Carriage
The tingling sensation moving through her tiny veins alerts her that the sun will soon be up.
The forest daughter smiles but it fades quickly at the sound of a creak barely audible. It reaches her through the mycelium first as a mild tremor running through her tentacled hands. Suddenly the birds in a sudden eruption of wings take to the sky while the smaller creatures scatter into several directions, away from…
A young deer stumbles out of thick shrubs and its slender hind is immediately caught in a twisted mass of thorny vines. This distraction does not make the sharp scent of smoke disappear.
It's familiar though the memories of flames rest deep in her veins and her newly awakened senses are bringing them to the fore.
Danger is not far away, she thinks, glancing at the nearest line of trees as orange light glows from behind it, plumes of smoke rising into the sky. This is their home. Who would light such destructive force to burn down their sanctuary?
The animals begin to flee from around her but the young deer is still caught and struggling, fear in its doe eyes.
Quickly, she kneels beside it, digging her fingers into the soil beside the trapped leg. The mycelium stretches as white strings rise from the ground to curl around the thorny vine, drying them up. The deer stumbles backward from the force of its struggle. It hops back on its feet, gazes at her for a moment before skipping away.
The smoke is getting closer as another tremor shakes the forest.
She turns to the approaching fire, stretching out both hands towards the ground while the forest bed becomes her carriage as the mycelium surges forward. At her presence, the moss around the fire thickens, releasing moisture into the smoky air.
The forest daughter watches as the fire dies slowly.
The forest is silent again and the animals emerge one after another watching her as she rises from the earth with dark loam dropping from her fingers to the ground.
The young deer moves towards her slowly and lowers its head. She places her palm between its ears softly and the forest hums in response.
She is home and no one dares take it from them.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by @justclickindiva's alien art piece and based on the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "carriage”.
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