Tag: wood sprites

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March 1st excerpt:

At one point, sitting casually in the living room, the sprites all seemed to simultaneously notice the shiny metal zipper keeping his black hoodie (an article of clothing that seemed to provide endless entertainment to the nestlings when he was the right size, always hiding leaves and seeds in the hood or pockets) closed. Bowman had seemed so unduly fascinated by the simple workings of it, but then again Jacob always reminded himself that the sprites were so isolated from humans that Bowman didn’t even know what they were when he met them.

They’d all wanted to try the zipper, just to see it in action on their scale. Jacob grinned faintly as Rischa zipped up his hoodie while he crouched for her. Her golden eyes were full of wonder at the “human magic." 

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Oh jeez. The size disparity would be incredible there.

Just a simple breath could knock sprites out of the air and rattle their little houses. I don’t think Jacob would even be able to see the little guys unless they sat still and he really squinted. Even then, he’d have trouble hearing them, while the rumbling of his voice alone could physically hurt the poor sprites.

Probably a good thing Jacob didn’t grow to giant size anywhere near Wellwood.

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It’s a good spritely question, sassy, no worries!

Sam most probably has caught a few gazes here and there over the years. Wood sprites tend to court a little later in their young adulthood, so in his late teens and starting his twenties, wood sprites his age may have considered him. The funny part to think about is, Sam can be a bit oblivious at times, so he could have turned down a date or two without even realizing he did so (in most wood sprite communities, it’s usually the female initiating a courtship).

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@neonthewrite– Regarding the lighter, the older sprites most likely reacted a lot like Bowman did. Amazed and wary, and surprised that he can hold even a small fire in his hand. Since he’s the expert with it, they’d most likely leave it to him simply out of fear of accidentally setting it off themselves (they really really don’t like fire).

@nightmares06– Sam does have his climbing abilities, only with the sprites he doesn’t have the standard hook and thread to climb with. Trees have fairly thick bark which offers plenty of handholds, so when he was bored, he would try climbing up the tree trunk. It gave him something to occupy himself with when Bowman finally got himself off the ground and flitted off, and went too far to hear Sam cheering him on.

Dean taught Sam caution with everything he entrusted his little brother with, so Sam knows the proper handling of a lighter (and a gun, though he didn’t get cursed with a gun). He won’t leave it lying around again, and along with many of the other items he was cursed with, it serves as an anchor to his old life to hang on to.

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This is a good question, and it’s one that I had to answer early on when developing the sprites if I wanted to get anywhere, since they can live in wintry climates just as often as warmer ones. The sprites do use a Prayer to get warmth, though it has some caveats to it. They have to be Praying over a living tree, and preferably one that has already been influenced by the Prayers to shape it into a home. It can heat up the wood and, depending on the shape they are using, provide the heat they need for boiling water for tea or baking pastries (usually acorn flour pastries, but this depends on what’s available to the sprites; some can get actual wheat).

For a demonstration of the use of this, there’s a reference to it in my short story “Keeping Warm” (x). I’ll also provide a snippet from an unfinished story below, featuring an herbalist named Kayra and her son, Cress.

Kayra kept herself busy, working quickly to get something ready for the poor sprout. The child may have improved in leaps and bounds since she’d first heard his worrisome coughing, but there was a quiet urgency in her movements. Kayra couldn’t stand to let the boy suffer any longer than he had to. She took the water from Cress and carefully poured it into her basin of crushed up dried plants.

She didn’t even have to ask before Cress was at her side with a smooth, straight stick that Kayra took with a grateful smile. She ruffled his hair before setting to mixing the solution in the water, giving the liquid a cloudy, greyish-green color.

Next came a slightly trickier step. Kayra was exhausted, but she had enough energy in her to say a Prayer that most sprites knew by necessity. She placed her hands on the counter top on either side of her basin of water. “Earth Spirit, Lady of Life. I ask for warmth.” As the Spirit’s magic flowed through Kayra into the living tree surrounding them, the sprite took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and sighed.

Trees were hard to shape into homes or stairs, due to their stalwart natures. They changed their shapes only after a sprite put in a lot of time and energy, but it wasn’t nearly as difficult to influence them to direct heat. The basin and the counter top around it grew hot and Kayra took her hands away, stirring the concoction occasionally.

Cress inhaled a deep breath as the medicine’s scent began to creep into the main room. He padded over to a shelf near the dining table, warped crevices dipping into the wall. He retrieved some wooden bowls and his wings fanned opened and closed a few times as he resumed helping his mother.

It only took a few more minutes for Kayra to nod in approval to herself. The broth was ready. She saw Cress waiting patiently with bowls and smiled at him. “Sweet boy. Thank you,” she told him. In moments the medicine was portioned out. The sprites approached the weary, bundled up guests, each with a container cradled in their hands.

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Oh, welcome back, Sassy!

