headaches. But these mornings spent alone in the company of one’s god, well it was serene.

The pathway of the woods twisted and turned but always followed the river. It made it hard for one to get lost. Not that Selphia wished to get lost. She spent far too much time within the forest to be able to get lost. She had been in Camelot for a short time and still managed to mark the woods as her own. Sure she did not own it out right, but no one seemed to venture in the parts that she had claimed as her sanctuary. A gentle breeze billowed her cloak as she came to a bray. The landscape within the forest was unlevelled, never been touched by those that would steal its wood for houses and transport, or for making simple household items and the like. These woods were untouched by man. Though further down the river she had found a mill that baked fabulous bread that she had yet to taste.

The bray sloped up then away from the path she had been on. Turning to look at the landscape about her. The terrain was slightly hilling in areas further to the north of the woods. She would investigate that part another time. Today she was just looking to find a spot to think. It was at this time that she closed her eyes and stepped free of the path and climbed down the side of the bray, which sloped away from the trail. The foliage here was tall, and spawned many species, of very autumn colour. She curled her hands under her robes and continued into the thick of the wood. Finding a small clearing in the center a good twenty yards from the trail she had used.

She would find a spot and slowly start to mill about. Her hands rubbing together as she walked in a circle. She would count and then turn about and walk the other way. Making sure that the circles over lapped as she went. When she had finally managed to warm her hands she brought them together, pressing two fingers together and brushing them against her lips. This was how she did her thinking. Yes it was odd to behold but she was alone, what she fear for looking silly.

After a few utterances of what one might think was her thoughts she brought her hands to the edge of her hood and drew it back. Letting the fabric hold back and settle against her shoulders. She would then gather her pale locks and draw them out from under her robe so that they might see the sun today. Her long pale locks fell about her narrow shoulders, cascading like satin ribbons down her back. Matching her gaze and flesh in color. Upon first meeting one might look to Selphia and think her ill, partly of what was true. But it always takes getting to know a person before one can truly understand.

[thewoodswitch]

Girl stood beside her, holding onto her arm and leading her forward through the think underbrush. Boy on the other hand continued to scout ahead, making his own path. He would occasional stop in his tracks, turn his head around and plead with the women to hurry up. He was such an impatient boy.

Cerridwen would carry on at her own pace and nothing was going to cause her to either hurry up or slow down. Well, except for the occasional tree root or rock that tried to trip her.

"Hurrying me will not cause the mushrooms to grow any quicker nor will they all be gone if we travel at a slower pace."

Girl did her best to try and keep the elderly woman from losing her balance or snagging her skirts on the surrounding foliage but she could not avoid everything, not in this rough terrain at least. They continued onward at a slow but even pace making their way not on the crudely-made road but on a path of their own choosing where they would be more likely to find what they were looking for. This time it would wild mushrooms and nuts.

With the weather growing colder and the seasons growing later, food was growing scarcer to find. The cold, hard earth in the garden would soon stop yielding any vegetables for the year and they would have to rely solely on what they could scavenge. Mushrooms could be dried and stored until spring and nuts would keep for some time if they were boiled. With luck, they could collect a little each day, and have enough to keep them from starving during the long, cold winter months.

Boy interrupted Cerridwen's thoughts by jumping up and down and shouting that he had found what they were looking for. Beneath an old tree he found a treasure of acorns.

[Selphia Dek]

Selphia would slowly make a spot for herself within the two circle outlines she had created. Making sure that she was situated in the centre where the two circles intersected. Curling her legs under herself, as well as her robes. Long pale locks cascaded cross her shoulders and down to her waist. If one were to look upon her they would think her sickly, for that was the image that she conveyed. There was no intent in making them think this; it was just how she appeared. Whether she was actually ill, well that was left unanswered. It was a good excuse for her when people stared too long or whispered that she was a ~poor soul, in need of great rest. ~

Her head tilted to the side as she looked at the ground. Her thoughts racing as she started her chanting. Softly at first her words lingered in the air about her, never rising to a level that anyone could hear. Her old Latin she used was no longer in practice in these regions or so she held herself to believe. It was no arrogance on her part that held her to believe such a thing; it was simply that she had never come across anyone that spoke it. It was often how she managed to escape conversation with people. Spoke a different language and they ignore you or pass you over with a frustrated sigh and an exaggerated hand gesture. Selphia was thankful for people’s lack of patience for it meant that she did not have to endure questions or conversation about her looks and where she came from.

Her fingers curled under into her palm as she placed them upon her lap. She leaned back on her heels, nestling herself upon them so that she might stand quickly if she needed to. Her eyes closed as she focused upon the thoughts only in her head. Her lips moving as she repeated a few Latin words. It was not long before she was speaking whole phrases aloud, yet still softly. The wind would pick up but just, billowing through her robes as she made a mental note to keep her eyes closed. Her pale locks were soon to flutter about her, the same as her robes, now her words were spoken aloud. Her hands uncurled and turned palms up, as her voice grew deep with accent and tone. Her head tilting back as her hands rose before her.

Her thoughts had pin pointed upon a certain memory. One of her family, her brother she saw, and then two faces, blurry and unfocused. Why could she never focus upon them? Her borrow furrowed and the pain of the headache increased. Then more she tried to fuse the memory to her present thoughts it caused the pain to intensify, in which she had to give up and leave the faces unseen. Her thoughts seemed to be working against her. Her present thoughts were clear and far too many to control. Where her past was much harder to bring forth. It was like the new memories and thoughts and voices were replacing her old ones.

