24 Breakfas

After my invitation for Ivy to come visit my forest if she needs to, the Elves started making their breakfast. I could tell that they were enjoying the fact that they did not have to hurry this morning to get back on the road. I might need to take more consideration of these mortals that are traveling with me. I don't think the elves or Emily would say anything even if they were at the point of exhaustion. Gray might, but his occupation of a hunter has given him far greater strength and endurance than any of the others.

As usual the elves offered me some of their food. Which, as usual, I refused. However, Ivy was looking at the food with great interest. Since I refused it seemed like she was to shy to accept. Really her personality had changed a whole lot once she realized she was not the greatest thing in the world. That being said, she handled it surprisingly well.

"Ivy, I am sure the elves would be happy to share with you. You do not have to turn them down just because I did. I don't really like food."

"But what if I don't like it?" she said looking somewhat worried.

"Then you don't like it," I said with a smile. "I am guessing that you have never had a chance to eat human or elven food before."

"I have had apples!" Ivy said with great confidence.

I could not help but laugh. "Who says that an apple is human food?"

"Humans eat them," she said in defiance.

"So do bears and raccoons."

Leafia was also smiling at this exchange. "Here, have some," she said, handing Ivy a bowl. "Your name is Ivy, right? I think that is what Laurel called you."

"Y-yes, my name is Ivy" she stuttered. Then with concern on her face she asked, "Is this really okay for me to have some?"

"We would not have asked you if you wanted some if it was not alright," Leafia said. "We will be leaving later today or early tomorrow, so you won't have many more chances to try out our food."

"You are leaving so soon?" Ivy turned to me for confirmation.

"We will be leaving as soon as our companions arrive. We will be passing through your woods. But after that we will be traveling to the kingdom of Yana."

"Where is Yana?" she asked. But before we could answer she said, "Isn't there a way you could stay a little longer? There is still so much that I want to learn."

"I would offer to have you come with us but I do not think that you are strong enough yet to leave the forest for that long. Even small human villages feel like winter. When it comes to larger towns and cities, I am guessing that the only thing you will have to work with are your own energy reserves. May I investigate your spirit?" She nodded. I looked Ivy in the eyes and said "pardon my intrusion," as I sent out my power into her body. She was a plant herself, so I could see the condition of her body. She could block me if she wanted to but she did not resist my search of her spirit. I can not control her like I would an actual plant, but I would not want to do that anyway. "Your personal energy reserve is very small. I am guessing that you have never had to utilize it. I will do what I can to teach you before we part ways, but you are not ready to go to a human village. Traveling the the prairie between our forests would already be taxing for you."

Ivy must have felt a shiver down her spine when I examined her, because she noticeably shuddered. "But first, eat your breakfast. It won't taste as good when it gets cold."

It seems that Ivy had forgotten that she was holding a bowl of porridge. She lifted her spoon. Before she put it into her mouth to take a bite, she brought it up to her eye. I could tell that she was not convinced by looking at it. To my surprise Istan started chuckling. This seemed so out of character for him.

I could not help but give him a quizzical look and ask, "What do you find so funny?"

My question seemed to remind him that he was just laughing at a dryad as his face quickly became serious. "I am sorry. That was a very ungracious thing for me to do in your sight." He bowed to us. I really wanted to comment that it was apparently alright for him to laugh at us when we weren't watching, but I did not want the hear the long winded apologies that were sure to follow if I pointed that out.

I waved my hand at him in a gesture that I assumed meant for him to continue his story. It looked like he got the point because he soon said, "The way Miss Ivy was looking at her food reminded me greatly of my youngest daughter. She would often look at her food intently and then claim that it did not taste good before she had even tried any."

However, it appeared that Ivy was not the type to complain about her food before she even tried any. While Istan and I had been talking, Ivy had already eaten a large part of the porridge she had been given. After a moment Ivy seemed to notice that we were all looking at her. She stopped eating.

"What is wrong?" she asked us, with some porridge sticking to the side of her face.

"Nothing. You just seem to be enjoying your meal," I said as I reached up to wipe off her face.She blushed slightly at this. I say 'blushed,' but it is not quite the same as how it happens to the elves and the humans. Dryads do not turn red like the humans and elves do when they blush. Instead the green color in their skin becomes more pronounced.

"It is really tasty. I have never had anything like it. I want to be able to eat this more often."

"If you are willing to make a fire it is something you could easily make yourself. I am sure Leafia would be happy to show you how."

"I would love to," Leafia said with a smile. It seems that she was also busy eating while everyone else was talking. She had already finished all her food.

"I need fire to make this." The initial light in Ivy's eyes faded when she thought of having to make a fire. After some moments, her eyes cleared as she seemed to reach her decision. Turning to Leafia she said confidently, "Please teach me how to make a fire and cook this food."

I never thought that I would live to see the day when a plant spirit would learn to control fire. It also happened to be the first day that a tree talked! Such a magnificent day it is turning out to be. Let's see what happens by lunchtime.