A Dumpy Tale (2)

 Some time had passed with our protagonist as a pupil of the great Falcony the Wizard and finally the training was completed. It was time to gather the components necessary to forge a powerful sword that could defeat the Tyrant Dragon.

The first ordeal was to gather a special kind of wood from a dark and dangerous forest. Our protagonist (Dumpy McFarmy) went there without delay, armed only with its old, reliable, favourite axe from his days of youth when he still lived in the farm with his family, something that seemed a lifetime ago. (At first I thought of an encounter with wild beasts, like wolves, but there is only one way to convert something as mundane as cutting wood to something mildly epic).

After arriving, Dumpy McFarmy quickly located the rare trees from which to cut enough wood for the furnace. As he approached a suitable tree he felt that something was amiss. He looked around, wary, but resumed his approach. Again, he heard something. Maybe the wind in the branches? He wielded the Axe, but he could see nothing but trees, but somehow he felt the forest to be more constraining. He then continued on with his chopping mission, but looking behind his back. As he was raising his axe, a dark cavernous voice commended him to stop. Paralized by fear he searched for the source of the voice. He could see nobody, befuddled he ask to the speaker to reveal oneself. And at last he understood.

The tree ¿creature? showed up and warned to not to lay a hand of any of the trees of the forest. Dumpy asked how a tree could talk, to which the creature responded that he was no tree, that he was a  an Ent, a Tree Shepherd (tm), totally different and that it was his sacred mission to spare the trees for any harm. Dumpy insisted that the Ent totally looked like a tree, something the Ent fiercly denied.

 Dumpy pleaded, telling it of his mission. The Ent was not impressed. Dumpy asked for a recently fallen tree or maybe cutting some branches here and there. The Ent replied that if he would cut even the slightest branch he would tear him apart. A broken bone for every broken branch, as Llanowar elves used to say. . Dumpy tried to find reason from that husk of wood with little avail. The living tree explained that it would punish anyone who attacked the trees, but anyone who does not was free to go. Dumpy asked of what happens to those who hunt animals in the forest, to which the Ent replied that he only protected animals. Dumpy pressed on, asking if he would be punished if he hunted anything that was not a tree. The Ent promised by his holy mission that will not be the case. The Ent did not realize his mistake until it was too late.

Later that night, Dumpy arrived at the Wizards' tower. He was very pleased with the wood quality, it even seemed to have magic properties. The Wizard, however, refrained from asking why one of the logs looked like a face.

Next, it was time to find a suitable hammer and anvil.