The Winter kingdom

Version 2.0

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the village as the day drew to a close. Exhausted but content, Brandon retired to his simple straw-filled bed. Sleep enveloped him swiftly, as he dreamed of magic and dire wolves.

/

With the first light of morning, Brandon sprang from his bed, flinging off his cover. His clothes, worn and familiar, were hastily donned as he hurriedly wolfed down a simple breakfast of eggs and bread. His legs bounced as he exchanged brief words with his family before he burst forth from his home like a ravenous dog.

His boots pounded against the frozen ground as the square beckoned, where Edric and Jon awaited. Under the crisp morning sky, his friends exchanged glances, before smiling at to another.

"Did you guys tell your family about yesterday? How did they respond?" Brandon asked.

Edric just scratched the back of his head while looking away. "Yeah, I told my dad, and he said that it's fine."

"How very 'of your dad', Edric," Brandon smiled. "Why do you look so sheepish, Jon? Wait, why am I even asking? You did not tell them, did you?"

"Well, we're not going to disappear right away. I have plenty of time to tell them; it will be fine. I know what I am doing," Jon explained.

"If you say so, Jon. Right then, come on; let's finally learn magic."

"On to adventure and magic!" Jon exclaimed.

"Sure," deadpanned Edric.

They approached the border area of the forest, where winds whipped the forest and moss-covered rocks with gnarled roots crisscrossed their path. The trio cautiously approached the area where they first encountered the formidable dire wolf.

Little noise radiated from the forest as the ground still bore the imprint of its powerful paw prints. The underbrush, once adorned with vibrant flora, now sunk under the pressure of snow, where only a few plants remained encased in ice preserving them for a final moment.

From behind the tree emerged two children of the forest, Acorn and Elder Oak. "Come Brandon, Edric, and Jon; there is much to do as for a tale of magic, a story must be told," Elder Oak commanded.

The boys shared a look as they travelled deep into the forest again, to be quickly greeted by the familiar clearing, bathed in soft, ambient light encompassing the heart tree. Its eyes peered into the party as the children of the forest chatted in their melodic language and too watched the party.

"Here you will learn the wonders of our world. For in the dance of magic, there are answers to be found," he spoke.

Elder Oak, regal and ancient, beckoned the trio forward as the wind furled his hair. He brought them before a mighty tree, its bark etched with unknown words and symbols. With a profound incantation, Elder Oak chanted in the ancient tongue. As the final words echoed through the grove, the tree responded in kind, unveiling a hidden passage within its gnarled trunk.

Stepping through the doorway, the trio found themselves in a wondrous open chamber. The furniture, if it could be called such, flowed naturally from the living wood. Chairs with sinuous curves, tables with intricate patterns, all born from the essence of the trees. Light filtered through the foliage, casting a gentle glow on everything in this arboreal sanctum.

As the boys ventured deeper, they discovered shelves adorned with peculiar flora, each item crafted just not by a craftsman. Everything seemed to flow and respond with each other, they seemingly blending with nothing standing out other than their combined presence. They had entered the heart of the forest's creativity, where life itself sculpted its surroundings.

As Elder Oak walked on, heading down a sideway, Acorn led the three to the chairs.

The chairs were masterpieces of arboreal elegance, their forms flowing vines created for their elegant curves and essence of comfort. When seated, one felt the subtle contours yielding to the contours of the body.

The touch was not cold and artificial but warm, alive, and pulsating in beat with the tree. The table, an organic marvel, stood at the centre of the arboreal chamber. It bore intricate symbols, telling something to the boys but sadly not understood. Its surface revealed not a smooth finish but a rough texture, but it did not harm the boys when touched.

Elder Oak emerged from a concealed side path; his towering presence stooped under the weight of bark bundles. The bark, a canvas of nature's wisdom, bore inscriptions of an enigmatic language that was waiting to be sung.

As he placed the stacks upon the table, he ran a hand across its surface, as it pulsated beneath his fingertips. The bark unfurled to reveal its intricate patterns. The inscriptions, not imposed upon the surface but woven into the fibres, seemed to breathe at last. The words melded seamlessly with the bark's texture as if they were not mere symbols but part of the bark.

"Here you will start to learn everything that we are willing to teach you. For in these words' profound, a story shall burn as magic unbound," Elder Oak proclaimed.

And so, with eager hearts and open minds, Brandon, Edric, and Jon embarked on their journey into the mysteries of the forest, ready to delve into the ancient wisdom that awaited them.