Snippet #2657502

Having grabbed the last of the raw meat from between her fingers, the large crow mildly pecked at Cleo’s hand until she spread her fingers, palm up, to prove there was nothing left. He clicked at her and ruffled his feathers before taking off towards the fringes of thicker forest around the grove.

Cleo munched on her breakfast. It was hard to miss Roderic in all his armor and various weapons enter from the Eastern edge of the forest, back from some crusade or other. As expected, he headed straight for the Mother’s headquarters. Cleo followed him with her eyes until he and the great bow at his back slid through the draping vines to be engulfed by the willow and presumably share the new intel he had gathered.

Cleo sighed and turned to look towards the area of forest the Ranger had entered the Grove from. Sometimes, when the day was clear and bright and the wild young of the Grove ran and played, one might almost forget that there was a war raging. A war that could never escape your mind for too long, because eventually night would fall and mothers would call their children to their sides when they strayed too far, and each attack the King launched against the Magicals was a step closer to exposing their safe haven in his attempt to massacre their people. In the warmth of the morning sun, Cleo shuddered.

Born into this time and life, Cleo knew nothing of true peace. Children grew up quickly in times of war, even this far from the physical fighting. Cleo knew she would one day help in the efforts, and probably that day would be soon. The problem was, she had no idea how. She worked hard and did what she could around the Grove, but her contribution felt so miniscule.

Swallowing her last bite of breakfast, Cleo stood and smoothed her hands down her tunic. This moping was of no use to anyone, and so she set off for the forest on the western perimeter of the Grove - away from where the Ranger had returned from the fighting.

She was thinking of gathering some more of the general plants and herbs that were the most useful when she stepped beyond the first line of dense trees. The sounds of bustle and voices of the Grove began to fall away from the girl's’ ears, replaced by the more muted, soothing sound of the forest. Wind drifted around trunks and rustled bushes. A raccoon leapt from one tree limb to another as it headed towards her, causing nuts to fall and patter against the forest floor. Cleo knelt to pick one up. She placed it in the palm of her hand and stretched her arm out to the masked creature before her.

The raccoon chittered as it took the nut from her and turned it around in it’s nimble paws. Raccoons, being omnivores, usually know where to find many useful things within the forest. Cleo smiled and nodded her thanks, heading off to where it had mentioned she might find a patch of garlic by some yarrow. These plants, and many other herbs, were used for healing, cooking, and various magics. Perhaps she could bring something useful back for the druids to use.