The Faerie Fur
Tarnisaloo started, “Faerie Fur kind started eons ago. Literally eons. Almost at the birth of the world. You might say we were the midwives of the world. No, we do not know our own origins,” Tarnisaloo explained in response to Bruce’s raised eyebrow at his last statement, “I guess no species ever truly knows their own origin, but we were here long before there was any other life on the planet.”

Tarnisaloo continued, “We saw the first glimmerings of life and we helped it along. We made no judgment back then, as to what was good or bad, we helped along all life. We didn’t interfere with the lion killing the gazelle, the snake capturing the frog, or the eagle deftly snagging a fish. It was their natures and it was life in balance. Then came sentients.”

“You mean Furs?” Bruce questioned.

“Furs yes, but others. Did you know Bruce that our world has sentient trees? Whole forests! And plants, and mountains, valleys and rivers. Oh yes, all of them sentient, as capable of thought and decision as you are.”

“That’s hard to believe.” Bruce stated flatly. “While I’ve seen many amazing things I’ve never spoken to a tree or to a stream.”

Tarnisaloo smiled, expecting this reaction. “Then I have two questions for you Bruce.”

Bruce looked surprised, and as he rubbed the leg of his friend now standing next to him, also listening, he said, “Go ahead.”

“Have you ever tried talking to a tree or to a stream?”

“Of course no…” Bruce stopped, realizing that he had been caught and also realizing that there might be more to the world than he had considered.

“Exactly.” Tarnisaloo stated. “Most Furs would never even think about talking to a tree. Stupid. Of course it is. My second question is much more to the point though. If the trees, valleys, forests, streams, and almost everything else cannot be sentient, then who answered your call for help in your battle. Giving of lifeforce is a voluntary thing, and volunteering requires that a decision be made. Making a decision can only be made by a sentient being.”

Bruce thought for a moment and replied, “I don’t know. But I know animals who have sacrificed themselves for their masters and they are not sentient.”

Now it was Tarnisaloo’s turn to look surprised, “Oh really? And how do you make that decision Bruce? That they are not sentient I mean. You ever try to talk to an ‘animal?’” Tarnisaloo emphasized the last word to make his point.

“Well, no” Bruce stated. “You can’t talk to non sentients. Can’t communicate with them.”

Now it was Neekas turn, “Umm, Bruce. We used to talk. I used to talk to you all the time except you couldn’t hear me. I had to really shout and then you only got a word or two.”

Bruce looked up at his friend, beginning to understand, “You could hear me, and understood?”

“Every word Bruce. Do you really think I would have stepped into that chasm if I had not been able to hear your thoughts and knew you believed it to be safe? While I was still looking at the empty space, I knew you believed it to be an illusion and walked into it. Yes, I heard you all of the time, you just couldn’t hear me.”

Tarnisaloo smiled and nodded, “And so it was, and is, with most of the world Bruce. While you may not be able to hear everything around you, the Farie Fur can, and did for eons. While we did not initially judge good from bad we found that, over time, there were some things that were against life, and others for it. When what you call sentients came on to the scene, this abstract of for life and against life became more profound. Some wanted to dominate, others just to exist. You were part of that struggle today against Macor.”

Bruce nodded beginning to realilze what the tiny flying Bear was saying. Then a question came to him, “You’ve said you’ve been around for ages.”

Tarnisaloo nooded, “That’s right Bruce. All Faerie Fur kind has.”

“Then why hasn’t anyone else ever spoken of you?”

Tarnisaloo smiled, “Well Bruce, like your friend Neeka here,” and the small Bear flitted over to the huge horse and tapped him on his soft nose as to make his point, then just as quickly flew back to Bruce to continue, “you see what you see and only in the greatest need do you sometimes see what is really there.
For example, did you also see the chasm you crossed?”

Bruce nodded, “Yes, I saw it but knew it was not real. I have been in this area countless times. I knew it was not there.”

“Exactly Bruce!” Tarnisaloo clapped his hands as though a child had just caught on to a great truth. “And it works the other way too Bruce. Sometimes you don’t see, or hear, what is there all the time. Let me prove it to you Bruce. Close your eyes.”

Bruce did as requested.

