The Summoning
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In the quiet of a peaceful Tao night, most villagers of Sapling Village had laid down to rest. One among them would normally be joining them, but growing concerns dictated that she act. Quietly, so as not to disturb the hard workers or the little ones in the hub, the Roserade snuck from the entrance of her library, gently shutting the door behind herself with one hand. In the viny grasp of her other hand, she held the key-shaped Thistle Whistle.
There was not a soul stirring that night on the moderately short trek to the old shrine. Travelers visiting the commerce mushroom were directed not to overstay past nightfall if they could help it. Often some would remain and loiter anyway, but this night was completely calm. It was almost like an omen. Still, it made things very simple for Arianna, and she was soon upon the old, wooden place of worship.
Arianna gazed down at the whistle in a pause once she stood before the shrine’s archway. Her previous usage of the instrument turned out to be a disastrous event, ultimately revealing its existence and powers to someone who simply stole it from her when her back was turned. When it came down to it, she had herself to blame just as much as the thief for the whistle’s absence when she needed it most. These were the thoughts that plagued her since suffering the elder’s death.
This wasn’t about that, though. The whistle’s power could be used for an ultimately good cause. One that would result in no tragedy, only preservation of life. With that uplifting ideal in mind, Arianna quickly brought the Thistle Whistle up to her lips, and began to play a soft, yet haunting tune into the air.
With every note, tension arose. She wasn’t certain how many notes it would take, only that it would work eventually as long as she didn’t miss a beat. Sure enough, from within the old shrine came a strange twinkle that grew, and grew, until it seemed to implode and shower harmless sparks onto the ground below. From the soundless implosion came the green, fairy-like form of a Celebi. Truly a rare sight! It floated steadily and seemed mildly curious of its surroundings for several moments before setting its gaze on a wide-eyed Arianna.
The forest guardian, referred to in her texts by name as Jasmine. In her years, Arianna had studied about the history between Sapling Village and the guardian, but never summoned it. To see it herself was rather humbling. She couldn’t find her first words to such a being when faced by it directly.
Fortunately for her, the first words would come from the Celebi, all while it smiled at her warmly. “Greetings, noble healer!” Jasmine exclaimed in a cheery manner, only to perform a double-take and place her hands up against her mouth in a mild gasp. “Oh goodness, I’m sorry! You must be a descendant of hers; the resemblance is uncanny!”
Being mistaken for her ancestor, whom she greatly respected, was enough to make even Arianna’s normally stoic appearance waver into a blush, if only briefly. She quickly caught herself though; this was about something bigger than her interests in her texts. Ignoring any residual warmth in her cheeks, she faced the cheerful guardian and stated her business. “Thank you for the compliment... but I called you for a very serious reason. I believe that the plants in this area are dying.”
“Dying?!” Jasmine replied with genuine shock. Her wings carried her out from within the old shrine, and she gazed into the distance at the treeline. Even with little but moonlight to use for vision, her delighted expression quickly melted away. “... I can feel it,” she began, once again averting her gaze to Arianna, “it’s very widespread... what happened here?”
Arianna lamented seeing sadness in the guardian’s eyes, but it was necessary to bring the recent happenings to light for her. Her assistance was crucial. “The village to the east summoned a great ice dragon, which coated the very land around it with the worst winter imaginable. Then... as I understand it, he went mad, and rampaged through much of the forest. We were distanced from most of the incident, so that is all I know.”
“Village to the east... hm,” Jasmine replied with interest. Her eyes narrowed with determination as they gazed off into the distance. “If that’s where the freezing cold emanated from, then I need to see it for myself,” she declared, giving one last glance to Arianna. It was a soft one, accompanied with one last warm smile. “You were wise to bring this to my attention! I’m happy to know that even her descendants care so deeply for this place.”
Once again, Arianna felt flattered, but before she could find the proper words to reply with, Jasmine had already begun making her way toward Tao Village. The humbled librarian gazed into the distance for a moment, wishing the best for the cheery guardian.
