Mixed emotion filled my system when my parents told us that we're going on a road trip back to our original homeland, La Bosque Birhen de Azuma. The few leaves in my branches—that was all left as autumn seasons was almost bidding its farewell, the beautiful color of mixed orange, yellowish green, and brown—danced enthusiastically as the western wind blows mildly, and as excitement suffused my memoirs of our motherland.

It'd been a couple of decades since we traveled away from our homeland, when a huge forest fire burned almost half of it. Our kind fled away from it to save ourselves. My family settled here in the western part called Adventure Forest. Some of our kind was scattered in the different parts of this realm, and some others remained in our homeland.

Father said that this forest wasn't safe for the creature like us anymore as humans started to deforested our temporary safety haven. We are the creature called Toghoy. We belonged to the family of Ent creatures. We were like ordinary trees in the eyes of the human. But unlike the others Ent, we had spikes all over our body, and we didn't grow taller and thicker. So, we are the fragile amongst our kind. I was just five-year old when we moved here and Agi, the tiny eagle, was my first friend in this forest. I remembered when his curiosity about our kind strikes.

"Juffer, why yah smell so refreshingly delicious?" Agi curiously asked. He had a slang accent.

"The tips of our spikes release the deodorizer that fumigates the air," I replied arrogantly.

"Why yah have a lot of edgily spikes?"

"It protects us from the huge herbivorous animals. Our scents attract them but our thorns scoot them away," I explained.

"Why are your eyes blue-green? Why yah have a lot of sharp teeth? Yah eat smaller animals or birds like meh?" he asked consecutively.

"No. We never eat animals; we actually protect them. Our eyes camouflage with the colors of the lichens, so our kinds will look like an ordinary tree. Sharp teeth? I don't know." I never thought about it.

"Do yah have friends from where yah came from?" he inquired.

"Yes. I have a playmate named Entaki. She's a Toghoy like me. I hope she's safe," I said worriedly.

"I can fly to yer homeland and ask for her, if yah like," he offered sincerely.

Agi found out that Entaki's family was safe. They were not affected by the forest fire. Agi became our messenger from then on. Entaki was one of the reasons why, I love to travel back home. Though, we were miles away from each other, Agi made us closer and our friendship deepens into romantic relationship. I missed her a lot and so eager to see her again. I've sent Agi to deliver a message to Entaki about our journey back home.

🌵🦅🌵🦅🌵

"Which creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?" my grandfather asked.

We traveled together, a group of seven Toghoy; my grandfather, my parents, my eldest sister with her husband, my elder brother, and me. Grandpa loved to crack our mind with riddles every time we travel, that was shared with him by friends, other creatures that lives in the forest. I'm the youngest and smallest among them, just like sapling.

"I remember the answer for that one," my mother replied, "but I will let the younger ones to think about it," she added.

"Human?" asked by my elder brother, bewilder.

Grandpa's laugh echoed in the midst of the forest. "How did you know that, Juno?"

"You're not the only one who loves riddles, gramps!" Juno replied with confidence.

"Has anyone actually seen a human?" I asked. In my twenty-five years of existence on earth. I never seen one yet.

"Oh, I did. They look like fairies but no wings," my father replied.

Then, he shared with us his adventure with human. Grandpa also told us how our grandma was accidentally killed by human's invention, an airplane, when it exploded in the forest.

Other than one sad story, we continued our journey exchanging jokes, riddles, and new knowledge. We also met some other creatures along the way. We proceeded night and day, and just took a little bit of rest wherever we agreed upon.

"Find those filthy Fauns! They're wounded they couldn't run fast!" someone's yelled woke up my senses.

As I opened my eyes, the sun is just starting to shower its brilliance. A group of beautiful creatures were running towards us or rather, deep in the forest. One of them was the one shouting angrily. I glanced to my father. We're just few meters apart and he whispered, "Humans. Keep still."

So, those are humans. Why are they so upset and what are those long sharp things that they're holding? I thought to myself.

"Men, be cautious of these trees! They have prickly trunks!" his voice disturbed the secluded area. Birds flew away and some small animals fled.

"I've never seen this kind of trees here before."

"We could use their thorn as weapons."

Before I could comprehend what the human said, he forcefully walloped my father's legs using his weapon, it has a long wooden handle with flat wedge-shaped metal.

"No!" I yelped as one of my father's leg crippled. His worried eyes glimpse towards me.

The humans turned to me. One of them shouted, "They're not ordinary tree! They're monsters! Kill them all!"

2/2

"Run and hide! I'll hold them up!" my father shouted to me.

I was flabbergasted. The humans advanced their paces towards me, but my mother grabbed me and we ran away. She told me to hide inside the old hollow log as I am not yet too big. I heard my mother's steps; rushing. Escaping.

