Berganashio - Chapter 32

Keenwai and Kunya had consoled Larkin and Villi to the best of their ability. They knew that that the time had come for them to leave though. Grinyella and Podder agreed that the best course of action was for them to return home to the burrowlands. They were concerned that there could be another raid from the vengeful sea-wolfs who had already attacked them once before. With the merfarie king and queen gone now, they especially did not feel any obligation to remain at the merfarie gardens. Before they left to return home, the merfaries sang several songs. The splendor of the vines and plants that sprang forth from the singing was mesmerizing to the meerbirds. There was a melancholy tilt to some of the singing because they were mourning the destruction of the throne room and the abduction of the merfarie king and queen. The meerbirds were most grateful to eat the luscious vines and colorful flowers that were produced by the singing of the merfaries in the courtyard. The song started with one merfarie warrior who was clearly grieving the loss of the merfarie king and queen. These were some of the words that he sang before the rest of the merfaries joined his solemn solo.

"Dragon's talons gripped king and queen,

fire's fury filled such scene.

We know not what future holds,

pressing onward, mystery scolds.

Throne room, sad and dark and bleak,

answers searching, may we seek?

Darkness stole and seared the room,

will it be recalled a tomb?"

The meerbird leaders gave their final farewell to Larkin and Villi. As they formed several "w" formations in flight, the could still hear the somber words of the merfaries song up in the air.

"Finy and Bargan have to still be out there somewhere!" Kunya said hopefully.

Keenwai's thoughts shifted toward his mother and brother who had been wandering the forest due to their addiction to the sheckleberries. "We saw a horrible version of my mother not too long ago, but we have not seen my brother Bargan in a very long time. Not since he wandered away in the first place that is..."

Kunya clutched the vial of merfarie tears that Larkin had given her. "We will do whatever we have to do to find them both!"

The flight home was quiet and peaceful. They were greeted by the few meerbirds that had not joined the battle, most of which were young mothers who had young meerbirds to care for. Kunya was welcomed by her immediate family. She explained their plan to search for Keenwai's mother and brother and the two of them soon departed. The day had plenty of daylight left.

"Let's fly to the rock that the had been on before, " Keenwai pointed in that direction.

Kunya nodded in agreement, "Yes, where we saw Finy before... that makes sense."

As they flew, they looked down and saw a cluster of olive trees.

"Look at that small olive tree there, Keenwai. It's as if its dancing the way it's branches are swaying like that! What a little sight that is!" She smiled coolly.

"Grinyella knows some olive trees around here, you know? She visits them on the regular in order to get the oil for the yearly anointing days." Keenwai's wings dipped down slightly.

"Ahh, that makes sense. I always wondered where the oil actually came from," Kunya nodded with understanding. "Let's go down and see them closer. If they're the talking sort of tree, then it's possible they may have seen Finy and Bargan recently."

"That's a great point! They could direct us into the right way to go!"

Haniel, Leah and Bao the olive trees had been greatly enjoying the breeze in their branches.

"Hello, there! Where's Grinyella?" Bao asked Keenwai and Kunya. She had stopped swaying so intensely for a moment because they had caught her attention. It was hard for her to be still for too long.

Keenwai answered, "She's back with the rest of the mob. We've recently returned from a battle and the merfarie kingdom!"

Bao's expression lit up with exhilaration. "Oh, oh, my goodness! How adventurous of you! I really like Grinyella! She saved my mom from the evil manchineel tree. She lit a fire and burned him up quick! Wanna' hear a knock-knock joke?"

They laughed at Bao's randomness and jovial spirit but nodded to hear the joke.

"Alright! First, you gotta' knock on the bark of my trunk and I'll say knock-knock when you do." Bao motioned with one of her branches to her truck.

Kunya stepped forward and gently rapped on the truck.

"Knock-knock!" Bao squealed in amusement.

"Hmmm? Who's there?" Kunya asked.

"Olive!" Boa beamed

"Olive, who?" Kunya asked.

"Olive you too!" She giggled. "Get it? I'm an olive tree and I said olive you too? I love you too!"

Kunya laughed at her playfulness. "You remind me of one of my little sisters. I'll have to bring her here one day soon to meet you. My name is Kunya and this is chief Keenwai. We live in the burrowlands with Grinyella."

"It's good to meet more meerbirds that are sane," Haniel, Bao's father spoke up now.

"Sane?" Keenwai questioned.

Leah, Bao's mother spoke up now. "Yes, often we see the wild meerbirds stumbling by, the ones who are desperately trying to find more scheckleberries from the manchineel trees."

Keenwai's expression glimmered. "Have you seen any recently?"

"Yes!" Bao was, again, excited to have something to share with them. She didn't have the pleasure of having visitors often. "Just this morning we saw one hobbling on by. She was running that way." Bao pointed toward the direction of the caverns of Mem.

"She seemed to have a hurt ankle or something was wrong with one of her legs," Leah the mother olive tree added.

"I'm not exactly sure, but that could have been my mother, Finy," Keenwai looked at Leah with a grave expression on his face.

Leah paused and then quietly answered with, "I am very sorry to hear that she is unwell. I too was almost destroyed by a manchineel tree named Lecher, though it was in a different way..."

"How so?" Keenwai interest in the mother olive tree was growing.

Leah paused but then shared part of her experience. "See the river there? Well, it's got sweet water that we drink every day..."

Bao interrupted. "Try some, if you're thirsty!"

"Let me finish, Bao." Leah addressed her daughter. "I had stopped drinking the sweet water and I shouldn’t have done that. I grew too close to the roots of Lecher the manchineel tree. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but my roots intertwined with his. I was almost ruined altogether. But, alas, Grinyella saved me when she burnt up the manchineel tree that nearly destroyed me. Sadly, my actions were damaging our olive cluster." She looked at Haniel and Bao. "I am forever grateful to Haniel for his patience with me though."

Haniel smiled, "Usually, as olive trees, we fear fire. But in this situation, we needed the fire to save us!" Haniel declared with gratitude.

"Yes, I'm glad for the fire too!" Bao exclaimed.

Leah watched Keenwai and Kunya absorb the story that she had shared with them. The two meerbirds thought about the recent throne room that had been destroyed by the flames of the dragons.

Leah continued, "Why do I share my personal story with you? Well, it's because my mistakes are worth sharing. Remembering the past of my folly is hard to swallow some days. But if it helps provide warning, wisdom, or hope for someone else, then I suppose it is all worth it!" With gracious humility, she proceeded to share, "You see, if there was hope for me to not be lost forever, then there is hope for your mother and your brother too, Keenwai."

"I agree," Keenwai was speechless for a moment.

Kunya pressed one of her paws around the vial of merfarie tears. "We believe we have a way to heal Finy and Bargan but we must find them first. You pointed in the direction of the caverns of Mem so this is where we will journey now! Farewell to you three olive trees! We will meet again!"

"I hope so! Don't forget about us then!" Bao waved and wiggled her branches. She was poised with the heart and soul of a dancer. Yes, her dancer-soul was so ingrained into the fiber of her being that it was inescapable. As the two meerbirds left, several robins fluttered by to eat from the small olives that were growing toward the top of Boa's reaching branches. She was always reaching for more in some form or fashion.

"Haha-hehehe!" She pretended. "That tickles!" Indeed, Bao was the epitome of entertainment. The three olive trees watched the two meerbirds disappear into the clouds of the sky.

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Author's Note:

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