Citizen 198 Astyna

Astyna, or Astrya as she was now going by in the country, sighed as she looked at the wares in front of her. A wide variety of wooden figures sat lined up on little stands. The traveling trader was in the area for a couple days before he would move on. The little statues caught her eye and Astrya felt something spark inside her.

Procuring a set of fine, woodworking tools, Astrya set off out of the city in the opposite direction of her home. She headed for the dense forest that grew away from the civilization within the dome. Her tools were tucked away in her bag, the strap wrapped over one shoulder and across her chest, allowing Astrya the freedom to move her arms as she walked on all fours in what was soon uneven terrain.

Birds chirped and sang overhead, fluttering through the trees above Astrya’s head. Nature was singing its song, the forest vibrating with life around the rex. It was not often that Astrya came out into the forest but each time she did, she found it revitalizing. The muffled calling of a whale passing right over the dome cast a brief shadow over the forest before moving on.

For once, Astrya was not looking down or even around her as she usually would when venturing into the forest. This time, she was looking up, staring intently at the branches that intertwined with each other. There was a form of art that Astrya liked, making small wooden figures. Not just any wood would work, some wood was too brittle and would snap at the first touch of her blade while others were too soft, making it difficult to even touch it without leaving a mark.

The figures she had in mind to make, would require a specific sort of wood that was not regularly found growing in the wild but Astrya knew it would be best to find, untouched by civilization wood for her project.

Wind tousled the leaves, the few aspens making the sound of water whisper through the air. Bending down, Astrya sorted through a few of the larger branches that had fallen to the forest floor. Most were brittle, the thin ends ready to snap under her fingers. Astrya had no plans to take any of these branches but instead, was turned to look at their broken ends that had once been attached to the bigger tree. With how wild the woods were, it would be difficult, especially since it was not the fruiting or seeding season for these trees, to identify the one she wanted.

Plucking a branch from the ground, she turned it around to inspect the broken end, looking at the color of the wood hidden under the bark, sighing as the desired reddish color was missing. Astrya was looking for one of the rare mahogany trees that hide in the deep, untouched forests where the wild elk herds lived. Setting the branch back down, Astrya continued on her way, searching through the trees.

As much as Asrya wished she was, the fern rex was no expert on trees, so she had a hard time telling the difference between them while in the forest. Aspen were easier, their white bark a distinct difference but the mahogany she wanted would be so much harder. So, Astrya turned her gaze from the branches above down to those that had fallen, searching for that hint of red to tell her she was near the desired tree.

Hours went by, the sun beating down on Astrya’s armored back in the spots the leaves didn’t shade her. The forest was alive and well, elk calling in the distance but still, not a hint of that reddish hue could be found. The bubbling of a brook drew Astrya to take a moment of rest beside it. Glancing up, she found the sun well on its way down, it would not be long before Astrya would be welcomed with the pastels of the sun heading to sleep.

Shaking her head, Astrya stood up and went back to looking. Stick after stick, branch after fallen branch, Astrya looked for the tree. Birds were quieting for the coming night and still Astrya was empty handed. The moon was out, lulling the sun to sleep with the fiery orange and red colors of sunset making the tree tops glow.

Resting her head on the trunk of a tree, Astrya rested her hand on its trunk near her head. It would take her at least an hour to make her way out of the forest once the sun set, the darkness forcing her to slowly pick her way through the woods but she didn’t want to leave, not empty handed like this. The branches rustled overhead but Astrya didn’t move, figuring the breeze or a bird had jostled them. Sighing, Astrya slowly opened her blue eyes, staring at the trunk her forehead rested against. At least the forest was healthy.

As she moved, something thunked against her head, making Astrya startled a bit and shake her head, hand moving from tree to the back of her head. Looking around, Astrya couldn’t pick out anything or anyone around her. Glancing down, she noticed a branch had fallen, perhaps the wind had jostled it free from other branches above her.

Bending down, Astrya turned to see the end of it where the inner wood would show. She had to blink a few times before smiling at the tree she had been resting against. Glee filled her and Astrya was quick to get to work. Standing up, climbing a bit, she carefully looked over the tree and picked out a pair of limbs that would not be harmful to take.

Desired branches in hand, Astrya took a moment to thank the tree before darting off, letting her magic light up the way ahead of her so she could move quicker through the forest and return home. That reddish hue she had spent all day looking for now rested in her hands. Her steps felt light as she practically danced home with her long sought after finds. It was late and she would not be able to start her carving until tomorrow but she had it, the perfect mahogany wood to use for her small wooden sculptures to decorate her home.

Author: ddAngel73