I couldn't control the shivering of every part of my body. My heart trembled faster and louder like the little drums I used to play when I was younger. I hid my body inside the old hollow log, where my coarse skin like the tree bark could camouflage perfectly into it.

"Search for those heinous creatures before they could murder more of us!" shouted by one of the humans.

I suppressed my cries. Trying not to make any sound as I could hear the crunching of dried leaves on the ground as they're approaching closer to my hiding place.

"What kind of monsters are they?" asked by one man.

"They're called Toghoy. They eat humans alive with their sharp teeth or murder us by their thorny body. We should eliminate them all," the other replied with anguish.

No. We never hurt neither human nor animals. We looked grisly on human's eyes but we are very gentle creatures. Humans are beautiful creatures but they act dreadful.

I closed my eyes and prayed silently to the Creator of all creatures to spare me and my family from this outrageous killing of our kind. We are just passing by in this land, never perceived the danger in it.

The other side of the log was still covered by vines, untouched, whilst the opposite sites might be suspicious. I felt someone peek in the log. I held my breath.

"Nothing here. There's an untouched spider web on this log," the man said.

They drifted away from where am I. I opened my eyes and saw the spider web where I've entered. My prayer was answered. The Creator did his miracles on small ways. I prayed for the safety of each of my family members. I'm worried so much about my father. I couldn't understand why humans wanted to kill us.

🌵🦅🌵🦅🌵

"Juffer, you can come out now," I heard the reassuring voice of my mother.

My eyes were blinded by the darkness even after I crawled out of that log. Mother said she came back for me and we needed to meet the others deeper in the forest, where it's safer for us.

The anxiousness on the face of our family vanished when they saw us approaching. I gave each one a warm hug, but my heart felt heavier when I couldn't see my father. I gave my mother a questioning glare. She smiled faintly and show me something on her palm.

"You father's body didn't make it. Humans chopped him into pieces. But your father's heart still survived. We just need to plant him and wait patiently until his body will grow up again," she explained.

Our heart is located in our right foot, as long as it is unharmed or unburned, we're still alive. It would take hundreds of years before my father will look like how he was a while ago. My trunks would look sturdier and older that he is, in the future.

"Did father kill all those humans?" I asked. I couldn't recognize my voice, full of remorse towards humans.

"No. Your father wouldn't hurt any of the human. We are forbidden to do so. Their ignorance about us, frightens them. But it doesn't mean that we needed to be vengeful," Grandpa explained.

The Fauns, Lukeus, that the humans were looking for, was saved by my brother. He's the goat-legged, horn-headed creature. He was originally from the peaceful and bountiful faerie land called Tirnanoc. I never heard of it so, I listened attentively.

"I escaped from Carnival Row. It is a ghetto, where the fae or creatures different from human have been force to flee, yet we were imprisoned and enslaved," he said with gritted teeth.

I could feel their sufferings that he've been though as he told us his story. We felt sorry for them, but right now, we couldn't do anything to help them.

We continued our journey. Along the way, Grandpa sent messages to our elders, through animals, birds, and other creatures. He said that everyone should know about it to come up for a resolution. War wasn't always the solution, but a peaceful talk. I neither agree nor disagree.

Isn't it possible to just respect each other's kind? No war. No discrimination. No judgment. The world is big enough for all to have their own territorial home. But if greed consumed any creature, conflict arises. Humans are greedy creatures. They wanted to rule over all creatures. They invaded the fae territories and they started to conquer the forest as well. They judged others based on the appearances without actually learning its attributes. How pitiful they are!

As we were approaching our destination, my mind hovered from grievance about humans, but focused on the eagerness to see my Entaki. My heart jumped from my foot upon laying my glance to my beloved. Her lips formed a welcoming smile, and as I enveloped her into my arms, I felt familiarity... I'm finally home.

"Tell me about your journey, my Juff." Entaki held my hand and led the way to our favorite place to play at, when we were kids, besides the enchanting waterfalls. The roars of the water torrents were like an assonance that calm my soul.

I told her everything about our journey. How excited I am, coming back to our homeland and being with her again! How we started with joyful moments, until we've pass by that particular area of despair and agony. How I mourned silently for the physical loss of my father. How I felt remorseful for the humans.

Entaki faced me whist holding my hands. Her loving glance uplifted my soul.

"Never stop hoping for the best," she said.

Six words that linger in the midst of my mind. Though, sadness filled us during autumn as our leaves departed from our branches, and a long winter was a like a long mourning stage, yet spring always comes. The colour of our leaves, the colour of new life. Hope.

We are still alive and we're reunited. There's still a greater chance for us to live a peaceful life together. To start our own family. In here, deep in the forest, away from the humans.

We should enjoy every moments whist it last. For how long, nobody knows.

❣🐏

Date written: 23-26 Sept. 2019

SPRING AND AUTUMN
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HeartTorturer A.K.A.
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