The Journey Home - Halsin POV
Read the full first part of "The Journey Home" on AO3
Prev installments: Miss Fortune POV; Shadowheart POV; Lae'zel POV; Wyll POV
It was worlds easier to slip into meditation away from the buzz of civilization. Halsin had been all too glad when the sun began to set with no town in sight and Miss Fortune declared with a groan they'd have to set up camp in the woods.
Here, with the moon as his lantern light, Halsin felt awash in the silvery glow of peace. With the stars as his blanket, he had all the warmth and comfort he could hope for—except, perhaps, for a lover to share it with. With the calls of the insects and nocturnal animals as his lullaby, the druid felt his eyes grow leaden and his thoughts bob along like a leaf in stream.
It wasn't long into his trance before the hazy shape of a great tree began to coalesce behind his eyelids. The great, ancient oak that sat in the center of his inner tranquility—his spiritual altar to Silvanus—continued to solidify, bringing into focus the verdant paradise that surrounded it.
Grass glowing in the oranges and golds of this land's eternal sunset rustled from an invisible breeze so realistic Halsin could almost feel it on his own skin. Bees buzzed lazily between wildflowers in blues, pinks, yellows, and purples, more beautiful than any city artist could ever paint. Overhead, birds greeted each other with cheerful chirps while otters splashed each other in the neighboring stream and a vixen dragged a freshly-slain rabbit into her den for her hungry kits.
In his bear form—for Halsin was always a bear in his meditations—the metallic tang of the rabbit's blood made him snuffle, wet nose flaring with interest although his physical stomach was full. But with a shake of his giant head he padded on, grass tickling at his knees with each heavy footfall.
It took a considerable amount of time to reach the great oak. But then, for Halsin the journey was always just as important as the destination. For it was in the journey that he could appreciate the piercing cry of the hawk, the startled grunt of a grazing deer, the vegetal scent of the great oak's leaves growing stronger with each meter trod.
In a moment of heartrending honesty, Halsin reflected that his pace also plodded because he was afraid. He had been missing his friend for just over a century. It had been 36,047 nights exactly since the great oak of his mind had seen any visitors besides him. Ever since the shadow curse began to dissolve, Halsin had been hoping to find his first friend beneath the wide-armed canopy of the oak. But each night he spent his trance alone.
Halsin feared his mighty heart might heave itself in two if he had to add another notch to his nighttime tally.
With a lurch and a mournful grumble, the great bear reached the base of the tree to find it bereft of visitors once more.
Whatever he and his companions had done for his homeland, it had not been enough. Perhaps he had been wrong to follow Miss Fortune to Baldur's Gate after all.
The shaggy fur at his cheeks trembled in the breeze as he shook his head again. No. Halsin made the right call. He owed Miss Fortune a great debt, and he did not need to bear that burden for the rest of his days.
And besides, the way they stirred his heart—and if he were being truthful, his loins—was something he was unwilling to set aside without knowing whether they felt the same.
His homeland had been barren for one hundred years; if the consequence of his choice to leave it at the moment of its freedom from Shar's cruel grip was to spend another few moons without Thaniel, then Halsin would find a way to endure. There would be time, after Miss Fortune led them to victory, to help his home.
Just as Halsin resolved to spend another night sprawled in solitude beneath the ancient tree, an acorn plunked down onto his nose with vicious accuracy. The rumble of his surprise shook the ground and a great wide paw rose to rub the sore spot.
Another acorn succumbed to gravity, this time clunking down on his skull. Moments later several more rained down along his back, their falls broken by the bulkier coat of fur before they could sting his skin.
This no longer felt like a coincidence. The bear hoisted his considerable heft to stand upright, surveying the horizon in a manner all too man-like for a beast. A giggle like the chorus of a thousand birds in joyous flight erupted from the branches above, and then another like the mischievous rumbling of burrowing badgers joined in.
"Found you, Old Bear!" two voices called in harmony.
Halsin's heart soared, his joy ringing across the full expanse of his mental sanctuary as a roar ripped from his maw. It was a call of celebration. Of triumph. Of exhilarating, exhausting, exalting relief.
Not just Thaniel, but Oliver too! Mirrored souls, forever bound—to each other and now to Halsin. Dark and light; joy and sorrow; childlike wonder and youthful mischief engaged in an eternal dance. His friends.
The forest spirits leapt from the tree, the magic infused in their very matter allowing them to float harmlessly to the forest floor before the druid. Before Halsin had the chance to drop back to all fours, two tiny pairs of arms wound their way around his hind legs and two tiny faces, one antlered and one horned, rubbed back and forth against his fur.
Unlike in reality, here he could communicate with them perfectly in his wild shape.
"The Oak Father blesses me tonight. My heart soars to see you both here! I trust you are well?"
The nature spirits stepped back, allowing Halsin to return to all fours. He laid down and fell onto his side, and the boys lost no time climbing atop his considerable belly.
"There is much work to do, but even as you slumber, seeds long dormant begin to yawn and stretch," Thaniel assessed while rubbing circles in Halsin's coat.
"Work, work, work! Thaniel is BORING!" Oliver groused, using Halsin's stomach as his personal drum, fingers rapping an impatient rhythm. "We want to play, Old Bear."
Halsin could not contain his laughter. What a delightful problem to have. "You two must find ways to compromise. Can you not make a game of your work?"
"…of work?" Oliver gasped.
"I will give a ride on my back to whoever sprouts the most seeds tomorrow before we meet back here in my meditations. In whichever form you request, at whatever speed you demand."
"Prepare to lose, Thaniel!"
With that settled, Halsin and his dearest friends spent the rest of his trance frolicking through the grass, smelling flowers, and napping in a happy heap. By the time his body called for his spirit's return, the druid's heart was fuller than it had been in decades. It would take much to undo the damage of the curse, both to him and his home, but tonight he had taken the first step of his journey.
And that is how any journey, no matter how long, must always begin.
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