Writing for Chickenwhite for drawing Quad as a wolf. Enjoy!


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You can do it...

Come on, come on out...

Grow, my friend...

Grow!!


Redd sighed. He removed his hoof from the base of the little sprout. It was no use, he was given a false promise. He was lied to about the gift.

He sat, looking down at the sprout once again. "I-it's such a d-dangerous world here for y-y-you to be here so s-small. T-there are always angry d-deer fighting one a-another here, and c-c-clumsy fawns who aren't w-watching where they s-s-step. Oh...oh I wish I-I could convince you to g-g-grow..."

Redd recalled the event that happened a few moments ago. He was resting between his two favorite trees when he saw a little bird laying awkwardly on the ground. The deer tilted his head curiously, and standing, he approached the little bird. It writhed and cried out painfully, though only able to make sounds that were difficult to hear. It had been crying out for some time now, and it's calls were falling on deaf ears.

"W-what is wrong, l-l-little bird?", Redd asked it. He surveyed the creature much more - it was a variety of hummingbird, and he could tell that its wing was injured. The hummingbird writhed, panting deeply, trying to speak to the deer, trying to tell him to end its life. Redd couldn't understand the words, but instead, he bent down, "Don't w-worry, I won't h-h-hurt you, I am o-only going to h-help, so p-p-please don't p-peck at me."

He gently picked up the hummingbird in his mouth, not biting down but rather just lifting it with his lips. The hummingbird struggled a little at first, but then relaxed, making short, quick breaths. Redd moved as fast as he could, taking the hummingbird across the Forest, past the birch trees and to the old Fountain. He knew Drinkplaats had magical properties, and he wondered if the waters could possibly heal the little bird.

He stepped into the mushroom circle, his pelt, mask, and antler spells vanishing for the moment. He approached the fountain, gently placing the hummingbird at the edge where it would be able to sit in the water without drowning.

"Drink t-the water, and m-make a w-w-wish to feel b-better.", Redd told the little bird, but really he was thinking "I hope this works."

The little hummingbird drank the water as it was told, and the laying back, it took a deep breath. It outstretched the broken wing, no longer feeling pain, able to move it easily. "It worked!! It actually worked!!", Redd thought, very happy to see the bird was not suffering anymore.

The hummingbird shook off the water and fluttered it's little wings quickly, accelerating into the sky and hovering before Redd's face. It make a few sounds to him, and strangely Redd understood what it was saying:

"Thank you for your gift, you were the only one who heard my calls for help. For that, I will give you a gift as well. Simply put your foot on the ground near a sprout, close your eyes, and will it to grow. It will obey you and become a great tree. Do this for me, help the new trees grow, just as you helped me heal."

The hummingbird moved so quickly, vanishing into the trees. Redd heeded the words, and went to find a sprout.

He did everything the hummingbird told him to. He put his hoof on the sprout and told it to grow. So why wasn't it working?

"P-put your foot on t-the ground near a s-s-sprout, close your e-eyes, and it w-w-will...wait, I-I gotta c-c-close my eyes!", Redd spoke to himself. He realized what he did wrong.

He put his hoof by the sprout, and shutting his eyes, he spoke to it again.

"C-come on, my friend...g-grow for me..."

And as he said the words, he felt the ground start to shift underneath his hoof. He felt the little sprout rise between his toes, he felt roots grow and thicken beneath, he could feel the trunk grow.

And opening his eyes, there was no sprout by his hoof, but a young tree. It rose up above his head, and as he looked up at it, he saw the hummingbird sitting on one of the branches, looking down at him.

Redd smiled, "Well what d-do you know...it r-r-really is a g-gift!", he spoke. The hummingbird gave a little nod of its head, and bending down, it knocked down one of the tree's tiny pinecones. It wanted Redd to continue the cycle, and he did so, taking the pinecone and burying it in another part of the Forest. He pressed his hoof into the dirt, closed his eyes, and wished for the pinecone to become a tree. And once again, it worked!

He would later realize how vital his actions were for the Endless Forest, as the new trees would be very beneficial to the cycle of life around him. But for today, he rested between his two favorite trees, falling into a deep sleep and reflecting on the good he did for the day.

And right above his head was the hummingbird, watching over him. His own little guardian.