Tree Hugger

[Ciriel Avalon]

The air was still damp as the morning sun began to peek through one of the overhanging clouds, bringing light upon the misty rainforest. An overnight shower had drenched the surrounding greenery with a coat of fresh dew, but it wasn't called a rainforest for nothing. The dampened air would seem refreshing to those on some long journey somewhere, but to most inhabitants, it was simply another day out in the wild.

With the rising sun came the stir of life within the wild. Creatures of all shapes and sizes were awakening to a new day, while the nocturnal life fled the sun's ray to seek their own shelter for rest. Sometimes it was hard to see the abundance of life, especially with many occupants of the rainforest almost too small for the eye to see. But they were there, millions of lives stirring within the widespread canopy of the Amazon.

One such inhabitant was just beginning to wake up, having fallen asleep under an overhanging cliff which had offered some shelter. The sounds of life all around began to cause the angel to awaken from her slumber, a mixture of bird calls, animal cries, and the smallest of insect chirps filling the jungle air with their melodies. Slowly the angel's lively eyes stirred from their slumber, whisking away their sleepiness as her seemingly fragile figure stirred from slumber. She stood slowly, brushing some of the dirt off of her seemingly neat dress, and stretched her arms out in both directions, yawning quietly. Awakened, the angel began to walk out into the seemingly familiar world, smiling to herself.

Ciriel was no stranger to the wilderness, enjoying and embracing every moment of her time within it. The simple fact that it hosted such an amazing variety of wildlife was enough to bring awe to the angel, and it almost seemed as if she found something new every day. Such was the gift of a vast ecosystem, the angel being thankful for each time she awoke in the morning, as if gave her something to do while she pondered most deep questions about her being. Things that gnawed away at her thoughts every night before the sweet embrace of sleep overtook her. Things that she was never able to answer.

As was her daily tradition, her first job was to find breakfast. At the very thought, the girl's hand moved to her stomach, which seemed to growl in response to the thought of getting a bite to eat. That wouldn't be too hard for the angelic girl, as she had become familiar enough with her surroundings to know where to go to get something to satisfy her need. She stretched out a pair of beautiful white wings, which almost seemed to sparkle in the morning light, before flying up onto the branch of a nearby tree, proceeding toward her destination through the treetops. She found it much easier to travel up above the ground than on it, lest she wish to disturb some of the more predatory wildlife.

After what seemed like only a few minutes of sprinting, she came across a tree bearing fruit. Ciriel had eaten from it a number of times before, and though she did not know what the sweet-tasting food was called, it was juicy and satisfying. She reached out with a hand, a delicately plucked one of the fruits from it. As was routine, she spat out the seeds into her hand as she ate with the other, and when finished she hopped down onto the ground. Keeping the seeds in her possession, she dug small holes to place them in, and buried them under the dampened soil.

She then placed the palm of her hand over the mounds, and began to mutter something. As if magic, the seeds quickly began to sprout, producing small saplings which quickly began to grow, as if time meant nothing to them. As she continued to grow the saplings into full-sized trees, she glanced around at the other fruit trees that existed nearby, smiling to herself as she remembered day one of her life in this place.

Since having come here to this fruit tree the first time, she had grown over a dozen individual trees, wanting to help the cycle of life along, and provide food for the hungry that passed by. Of course nobody would ever know if they saw them, as the trees looked as if they had always existed in their places. And it seemed that she was doing a good job, seeing that a number of trees had already began to blossom. It felt good to be able to stimulate the growth of plants, though the angel wondered what more she could do with her skills. Ciriel had wanted a purpose since she first came here, as well as her memory back.

The angel couldn't remember how long she had been on this world for, feeling as if she had woken up one day to simply find herself here. She wanted to know where she came from, and why she had the gifts she possessed. For all she knew, she could have been the only one of her kind in this world, only ever having come across beings called humans, which looked to be similar in appearance. She had spent only enough time in their civilization to learn their language, though not much else about them, or whether there were more creatures like them. All she knew was that they did not have wings, so against her will she had been forced to hide her own whenever she went out to observe.

Returning to her spot on the branch, she looked up at the sky, obscured by the foliage up above her. While the rainforest was teeming with life, at the same time she couldn't help but feel lonely. What she wanted more than anything at the moment was someone to talk to, so that she didn't feel so lonely in this vast place. But what human wouldn't be frightened by a winged being such as herself? Especially one with such a such katana.

Remembering this, she took the weapon that was strapped to her back, and examined it once more. She did this every now and then, wondering if it would have any clue to where she came from. As far as she remembered, it was with her when she first came to this place, and she had kept it by her side ever since.

