TEAM EGGPLANT
*
To Roy, the entire concept of being out of Enn's woods for a long period of time was entirely foreign. The tall green haired figure wandered the streets aimlessly, hopelessly lost as he attempted to find his way to the destination. As he walked he clutched the tree book tightly to his chest, and despite being as lost as he was still walked in determined strides to an unknown destination.
"City gates...city gates and no trees..." Roy frowned, still marching forward in determined uncertainty. The streets that normally bustled with crowds found themselves eerily empty. The once numerous glances he would receive found themselves limited to the occasional passerby, only for them to walk a little quicker to their destination. Roy thought somewhat on the worried some glances he received, clutching the tree book with one arm and swinging a heavy woodcutters ax with the other. Then it dawned on him, something that should have seemed pretty obvious with all the strange looks he had been receiving.
Is it possible that he could be...late? He shook his head back and forth, trying to purge the negative thought out of his head. He couldn't be late, not today of all days. He had a lifelong goal he was going to fulfill, and no MATTER what...
...he was going to see those trees.
**
"No matter what." He ended to the confused looking woodcutters, his eyes fixed in determination as he clutched onto his book a little harder.
They all looked at the green haired woodcutter a little blankly. Someone coughed amidst the men. One of the head woodcutters, a burly man with an intense beard, stepped forward with some concern in his eyes.
"Roy...are you sure this is what you want? I asked you to pick up a review manual for the initiates, now your telling me you want to leave Enn with a stranger. Is something you've really put a lot of thought in?"
The green haired woodcutter nodded, not letting up on his intensive gaze. All these men practically were his family, and now he was telling all of them that he was leaving. Possibly for good. Many of them didn't take him seriously at first, however the more and more he held firm the more faces began to turn a little solemn. 'To lose a hell of a woodcutter...' were many of the common murmurs among the crowd. Roy may have been slow when it came to plenty outside of the forest, yet there was hardly anyone that could match his prowess with an ax. The woodcutter had a love for trees many of these men couldn't even begin to fathom, yet they all could eventually understand why he was making his choice. There wasn't a single person who could find the right argument to convince him to stay.
The intensely bearded woodcutter walked up to Roy a little teary eyed, clutching an intricately carved woodcutters ax with both arms. He wanted Roy to take it, as a sign of remembrance for all of them. They all half expected Roy to get lost before officially leaving Enn, but for those with the uncertainty of his return felt as if it was a fitting gift. The best woodcutters ax for a woodcutter they all respected, and perhaps coddled a little too much.
They wished for him to cherish it always.**
"WOAH cool! Thanks for the ax!" A beaming child reached for the gifted ax, only to immediately drop it on the ground due to its weight. They other children assisted in picking up the dangerous weapon, all of them admiring to lovely craftsmanship. This was a gift that they would cherish always.
"But big bro, this was a present to you right? Why would you give this to us?" A little girl looked up at Roy with the same concern that the other woodcutters did, still not comprehending that he was planning on leaving. Roy reached out and grazed her hair with his hand, warmly smiling as he beckoned to the ax that was strapped against his back. "I like my ax."
"But it was a gift big bro! How will you remember your friends? How will you remember us!" The girl began to cry a little harder, as with many of the other children watching their mentor leave. Roy however still warmly smiled, resting the dangerous weapon to the ground and bringing all of them in for a warm embrace. He was a simple woodcutter with a simple dream, but even he understood the frightening concept of loss.
"The Woodcutter Creed states the idea of replacement, planting a new tree after one is taken away. In a way this ax is my way of giving back and planting a seed in your hearts, that someday you all will grow up to love trees as much as I do. I don't need anything to remember you all, as I will always remember my memories among these woods. Use this ax to create new memories in my absence, and no matter what?" He waited to allow the children to answer.
"REMEMBER THE WOODCUTTERS CREED!" They all giggled, still teary eyed but sending their friend off with a smile. Roy did not know if he would seem them again, but no matter he would never forget them. They enjoyed his passion for trees, and he would always be thankful for that.
He would always be thankful for his precious memories among the trees.
"Wait, if you want us to create memories with an ax then why didn't you give us yours big bro?"
Roy blankly stared at the girl who asked him this question, pulling out the ax from its strap and also holding it close to his chest. "I like my ax..."***
Over time all of them accepted his choice to leave, as difficult and hard as it was to let go. None of them knew for certain whether he would last a day or century in the world outside of Enn, but they all knew what they needed to let him know:
"Big bro...the city gates are that way."***
Despite all his wandering Roy eventually found his way to what appeared to be the city gates, though he harbored extreme disappointment towards the lack of trees in the surrounding area. Approaching Enn's walls he grimaced at just how ugly a place could be without the proper amount of trees. If the green haired woodcutter ever had his way then the entire city would be a forest, despite how extremely impractical that would be. He glumly wandered in being one of the last people to show up, though curiously staring at the masked traveler as he found his place among the crowd. Oddly enough no one was giving him odd glances as usual, too busy looking at the Traveler to look at him.
The woodcutter didn't care though, and despite his negative attitude towards his environment he knew that would change. Roy knew that once he stepped through those gates his life would change significantly, and he might achieve his goal in seeing those trees that he so desperately needed to. He didn't pay attention to his group assignments and he didn't pay attention as Spook and the others began to filter out. His head focused on his book and his ax: the two items that would be his tools in following the Woodcutters Creed. He focused on just what kind of trees he would find outside the city walls, finding himself bubbling with anticipation at the thought. This was it...this....wait....
He ran forward to catch up with the others, waving his ax wildly in the process.
*
