Amaranth III

Iskra followed the old man as he walked through the seeming miles and miles of flowers. Of course, she stopped to scent mark along the way, an activity she supposed the old man either didn't see or didn't care about, though she was sure he must be at least aware of what she was doing.

There were chrysanthemums. There were camellias. There were hydrageas. There were Forget-Me-Nots. There were tall apple trees heavy with fruit that bobbed up and down gently in the breeze, like nodding senators in a congress. There were poppies heavy with seeds like bright yellow frogs with eggs. There were orange blossoms and peach blossoms. There were wild Azaleas that danced and flowed like a woman's dress. There were violets and marigolds and sunflowers and goldenrods. There was every beautiful and fragrant flower that the hyena had ever seen in her life and so many more. The hum of the bees accompanied the wise and affectionate talk of the gardening man as they walked among his many, many plants.

[ EXP: 200 ] I

But dotted among the other, more showy flowers were the strange, bleeding flowerbushes. She'd never seen such a plant before, but it was very pretty in the morbid way that it reminded her of food.

The old man seemed to take notice that in addition to stopping to mark along the stone, garden path, Iskra often stopped at the bushes to sniff them and walk a wide circle around them, taking in the sight of the foliage and the odd flowers.

"You like that flower, fella?" He said, his persistent smiling widening as he sat down on a stump. "It's my wife."

Iskra walked over and sat down as well, curious as to what he meant, but not asking any questions in the human tongue.

"Oh, I don't mean that literally," The elderly man reached down again, his fingers taking their place again in the massaging of the roots of her ears. "It was a long time ago... I never was really a spring chicken. I just know that I woke up one day a very long time ago, and there was a big building...

[ EXP: 200 ]

...It had a clear ceiling, and I could see the clouds drifting by and the sun coming up. I was next to a woman, though. She was... the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. She was an angel. The people call her an angel." A distant look filled his already distant eyes as he thought of what had apparently been her lover. "She was so pure and beautiful. We were married, eventually, but we never... well, you know what married people do. She was just so beautiful I was happy just spending time with her every day. We planted this garden together, her and me. Five miles. I couldn't have done it alone. She had these... powers. Anything she touched could suddenly burst into bloom."

He paused for a moment, going over the memories in his ancient head. "It couldn't last forever, I guess. A great beast came and took her away. I never saw her again. Never saw much of anything. I got sad and a veil fell across my vision. I haven't been able to see the flowers since, but I keep this garden alive so others can."

[ EXP: 200 ] III

Iskra absorbed the story passively. It was very sad, and that she could relate to. Having one's adopted family members suddenly disappear was an acute pain made chronic by having to live alone. She licked his hand and the man's cheery demeanor returned, perennial as the flowers that he tended. "I plant a lot of amaranths in her memory... 'Love Lies Bleeding', they call these. She told me this story of how there were so many amaranths in her home when she went to visit it, and that they were native to heaven and that's why they never withered or lost their color, even if you plucked one away from the plant."

His other hand reached out and gently stroked one of the blood-red blossoms. "It's like my feelings for her. They won't ever go away and I think she might be alive somewhere. I'd die just to get the chance to see her again."

He was quiet again for a long, reverent moment, but at length he stood up, supporting his weight with a walking stick. "That's enough history I guess."

[ EXP: 200 ] IV

On shaky legs, he began to retreat to a nearby shack, one covered in lanterns and foliage in buckets and pots and various relics from the past. "I've got to nap since I'm old. Ha ha, not young enough to give these tours like I used to. Maybe I'll see you again soon, fella?"

Iskra called after him, a brief chuckle goodnight. He seemed to understand the intent behind the sound and waved warmly before closing the door.

The hyena rolled over onto her back and looked at the fat, fluffy clouds rolling overhead to the lazy hum of the thousand insects. It was so peaceful here. This place was worthy of her protection as well.

Maybe she napped for a moment, or perhaps it was an hour, but she'd been very sleepy from all of the walking.

When she awoke, however, she immediately set about marking the entire periphery of the five-mile garden, warning away any beasts or bandits that might want to ruin such a wonderful place and such a wonderful old person. He deserved peace for his works.

[ EXP: 200 ]

Land Grabbed!