Caguuror had been following the most intriguing female for days now. Clearly an angel, she had been keeping it from the local tribes zealously. What had caught his attention about her was the fact she was continually 'helping' the forest grow. Planting seeds from what she ate and causing them to grow all over the place. Although this was a nice gesture to nature, she was doing it to much. It was stunting the growth of near by plants as they lost the compition for light. Finally deciding to reveal himself he had for gone the different animal forms he had taken and toke his human form. Walking in to the grove she had been growing he began to walk through it, touching every other tree.

As his fingers touched the bark of the trees they began to wither,slowly dying before his eyes. Nature was about a delicate balance, and this angel needed to learn that if she wished to know about nature and worship it.

[Ciriel Avalon]

Not much longer after having left her grove did the god come to kill her creations. If she had been farther away she would have been unknowing of the act, but having barely left she could hear the noises of branching cracking, of rotten wood falling to the ground. Moving through tree branches, she hurried back to her small grove, watching the figure below. Somehow he had been able to kill the trees with a single touch, something that caused the angel's hair to stand on edge.

Surely she could not allow the being to further destroy what she had set about making. Jumping from the branch, she grabbed hold of a vine to slow her descent, wings folded tightly against her back as she landed behind Caguuror on all fours. She paused there for a moment, looking to see if he registered her presence, before slowly moving into an upright stance, her fists clamped shut.

Of course, her minimal interaction with the human race meant little need for violence, and so she had little idea on how to fight, apart with very crude objects such as branches and stones. And those had only been to protect herself from the predatory species of the forest. But this person was not one of those. Unsure how to continue, she took a step forward toward him, and spoke with her struggling English.

"What... are you...doing?

The male smiled and turned around gazing upon the female who was asking him hesitantly asked what he was doing. He looked her up and down, chuckling. He noted her clenched fists but was unfazed by them at all. He also took note of her long katana upon her back. Something else he wasn't afraid of. He stared in to her eyes then and chuckled.

"You must be the one who grew these. Well, as good as your intentions where you messed up the ecosystem here. Nature is a very delicate balance, and you threw it out of sync. See here..." He knelt and gently touched a plant, half wilted and very near death. It was clearly trying to grow on its own and was failing due to the larger trees taking the nutrients and light. "This plant could have grown, except now it will die and not flourish because of the tampering you did. I am simply hear adjusting the rhythm of the forest once again."

Finished with his explanation he touched one last tree, killing it. A snake came slithering out of the falling tree and slowly wrapped around his arm resting its head upon his shoulder against his neck. "So, what are you doing here, tampering with with my beloved nature? Hmmm...."

[Ciriel Avalon]

Ciriel watched the man warily, who seemed so calm when it came toward the handling of nature itself. She calmed slightly as he began to explain that her intentions, despite being well intended, had caused harm to the plant life she sought to aid. She lowered her arms, hands unfurling from their clenched form, before moving closer and further inspecting the plant he had been holding in his explanation. She had not noticed before, but it was better to find out now before anything further went wrong.

Slowly she rose up from the ground after placing the dying plant gently back down on the ground, before watching as the last of the trees were killed, and her presence within the forest was questioned. She herself didn't full know why she was here either, but the angel could not help but feel compelled toward driving the growth of the forest.

"I... don't know. I don't remember." she explained with a slight frown and a shake of her head. It seemed almost by instinct that she nurture the plants around her, but to what purpose she did not know. "I'm only compelled to make things grow, but I do not remember why."

It felt odd to be within the presence of another with talents similar to her own, considering that the only exposure she had to others were the ungifted humans in local villages. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing rather than her though, so she could not help but feel intrigued by the man before her, and his uncanny attachment to the natural world, which was much stronger than hers from the looks of things.

Caguuror nodded slowly at the female's explanation as to her natural urge. It sounded as if this female was some how linked to nature. How? He could not say yet, however he had every intention of finding out exactly who and what this female was and why she seemed important. He would begin his investigation then.

Stepping up to the female, he crossed his right arm over his chest and propped his left elbow upon the limb and rested his chin upon his hand. He slowly looks the female up and down, walking around her slowly rubbing his chin with forefinger and thumb. "Well, you don't look like much in those ratty cloths. Perhaps it's about time you receive some real cloths. Also...there is more to nature then this jungle. Apparently I shall need to educate you in all the ways of the nature."

He stopped walking around her when he had made an entire circuit around her. He removed his hand from his chin and dropped both arms. "What do you say. Would you really like to learn about nature?"

[Ciriel Avalon]

Ciriel watched in silence as the man circled around her, seeming to be lost in thought as he examined every inch of her being, as if looking for something specific. He made some note about her needing real clothes, and she stopped to glance down at the somewhat dirtied green dress that she wore. After all, it had been all that she woke up with, that and her katana. The concept of actually needing clothes was foreign to her, but she had not before attempted to remove them. Nor had she found any real reason to, but having seen the local tribes wearing them never gave her a reason to.

