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circles-n-spirals-alike · 4 months ago

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Home is Where The Heart Is: Chapter 1

a CiD-based fic because i have a concept

word count: 2,281

—

He doesn’t know exactly when he first came to be.

He just. Was.

He awoke in the forest, rose from the moss covered land, and knew.

This was him.

He was the roots in the soil, the branches in the sky. the grass and the flowers, the water and the ripples. the creatures around him came forth, and bowed to him only.

And he knew.

This is how it will always be.

— — —

Much time had passed since he had taken his first breath. He was playing with the tops of the trees, when he sensed something entering his forest.

Or more accurately, someone.

Now, to say he had never encountered a human would be a lie.

In the many millennia of his existence, there have been a handful who found themselves in his woods. Some were simply wanderers who had just gotten lost, others were… not as innocent.

In the former scenario, he would gently guide them out. While they didn’t harm his home, they rarely brought anything to make their stay worthwhile, sans the occasional trinket that was occasionally dropped when they left.

In the latter case however, he takes a much more… aggressive approach. He never killed them (he’d rather not deal with the corpse of a monster), but rarely did he leave them unscathed. He’d steal their weapons of jagged iron and bury them far below the earth, all while the wolves and trees pushed the evil things out. After a while, those types have ceased to return.

But this human, the first one to enter his woods in a long time, seemed different than any of the previous. It didn’t appear lost or afraid, nor did he sense any contempt or aggression from its being. No, this one was special, for it did not bring pain or emptiness.

This one brought a song.

“Legend has it that the moss grows on the north side of the trees~ Well, legend has it when the rain comes down all the worms come up to breathe~”

The human sang of him and the truths of the Earth.

“But have you heard the stories of the rabbit in the moon? Or the cow that hopped the planets while straddling a spoon Or she who lept a mountain while whistling up a tune And swapped her songs with swallows while riding on a broom~”

But it also sang of its kin and the stories they’ve must have spun and told to their children. It was strange at first, but the more he listened, the more he felt like this song was for him.

And who was he to deny such a beautiful gift?

The human sang on, its voice preaching to the forest that shifted as it wandered through, guiding it to an open circle covered in flowers and moss. It didn’t seem to notice it was following a path, lost in its song and the natural beauty of the land around him.

“Well, we can all learn things, both many and a-few From that old hunched-up woman who lived inside a shoe Or the girl that sang by day and by night, she ate tear soup Or the man who drank too much, and he got the brewers' droop!”

At this point, he was so enthralled by the human’s gift, he couldn’t help it. He had to return the favor.

Beats from beneath the earth rumbled, causing the thing to pause and remove some objects from its ears.

Good, he thought, it wants to listen.

He took a deep breathe and sang out in a language humans could hear,

“But everything you see isn’t everything that is, Every thing you think to be, every thought you can’t dismiss. The lives we try to lead and the time we try to give Well, it’s all a fallacy we continue to relive~”

His voice echoed across the woods as he bounced with the wind through the trees. He caught a glance of the human, who was frantically looking around for a source for the singing. He almost laughed at the sight, but continued to sing.

“And everything will live, just as everything will die. Every that you forgive, and every friend that you deny”

He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to give it something to focus its eyes on. He drifted his being onto the forest floor, before rising from a patch of lichen, a cape of moss draped over his back as grey-brown hair with streaks of green floated over his shoulders. The mortal turned around only in time to see him sneaking out from behind a tree.

“Every single first hello and every single last goodbye, Every smile that you show, every tear that you hide~”

The mortal’s face is shocked for a short moment, before shifting into a grin brighter than the sun.

The two of them began singing together, about the world, both human and natural, about myths and secrets, beginnings and ends, until they’re both laying in the circle with their backs against the earth, one panting much harder than the other. They laid there in silence for a few moments, before the mortal spoke.

“You’ve got an awesome voice there, mate,” it said breathily.

He smiled, a warm feeling tickling his cheeks.

“Thank you,” he chirped, before adding after a break, “you gave a very good song to the forest.”

It laughed, “uuuh, thanks, I think? I kinda just came in here to explore and be on my own for a bit. Didn’t think anyone would be out here at all, let alone listening to me belt out Cosmo Sheldrake, heh.”

He listened to the mortal as it rambled on about summer camps and strict guardians and music and some other human things he didn’t really understand. But as he listened attentively, one thing became crystal clear.

He had to keep this mortal.

Right, okay that may seem a little extreme.

But never has he ever met a human that captured his attention like this, one so openly honest, and yet so kindly to both him and his home. He’s aware of how humans fuction, and that he can’t keep this one around forever, or even at least a fortnight. But he refused to let it just leave without the definite knowledge of its eventual return. To leave him with nothing.

So, he readies his hooks…

“Sorry to interrupt you my friend, but if you don’t mind, Could I please have your name?”

The mortal hesitated for a moment, probably thrown off by the tone of the question. He almost takes back the request before the honest voice speaks.

“Oh uh, yeah. It’s Flanagan.”

He’s caught him.

He stared at Flanagan for a few moments, before smiling and giggling wildly.

It shifts a bit in place, suddenly seeming very uncomfortable.

Did I scare it already? Stars above.

“I don’t normally enjoy humans in my forest, but don’t worry. I like you, Flanagan.

I like you a lot.”

It shivers at the sound of its name, though not negatively as its eyes glimmered with entrancement.

