City of IF

[Masterweaver]

The Serpent tend the great forest, raising all matter of plants.
The Echidna mine the forge mounts, creating the eternal servants.
The Panther wander the split plains, raising livestock and animals wild.
The Icefish quest out from the white nation, freezing the blood of the world.
The Gazelle bound away from the scattered isles, communing with the spirits of all people.
The Octopus lay in the dark depths, noting all that happens and planning for the future.
The Narwhal dance around the round waters, singing and carving rivers.
All this for the greatest conquest.
--Hymnal chant of the Gazelle, 1763 A.L.

War is destruction. Hate is death. We are doomed.
--Scrawled on the ice of the White Nation, 3965 A.L.
***
Green.

Oh yes, there was brown, and pink, and orange. Flowers and trees and small creatures broke up the forest's massive abundance of vines and leaves and stems and moss. But nowhere could you look without there being the wild green. Even here, in the shade of the ancient trees, there was green, knee tall grass rising form the dirt.

Antiman liked it that way. But then, he was a Serpent.

He flicked his lidpetals, redirecting the light going into his optical flanges as he looked up. Was that... yes. A clinging vine had found a way to the base of a branch. With a sigh, he unfurled his wings and flew up, leaning in for a closer look. "Just begun to grasp..." He let his gaze wander down the branch. "And there's so much here. I am sorry, my brother, but you threaten the forest." Weaving a limb around the offending vine, he pulled; soon enough, the roots were out of the brand. Gently, he placed them on the truck, where they could grow back without truly harming the tree. "Let Ornella guide your growth."

The Serpent glanced at a patch of nearby lumimoss. It was dimming.... dawn would soon break. Smiling to himself, he flew up to the canopy and peered out across the horizon. Earthrise... one of the few things that all races enjoyed.

And it was a beautiful one today. The great blue sphere came into view, climbing over the horizon encircled in the halo of specks that formed the network of the Travelers. Ornella herself sparkled in the sky, welcoming her lord at the dawn of the new day. The sky shifted from black to purple, then slowly to blue; the storms on the surface of Earth seemed calm today.

"It must be paradise, the land of the First Lords..." Antiman sighed.

Then he rubbed the roots that made his skull. "Ah, well... time for breakfast." He stayed there a little longer, wings unfurled and leaves outstretched, but then resigned himself and began to slink through the forest. A squiroo would make an excellent meal...
---
It had been a few hours of traveling the forest, tending to the plants and spreading fertilizer in dry areas. The solw rise of heat these past few weeks had caused some of the more selicate blooms to wilt, but the Serpent had moved the rest of them down a layer. Antiman had, of course, talked to the other Serpent he had met, but in as vast an area as the Great Forest they were spread rather thin, traveling constantly to nearby afflictions to see what they could do to save the plants there. It was their way of life, though, and Antiman didn't question it; Ornella had ordained it long ago when she planted the first seed, and a servant of the First Lords simply could not be wrong. Still, as he communed with the tree he sat in, Antiman could not help but wonder what the tunnels of the Echidna were like, or if he would ever swim in the round waters. He sighed, breaking away and climbing down. Grabbing a nodeflower with his leaf, he bought it to his stamen and joined the network of the Great Forest.

[I, Antiman, hail you all from the forest heart. I ask, who is communing?]

[I, Ayaka, commune from near the western shore. Hail Antiman!]

[I, Palmiro, commune from south the forest heart. Hail to Anitman, and hail to Ayaka.]

[Ah, Ayaka, Palmiro. I fear that once again I find my roots on the thought of the realms outside the forest.] Antiman sighed. [I am, of course, very lucky to be here, but part of me wishes to travel, to find what happens beyond our borders.]

[You know yourself that travel alone can be dangerous,] Palmiro reminded him. [The Icefish had you frozen to the tree for a long time; tiy were lucky your thorns had not broken off!]

[True, but if that had not had happened I would never have met Ayaka...]

A feminine laugh echoed throughout their mind. [You flatter me, but you are still less then a month out of your formtree.]

[I did not mean to offend!] Antiman quickly clarified. [I mean... You're only six months old, though!]

[He's right. You two are in the same age range.] Palmiro tsked; the other two could just imagine him shaking his head. [Last a decade or two and perhaps you will find your true companion was beside you all along.]

[Ha,] Ayaka said bluntly. [I care only about the forest. Not that I don't like you Antiman,] she added hastily, [It's just I'm devoted to my duty.]

[That is fair...]

[And as for your wanderlust, young one, it is well and good to want to see the world beyond the trees.] Palmiro laughed. [I remember going to the Scattered Isles to retrieve a plant stolen by the Gazelle; I was so much younger then...]

[You've been to the Scattered Isles?] Antiman breathed.

[I've only been as far as the shores!] Ayaka exclaimed. [Did you meet a Panther? I've always thought that the Split Plains were so much like the Great Forest, only with animals instead of plants!]

[Settle down, settle down!] Palmiro laughed. [Yes, I met a Panther. Quite a few, in fact, they travel in groups across the plains. And I was lucky enough to have an Octopus rescue me when my boat nearly sank...] He sighed. [It was a dangerous time for me. But, still, it was wonderful...]

Antiman smiled to himself. [Sounds like quite the adventure.]

[Indeed it was.]

Ayaka sighed. [You stamen, all so worked up about adventure and glory...]

[You were just as eager a few moments ago,] Palmiro reminded her slyly.

[I--! Well, no, I was asking because Antiman was in shock! And that's what he would have asked, right Antiman?]

[Hmmm,] Antiman replied noncommittally.

[Ugh! You... You stamen!] Akaya pulled out of the network suddenly; Antiman could just see her in his mind, throwing up her leaves and stalking away.

Palmiro just chuckled. [That petal... I don't know what we'd do without her, but she's so bipolar sometimes.]

[I suppose...]

There was a quiet moment.

[...Antiman, I believe I have an idea.]

[Hmm?]

[You want to go out and see the world, don't you?]

Antiman blinked. Then he remembered Palmiro couldn't see him. [Um, yes, of course!]

[Well, something just came up. It's not too important, but we need a Serpent to go out of the forest. Are you willing to do that?]

[It would be... a pain to be away from the plants, but I believe I could manage.]

[Well spoken.]

[Thank you. What is this mission you require of me?]

[Guest]

Quote: . But nowhere could you look without there being the could green Cold?? cloudy??

I must add its nice to see simple words in this story. Meaning easy to understand. as my dad said you should type words one for one... I take it baby steps. I'm glad your back around to writing. :D

mmmm.... foresty...

[Masterweaver]

FIxed! And thank you for your comments.

That was the DP by the way, what the mission is.

[Thunderbird]

Masterweaver! It's REALLY nice to see you back around IF my friend... I've missed you.

That said, be a bit patient with me. Its been a little slow around the site so I've taken to doing massive catchup sweeps on the reading material and I'm falling a little behind here as I've been trying to take on some other reading projects which are coming to an end now.

Long story short... I'll have a reply for you in a few days and I'm just tickled to death to see you've begun a new SG! Welcome Back!

[Masterweaver]

I understand real life can be a problem, but seriously... when did this site run so slowly?

[Masterweaver]

...okay, so! I will set up a poll next Wednesday. If I get no suggestions I'll just make up the options.