44 Hair

The night passed by calmly. It seems that I had managed to relieve some of the increasing stress with Leafia's and Emily's help. When Leafia and I returned to my tent my emotions were stable and I did not slip into despair.

It took me a lot longer to make the medicines than I thought it would. It had nothing to do with Leafia resting her head on my lap.At first I tried to make both medicines at the same time. It was not that I could not do it, but my efficiency decreased. Since I was not that pressed for time I was not going to waste energy to shorten the process. It also just took me more time than I was expecting. I had never made this much medicine before. The barrels held more than I thought that they would.

Having something to occupy my time helped me think on things in a more rational manner. I could not let my thoughts go in a dark direction and still make the medicine. I knew that when I was in that state, the accuracy of my control decreased. I did not really understand that. But even the few times I have felt myself in a similar state were enough for me to confirm that this was the case.

It was a few hours before dawn by the time I finished my work and was able to lay down to 'sleep'. I was a little stuck with Leafia on my lap and barrels on either side of me. I could have moved any of them easy enough, but since I had no actual need for rest sitting up all night would not affect me too much.

I was expecting to gain very little strength from this rest. But letting my consciousness go was a good way to help me recenter myself. To my surprise the plant life here was a little better than what could be found in other villages. There were several trees scattered between the houses haphazardly. Just behind my tent there was a little spruce tree that had just started growing that spring. Since there did not seem to be any planting scheme for where these trees were located. it seemed like as long as the tree was not in the way no one would bother removing it. Being 'in the midst' of trees was very calming. There was nowhere near enough to call this village a forest, but for the most part, the trail we have been following has taken us through almost unbroken prairie with only occasional clusters of trees. Every time we could take a break surrounded by trees was a welcome relief to me.

Since I took my time making the medicine and utilized the energy in the town, I was able to save more power and recover all my personal reserves by the time the sun rose. I was more refreshed than I had felt since Ivy's forest at least. I was physically at my full power and emotionally much stronger after my talk with Leafia. I gently rubbed Leafia's head, waiting for the morning to come. Once I noticed Emily starting to stir, I decided it was time for me to get up so we could start our lessons.

I balled up Leafia's cloak for her to use as a pillow. I would have rather used my blanket, but it was already being used since we never went to Leafia's tent to grab hers. Carefully I lifted her head and replaced my leg with her new pillow. As I laid her back down I noticed a small pout on her face. It was a little sweet to think that at least in her sleep she missed me.

I got out of my tent and let the early morning light fall on me. Out of curiosity I stretched and yawned as I would see my companions do every morning as they exited their tents. It felt surprisingly refreshing. I really should do this more often. The stretching woke up my 'muscles.' I was not really sure what made me move, but it was easiest just to relate it to animals that I did know. Stretching also filled up my 'lungs' with fresh air. This part I did know was different from animals. At least what we used the air for. Animals would suffocate if they kept breathing the same air for too long. I would, too, for that matter. But if you put plants and an animal in the same closed space, they did not seem to have a problem. I knew that the air we breathed was somehow opposite, but I had not yet been able to figure out how. Even countless thousands of years was not enough to know everything. As for not knowing how I moved, could you blame me for not wanting to cut myself open?

As I was finishing up my morning stretch Emily also came out of her tent to commence her own morning ritual. "Good morning Emily." I called out to her.

"Good morning Laurel," she said through her yawn but the yawn was cut short with a gasp. "Your hair."

"What about my hair?"

"It turned green!" She said full of concern.

"Well it does that some times," I said without a worry, but then it hit me. "Oh no! What are we going to do now?" I brought a few strands of my hair in front of my eyes to see what color it had become. It was the silverish bluish color of the spruce tree behind my tent. How was I going to cover for this? It was a long way away from the bright red hair that I had last night. "But I didn't sleep under the spruce tree, it was too small. I couldn't even lay under it if I tried. Why did my hair turn green?" I said exasperatedly.

The rest of our company came out of their tents upon hearing my frustration. Istan and Gray looked slightly concerned, while I noticed some amusement in Leafia's eyes. There was not much for us to consult about. All I could really do was to pull my hood up and hope that no one looked too closely this morning.

"If it is any consolation I think your hair looks better in this blue color than the red from last night. It just matches you better," Leafia said. I was not sure if she was trying to comfort me or tease me. But, I will just take it as a compliment, I guess.