Page 25 of Cruel As A Tree

"He... what?" I asked. "Lorthion, is this your real form?"

His leaves and branches shook a few moments before a rumbling laugh erupted from him.

"No," he said, his voice deep and booming with the length of his erect wooden form.

“Oh I’m sorry,” Susan said. “I assumed you weren’t a shifter because you always look like this. I really need to stop making assumptions.”

“I told you already Susan, he can be really hot," Orcalia said, coming back over to us, her face flushed. "First time I visited, he was all sexy looking with these furred legs and antlers, but the second I started hitting on him, he turned into this and hasn't changed back since."

"You said that you thought trees were ugly," Lorthion said.

Orcalia sighed. "Is that why you rejected me? I don't think your trees are ugly. Your forest is so cool."

“It is not the reason,” Lorthion said.

“Then why?” Orcalia said.

"Orcalia, you promised," Susan sighed. "You said you wouldn't do this."

Orcalia ignored Susan as she walked up and put her hand on Lorthion's giant leg, staring up at him as she leaned her breasts against his leg. "Give me a chance. We could be so good together.”

She was so forward. It was impressive and at the same time made me feel uncomfortable, like I was watching a trainwreck inslow motion, not knowing what to do to help but knowing that the results could end up in tears.

"No," Lorthion said.

Orcalia reached out and wrapped her arms around his trunk leg, pressing her face into his leg.

"Let go of him," I snapped, my feeling of discomfort welling up as I reached out to grab her arm and pull her back. "No is a complete sentence, and you need to back off already."

“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” Orcalia said, yanking her arm out of my grasp. “Only Lorthion can tell me to go away.”

Lorthion let out a sound like wind rustling through leaves. "I desire another," he said. "Even if I didn't, I would not choose you. I have known you since you were a little sprout and I cannot think of you in another way. To watch another grow from their youth is to see them as kin. You will always appear to me as a bud that I am unwilling to pluck.”

"Come on, Orcalia." Susan grabbed her other arm, and we both walked her to the water. Devonic came with us, his face withdrawn as he looked down at the dirt under his feet instead of anything around us. “You heard the man. You have to listen this time. We should leave now."

Orcalia’s shoulders slumped. “But I like him so much.”

"Thank you for your gifts," Lorthion said. "But Devonic, I request another."

That seemed to snap Devonic out of his funk for a moment as he turned back to face Lorthion. "What is your request?" he asked, bowing low.

"My forest is overburdened with ripe fruit," Lorthion said. "Please send harvesters to come and take it away."

"Yes, Great Lord of the Forest," Devonic said. "We will come and relieve you of the bounty."

Orcalia and Devonic vanished into the water, leaving Susan pulling on her flippers and getting her mask ready. She tappedon said mask with one hand. "I'll bring you one of these and show you the way next time," Susan said. "You're welcome to visit us anytime, but you should make sure you have a Siren escort as the tunnels can be confusing the first couple of times trying to get around them. We have a bunch of the Mundanes in a cute little conclave in the Siren city if you want to join us, and if you want to get back to the Mundane, we can get you a portal back."

Her eyes slid over to Lorthion on that one.

"Oh, Lorthion already helped me with that," I said.

A smile broke out on Susan's face at those words. "Good," she said. Then she was gone after the others.

"I must distribute the gifts they brought throughout the forest," Lorthion said after a moment of quiet. "The nutrients from the waters do a great deal to help the spread of my forest."

"Do you want some help?" I asked, looking over at him. I didn't really want to help him with a bunch of stinky old fish and seaweed, but the offer had come out of habit.

He smiled at me, his bark crinkling. "No, I wish to do this work on my own. Go home. I will join you when you come back through the portal and call for me."

---