When he concluded his examination, he offered her the opportunity about learning more about that which she had surrounded herself within for the last few days. Any opportunity to expand her knowledge would always be greatly appreciated. If only to find clues as to her origins in this world.

"I would love to." Ciriel replied with a smile, wanting to become better educated about the world that she was in now. She figured there would be more to nature than the jungle, but not having traveled very far yet she did not know what else lay beyond the protection of the trees.

The male chuckled at her, watching her face carefully for expression as they suddenly where no longer standing in a forest surrounded by trees and wildlife. No, now they where standing in the middle of the street of a bustling city, known as the capital of Brazil; Brasilia. He stepped idly aside as a bicyclist came whizzing past between them and grinned. "Welcome, to the urban jungle. Despite the horrors of these places, with their man made steel and glass walls and concrete borders, life and things continue to operate. As such..."

Walking away from her off the busy street, he knelt beside a weed that had sprouted between the two sides of a crack in the sidewalk. A common dandelion, swaying softly in the artificial breeze created by the hundreds of people and objects moving around it. He stroked one side of the flower, and it instantly looked healthier and stronger, petals a brilliant yellow. He smiled and stood up looking back at the female to see if she had followed and seen what he did...or if she had remained in place out of fear and horror or been struck by somebody or thing. A test upon her...that is what this was. A test of her wit, of her ability to adapt like nature itself.

[Ciriel Avalon]

Things seemed to change quite quickly for the angel. Almost too quickly as the world around them seemed to change, to reflect that of a sprawling human settlement. She had only before wandered through small villages on the outskirts of the jungle, never before becoming so immersed in such a foreign place, where nature itself seemed all but forgotten by its inhabitants.

She looked around, both puzzled and cautious, as if careful not to be struck by one of the human's mechanical creations that ran alongside them, before quickly shuffling back over to the mystery man. The angel watched in silence as he brought back a flower, seemingly from the brink of death and into new life. A place like this seemed to require much more caution than anywhere else, for the small settlements she had experienced were not as adept and distant from the natural world as this one was, almost isolated in its own little world.

"This place..." Ciriel started, looking around once more before frowning. "It feels...cold." It was almost as if the humans here had severed the ties from their origins, uncaring toward where they had come from. And as a result of the lack of natural wonder, the angel felt a bit uncomfortable in the new environment, though still within the same realm as nature existed within.

Ca'guuror stood, striding along past the flower. He walked past several people, all whom rudely bumped past him with out so much as an apology however he ignored it. "It is cold here dear. The world has become such a cold, unforgiving place. People demand that you follow them, that things be their way. The 'normal' way as they like to put it. When you refuse to bend to them, or to follow their rules they label you as an outsider. Typically, being an outsider is bad. Most beings don't do well in that category so there are those who attempt to fit in with them."

Cag stepped past somebody, and suddenly his hand snapped out grasping the arm of a young girl who stopped in her tracks and turned to smile at them. "Who am I dear?" Ca'guuror asked gently of the young girl. The young looking girl looked up at him, smiling happily.

"You are Lord DelaSangre, keeper of the trees and animals."

Ca'guuror smiled and kissed the girls forehead and gently pushed her along. He turned back to the female he was teaching, smiling at her revealing his sharpened upper and lower canines. "You see, there are others out there. People like you and me. However each is different. Shall we go somewhere else now? I rather don't like this public area to be discussing that which most humans attempt to ignore." With a snap of his fingers, they where no longer with in the bustling city. They stood before a large house, built in to the side of a mountain. A old stone wall almost ten feet tall surrounded a garden that was blooming, despite the inch of snow upon the ground. The male walked through the wrought iron gate that stood open, past a large barn that looked new compared to the rest of the area, and up to the double wooden doors pushing them open in to his home while he was upon earth.

[Ciriel Avalon]

Ciriel followed behind him, finding that she too was being pushed about a bit by the humans that walked by. She stood her ground however, in defiance of being knocked about so carelessly by those who would rather ignore their existence than offer any sort of care. Surely not every human was as single-minded and self absorbed though? There had to be some good ones out there, among the thorns of the human race.

Once more the world around them shifted, the scenery drastically changing once more. It lacked the lush greenery that the jungle had held, but it was not as cold and metallic as the human city had been. Instead it was wide and open, the unfamiliar sight of snow causing the girl to pause in confusion. Now physically cold, she crouched down to examine the white substance that covered the ground. Upon her touch the snow began to melt, puzzling the girl. However she found that she was about to be left outside as the man entered into the building, and so she quickly jumped to her feet to catch up with him.

