Chapter 7: Atalaya's Third Birthday

Sossheni, sensing the approach of the wolf and elves, sank back into the trunk of her tree.Watching, she waited for them to enter her glade. The child slumbered, securely fastened in her resting place high above her. The wind rustled through the leaves of the trees surrounding the glade as Sossheni heard the call of a goshawk circling the perimeter of her home. The wolf bounded into the clearing, landing upon the rock where the child had rested. Within moments she saw the two elven hunters and the two children hasten into the glade, stopping next to the wolf. The tall blonde one rested his hand upon the wolf’s head, speaking softly to it. The wolf’s attention was focused squarely on her tree. She shuddered slightly, controlling her urge to withdraw completely into her tree. As they focused on her ash tree and began to approach it she breathed in deeply, taking in the power of the earth from her tree. Feeling the power running through her and grounding her to the forest around her she stepped out of the safety of her tree and stood tall and proud in front of it. Taking a deep breath, Sossheni reached out, making a graceful sweeping motion with her arm. The ground around the feet of those approaching her erupted in a tangle of vines and brambles, catching their feet and rooting them in place. She watched the wolf struggle and work himself free, but the elves were held firmly in place. She threw a stern glance at the wolf. “You will stay right there,” she commanded, her voice stern and foreboding. “Or you will find that you can’t move at all.”

Clearwater, growled low in his throat, but sat. His eyes radiated his rage as he found himself unable to move any further towards the dryad standing between him and the child he had tracked to this place. Ailwin continued to struggle with the brambles, trying to force his way towards the tree and its fierce guardian.

“Atalaya! Where are you sweetheart? Atalaya!” Turning towards the dryad, he met her eyes as he demanded, “What did you do to my daughter?”

The branches tightened around Ailwin’s feet, firmly holding him fast a couple yards ahead of his brother. “I think elf, that a better question is why did your young daughter find her way into my grove?” Shaking her head sadly, “One could believe that you had little care for your child.”

“No!” The anguished cry was torn from Ailwin’s heart. “No, that’s not so.”

“Yet here she is. She came to me, begging for my help. And she shall have it. I could claim her as my own.”

“No! Atalaya! Where are you? Daddy is here.”

“She will not hear you now. She sleeps with me. She is a lovely child. She will be my companion. I will care for her now,” Sossheni said as she watched Ailwin fighting her binding trying to reach her.

“You cannot have her. She is ours,” Rhys said as he struggled to reach Ailwin’s side. “She may have wandered off, but we have searched for and found her. She is not a child abandoned by her family or someone fleeing from danger. We have searched for her and found her.”

“We will take her home. Her mother is frantic with worry.” “I will not allow you to keep her,” said Ailwin, forcing himself to keep his voice strong and firm when all he wanted to do was beg the dryad to release his daughter. He knew that begging would never get him the result he wanted.

Overhead the call of a goshawk rang out as Kalusa dove through the young ash trees and made her way unerringly to the branch Atalaya rested upon. Her talons encircled one of the thin branches that kept her niece fastened to the mighty ash tree. With all her force she strove to lift off, pulling the branch with her. And got nowhere. She turned and worked her beak between Atalaya’s leg and a different branch, planning to cut it in two.

Sossheni gasped in pain and turned her gaze towards the tree. Reaching out she tried to seize the mind of the goshawk and felt … nothing. “No! Stop that. Call off your bird,” she spat, turning towards Ailwin again and tightening the vines entangling his legs. “One more attack by that creature and you will never see the child again.”

Ailwin and Sossheni glared at each other, neither averting their gaze or relenting in the anger that heated the space between them. “She is my daughter. She will leave here with me,” ground out Ailwin. Ailwin, never lowering his eyes from hers, slowly reached up and unclasped his cloak. Rapidly winding it around his arm he held it up and called to Kalusa. She swept down, landing lightly on his arm, taking care not to tighten her talons too forcefully around his arm. “Kreey-a” she sounded softly as she nestled against her brother’s body. Then a forceful “Ki-ki-ki-ki” erupted from her as she turned her cold red eyes upon the dryad. “Ki-ki-ki-ki” she repeated, ruffling her feathers in rage.

Taking a single step forward Sossheni stared into the goshawk’s eyes. With a commanding voice she ground out, “You will not attack my tree again. And, you will keep silent.” Her gaze lowered to the cloak wrapped around Ailwin’s arm. Noting the Emerald Enclave’s badge sewn into the inner collar of the cloak she gave a quick smile, ducking her head to hide it from the elves in front of her.


Kasula, ruffled her feathers, her head following the movements of the dryad. Trying to sidle up Ailwin’s arm to launch herself at the tree, she found herself unable to move. Opening her beak to scream out her frustration she made no sound. Her eyes pierced the dryad's and she dropped her goshawk form, leaping agilely over the vines and brambles surrounding Ailwin and landing between her children and the angry creature before her. Her staff planted firmly into the ground, her eyes blazed with defiance as she faced off with the dryad.

