#i wish they had birch beer but they probably won't

[aniseandspearmint]

I'm going grocery shopping today, then I have to go to Kroger and get the new covid vaccine.

I am going to get a few glass bottle sodas, a thing of vanilla gelato, and some pie (if any looks good) as a treat.

[true--north]

"Well, here's another empty hollow," Honeymaren thought irritably. She shouldn't have climbed the tree so high–no hive here. It was the first summer after finding the Fifth Spirit, and perhaps the Forest has just begun to recover in all its abundance. It was still not so easy to get some wild honey in the trees. Honeymaren sighed and deftly jumped down from the branch to the ground without tearing her summer red tunic.

And she landed right in front of an astonished Elsa.

"Oh!" they exclaimed in one voice. "What are you doing here?" they asked each other again in unison.

Elsa laughed softly, covering her mouth with her hand. "Jinx!"

Honeymaren giggled. "Jinx? We call it 'Make a wish'. I'm sorry I jumped on you, Elsa."

"It's nothing, I felt there was someone in the Forest, but I didn't know it was you." Elsa moved her left hand and Honeymaren saw that a sparkling blue thread of ice magic was wrapped around her wrist like a bracelet.

"What's this?"

"Yelana asked me to show her the memory of her father who died on the Day of the Battle..." Elsa's voice became quieter. She has just returned from Ahtohallan. "How do you do, Honeymaren?"

"I was just trying to find a bee hive and collect some honey so we could make a pastille and honey beer... But alas, I haven't had any luck yet." She shrugged and threw back her braid decorated with a motley ribbon.

"I have an idea," Elsa said. She closed her eyes, as if listening to something. The soft summer wind rippled her transparent snow-white skirts. "Come with me," she opened her eyes. "I know where a hive is." She took Honeymaren by the hand and pulled her along.

Honeymaren hurried after her. "Can you hear the bees?"

"No, I... I can hear the Forest. You just need to know what to look for, and Nature will answer."

They came to a clearing overgrown with yarrow and camomile, and stopped in front of a large half-rotted birch trunk. A bee nest was indeed lying in its roots.

Delighted, Honeymaren wanted to come closer, but Elsa stopped her with a light move, touching her elbow. "Let me help you."

She waved her hand, and Honeymaren heard a noise rushing through the grasses under her feet, they were moving like the waves of the sea. The Wind Spirit has come. She flew into the hive and the bees flew out of there, hiding from the sight of the girls.

"Gale won't take them far," Elsa smiled. "But when they come back, we'd better get out of here."

"Oh yeah," Honeymaren grinned. With the help of a stone knife, she carefully pulled out several honeycombs from the hive, and put them in her birch bark bag hanging on her shoulder.

Elsa came closer.

"We never take everything," explained Honeymaren. "A human should know the measure."

"Peace between Nature and humankind is everything," uttered Elsa, looking at Homeymaren.

"Well...Shall we go home?"

Elsa nodded, and they walked in the direction of the tribe's summer camp by the Fern Creek. Honeymaren opened the lid of the birch bag, broke off a honeycomb and ate a small piece of it.

"Thank you, Elsa. What would I do without you?"

Elsa lifted her hand and wiped a drop of honey from Honeymaren's cheek. She felt so warm to the touch of Elsa's cold hand. "The Forest was a different place without you." Honeymaren added suddenly shyly.

Elsa looked closely at her. "Thank you, Honey. After all, it was you who revealed to me who I am that night. I probably wouldn't be here without you."

"I just told a legend, that's all."

"A legend that turned out to be true. Now I know the forgotten truth is hidden in the ancient legends, and we must find it..." Elsa raised her head, looking at the treetops and Honeymaren saw the reflection of the evening sky in her icy eyes.

"Then talking bears from the fairy tales are also true?" Honeymaren joked, coming closer to Elsa.

"I have yet to find out," Elsa replied, trying to sound serious.

The Spirit and the Northuldra walked together side by side through the Enchanted Forest full of unknown secrets, and the flowers around them smelled of wild honey.