the young woman's eyes widened as the veil of vines was pulled away, she thought this 'Vesyn' was just a small village. as she stepped towards the ledge she couldn't form words for what she saw.
The city was like a living artwork painted by the foliage of the enchanted jungle surrounding it. There was no clear boundary where the wylds ended and civilization began. Instead, massive ancient trees formed the very pillars of the community, their branches intertwined overhead to create a permanent, verdant canopy that filters the unseen sun into a permanent dusk
Buildings were not constructed of dead wood or stone, instead shaped from the living growth. Homes nestled within the roots and trunks of colossal oaks, balconies woven from pliable, leafy vines, and pathways wound organically around thick roots and over moss-covered ground.
The air buzzed with a quiet, ancient energy. The Wylds surrounding Vesyn teeming with life both familiar and fantastical.
elves walked silently through the upper boughs, sturdy dwarves tended to the roots of ancient trees and earthworks, even some humans could be seen adapting with characteristic versatility.
But alongside them dwelled something truly wild-hearted:
"Fae?" She asked, watching as the Proud centaurs treaded softly on mossy earth, dancing satyrs even dragons and fairies roaming the streets. "What is this place? Sister told me the fae were evil? How can you li-" Hazel interrupted the girl with a laugh
"Stories and myths told to hide this city from the outside, I wouldn't blame you or your family if you'd fallen victim to these tall tales" he sat at the edge of the cliff, pointing towards what seemed to be the city center. "See that massive oak over there?" He asks, "that there's the burning hearth, you'll find a warm bed and some good food, tell em Hazel sentcha" he chuckles. "Unfortunately, this is where we part ways nameless lass," he gestures towards Arthur sliding down the cliff towards the city below. "It's not as far as it looks, also, until you find yourself a good name, tell people you're a Wysp it means wanderer in our tongue, they'll lead you l to the Hearth." He turned his head towards the girl, pointing at the small leaf like paper she held, "that symbol shows that you are welcome here, wear it proudly, you are safe here."
"Wysp?" The girl ponders, "I was hoping you could name me, since you saved me and all," she said as she sat next to Hazel,
"We've only just met lassie, I understand that your parents haven't given you a name yet, but I can't" the girl pouted, as Hazel sighed, "look, if there's anyone here that can name you, it's Whysper, he owns the Hearth, that grand oak I pointed at, he's been here a long time, some say since before the city existed, but I don't believe that hogwash," he chuckled, "and if you've got the gusto, consider joining a guild, there's more monsters like that hag ye encountered in the Wylds" With that Hazel left, sliding down to the city below and meeting back up with Arthur along with a few other knights clad in armor.
A Wysp, being nameless just got worse.
Her thoughts weave into a knot of faded memories from the Wylds, she wanted to believe she was safe, but she was tricked once before. She held her breath as she descended into the unknown city, each step adding more knots to the web of thoughts building itself in her mind.
Just stick to the shadows, don't talk to anyone but that Whysper guy
Upon reaching the soft mossy ground she searched for anything to cover herself from view. No one seemed to pay her mind as she snuck through the pathways, her wandering eyes catching on every sudden movement and fanciful color. The city was new to her, too many people, too different from the burrows back home.
"H-hello? I- I" whispered a voice that sent shivers down the girl's spine, she jumped back, turning to face it's source,
"Who are you!" She growled, her hair furling up like a startled cat. The voice had come from a small fae girl with a short dress, long white hair fell to just below her back, her skin looked like fur, two tall rabbit's ears stood stop her head. she didn't look much younger than Wysp.
"S-sorry!" Stuttered the girl, "i-i just needed some help.." she crossed her hands and looked down, "if y-you don't want to it's ok.." she pouted"
"Hey now." Responded Wysp, "I'm sorry. I'm just a little jumpy, what's your name?"
"S-snowball.." she whispered
"Okay, my name is Wysp, at least for now" the young rabbit girl seemed a little spooked by that name.
"Y-youre a wanderer?..?" She asked her voice barely audible among the music of the city.
"I guess yeah," she said crouching down, "I'm not all that scary, I've just been through a lot today. What did you need?" She set her hand on Snowball's shoulder. Who pointed up towards a tree.
"T-two boys keep putting my bear up in that tree.. they won't stop teasing me.." Wysp looked up and there it was, a small black stuffed bear in one of the smaller trees.