The wood sprites actually don’t have anything like this, but the idea is super cute! Normally, when things get cold, the wood sprites tend to wind down a lot and stay inside much more. Their little bodies are tough to keep warm, even with their good metabolisms.

However, now I can’t stop picturing a tiny Sammy bundling up, and bundling up a young, fluttery Bowman to go out and play in the snow. They could make some pretty spectacular igloos, and if they did find a frozen puddle, Bowman would probably have a lot of fun sliding around. Before anyone knew it, there’d be more sprites giving it a try. They’d all need to huddle close for warmth once they went back inside, though!

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Nixie would be very curious about these earthbound sprites! They’re so very different than her and her sisters. There’s men, for one thing. They have babies, instead of being born from their element (I can imagine the confusion when an aeternum water sprite runs into an earthbound water sprite like kadmianika greyfin).

Earthbound sprites also have a better grasp on the language found on earth, as Nixie still resorts to her descriptions when she can’t find the right words for what she’s talking about. She’s an empath like Rischa, and would love to take the little sprite under her wings to teach her new ways of using that empathy. Though aeternum sprites lean towards the more controlling aspects of their powers, unlike the earthbound sprites.

Bowman and Nixie would be wary of each other. He’s a male sprite, and she’s got dragonfly wings instead of the butterfly fins of a water sprite! It’s needlessly confusing. Why the Aeternum sprites need to call themselves sprites would probably baffle Bowman. They’re hardly like the sprites he knows at all!

He’d also be very miffed to find out how fast they are. He worked hard to get his top speed, and they can go much faster thanks to their magic. It’s not fair!

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August 2nd excerpt:

“Good thing we have a secret weapon, then, right?” Sam said with a glint in his eye.

Dean shifted, trying to catch sight of Sam. “He’ll see me coming, and he’s expecting sprites,” he agreed. “I doubt he knows that anyone like Sam even exists.”

Keeping Warm

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neonthewrite:

Bowman – Snow. 

From this post.

This is Fairy Tales canon. Bowman is newly 19, and it takes place the winter after the events of Bowman of Wellwood.

Reading Time: ~5-10 minutes

The main room was cozy and warm. Candara had Prayed all morning to bring warmth coursing through their home branch, and the Earth Spirit’s magic granted them a warmer home despite the bitter cold outside. The breeze leaking through the shaded windows promised that stepping outside would require several layers.

Bowman was restless as he was every winter, but he didn’t feel like going out just yet. In the deadest part of winter, his wings twitched with shivers and the desire to fly both. Today, he remained inside with the others to avoid that chill.

Candara and Larxe sat together on one of the cushioned benches in the room, their wings around each other like leafy green cloaks. Candara rested her head on Larxe’s chest, tired out after Praying for so much warmth. Bowman sat by the wall and let the heat creep up his spine and into his folded wings. His right leg was drawn up, but the left one stretched out in front of him. He stared at it absently.

Rischa wandered over to him to sit down at his side. Bowman lifted an arm so his young cousin could snuggle closer to him with her blanket over her shoulders. “It’s hurting again,” she noted, glancing at Bowman’s leg.

It had healed months ago. And yet, sometimes, Bowman’s knee would have phantom pains in it from when he’d injured it. Those pains, Cerul had told him, would never go away completely. Too much strain on it, or even sometimes just the cold that came with the snowy weather would make the old wound site tender and sore.

He would always have the reminder of a human hand closing over his body and slowly applying pressure until he couldn’t even scream for mercy.

Rischa suddenly freed her arms from her blanket to hug Bowman around his waist and he jolted right out of his thoughts. He looked down at her in surprise and noted that her eyes were shut tight and she didn’t look ready to let go anytime soon. He smiled faintly and reached down to pull her blanket back up over her.

“It’s only a little, Birdie,” he told her in a hushed voice.

She looked up at him with concern in her eyes. Bowman never was any good at hiding things from Rischa. Ever since she’d realized her gift of the Voice, he could hide even less. She could read his heart like curling script was written on his wings. She knew where his thoughts inevitably went when his knee flared up. She knew the fear and pain and despair that he remembered, like echoes of a thunderstorm. She was only eight, and yet she already weathered the feelings of everyone around her.

Rischa reached up with one little hand to cup her palm on Bowman’s cheek. Her thumb brushed under his eye as if wiping away a tear that hadn’t been released, and she smiled at him. “I know. It’s okay, Bowman,” she told him.

He gave her a half smile, and his brow pinched with bemusement. “Look at you trying your best to freeze,” he said, pretending to scold her. He pulled her blanket up higher so it rested over her head and covered her golden eyes, getting a delighted giggle from her.

He opened one wing to wrap it around his young cousin and she snuggled closer to him. They took in the warmth together, and the cold couldn’t get to them. Bowman hummed quietly, a sound that Rischa could hear resounding in his chest. Even with the responsibility settled on her by her gift, Bowman would let her be a child for as long as he could.