“Now, listen very carefully and tell me what you hear.”

Bruce listened and at first the forest was completely still. There wasn’t a sound. Then he caught the faintest whisper of the wind making it’s way through the tree branches. Bruce heard it and thought he had heard it hundreds of times before but this time it sounded special, musical.

“I only hear the wind moving through the leaves. That’s the only sound.”

“Open your eyes Bruce.” Tarnisaloo asked. “And keep listening to the wind.”

Bruce opened his eyes and thought for a second that the wind had stopped, but then he heard it again, the very soft, musical, sound of the wind in the trees.

“Do you still hear the wind Bruce?” Tarnisaloo asked.

“Yes, very softly, but it’s still there.”

“Look at the trees Bruce. Look at any of them and look carefully.” Tarnisaloo told him.

Bruce did look. He looked at the pines, at the maples and the Larches. He looked at the great oaks and the Birch. Not a single leaf was moving on any of them. Not a pine needle, no blade of grass so much as moved but he could still hear the wind.

“How?” Bruce asked confused, “How can this be? The wind isn’t moving at all is it? Yet I can still hear it!”

Tarnisaloo smiled, “You’re not hearing the wind Bruce. You’re hearing the trees themselves, and probably not for the first time. You called to them earlier and they responded to you. Like your friend Neeka they have always been able to hear you but you could not hear them. Until now.”

“So, is everything sentient?” Bruce asked, still not sure he believed any of this.

“Most everything, yes. Mountains, valleys, rivers and streams, volcanoes, trees, and virtually everything else. You do not hear them because you do not believe you can. The Faerie Fur heard the very first stirrings at the beginning of time and tried to help them along. As some of the sentience tended towards destruction we tried to surpress it. The others we cultivated and helped multiply.”

Bruce lifted a questioning eyebrow and Tarnisaloo laughed.

“No Bruce, there’s not much we could do with mountains or oceans but they tended to be peaceful and quiet sentients, fortunately. But others, the evil places, we kept others away. Without something to corrupt the evil places tended to shrink and then disappear. We are also not invisible. Many people do see us. Well, not as we look to you because you are seeing us as we truly are. No, others, artists, writers, minstrels, acrobats, musicians of all types have seen us, have heard us and have taken inspiration from us. We like these people most of all, the creative ones. Warriors fighting a just cause have also taken inspiration from us and have won against impossible odds, just as you did Bruce.”

Bruce looked startled, “You mean you helped me in my battle against Macor?”

“Oh no Bruce! That’s not what I meant at all!” The small Bear seemed to glow brighter almost in agitation. “Not at all, what you did you did on your own. However, you knew the battle was hopeless and still you fought it. Why?”

“Because he was killing innocent people and someone had to try.”

“Exactly Bruce. And when things looked their worst, you reached out for strength. You called out not expecting an answer yet your received one. That, Bruce, is what I’m talking about. Reaching down, reaching out for strength that you do not have and still fighting even when the answer does not come. In your own way Bruce you have heard us on some level and knew that help might be available. We did not help you but the forest, and those that live in it did.”

“So what now? The battle is over. I owe you more than I can ever repay for giving my friend back to me.”

Tarnisaloo smiled, “Well Bruce, do not be so sure. As I said, there is one other and you will meet him on your way home. Your gift was not without payment but I do not believe you will object to the price you now must pay.”

With that Tarnisaloo slowly approached Bruce, fluttering right at nose level, reached out and placed the furred palm of his hand against Bruce’s nose. “You are also now of the Faerie Fur. You will be called upon at some point and you will come when called.”

Bruce looked at the small Bear, looking almost crosseyed because he was so close and said, “If you ever need me I will definitely come. It’s the least I can do.”

Tarnisaloo smiled, “It’s time for us to go Bruce. You will meet the other soon. He is close now. We need to go and rest. What we have done has drained every one of us and we need to rest.”

With that Tarnisaloo bowed on mid air and then streaked off, all the rest of the Faerie Fur following. As they looked when the were approaching they now looked like a bright cloud growing ever smaller in the distance. Then Bruce realized he had not asked!

“Wait, this other! What is his name?”

But that is a story for tomorrow.