Without a second thought, Wysp walked towards the tree and assessed its height before ascending, it was rather easy, like the tree was helping her, branches that weren't there before would grow out of the stalk. She grabbed the bear gently and began descending. it's clear it's had its fair share of hugs, the fur was matted, its eyes sewn on by twine made of plant fibers. Wysp jumped down the rest of the way and handed the bear to Snowball who jumped with joy
"Thank you!" She smiled, her bright blue eyes filled with happy tears before she grabbed Wysp's hand "I need to tell papa! C'mon!" She pulled, her weak body barely motivating Wysp to move.
It was only about thirty or so steps before Wysp saw the little girls family frantically searching for presumably their daughter. They all looked similar, tall white ears, fur like skin, though the father looked more like rabbit than the others. "A fellow hare!" He called, his deep voice echoed through his chest, "come come, tell us your name!"
"Wysp." Said the nameless girl, "a knight had given it to me since my parents didn't name me yet" the man tilted his head,
"A nameless hare? That's unheard of!" Wysp's head tilted at the remark
"Why do you keep calling me that?" She asked, looking down at her arm, "Im not one of those,"
The man smiled, "of course you are, you think us rabbit folk cant tell one of our own? You may not have the fur, but your eyes and nose reveal it all!" He chuckled before seeing the girls rabbit foot hanging from her dress, "see? Even that shows it! Your mother gave you that didn't she?"
Wysp's expression tightened as she hid the foot, "what of it? Hmm?" She growled, the man backing off a bit.
"Hey now, I don't want to take it," he replied, "I'm just wondering why you're nameless with a rabbits foot, normally rabbit folk name their kid before giving something like that to them.
"I ran.." she admitted "I wanted to explore the woods.. they wouldn't let me.. and now I'm here.." tears welled in her eyes as she looked to the ground
The man nodded, "well, how old are you l? If I may ask"
"22, in human years at least, sister taught me that before I left." The man chuckled
"Ah I see" he said as he offered his hand in greeting, "my name is Glacier," his smile soon faded, "have you tried giving yourself a name?" He asked, his head tilting, "it's a bit unorthodox, but it's quite common for folk around here to choose a name and give it meaning" he offered Wysp a small leather bound book, "here, write down some notes in your travels, and thank you for helping my daughter, she's too shy to stand up for herself"
With that, Wysp bowed her head in appreciation, "thank you" she said before turning back towards the city, "I should get going, It was nice meeting you two" she started off again, an air of confidence echoing in the rythmic thudding of her footsteps on the soft gravel pathways.
Her eyes begin to wander again, taking in her surroundings. Water flowed through natural channels guided by root and stone, originating from ponds assumably deep within the Wylds. The waters possessed a soft, inherent glow. These streams of liquid light polled in carved basins feeding the magnificent central fountain in the town square, its luminescence a beacon in the city's heart. The light came not from the sun, but from the natural bioluminescence of the Wylds – swarms of delicate hoverwings insects with softly glowing wings, drifted like living lanterns, and ethereal wisps bob and weave through the air, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow.
At the absolute center of this natural metropolis was the town square, a slightly more open space where the canopy parted just enough to reveal the intricate web of branches far above that mocked the constellations of stars. Dominating one side was The Burning Hearth tavern. It was less a building and more a natural formation within a truly gigantic oak tree. The entrance, a naturally arched opening in the trunk, worn smooth by centuries of patrons. The walls were living wood, thick with moss, and windows are intricate lattices of still-growing vines, perhaps filled with panes of hardened, translucent amber sap or simply open to the square. Warm, golden light spills from within, along with the sounds of revelry and clinking mugs, inviting her in.
Wysp followed the sound of laughter into the Oak, weaving through the crowds of people and fae all too preoccupied to notice her. She listened in to conversations that sounded like they had any importance, hearing snippets of myths and legends surrounding the creation of this magical place. Two elementals bound together by a promise, she saw groups of people wearing uniforms, five separate symbols etched or sewn into armor and cloth. Signs that welcomed the winter as if it were a sentient being.
The overwhelming surge of knowledge echoed into her head, different stories and opinions caught like insects in the tangled web of her brain, slowly unraveling itself.
Eventually she found a small group of people around her age, they all faced a tall pair of statues carved into the wood. One of an elegant woman wearing drapes of multicolored leaves, and the other of a slightly younger woman with stark black hair and painted on tattoos of spider's webs,
"And here students we see the elementals, Bedisa, and Dahlia." Spoke an older gentlemans voice, it commanded her attention along with the others. She stepped towards the group, hiding in the back to listen in.
