Pine Tree | Druidic Training

Cybele watched the pheromoo in front of her, eyes closed and waving his hands in order to pull up a small group of flowers from the ground. Every time he returned to her, Cybele was surprised at how quickly Cian was taking to the lessons. His progress was not only steady, but he was incredibly calm and at peace while he trained. As much as Vanessa was a sweetheart, the goddess had to admit that she got a bit... rough with the plants if she got a bit annoyed at them. It sparked a question in her about her new student.

"Are you a guide, Cian?" Cybele asked, curious. He opened his eyes slowly and turned to meet her gaze. "Well... I suppose so, miss. A guide of sorts, a teacher." She giggled. "Ah, that would explain it." Cian tilted his head in confusion, a cue for Cybele to explain. "Well, it's just that many who I have taught this magic to previously often need to learn to be gentle with the plants in order for the magic to work properly. After all, if you're too harsh with them, they could get damaged beyond what can normally be fixed. But you... I haven't had to bring it up once. Even when I thought I might have to. But... knowing that you teach, it's easy to know why such a thing comes naturally to you."

He flushed slightly, his hands going to pull at his ear slightly. "Well, that's awfully kind of you to say, Cybele." She let him twirl his ear for a second before speaking again. "In fact, I think that you're ready to learn something a bit more... dramatic."

Immediately, Moore was a bit intimidated. "Dramatic?" He asked, his nerves obvious in the way he voice shook. Instead of elaborating right away, Cybele lead him to a small patch of dirt which had a distinct lack of grass as opposed to the area around it. "We've been focusing on flowers, grass, things that tend to be fragile for the entirety of their lives, but I think that you're ready to try something a bit more... impressive." She motioned to the pile of dirt. "Go ahead, hold out your hand."

He did as he was told, closing his eyes once more and trying to identify the seed hiding underneath the dirt. He slowly sunk to the ground until he could eventually get a glimpse at the seed in his mind. "Oh!" He exclaimed once he noticed what he was sensing. "An evergreen tree. With the environment and temperature... this one has a growth rate of about half of a foot yearly...."

"Good!" Cybele clapped her hands together. "Now that you know what it is, I need you to stand up, and imagine what the tree would look like as an adult." Cybele helped him up to his hooves, pitying the way Cian groaned in pain trying to get up by himself. He muttered a soft 'thank you' before continuing with the lesson, holding his hand out a bit away from himself, approximating what he would imagine the tree to look like fully grown. "Just perfect, Cian. Stay there, and keep imagining the fully grown tree. Don't move your hand, but try to imagine what the bark will feel like under your fingertips."

It was silent for a while, the mortal pheromoo focusing on the vision of the fully grown evergreen.

Cybele watched as Cian's hand started to glow a soft green, and the little seed started to move upwards, sprouting into a tiny sapling, and quickly growing further. She watched as the pine needles quickly spread upwards, lightly brushing over Moore's hand. He shivered slightly, trying not to flinch, though his fingers wiggled a bit in the air at the sensation. In but a few minutes, the tree finally grew to the point that Cian had imagined, his palm being met with the tree's trunk.

He continued to keep his eyes closed for a few more moment until Cybele lightly tapped him on the back, allowing him to open his eyes. He stared up at the tree, awed at what he had just done. He turned to Cybele, finding himself nervous once again. "Uh, should I... put it back?"

She shook her head. "No need, I'll handle it later. I don't want to put you through too much all at once. Especially since growing a tree takes a lot more energy than growing a few daisies." Now that she brought it up, Cian did notice that he felt a little tired. He yawned, and Cybele smiled softly towards him. "Alright, let's get you back to the garden, hm?" She asked, already leading him by the hand as she lead him back to where he belonged.

She was glad that someone so peaceful and talented desired to share some of her power. He wasn't ambitious or power-hungry. He was just a curious soul with a love of nature, and how could she ever find fault with that?