Sossheni held her ground as she shifted her gaze from the woman in front of her, to the angry father and then to the other male. Looking at the children, she relented slightly in her anger. Loosening the bonds on the young twins, she allowed them to pull free. “Go to the stone. Rest there while I speak to these others. The vines will not harm you as you make your way there.”

Lorsan and Talina tentatively stepped back while they searched for their father’s face for his permission. Seeing his slight nod, they continued slowly back to the rock in the middle of the glade. Sitting on the edge of the large rock, they focused all their attention on the adults and the strange looking being across the way. Without thought their hands reached for each other, fingers entwining as they drew strength from each other.

“A druid. I should have known when I couldn’t speak to you as you attacked my tree. And a ranger who is a member of the Emerald Enclave,” she added, turning her head towards Ailwin. Sossheni cast her eyes up and down the two. Next she turned towards the last elf. And you, you are also a ranger? And perhaps also a member of the Enclave?”

Rhys maintained his eye contact with the dryad, but didn’t speak.

“I could command you to answer me. I would rather that we move past the need for that.”

Rhys, glancing at Ailwin, “Yes. Yes, I’m a ranger.” After a slight pause he added, “And one of the Chosen of Silvanus.” Turning his head towards Ailwin he added, “I didn’t know there were any dryads this close to Otterwell. Did you know this?”

“No I didn’t know about her,” he answered quietly. Returning his focus to the dryad he repeated, “You can’t have my daughter.”

“And yet, there is nothing you can do to stop me, and remain true to your vows to the Emerald Enclave. I am familiar with them. And they include preserving nature in all its forms. That is a worthy life’s work.” She sighed and stepped back to her tree. Seating herself in front of it, she waved her arm in an intricate motion and the entwining vines and brambles sank into the earth, releasing their captives. “Come, sit. Let us start again. Atalaya sleeps and is safe where she is.” “Sit,” she said again gesturing to the ground before her. “I’m not planning on eating you for dinner, today,” she added with a slight smile. “Sit,” her voice rose as they remained unmoving before her. “We were moving beyond my having to command your obedience. Just sit and we will talk.”

Ailwin strode forward with Kalusa and Rhys flanking him. Stopping several yards in front of the dryad, he slowly lowered himself, sitting with his legs crossed and his bow laying across his lap. He sensed his sister and brother-in-law seating themselves on either side of him. “Then let us talk. You cannot keep me from my daughter. She has a home and a family that loves her. She has not been abandoned. She has not been abused. She did stray from her home, but she has been found. She is not yours to claim.”

“Yet she was alone and lost in this forest and appealed to me for help and safety. I can and have claimed her.” Turning her focus on Kalusa she asked, “You are her mother? You are not who I saw in her thoughts.”

“No, I am her aunt,” replied Kalusa, her eyes glaring at the dryad looked almost as red as those of her goshawk wildshape. Motioning past Ailwin she added, “Rhys is my husband, and Lorsan and Talina are our children.”

“And you are?”

“I am Kalusa.”

“And you may call me Sossheni. This is my grove that you have entered … that the child entered.” Turning her attention to Atalaya’s father she asked, “And your name?”

“I am Ailwin. And yes, I am both a ranger and a member of the Emerald Enclave.” Looking around the glade he added, “I don’t remember seeing this place before. I have never seen this glade here before today and I don’t understand that. I know this land, all the land around my family’s home. How has this come to be here.?”

“You did not find it before, because I did not choose to let it be found. But the child was scared and alone and in need of safety. Her need drew her to me, and she was able to find her way in. I allowed you to enter because she was calling for you. But you must tell me why she was alone in the forest. As a ranger and an elf, you should be well aware of the danger that she was in. I have provided her with safety and care.”

“I thank you for the safety that you provided her as we were searching for her. I don’t know why she was roaming the woods. Once I get her home her mother and I will find out how this happened and make sure it will not happen again.”

Sossheni shook her head sadly. “This happened because she was left alone as your wife was focused on a baby brother. For too long she was left alone. She is just a baby herself. How could you have left your family so soon after the birth of your son?” Looking around at the others she added, “Perhaps your sister and her family is more important to you than your own family? Is that why you left?” After a moment of silence Sossheni looked up into the tree. “She thinks that she did something wrong and that you are mad at her. She thinks that is why you leave. Are you mad at her, is that why you left your family?”

