Mabon Day, part III

Read part I here.
Read part II here.

"Rats climb in trees...not mice...!" Thought Hans to himself as he did his best to keep up with his friend. It wasn't a pompous thought. Hans liked rats. He just didn't like climbing trees...
Jane was patient and stopped frequently when she and Hans grew tired. There were many long, winding branches to rest on, and though acorns weren't particularly to their liking, they were a sufficient snack. And it turned out that it wasn't as awful as he thought it would be. Yes, it was a little scary to be so far from the ground, but Hans found he quite liked the strategic process of finding places to grasp onto, little divots in the tree bark that served as makeshift paths; and talking to Jane was always lovely. He even forgot to wonder why he was climbing the tree at all.
After a few hours, they came to rest on a branch high, high in the air. "We'll be at the top when we next stop," Jane said happily. Hans paused from scratching his ear, "what will we do when we get there?" He asked.
"You'll see. When we get there, I won't even have to tell you."
After a few minutes they were off again.
Hans began to notice that the light was growing dimmer, especially as the leaves around him grew thicker. He could hear the wind blowing somewhere...but the air around him was still and cold. He began to wonder if he would ever get home again...
Then he heard his name. Jane was speaking to him. "Quick Hans! We're here! Come see!"
Not even a foot above him, light spattered through the leaves...he made a few hops and his head came through the top of the oak tree...

Hans knew what beauty was. Every day of his life was spent marveling at the blue of the sky...the sparkle of dawn after a rainy night...the infinite shades of color in the softness of a wildflower. He thought the soil was beautiful, dragonflies (though terrifying) were beautiful, and Jane, of course, was beautiful. And he never grew tired of it.

But never had he seen anything like what he beheld at this moment. The forest blanketed the earth as far as his eyes could see...dozens of different trees in dozens of different colors from deep red to bright green. The sky had never been so big, the air so crisp and clear. There were sounds he had never noticed, birds he had never seen, and the breeze he could hear before was now brushing around him, warm and powerful. And the Sun! As it dipped lower and lower, bled the most glorious colors into the dome of the sky and onto the clouds! Suddenly he knew why they called the Maker "grand".

"Jane," he said quietly. "I can see every kind of tree."
He knew them by their leaves and their hues, but until now he had only seen them from below.
She asked him what they were, and Hans pointed to them, and told her which were Maple, Oak, Pine, Alder, Cedar, Dogwood, Chestnut, Willow...
And then they were both very silent. They remained there until the sun began to disappear. The colors began to fade, and even the breeze started to feel cold.
"Well, we had better go now, Hans," said Jane.

The climb down was dark and a bit treacherous; but it didn't take as long, and Hans was still overwhelmed by what he had seen. Before he knew it, they reached the forest floor.
Their sharpened senses guided the two small shapes as they moved cautiously through the leaves and roots back the way they came. Almost soundless, they rushed from shadow to shadow, keeping out of sight from predators that roamed the woods at night.

~

Mabon Day, part II

Read part 1 here.

When they stepped outside, the two friends breathed in air that felt distinctly more crisp and spicy than it was yesterday. Perhaps knowing it was the first day of autumn made their imaginations a little more active, but really, does it matter?
"Jane", said Hans after they had walked a few minutes, "My mother always used to tell me it was dangerous to go out on Mabon."
Jane looked over at him, carefully and quickly stepping over and around acorns, oak leaves and pebbles with all 4 of her tiny feet. "Some creatures think it is a bad day," she replied quietly. "The ones that walk on 2 legs sometimes do strange things in the woods. They use fire, dark colors, and it smells awful weird."
Hans shivered, but not because he was cold.
"Anyway," Jane went on, "I don't know what any of it means. I just know it's the day we thank the Grand Maker for the orange leaves, the clear air, and all the other things that happen when autumn comes."
Hans thought this over as they crawled over a very large root. "That sounds nice," he said.
When they made it over the root, Jane stopped. "I think this is it," she said; mostly to herself. Her nose pointed into the air, as she looked above her. Hans followed her gaze, and lifted his eyes into the canopy of an enormous old oak tree. He knew it well. Its gnarled but graceful branches, spreading farther than any other oak in the forest both fascinated and frightened him. Something so big, so old, had to have a kind of power in it...and it made him feel afraid and safe at the same time. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't even notice that Jane had begun walking away.
"Hans!" she called.
He looked at her, and to his surprise, she had begun to climb the tree!
"This way! Come!"
"Up the tree?" he squeaked, his feet moving him slowly in her direction.
"Yes of course! Don't tell me you've never climbed it before??"
Hans felt a little embarrassed. "No," he said quietly, looking at his fingers.
At this Jane gave a little laugh of joy. "Excellent! Then this will be even better!" She exclaimed. "Come on, Hans! Oh stop staring at your feet and follow me. It really isn't that terrible. And you'll be really glad you did; you'll see."
"Okay" said Hans. And he began pulling himself up.

~