“♪”
The monster was happy. Who knew soil this rich could exist outside its forest? It was so chock-full of nutrients that its body was practically overflowing with new energy. But more importantly, the monster felt good and comfortable. All its earlier anger had evaporated, as if it had never been there at all.
It sank its roots firmly into the earth and let its branches happily sway in the breeze.
“♪”
It definitely wasn’t going back after it’d found such a paradise, and so the tree dragon decided it would stay here for good.
✦ ✦ ✦
The tree dragon still hadn’t moved from the middle of the fields. From the watchtower, it looked like a normal, but massive, tree. We descended and approached it, but it still didn’t move to attack us.
“Um, can we get closer?”
“Be very careful. It could be a trap.”
“I don’t think tree dragons are supposed to be that intelligent, but better safe than sorry...”
“♪”
Every now and then, its branches and leaves rustled. It almost looked like it was relaxing.
“Wh-Whoa! What’s this huge tree doing here? It wasn’t there before, right?!” a girl said as she ran up to us.
“Hi, Nerulu. Sorry to call you out here while you were evacuating underground.”
Nerulu had the Gift of Wildheart, so she usually helped take care of our livestock.
“It’s not a problem. So what did you need me for? What happened to the tree dragon that was spotted?” she asked.
“That is the tree dragon.”
“Huh? Seriously?!” She quickly took a few steps back, looking shocked.
“Yep. For some reason, it stopped moving the moment it got inside the walls. I thought maybe you could figure out why,” I said.
“I can understand animals, not trees.” Still, she narrowed her eyes and studied the tree dragon. After a while, she said, “This is just a guess, but I think it really likes the soil here!”
“You can tell?”
“I’m not positive. Like I said, it’s just a hunch. I didn’t get a clear idea of its feelings like I do with animals.”
I hadn’t expected much, but my bet had paid off after all. Since the tree dragon wasn’t just a plant and was technically a monster, it reacted more like an animal.
“♪”
The tree dragon’s branches swayed happily in the breeze as if to validate Nerulu’s hunch.
I checked my map and noticed its red marker had turned black, meaning it was no longer hostile.
“Well, I guess you can stay here if you want. Just don’t attack anyone, okay?” I said.
“♪”
“It sounds like it said, ‘Got it!’” Nerulu said cheerfully.
It was surprisingly cooperative.
Just then, an object the size of my head dropped from above.
“Was that a piece of fruit?” I said, inspecting it.
“They say fruit from a tree dragon is incredibly nutritious! It’s supposed to boost vitality and can even slow down aging if you eat it regularly,” Nerulu said.
“There’s a story about a king who bankrupted his kingdom trying to get his hands on one.”
Apparently, the fruit was really rare and valuable.
“Wait, are you giving this to us?” I asked the tree.
“♪”
I guessed it was an olive branch of sorts.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“♪”
“It said, ‘I’ll grow more, so come pick them up anytime!’” Nerulu translated with a smile.
And just like that, a new friend(?) had joined the village.
I made a mental note to warn everyone not to get too close to it, just in case.
Now that the crisis had been averted, I headed back home. I hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet.
“I’ll start cooking right away!”
“Thanks, Myria.”
Wait, what was I doing before all this commotion started, again? I feel like there was something really important I needed to tell Myria... Oh, well. I’m sure I’ll think of it eventually.