Nature's Touch

Leo walked slowly into the moonlit meadow.

The charred tree remained unchanged. The burnt grass dead and lifeless. The wreckage of his small shack had collapsed in on itself, and his father's gravestone was still in pieces.

"Aurora?" Leo called out. "Are you here?"

Silence was the reply. Leo slowly walked towards the charred tree. The last bits of life in it seemed to be fading. He looked at the tree, determined.

'Here goes nothing. Hopefully this works.' Leo reached forward, and laid his bare hand on the dying trunk. Closing his eyes, he focused on that strange pulsing feeling he had felt since waking up. it seemed to be all throughout the meadow, even in the tree, though it was fading quickly.

Leo focused his mind on that pulse, drawing it through his feet, up his body and into the tree. Unbeknownst to him, a small figure was watching from the edge of the meadow. Aurora, the small faerie, observed him as he used her mark to call upon nature itself.

Leo closed his eyes, focusing more and more intently on that strange pulse, felt his mind drift away from his body. He could see it clearly in his mind. A green energy constantly flowing through the earth, the plants and animals around him, even through himself. As he focused on pulling in that energy, his hand touching the trunk began to glow with a gentle green light.

Aurora smiled at the sight. 'I thought it would take him hours to sense it properly, let alone channel it. It seems I was right to let him stay here all these years.'

Leo felt the strange energy pass through him, and with it, each of his senses seemed to come alive. He smelled wildflowers in spring, the scent of boar, the smell of the earth after rain. He could feel moss under his feet, the tickles of grass, the wind in his hair. He tasted wild berries, honey and even the blood of a fresh kill. Each sense came alive with a different aspect of nature, one after another, some cruel, some kind.

With a monumental effort, Leo drew in all of those sensations, all that energy and channeled it through his hands into the tree in front of him. He felt a torrent of energy leave his body, and opened his eyes at the sound of cracking wood.

"Holy mother-" Leo fell backwards, exhausted, as the charred tree suddenly began to shake. The burnt wood fell like a snake in molt, and the tree regrew from within. As the tree recovered, a faint green light seemed to spread from its base, spreading throughout the meadow with a gentle pulse. Grasses and wildflowers sprouted following the pulse, and fireflies rose from each blossoming bud.

Leo, panting, looked up at the suddenly vibrant and lush tree before him. "...thank you..." a faint voice echoed in his head, just before he blacked out.