the trees feared

It stood in the forest, lone, tall, young. It was the only one that was new. It was the only one that liked humans. It was the only one that had been raised by them. The others hated humans as much as trees can hate anyone or anything.

Let’s rewind.

⬅⬅⬅

The sun shone bright and cheery, the air was fresh and clean, the trees breathed sighs of relief. They were only a few years old, but in thousands of years, they would be among the oldest trees in the world. Only three forests of others would be close to their age. With them would be the memory of eons for the history of the world is written not in the scribes of man, but in the roots of trees. 

The smell of green rang through the air. The rays of light fell merrily upon their leaves and branches, the union of the two making a color that could never be replicated. The sounds of a forest, animals chattering, a hum in the background, leaves rustling, branches being whipped about by winds further down. Soon there would be an ominous feeling. The winds of change are felt not by the instruments of man, but by the branches of trees.

But it would survive. The forest would survive.

Now, it might not. The lone tree could not feel it. This was one planted by humans, this was one that knew not the ways of the world, knew not what its ancestors knew, knew not what the trees around it knew. This was a vanity project, a hope that they could slow down the destruction of the world. They could not. This would not help.

The winds of change spoke to the branches of the trees. The new one could not feel them. It knew naught but its parents, the ones whom had planted it. The trees began to speak to one another through roots deep in the ground. This one heard them but did not understand. Its roots were not deep enough. It had not had to grow them through fire and fury like they had.

The ground began to shake, a horrible trembling that lasted only a few minutes, the others stood firm, planted deeply as they were in the ground. This one, this young’un knew not, for it was barely in the ground, roots shallow and not spread like they should be. But it saw some signs, for something ancient within it awoke. It finally understood what they were saying, and it too, felt the terrible thing coming. Shivers ran down its trunk. It’s branches began to sway away, trying to release themselves. Trying to run. Something was coming. The forest, these trees that had been planted for millenia, this forest, began to fear. The Darkness was coming. Soon it would be upon them. They did not fear for their lives for trees are not selfish. They feared for the earth that they were supposed to protect, the one that had given them a place to call home, the one that had nursed them on its bosom. The trees feared.