“Uh- i, um- t-thanks, and also, uh real. What you said about people n stuff…”

He tilts his head in confusion.

“Of course it was real, i can’t lie.”

“That’s not- ”

Suddenly, a voice called from outside the woods.

“Flanagan Jones? You know the rules about wandering out of camp zones! Besides, it’s time for worship hour!”

the mortal cringed in familiarity, and annoyance and discomfort radiated from its soul as he glanced toward the direction of the sound.

“Fuuucking hell, it’s my counselor,” it groaned, and quick visions of a tall, pushy, obnoxious man entered his mind. He was familiar with these types. Flanagan glanced back at him, disappointingly. “I have to go back.”

But you’ve barely just got here, he thought longing, but no matter. I can work with this.

“Flanagan,” he cooed its name, causing the human’s eyes to glaze over a bit as it listened to his words, “Come back to me tonight, when all the others are dreaming.”

He thought for a moment.

“And bring me a gift of some kind. Okay?”

Flanagan nodded, a bit dazily but good enough for him to know it understood.

“Thank you, Flanagan,” he said, releasing it from his command. “Now, go with your ‘counselor.’ I’ll be here when you return. Goodbye.”

And with that, he retreated out of the tree circle, melting into the shadows of the woods.

Through the ground, he could feel the mortal stagger a bit before finding its balance and awkwardly said, “Uh, okay… see you later, mate?”

And with that it left, with a trail of confusion, concern, and content trailing behind it.

— — —

The moon shone its full light as he waited for his new friend to return.

It felt like forever in his tangible body until he finally sensed the familiar tread of footsteps entering his forest.

He made sure to completely clear a path and even asked some of the lighting bugs to guide it back to the circle and, soon enough, his Flanagan was standing on the edge of the ring, with a stick of light in its hand and some sort of bag on its back.

He grinned with excitement.

“You’re here!” he nearly shouted. “It felt like forever since the sun had set! How long does it take for them to fall asleep? You know what, doesn’t matter. So, what did you br-”

“I know what you are, by the way.”

He paused, completely thrown off by the bluntness of the statement.

“I… what?”

“I should have caught it way sooner honestly. Fuck, I should have noticed it the moment I saw you, with your grass cape and no shoes wearing ass.”

“It’s moss,” he corrected as he began figiting with the inside of the aforementioned cape, “and I still don’t really know what you’re talking about.”

“I’ve read the stories of people like you,” it explained, “people who can’t lie, who thrive off the natural world and its magic or whatever. What happens if you enter their domain without permission or reason, what happens if you give them your name. Which I did not mean to do, and I think you know that.”

He glanced at the floor during the last part. The mortal sighed before opening its bag.

“I’m not mad at you about it, for the record. Whether that be because of whatever magic-mind fuckery you did to me, or because I actually like hanging out with you, I don't really know. But I’m not upset with you in any way, and I don't really want to be. I'm more curious if anything. Oh, and before I forget- here.”

It handed him a weighted object with a smooth covering and symbols of a human language on the top. A book, if he recalled correctly.

“That’s a collection of Grimm's Fairy Tales. Thought you might enjoy their stories, I haven’t read them all, but you look like the type. And also I didn’t really know what else to give you since I don't really know… Wait, can you even read?”

He almost laughs a bit at the question. He had stolen the knowledge from a past wanderer after it fell asleep in his forest, and didn’t bring anything to trade with for letting it stay. Though he feels as though he should keep that information to himself for now.

So, he just simply said, “Yes, I do know how to read. Thank you for the gift.”

He thought for a second, before deciding to add, “Your thoughts and feelings are your own at the moment. I have no influence over your mind until I say your name.”

“Figured as much. Any chance I could, I dunno, get that back?”

“Mmh, maybe. Not tonight though.”

“Well, worth a shot.”

The two sat in silence before Flanagan spoke again, “Could you tell me who you are?”

At this he guffawed, his voice echoing across the forest as he freely spread himself around the ring.

“I am everything you see here and anything here you don’t. From the dirt beneath your feet to the treetops above your head. I am the breeze that dances through the leaves, I am the moss that grows on the north side of the trees. I have been here since life here has sprung, and I will be here until we both die out millennia from now. I am the forest, and the forest is me.”

He condensed himself and floated back down to the floor in front of his mortal.

“That is who I am.”

Flanagan stared at him with eyes full of wonder, before shifting to amusement. “That was beautiful, but I meant like, your name, dude. ”

Oh.

“Oh, I don't have one.”

It frowned slightly at that. “Really? Okay, well in that case, is it cool if i call you, uuuh,” it looks around the forest for a second, “Moss?”

“Moss?”

He huffed a bit. “I mean, yeah? At least until I can come up with a better name to give you. After all, i can’t just keep calling ya ‘mate’. What do you think?”

The forest smiled gently as a familiar warmth filled his cheeks once more as the idea of another gift from his Flanagan, an intentional one at that, entered his mind.

“Call me whatever you like, darl,” Moss said with adoration in his tongue. “I’ll be happy with any name as long as it’s from you.”

— — —

Many millennia later, at the edge of the universe, a soft voice whispers to an empty grave in a circle of trees.

“And I will never be happier than the day you told me.”

#posting the thing by itself bc i remember that this fandom doesn’t really like ao3 #which is fair #speaking in circles #covered in discontent #chonny jash #chonny jash cid #cid moss #chonny jash fic

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