The Meeting of the Four
A hush ran through the forest and a cool wind blew in from the east. Then, as if the silence troubled their ancient frames, the trees rustled their leaves calmly, urging the forest life to go about its business. All around, creatures picked up their and carried on where they had left off.
The three had met early in the forest and waited for the fourth. This was the way it always was. Each year, the four would meet in a forest amid the creatures basking in the summer sun. The exact location and time varied, but always they met under similar circumstance. It was through no choice of their own, but events conspired to bring them together all the same.
The three waited patiently in a small clearing surrounded by towering trees on each side. They were in no rush. Time brought them together in the past; time brought them together now; time would bring them together later. The first remained impassive and held the second gently, while the third milled around them.
Time passed in the forest, as the trees and the breeze seemed to speak to each other. Neither quite knew what to say, so the trees rustled their leaves and the breeze whistled around the plant life. All around animals would stop in their actions to eavesdrop on the conversation, listening to the swaying branches and catching the scents and smells on the air. The trees and breeze maintained their secrets though.
The first spoke finally in a heavy voice that sat briefly in the air before falling away. "Where is the fourth?"
The third whirled around the two before delivering a reply in a smooth swooping motion, "Issss cominnnggg� sssoooonnn�."
The second moved slightly but said nothing, and they fell into silence again.
Around them the forest busied itself with the day. A million unplaceable signs of life roaming, feeding, sleeping, all preoccupied with the strain of living. Insects built castles and played out vast wars in miniature. Small rodents foraged for food, running back and forth to their holes in the ground. Predators cast their eyes across the forest floor, laying a net for the unwary animal. Plants vied with each other for the loving kiss of the sun's rays. Each species absorbed entirely with the effort of existence.
The three observed the activity with little interest. All the life was as nothing to them, be it the smallest insect or largest mammal. Even the trees, with the weight of many years behind them, were of little significance. The meeting was all that mattered.
A colony of ants celebrated victory against a rogue beetle by foraging for more food. The long line of ant-life passed along the ground and across the branches, giving them the appearance of flowing motion. Only the leaves on the trees stopped the fluid activity, as each ant took its share and walked home with it. The convoy of ants passed back across the landscape oblivious to anything outside of their path. Eight eyes watched them, far from ignorant; the nearby spider cast a suspicious gaze over the ants, all the while preparing the most devious of traps for the unknowing flies.
High in the sky, birds soared on thermals, calling occasionally to each other. They rode the air currents as if they were water, resting on the undulating surface before pulling themselves off in a different direction. Slow flaps of soft feathered wings kept them hanging in space, more at one with the clouds above than the forest below.
The three remained in their clearing. Here the ground was lighter, without the parasol of the high-rise trees. The ground was carpeted with a thick layer of moss, softening the steps of the wildlife. At the edges of the clearing, the lowest parts of the trees were covered in the same moss, caressing and soothing the rough bark and confiding untold secrets of the insects.
The breeze shifted slightly, and the second moved in the grasp of the first. Not a sound was made. Leaning between the trees, the third reached out, searching for the fourth.
Time passed. A blanket of hushed silence enveloped the forest as every living thing held its breath. Then the wind picked up a moment, and the trees whispered to themselves of past times. Life continued its chatter, replacing the air with an atmosphere of its own.
A small brown rabbit hopped into the clearing and stopped. Its ears moved quickly, turning to collect the sounds of the forest. Its nose twitched rapidly, pulling stories out of the air. Tales of predators long since gone passed through the rabbit's mind. The sweet smell of freshly disturbed plants pulled at it. Its whole world was defined around it with sight and smell and sound. Even the moss reached up to the rabbit's feet, speaking of comfort and safety.
Satisfied all was well, the rabbit hopped on through the clearing, almost unknowing of the three's presence. It moved in little bounds, the distance across the clearing vanishing rapidly. As it reached the far side the rabbit disappeared into the undergrowth. Only memories and a rustling bush remained as signs of its being there.