"Does anyone here know what these two represent?" He asked the group, with no answer, "I see, you lot don't care to pay attention to history." He sighed pointing at the more elegant statue, "Bedisa, the lifeblood of the forest, she is who brought life to the Wylds, she is who brings our city water, and has opened our eyes to the land of the fae. She represents life incarnate," he points to the smaller statue, it's base made of greyed out petrified wood. "Dahlia is the thorn to Bedisa's rose, she is who brings the cycle of death, she grants our protection and has created the poisons and predators of the Wylds, but she is not evil, with her thorns she protects us from those who would do our city wrong, and protects the very Wylds themselves!" His voice raised in volume, followed by pride he smiled, "and who is this?" He said, pointing a small staff towards Wysp, who'd finally looked up at him
He was an older man, his face showed his age, rough slightly baggy skin, a wire like grey beard hung to his center chest he wore a kind hearted smile, showing a few missing teeth, his eyes were glossy and silver, scars of scratches covered half of his face. His hair nearly matched his beard perfectly, long and wire like. He wore an old combat uniform, a doublet of worn leather, belted with vine, he wore a half kilt that covered his leather trousers.
"Well? Get on with it!" He demanded, his kind voice never faltering" Wysp jumped a bit, like a startled cat,
"O-oh! Me?" She asked
"Yes you, lassie, what's your name?" His voice boomed
"I don't have one.." she sighed, "I was told to find Wysper a-a boy named Hazel told me to call myself a Wysp" the man's voice rolled with laughter
"My boy Hazel? Oh lassie, you've gotten quite lucky!" He laughed, his accent and inflections noting similarities between him and hazel, "I'm Arta! Young hazelnut is me son, a fine boy he's become"
"Hazelnut?" Wysp choked, "his name is hazelnut?!" She held her mouth to stop her laughter, but Arta didn't seem to mind.
"Now, Wysp yer lookin for Whysper right? Why?" He asked "fer a name?" The girl nodded, the group soon turning towards her. "Well I'll tell ya now, even if he was here, which he's not currently, he'd tell you the same thing, the nameless should name themselves" he walked through the crowd of young adults, placing his hand on Wysp's shoulder. "How's about it? What would you like to be called? Hmm? Others will give ye nicknames and jokes, but you're the only one who can name yerself"
Wysp retreat slowly, becoming a bit more shy, "i-i don't know" she stuttered, "I.." one of the girls in the group stepped up, her hair was long and blue like sapphires, her eyes reflected like the waves of an ocean, and her skin was fair and smooth.
"Evie?" She suggested, "it's a pretty name, like the dress you're wearing"
Wysp shook her head, "no, dresses don't really fit me" she shrugged " a hag from the woods gave me this before Hazel saved me" Arta's eyes widened
"Saved ye? Well that's me boy". He laughed "ye can't be a Wysp for too long" he explained, "not many people with that name stick around," he sighed.
"Uhm.." she pondered, twisting through spiraling thoughts and memories until finally she found the her name. "Iris." She said, "after my favorite flower." a faint smile blossoms on her face
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet ye Iris," said Arte, pride in his voice, "now, what would you like to do with your time 'ere eh?" He stands back up, "a young lass with nothing but a rabbits foot and a dress she got from a hag out in the Wylds, ye survived, now yer safe, so what next?" His voice sounded both curious and suspicious, his eyes narrowed as their silver-grey blobs scanned over Iris.
"H-hazel told me about the guilds, I was hoping to join them" she replied, cowering slightly.
"Aye" he replied, "but surely your reason isn't because you heard about it"
"I don't know my reason" she whispered in defeat, "but I don't want to just sit here.. I want to learn about the world.. that's why I ran.." she sighed
"That's as good a reason as any, " he laughed, whispers from the crowd of young adults slithered into her ears, whispers of suspicion and intrigue, they were curious, that was clear. "Go a bit further north lassie, you'll see a stone tree with five statues in front of it," he quickly draws out a small sketch into Iris's journal using a feather from his pocket, "if you truly want to explore, or something else you're not tellin me, your adventure starts there." He tapped Iris's shoulder and turned back, "alright ye little twigs and branches, pop quiz!"
The crowd boomed with complaints and booing, Iris brushed herself off before looking down at the parchment in her book, the drawing wasn't the best, she probably could have done better. But it was there.
Stone tree, five statues,
She set off, walking with much more confidence now, her back straight, wherever this tree was, she had something to look forward too, her strides only stopped by her repeatedly looking down at the drawing.