punish the tree!!
Well out of the tree's reach you glare at it defiantly. " I have
no wish to hurt anything in this forest" you cry to the listening
foliage. "But I will if you force me to. All I ask is to climb
and see where I am."
You wait-for what your not sure. At last the singed tree rumbles in a
bass voice "You may go on your way human, but I will not let you
climb me"
You glare at the injured tree and approach another, Zippo lighter
ready in hand.
"I cannot force you to let me climb you, but if you do can I
trust you not to throw me down?"
The tree rustles sulkily. Then, "Yes."
"I can hurt you like I hurt the other tree."
"Understood"
As you approach the tree it even lowers it's branches to aid your
climb. You smother a self-satisfied grin. It wouldn't do any good to
gloat...
You reach the top of the tree easily. An ocean of green flows beneath
you, it's going to take a while to find your way out of here.
A cold sinking sensation begins in your stomach when you realize that
the sheltering trees prevent you from seeing where the Kingdom lies or
even where the Willow is...
You climb back down, dropping the last six feet and land gently on the
ground.
You head back the way you think the 'Feu Follet" went when you
lost it and continue your travels...
Before the tree can crush you, you react. You didn't have time to
think and didn't have to. With your free hand you grope in your
pocket, twist your body round and where the trees leafy limbs touch
you, they explode into flames...thank god for Zippo lighters...the
tree roars in pain, instantly releasing you. It begins to beat it's
fiery branches against it's own trunk. The flames leap for a few
frenzied moments then die.