The three watched the rabbit go before turning their attention back to the task of waiting. There was no need to rush the encounter - time would bring everything together eventually, or not if that was the way it was meant to be. They could afford to watch the forest. As if on cue, a lazy snake slowly wound its way down a tree, coiling itself tightly around the trunk, flowing into the undergrowth in one smooth motion. It rested a moment in the warm air before vanishing amongst the greenery.
A young female deer walked into the clearing and stopped. It stood alert, ears flicking at the buzzing flies, sharp eyes watching for movement. Its nostrils flared slightly as it breathed deep of the forest scent, tasting the air. Its brown coat almost shone in the sunlight bearing down from above. White pinpricks of light reflected back from the glistening moistness in its eyes.
A drop of water fell from high up in the forest canopy, landing on the deer's back. The wary creature half sprang back into the undergrowth, before recovering and standing firm. Warm air escaped from its mouth in shallow breaths.
Finally, the deer had consumed enough of the sights of the clearing. It turned and walked back between the trees, the yielding moss springing back into place in readiness for the next visitor. The flies followed slowly in a gradually drifting cloud, and the plants murmured their complaints at the deer's rough exit. Then the clearing fell quiet again.
The three remained motionless a moment, sampling the changed atmosphere. The peaceful existence of the forest life seemed broken, taken away with the deer. In the vacuum that followed, nothing moved. Even the wind signalled its calm. Insects stopped a moment in their busy travels. Rats and mice and rabbits stood and waited. The deer paused mid-step, and the birds in the tree air came to rest on the old boughs of the trees. No sign of life stirred.
The wind picked up a moment, then fell abruptly. A pause, then a strong breeze came back, flowing in and around all the creatures of the forest, stroking all the plants. Life watched its progression a while.
The three finally felt the shift was permanent, and concealed their excitement. The fourth was on the way! The third danced around while the second swayed in the cradling grip of the first. Everything was as it should be.
The creatures of the forest also felt the imminent presence of the fourth. The former busy preoccupation gave way to a sense of urgency. Rabbits bounced through the forest quickly, dodging tree roots and each other, hastening away. A group of small rats ran alongside them, weaving in and out of the plants. The deer bounded through the forest, crashing through the undergrowth, all caution forgotten next to the pressing need to be elsewhere. Even the insect wars were forgotten, bodies abandoned on the battlefields as each creature made for its own fortress as fast as it could, the rolling motion of the floor finally unified to one direction.
The three reached out and felt the life of the fourth. The fourth was cutting through the plant life now, forging a way through to them. The breeze came, bringing with it sharp smells, chasing the animals through the forest. Small mammals, large mammals, reptiles, all running through the clearing, predators and prey together. The insect life dissipated and disappeared, gone as if it never was. The world was alive with motion as the air heated up.
The three could see the fourth approaching rapidly, clearly visible between the trees. All the waiting would soon be over. Fearful creatures darted in all directions, running as fast as could be. Terror clung to the air. Piercing alarm calls went out, birds darting through the sky with final warnings.
As a last mouse left the clearing, a stillness followed. The three felt the tension in the air subside with the fleeing creatures. Expectation grew amongst them. They waited some more, knowing it was soon to end.
There was little warning to be seen as the forest around the clearing burst into flame! Yellow and orange light bathed the cleared area, as the waving flames licked at the trees with cruel heat. The third danced excitedly as it exclaimed, "'sss heeerrre!" The second moved rapidly back and fore with the breeze as the first embraced the others.
And as the wind pushed the flames into the clearing, black particles of scorched earth and rushing clouds of steam rose high into the sky, dancing together in the flickering light of the fire to the crackling beat of the burning forest. And all the time the rushing wind raced around them, guiding them together and feeling the hot touch of the fire, the strong touch of the ground, and the gentle touch of the water. And the four knew that the time of their meeting had come again