~Acorns~

Her eyes snapped open and her quickly looked about herself. She forest had been vacant when she entered, and now it had visitors. She quickly stood and turned about to look behind her. There were a few voices that lingered about the last. Three people in fact. She closed her robes about herself and replaced her hood upon her head, tucking her pale locks away. Her form moving toward the tree and slowly, and very carefully peered about it.

[thewoodswitch]

Boy was overjoyed with his find. When he finally ceased his pounding assault upon the ground, he had left the spot where he was standing a densely packed spot of earth. He was eager like a young bear cub to climb the tree in search of his prize. With a jump, a few well placed hand and foot holds and a tight hug around the trunk, he was up the tree.

Cerridwen and Girl reached the tree just as Boy began filling his wicker basket with acorns. Unlike Boy, the women would fill their basket with nuts taken from the ground and they would differentiate between those that were rip enough to take and those that were too far gone. There was no point in taking rotten nuts as eating them would only make them sick, so instead they left those ones to be eaten by the deer and other woodland creatures.

As Cerridwen sat hunched over in a squatting position on the ground, she felt one, then another then several dozen acorns hitting her in the back all at one. She let out a cry of frustration as a basket landed on her head and she heard Boy giggle form the tree above.

"Boy! This is no time for fun and games. We are here for a reason and I expect you to do your part if you wish to eat this winter."

Girl flashed an angry look up at her brother who was too preoccupied with his treetop adventure to even notice. Boys, she thought. Whatever will we do with them?

From up in the tree, Boy had a clear view of the surrounding area. He could see a variety of other trees, a few deer grazing in a nearby meadow, a river that was probably far too cold to swim in but looked as if it might hold some fish, and a small clearing just over the next tree. It looked like somebody or something had been there recently what with the unusual marks in the dirt but he didn't know what to think of it.

"I think there's someone else here." He yelled down from the tree.

"Of course there are others here. Do you think that we have these woods completely to ourselves? Do you think that just because the villagers are too afraid to enter these woods that there are not others like us who do so out of necessity or because we know better than to be afraid of the natural priests?"

Cerridwen was of course referring to the druids that she knew lived deep within the woods. She knew that they traveled throughout the forest, much as she did, collecting what they needed to eat or use for their secretive celebrations, what she didn't know was that there was another person nearby, possibly even watching them.

[Selphia Dek]

Selphia heard the voices as they cared through the forest. She was not too far so she did not need to strain to hear them. A young boy and girl along with a third voice, much older, though she was not entirely sure how old. She seemed to be directing the young ones toward the collection of nuts, acorns in fact, as to the boy’s delight in yelling out that he had found some.

Selphia pressed herself closer to the tree. She heard the cries from the women, as the boy seemed to be knocking the nuts from the branches above them. Selphia could not help but force a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. It was the boy’s cry that gained Aurelia’s full attention when he pointed out the markings behind her.

Slowly she turned her head to regard the markings that she had made. Mentally cursing herself for leaving them exposed as she had. But it was not like she had time to cover them. She had been startled by the sudden presence of people. People she did not know and she was should they did not know her. She had left the Guild for the tranquility of the woods. The most attractive point to the woods being that there were no people in it.

She wondered if she should introduce herself. Perhaps try to pass the marks off as already being here. She looked about the ground. Perhaps she could pretend she was looking for acorns as well. But what would she being using them for? She did not know what acorns were to be used for. Healings aids, soups possibly stews…~Oh stew~ She felt her stomach grumble at the mere thought of food at this hour. She had missed breakfast, as well as, lunch. Supper…well she would have to see to supper at the Inn, though it was made for the later crowds. She sighed as she stepped back, the full weight of her body causing the stick beneath her boot heel to snap in half.

Her pale gaze snapped wide with fright, as she was certain she was discovered. She threw herself backwards away from the tree. Turning in the midst of trying to leave the area when she became entangled in her robes. She toppled to the ground with ease. In fact she was brilliant in catching herself.

~Perhaps the king would have use for one of my talent. ~She scolded herself as she scurried about under her robes trying to right herself.

[thewoodswitch]

Cerridwen's head turned in the direction of the the sound of a snapping twig, with her poor eyesight, she could barely see her hand in front of her face let alone anything but faded, fuzzy colors beyond that. There was no way that she could tell what had made the noise. It could have been a deer, it could have been a bear, or it could have been a man, the only way she would know for certain would be to act as if she already knew.

"Who's there?" She called into the trees at her left.

Girl looked up from the collection of nuts within the folds of her skirt and peered off into the direction that the old woman was looking. She was about to get up and have a look for herself when Cerridwen placed her wrinkled old hand on the girl's forearm and motioned for her to stay still.

The last thing they needed was for the Girl to walk straight into the path of a hungry bear and frighten it with her inevitable screaming. Bears were better left to do as they pleased and they would go on without so much as a word. If it was a human though, they might want to announce that they were in fact there.

For the chance that it could be a hungry villager out with his bow in search of food for the winter, they needed to make themselves know so that a stray arrow did not find itself into the heart of a child instead of a large woodland animal.

Boy began to make his way down the tree with pockets full of nuts, curious to meet whatever or whoever it was that had made the strange markings in the ground.