The Mother Tree

Panacea's steps slowed as the large rainforest stared to clear. The lush environment and damp atmosphere had always been one of his favorite things about this place, where he and his dad had been forced to move to. The strong and thick trunks became more and more sparse as the grass underneath his claws became more and more dense. The small fox smiled. From where he stood, he couldn't quite see above the tall blades of grass, but he didn't need to see it to know he had arrived to his destination. The Mother Tree. A large tree, way larger than any other in the rainforest. Her roots shifted into the soil, like tendrils bringing life to the forest around her. Panacea followed the roots, his pace eager. It had been so long. His claws bumped against the bark and he felt a slight jolt run up toward his back. Damn, it hurts. Still, he didn't wait any moments longer before starting to scale up the Mother Tree. His claws scrapped against the bark, sending shards flying off. Really, he should have taken the normal path, the one he used to take as a cub. A lot safer than scaling, since it was mostly just navigating from branches to branches until he reached the top. Oh well, too late to turn back now. The climb felt like forever, the rhythmical sound of claws anchoring into the tree than being released filling the relative silence around the ClayFox. The forest noises seemed to carry him higher too, the chirps of eagles seemingly getting closer the more he climbed.

Finally, he reached it : the gaping hole inside the bark where the inner layers of the tree had been carved out. A hollowed-out cave dug by claws. He smiled a bit at the memory. The clearing was still how he remembered leaving it. The floor was smooth, covered in planks that his dad had insisted on putting down. The walls were crude, just the stripped wood of the MotherTree, uneven from when they craved the opening. The celling was partially open to the sky, the branches and leaves above offering coverage and shade, but also letting the daylight bleed through into the cave, creating smooth circles on any surface the sunrays met. A few posters were stapled on the walls, and while Panacea thought he would cringe at their sight, it only filled him with pride. A handful of moss beddings were thrown around on the floor, serving at both sleeping spots and sitting spots when people came over. Finally, his red gaze landed on the rocks in the middle of the room. He still had no idea how such massive stones had made their way up in the tree. Now they were covered in moss, the rainforest taking back its rights on this place. Yet, the sword still stood where they had left it, impaled into the rocks below, also slowly getting swallowed by moss, vines and lichen. Panacea turned his eyes away. Far from pleasant memories. Instead, he closed them, letting himself collapse on one of the moss bedding, tails curling around his back paws. It still smelled like home. That soft smell of petrichor and storm-filled air. He would never admit to it, but he had missed it. The fox fully lowered himself into the nest, letting the soothing aura of the place that had been his home as a cub lull him into slumber.