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It had been a rather slow day. Kairos had gone off somewhere leaving Arber to his own devices. But it wasn’t like he was going to do much.

Trees aren’t super active creatures after all.

So he found a nice sunny spot he could laze in to soak up the sunlight like all trees liked to do.

Memories of when he first awoke in this land began to flood back into his mind. So he decided to take a little trip into them while he basked.

He had been so disoriented when he awoke. None of th plants had been familiar. The land and soil was strange. Arber had begun to wander frantically in no particular direction. He would turn one way one minute and another way the next. As to how many days had passed while he did this he was unsure. But eventually he collapsed i a shady grove. His hair was matted with dirt and twigs. Lips dry and cracked from thirst. There seemed to be no frequent rain here like there had been in his last home. Yellow eyes glazed over as he lost consciousness.

A voice riused him but delirium had set in and he was unsure if the voice was real. The sensation of cool liquid on his lips made his dry mouth ease and he passed back into unconsciousness.

When he next awok Arber was a little more aware of his surroundings. The sun was almost set. How long had he been out he wondered. Arber noticed that his hair was unmarked and clean. Had the mysterious voice done this?

The sound of movement amongst the trees and the faint glow of a light in the distance caught his attention. The tree swuint d trying to get a better look when someone started to come into view. The light was coming from a lamp that the other was carrying. He had to admit that the skull marking on the other’s face had startled him a bit but the soft, worried look in the other’s eyes had put him at ease.

It wasn’t long after that Arber and Kairos began to grow close. Kairos always seemed a bit frantic when trying to care for Arber’s needs but that was what the tree found endearing.

The memories of that time brought a warm feeling to the tree. It was glad he had found someone like Kairos. It made this new land a lot less scary.

But then the tree worried that perhaps it should branch out to others and create friendships. Sure Arber could spend all day with Kairos but friendship was something he craved as well. Not that Kairos was not it’s friend. The tree co side red him a real good friend. His best friend.

What kind of friend did tha tree want? Certainly not someone who might berate it or speak mean words to it. Perhaps he would enjoy a Flutter friend who could pollinate his flowers in the spring time. Much like the friendly bees did. That would be a very useful friend. The tree wasn’t sure about the other races of Soquili that lived here. Personalities seemed to vary widely. Arber was used to such a black and white world the gray was often invisible to him.

The tree pondered this for a moment, adjusting the way he was laying in the sun. But it was not long before the thoughts of friendship and the type of friendships it might like we’re shelved.

Arber’s mind wandered to the lands in which it had been snatched from. A world of lush, green forests. Where the canopy was so thick you have to go up above it to see the sky. For the tree it was a mostly dark world beneath the trees. It remembered the mushrooms that would glow with an ethereal light. It was how the tree knew it was night when the forest began to glow. It had often fallen asleep lulled into dreaming by the night songs of tree frogs and nocturnal animals that called to one another in the darkness.

The rust time it had seen sunshine had nearly blinded him. Even here the sunlight hurts it’s eyes but the feel the sun’s warmth upon it’s bark made up for the lack of vision. Besides, Arber preferred to look upon Kairos’ skull marked face when it flowed beneath the moonlight.

It was an odd thing the tree thought.

How often it’s thoughts came back around to Kairos. But Kairos was something special to the tree. Bengals it was this warm feeling in it’s stomach that always drew the tree back to thoughts of the stallion. But Kairos was good and so the tree wanted all good things to feel that way. From the sweet scent of spring flowers in the air to the juiciest berries in the patch. Nothing could compare to the tree’s feelings for him but certain things perhaps got somewhat close. But it was still a big feeling for the tree and he suspected even if he found the best sunlight to bask it in would not come close to the happiness it felt with Kairos.

There it went again. Thinking about Kairos.

The tree shook it’s head trying to clear it’s thoughts. Yellow eyes landed on a blue bird that landed on his branch. Thankful for the company now, otherwise he would get lost in it’s thoughts about it’s mate.

Mate that was an interesting term. Arber never knew trees could have mates but here he was.

But no it’s thoughts needed to focus on the blue bird. Smiling warmly the tree called up to it’s new friend. “Hello friend bird! How are you today?” Arber tilted its head slightly as it listened to the bird’s reply. It twittered and chirped while bouncing around of the branch with small hops. “Oh! You are out looking for food for your children? My my what a wonderful parent you are. Very inspiring.” Arber nodded to himself as he stood up. “No worries little bird I know where there are some tasty grubs that will fill your children’s bellies.” His ears perked as the bird replied. Giving a snort the tree lightly shook it’s head. “No no I do not think so…” It paused. “Well…I certainly hope not.”

Arber had experienced so much and yet so little in it’s time amongst the Soquili. Perhaps next it would make friends. The tree had heard that long, lasting friendships could fill one with a sense of belonging. Which stumped Arber a bit because it always felt like it belonged amongst it’s tree friends. But expanding one’s horizons was always a good thing. It had done so when it has come here so why not more? But should it wait for some unsuspecting Soquili to just wander past. Or should it seek them out? Would they be willing to befriend a tree? It hoped that they would be pleasant at the very least.

But for now the tree was off to help the blue bird find the grubs. Smiling up at the bird the tree swished it’s long tail. “Ah ah don’t worry I am sure of where I am going.” The blue bird tweeted and the tree laughed warmly. “I suppose so little friend.”

As the tree and the blue bird walked along together they chatted about many things. The weather, the best place to get lots of sunshine, even debated over blueberries and blackberries. The tree favored blueberries of course. The bird not so much because they reminded it of its own kind. They both agreed that imaginative cannibalism was just gross.

It did not take long for the pair to come to the spot where the tree knew there were a good collection of grubs. In front of Arber there lay a fallen, rotten log. Leaning it’s slender neck down Arber pushed the log with it’s nose till it rolled over. Revealing a smorgasbord of bugs. “There you are my friend. More bugs than your little ones could eat.” The bird twittered and Arber laughed. “Yes well in one sitting of course.” With a curio of gratitude the bird swooped down to scoop up some bugs before flying off to it’s nest. “You are welcome little friend! Tell you mate hello for me!” It called after the bird before turning back the way it had come to head back to the grove it had been in.

The sun was past it’s high point but there was plenty of sunshine still left to get a good sunbathe in. Maybe it would stop and pick some berries on it’s way back. It wondered if Kairos would be back from wherever he had gone. Arber was starting to miss him terribly already. The tree hopes that he had returned. Perhaps if it wished it enough it would be true. And then they could curl up together and Arber would tell the stallion about it’s conversation with the blue bird and it’s idea about making more friends. Perhaps Kairos could lend the tree some tips or tricks. Although it didn’t want to be tricky.

Tricking others didn’t seem like a nice way to start a friendship anyhow.

As it walked along Arber began to daydream. It would make so many friend it wouldn’t know what to do with them all. But then… maybe it should keep a small circle of friends. Some that were tried and true. Friends that you could count on to be there through the food and the bad.

There was much to ponder for sure.