[center][color=98FB98][h1][u]Old Man Pan[/u][/h1][/color] [hr] [sup][b]Pan’s Sacred Grove || Luna Lake Shoreline - Opposite Luna Crescente[/b][/sup] [hr][sub][@Lord Sawsaw2][/sub] [hr] [/center] On the far side of Luna Lake beyond even the gorgeous tower known to the locals as The Nest, there lies a most unusual forest. It covers a fairly large area which supposedly was little more than a wide open field just a few years back, but there it stands all the same: tall and mighty, and growing rapidly. The trees at the center of this peculiar forest are perhaps even stranger than its sudden appearance. They tower over the others in the forest with [url=https://orig00.deviantart.net/780a/f/2012/309/7/d/white_tree_by_helios_spada-d5k563r.jpg]leaves of white as pure as snow.[/url] As beautiful as they are, there is something haunting about the albino trees. They grow very close together and very wide. In fact, they grow so close and so wide that in the deepest part of the grove, they actually block out the sun, leaving the only light to be the strange soft glow of their leaves, something usually only noticeable at night.. The people of Luna Crescente tend to avoid this grove, as some believe it to be haunted by vengeful forest spirits and mischievous imps. The mages of Harpy’s Wing, however, have a different name for these spirits and imps. They call him Pan. [hr] [hr] [centre][hider=Scene Background Sounds][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm846KdZN_c[/youtube][/hider][/centre] The birds seemed happy. This was a good sign. The old man who had been slowly following the stream kneeled down by the water. His knees cracked, as they often did now, loud enough to stir the little ball of fluff he cradled with one arm. The squirrel hopped from the old man’s arm and looked from side to side. It then laid down flat, rubbing it’s belly on the soft ground and stretching out each limb one by one before letting out a silent yawn. Pan couldn’t help but chuckle upon hearing the little squirrel’s own joints pop and crackle. [color=98FB98]“Yer gettin’ old, friend.”[/color] he laughed, although the truth of the statement tasted a bit bitter. He noticed more and more grey in the squirrel’s fur every day. Or perhaps it would be more apt to say that he noticed less and less brown. Either way, the thought left Pan’s head as soon as the squirrel began chattering, which took for protest and laughed even harder. When his furry friend decided to drink from the stream, Pan followed suit. He dipped one gnarled hand into the creek and cupped up a drink. The cool water was refreshing to the old man’s cracked and dry lips. And the taste...oh how sweet it was. And clean. The old man’s first instinct was to greedily drink from the stream until he swelled up and burst...but he resisted the urge. Tonight he would break the fast, but for now he must be content with just them minimum amount of water. He took two more drinks before dragging the back of his forearm across his lips and raising back to his feet, knees cracking in protest the whole time. Perhaps in another forest, Pan might need to worry about the water, but not here. Not in his grove. The presence of the sacred tree kept the land pure and the waters free of taint. For this, he owed them thanks. The old man moved up stream just a ways to a lone white-leafed tree. He placed a still dripping palm upon the trunk and closed his eyes, muttering a prayer. As he had countless times before. As he would countless times going forward. A very faint glow would emanate from the old man’s hand. The tree’s bark, which had been rubbed clean off in spots, began to grow. Slowly, ever so slowly, the bark above and below the rub closed in tighter and tighter, until the exposed layer was covered with bark so cleanly fused that one would never notice that it had ever been anything but. The old man apologized to the tree. Of course, it wasn’t he that rubbed the tree raw, that likely being some buck in the rut. No, he was apologizing for not getting to it sooner. The rut was months ago and he had neglected his duty. But the trees were benevolent beings. They would understand. Satisfied with his work, the old man turned and continued heading downstream, towards the lake. His elderly squirrel friend followed close behind, delicious acorn in tow. [hr] [hr] The duo arrived at the shoreline some time later. Having filled up on acorn as they walked, Pan’s little buddy had apparently tuckered himself out and decided to hitch a ride back on the old man’s arm, where he promptly fell back into his nap. Pan walked a bit slower and more carefully, which made the trip much longer, but that was fine. He wasn’t in any rush. Should his eyesight be a bit better, perhaps Pan would have noticed the group of people on the bank of the island in the center of the lake. But it wasn’t, so he didn’t. He did notice the Nest however. It was pretty hard to miss, all things considered. He could see the city beyond the tower of course, but it compared little to the beauty of the Nest, or at least in Pan's mind it did. It was a sight to behold, that’s for sure. Pan stood admiring the Harpy’s home for a few moments before he bent over and laid his sleeping companion on a nice, soft mound of dirt that he had built. The land made a smooth transition into the water for pretty much the entire shoreline, save for right where the stream met the lake. Here the land was raised just a bit. It was nothing extreme, just enough for the old man to have a seat and soak his feet without having to sit in the water. He drove his walking stick into the ground and used it to help lower himself down. Getting up might be a bit tricky, but that was fine. For now, he just wanted to dip his feet. The water felt amazing. Almost immediately, Pan felt his feet loosen and what seemed like years of pain left him. It would only be temporary, he knew that, but for now he would be content just soaking his feet for a little while. The way the sun hit this particular spot at this particular time was absolutely perfect. So, not wanting to waste an opportunity, Pan laid back, resting his head on his folded hands. He closed his eyes, just planning on resting them for a bit before getting back to work. Shortly later, Pan felt something furry climb onto his chest and spin around a couple times before finally getting settled. In a matter of moments, the two best friends were snoozing in the sun.