While not as familiar as the jungles she called home, this place seemed to have its own charm to it. It was just as wild and untamed, a couple of birds chirping overhead as they flocked toward their destination, to where they called home.

Caguuror strode in to his own home, leaving the doors open for the female to follow behind him. Once she had entered, a simple flick of his wrist and the still living wood that created the enormous doors creaked shut slowly. He walked forward several feet and spun about to face the female. He looked her up and down again, smiling slowly and chuckled. "This...is my home. I built it myself with my bare hands. This is the main floor. Here, I have a fully stocked kitchen for every beings need, including blood I keep stocked for any vampryes who happen to need a home for a night or two. There is a bathroom, a full one with a shower and sink and toilet, down the hall. A store room is down the opposite hall and a large empty room that I use for many things. I used it as a ballroom once for dancing. Anyways, this right here is my ante room. The spiral staircase behind me...well it leads both upstairs and downstairs. Upstairs there are four bedrooms, one is mine and the other three are open bedrooms I keep for guests. Each has it's own bathroom. Downstairs...well that is off limits. Only I am allowed down to those to floors at the moment."

He walked slowly down the third and final hallway he had not pointed at yet. It ended in a single, curved wooden door with a old fashion brass handle. Grasping the knob, he twisted it and slowly opened the creaking door to a four story tall, circular room with a fireplace in one wall and a desk as well as a large plush chair near the fireplace. Ladders lined all the walls, each upon a small set of wheels to be moved around the circular. The walls, every square inch of them, where covered with shelves laden with books. Hundreds of thousands of books covered the walls, from modern ones to ancient ones. He smiled and walked in to the room. "This right here, is my second pride and joy. My own personal library. In here I have lots of books, from everything from history books to warfare to simple science fiction books. What do you think so far?" He turned back to the woman, chuckling and looking at her face to judge her reaction.

[Ciriel Avalon]

"It's all very amazing." the angel commented, her eyes never on him as she spent her entire time gazing around the place that he called home, her face reflecting her own awe. She did not have much know-how with the interior of human homes. Heck the only human houses that she had even seen were shacks compared to this place. It seemed like a lot for one person, especially considering that there were so many people who had less. But it also sounded as if he did not always spend his time here alone.

"It is a very nice home that you have though. Larger than any other I have seen in my time." Of course she hadn't spent much time on the earth as far as she could tell, but judging by the drastic difference that his home and those that she had seen had held, there was likely very few odds that she would come across another place like this.

"Is it lonely to have such a large home with few people to fill it?" the girl questioned, finally bringing her gaze down from the towering book cases, down to her host. He didn't seem like the antisocial sort, but during their little trip she had not seen one other person occupying this building.

The male chuckled, looking around his own books slowly spinning in a circle before looking down upon the female and smirking. "Is it lonely? I suppose you could say does. However I am never truly alone here in this home. I have plenty of, well lets say friends, who come and go as they please. Just not usually in the house. I am sure you make notice of the large barn as we walked in? My 'Friends' all tend to stay out there. They wouldn't really be comfortable in this drafty house. They stay out there happily together in return for warmth, comfort, free food. They all choose not to fight with each other because they know they will loose the privilege of my generosity if they do."

He smiled and nodded at her. "The same goes for you dear. You are welcome to live here, pick out any room, and come and go as you please. In return, I simply as that you never show anybody this place with out my permission, and never fight with the people who do show up here for those few who know of this location are all welcome. Feel free to look around and pick out a room. Obviously not mine though." He rolled his eyes and chuckled. He would think it was obvious that he didn't have to point that out, but you never knew. Now a days the intelligence level of most people seemed to be diminishing remarkably due to the brain rotting thing called television.

[Ciriel Avalon]

"I do not believe that will be a problem." Ciriel smiled, knowing that there really were no other beings out there that she really socialized with. Then again the girl had never before entered a building prior to their meeting, and instead found comfort in the fringes of human society, rather than embracing it in its entirety. She wondered what other 'friends' he had that would live outside instead, not quite picking up on the fact that they likely weren't human.

"Thank you for your generosity. I cannot say I know anyone as kind as you are." the girl added, giving him a slight bow in thanks. While not knowing anyone really close enough to get such a feel about them, she had found quite a bit of evil in the time the angel had spent observing humans. And while she knew that there were some good ones out there, she could not say for certain that she had come across one just yet. But there was still plenty of time to make such a discovery on her own.

"I will decide on a place to sleep once I have some more time to explore this place. I'm in no rush after all, as the only thing that concerns me is trying to remember who I was. And I have a feeling that will take much time."