Ailwin looked stricken. “No. Never that. The Enclave makes many demands on its members. I have had to be away on business for them. But I am here as often as I can be. Samantha knows that. But something will need to change. Samantha and I will talk it through and decide how to keep Atalaya safe. My current mission has been completed. If nothing else, I will step away from the Enclave for a few years while Atalaya grows. My daughter belongs with her family. We shall ensure that she is safe and well and happy. Loved she has always been and will always be.”

Sossheni's eyes had remained fixed on Ailwin as he spoke. When he paused, she held up her hand. “Do you speak truly?” she wondered aloud. “I see the soul of a guardian within her. She can grow into a great protector of the forests and other wilderness lands across Faerûn. Perhaps as a druid,” she said, shifting her gaze towards Kalusa. “Although,” and her gaze shifted back towards the two rangers, “I believe she will find her calling as a ranger.”

“Give me your hand, elf,” she commanded Ailwin as she stretched her hands towards him. Seeing Ailwin’s refusal written across his face, her eyes blazed into his and the leaves in the tree behind her began rustling menacingly. Then, breathing deeply, she calmed the tension running through her. The tree calmed behind her. “If you wish to have any chance of leaving here with the child, you will prove to my satisfaction the words you just spoke. She will not leave here until I am sure that she will be safe in your care and in the care of your family.

“So, give me your hand, and we will see if you meant what you said, or if they were just pretty words meant to deflect me from my claim on her.” Holding her hands steady as she waited for Ailwin to make up his mind, she shifted her gaze towards Kalusa and Rhys. They were watching Ailwin, obviously ready to support whatever decisions he made. Seeing this strong bond between the adults eased Sossheni’s fears slightly and she allowed her countenance to soften slightly when she returned her gaze to Ailwin. “You fear me, and in fact you have cause to do so. But I give you my word, on the life of my tree, that my reading of you will cause you no harm. And if you have spoken honestly, I will in fact return the child to you if you agree to certain conditions I will set. If you are lying, the child is mine and will remain here until she is grown.”

“The choice is yours. I will not command you to allow me to read you. But if you choose not to allow this, I will consider that as an admission that you will not make the changes needed to see to Atalaya’s care and my claim will stand.

Placing his bow on the ground beside him, Ailwin stood up and stepped forward, placing his hand within the dryads’ hands. “I have spoken truly. My children are everything to me. I will make whatever changes we need to make to keep her safe, up to and including taking time off from my work with the Emerald Enclave until my children are old enough to remain safe with Samantha. What more can I promise than this?” he added as he gazed steadily into the eyes of the dryad. “I will not… I cannot allow you to keep her from her family.”

Once Ailwin’s hand was placed within hers, Sossheni grasped it firmly and centered herself deep within the roots of the mighty ash tree standing tall behind her. She allowed the words and thoughts of the elf before her to wash over and through her, shifting through his emotions, meanings and the resolve she could feel growing stronger with each word he spoke. One of her hands came up and cupped the back of his head as she probed even deeper. Then slowly and as gently as she could Sossheni withdrew her mind and power from him. She released his hand.

Ailwin stepped back between his sister and Rhys, his eyes remaining focused on Sossheni as he slowly reseated himself and placed his bow across his lap again. “I want my daughter back now.”

“Yes, I see that you are ready to care properly for Atalaya. So, if you agree to the following conditions, you can indeed leave here with her.”

His heart beating faster with apprehension, Ailwin reached for Kalusa’s and Rhys’ hands. Wondering if they would yet have to fight the creature before him for his child. His eyes searched through the foliage of the tree looking for any sign of Atalaya. He silently whispered to her, “No fears my brave one. Daddy is going to take you home.”

His gaze returning to Sossheni he hardened his voice. “What are these conditions that you speak of?”

“First, you will treasure her by keeping her properly supervised and guided until she is able to do that for herself. Second, you will provide her with the training she requires to become a guardian of Faerûn. This must be her choice, but it is up to you to provide the training and guidance to bring her to this choice. Druid or Ranger, Emerald Enclave or Harpers, the specific choice must be hers, but it is up to you to guide her towards her purpose. Thirdly, you will bring Atalaya back here for me to judge your care of her and her growth in skills and knowledge each year on this day, her birthing day, until she has reached the age of 25 years. After that you will bring her here at least once every year until she has made her choice. I allow that leeway, because it may be that if she is truly learning the skills she needs to be considered by either of the factions she may not be within this area on each of her birthdays. But if she is, I expect you to make the pilgrimage here and present her to me. By the age of 35 you shall tell her of this contract we are making and by the age of 45 she must choose her life’s path. What you will not tell her is that if by her 45th birthing day, she has not made a decision to join one or the other of these factions. I will switch my claim to you. You would then serve me here, within this glade, until you die or I die. And from this there will be no reprise. But I repeat, this final condition is not to be known by Atalaya. She must freely and willingly embrace the life of a guardian of the High Forest and Faerûn.”

