Chapter 4-114: The Owl Woman (1/2)

“The forest walked, the trees talked,

Of Ages Gone, Times Past.

The Land stirred at the Sun unseen,

Seeking Light at long last.

Fire and thunder of a new age,

Magic and oil, steel and toil,

Asphalt and cement cutting the lines

Of magic and life ‘neath the soil.

Progress. Civilization. Science. Technology...

Tremble, Tremble, oh ohhhh, Tremble, it comes...”

“Days past are the future’s bones,

The world changes and time marches on.

It is a new age... and now, now it screams,

At a Haze in the sky, stealing light and dreams.

Think the Green that the Crimson can sate

Its thirst for Light and Life with hate?

Roots seek for the Blue, Leaves turn to Sky,

And fall and turn as the Black gathers nigh...

Whispers, whispers, the Black in your ear...

Tremble, Tremble, oh ohhhh Tremble, it comes...”

Two-tones rang in precision meter, as vengeful tree after tree went still, and returned to its silent vigilance and life, extending up once more for a grip on the light and life that filtered through the Haze...

“Your dream is a nightmare

What fools stirred an Ancient’s wrath?

Who gains when your power claws at the Land?

Where is the ending, how ends this path?

In FIRE. Fire to destroy spirit and soul,

Fire eating the Land, Green and Red whole!

Rage you, rage, feed your despair,

Doom is whelming, Time is not fair...

You will end in Fire.

Tremble... Tremble... oh, ohhhhh Tremble, it comes...”

The trees all around her were closing slowly and steadily on her position, even as she cut them through and they planted themselves once more. Some true forest giants were coming this way, and getting through their tangles of roots was going to be interesting, at the least...

Or perhaps not...

“Who are you?”