Searching his face, and that of the other two elves she added. “Of course, you can choose not to accept these conditions and then she will remain with me, and I will raise her to become a guardian of the High Forest myself.” After a moment she added, “Take you time. This is a major decision and I will not allow you to reverse it. If you agree, you will be under a geas to fulfill it.”

Sossheni sat down again, her back against the mighty ash tree. A faint tendril of thought snaked its way up the tree as she assured herself that the child still slumbered unaware of the intense emotions as the two forceful and determined personalities fought for what each considered to be the best for her. Seeing Ailwin talking softly with his sister she called out, “Be sure, that if I find that you have had the geas removed, on that day my claim to Atalaya will be called due and I will take her into my service.”

Kalusa reached over and placed her hand on her brother’s shoulder. “Take care brother, she offers you no real choice.” She shifted her gaze back to her children. Her love and worry for them was evident in her expression and the tenseness of her posture. She turned back to Aileen. “We will stand with you. What is it that you want to do?”

Ailwin pulled himself free of his sister’s grasp, her pain evident in her face. He pushed his fear deep inside him and stepped towards Sossheni. “You give me no quarter. I agree to your conditions. But a geas is not needed. I will keep my word to you.”

“You will be bound. But the geas shall be only that you shall do all that you have sworn to me. While you stay true to this in all other ways your life will be your own. Guide her towards her calling and all will be well for all your family. Should you renege on your promise the geas will ‘gently’ remind you that you have strayed and so allow you to correct your doings.”

“Place your hand upon mine once again and let us finish this. Then I myself shall place Atalaya in your arms.”

Aliwen visibly braced himself and took one additional step forward and placed his trembling hand onto Sossheni’s, palm to palm. He heard her utter some archaic words that he could not understand and felt a heaviness settle over him, weaving in and out throughout his body, between his muscles and his bones, through his lungs and within his beating heart. What felt like a cooling breeze crept through his mind making him shiver. He took a deep breath and then … nothing. Everything felt as before. He looked quizzically at the dryad. “It is done,” she pronounced. “As I said, as long as you keep your word you have nothing to fear.”

“Wait here. I shall bring the child to you.” Sossheni released his hand and began to leap through the branches of the ash tree. Her tresses looking more and more like the shaking leaves of the tree she traveled through. Her brown limbs blended into the trunk of the tree and its branches making it difficult to follow her progress. Ailwin’s heart beat ever faster as the moments passed while he waited for the sight of his daughter.

High in the tree Sossheni gazed down at the child’s sleeping form, securely fastened to the branch she sat upon. Gently she stroked her hand across Atalaya's cheeks and ran a finger down her nose. A tear could be seen slowly traveling down her face as she loosened the hold of the sustaining branches from around the little girl. Gathering her in her arms she whispered softly into her ear, “Time to rise and shine sweetheart. Your Daddy is waiting for you below. Hold tightly to me now.” Slowly, carefully, Sossheni made her way down the tree and placed her into the loving arms of her father.

“I will see you all next year. Her mother and the boy child are also welcome. Our yearly visits shall be a time of joy and celebration of the past year. Go now, and do as you have promised. The way is open for you to leave.” Finishing her words to the elves, Sossheni slowly merged back into her tree and was no longer seen by those left in the grove.

Ailwin staggered with relief as he gazed upon the sleepy face of his little girl. Hugging her tightly to his chest he strode from the glade as quickly as he could. Rhys and Kalusa rushed to the rock in the middle of the glade where their children sat, gathering them into their arms before turning to follow Ailwin.

Clearwater turned towards the huge ash tree growling menacing at it as he slowly backed his way across the glade to Rhys’ side. Finally with a final growl in the general direction of the ash tree, he turned and circled around his pack, clearly delighted that they were all together again and headed towards one of their dens. Letting out a long howl and then a series of excited yips he raced ahead, leading them towards the cottage and the child’s mother. All was once again well with his pack.

The dryad’s grove faded into the forest as they walked quickly along a suddenly very clear path through the trees that headed towards Samantha’s cottage. Once Ailwin was certain that there was no sign of Sossheni or her tree he turned to Kalusa. “Please, will you fly ahead and tell Samantha that we are coming home with Atalaya and will be there soon. Tell her not to worry, all is fine. Anything else can wait until tomorrow.”

Kalusa gathered her children in her arms, gave them a huge hug, met the eyes of her husband and then gathered the energy from deep under the ground she was standing on, she raised her staff in an upward sweeping motion and then changed into a goshawk once again. Launching herself into the sky she checked her position and headed for Samantha, joy making each wingstroke a delight and the wind in her face purged all her anxiety and worry from her body. Her ki-ki-ki-ki rang out clear and vibrant as she wound her way through the trees.