Under The Oak Tree Ch 35 Novels & Stories

The time I was wasting. Evans was still out there. I straightened and stepped over the unconscious outlaws, looking around. I noticed it then. A tree. In the center of the clearing, there was a single, enormous oak. The wood underneath was scarred with something that made my stomach turn, and its bark was split. Blood. Not merely splashed. Not merely smeared. **Sculpted.** Three sharp, deep phrases that seemed to have been sunk like inhuman claws into the wood.

"She's heading towards the ancient oak grove. We cannot let her reach whatever lurks within." Without hesitation, they sprinted after the witch, determination fueling their steps. The trees whipped past them in a blur as they raced through the dark forest. The ground shook beneath their feet, the resonance of the werewolf battle in the distance, but they couldn't let anything deter them from their mission. Finally, they arrived at the ancient oak grove, the towering trees casting eerie shadows in the moonlight. The air hummed with ancient power, as if the very forest held its breath, awaiting the outcome of this battle.

The sound of crickets and insects filled my ears, a little hum of life in the dark. I stopped at the edge of a clearing, scanning the trees in front of me. They had to be close. I could feel it. "Um, Queen—" Jake opened his mouth to speak, but I silenced him with a finger to my lips. Then I heard the sound of footsteps heading our way, heavy fast and voice shouting through the tree. “Stop! It’s pointless running away from us!” "We have you guys surrounded!" Lights flickered through the branches, bouncing off the grass and bark. I snuck closer to the massive oak tree in front of me, resting my hand on its rough bark. The hanging moss obscure my view, but the footsteps were getting louder.

hummed in her chest. “No” trembled in her head. But her feet answered for her, moving before she could talk herself out of it. They walked behind the shed toward the quiet path that led to the row of old oak trees. The sounds of volunteers softened behind them until there was nothing but the rustle of leaves and the crunch of gravel under their steps. They stopped beneath the largest oak, the one that towered over the rest like a guardian. Jaxon shoved his hands in his pockets the same habit he had when he was nervous, though he’d never admit it.

[So as I was saying, those oak trees were capable of predicting the future. Nero gave his master a side glance to check if she had any plans to interrupt him again. It was only when he confirmed that Audrey was already behaving like a good child, did he went on telling his story again. By that time, only the sound of Nero' soft meowing, as well as the sound made by the turning of the pages of the book, could be heard in the library. "MEOW... MEOW... MEOW... MEOW.." [One day, one of the talking oak trees saw that one from my race, the antediluvian cats, will going to bring utter distraction to the world by releasing all the creatures of the dark from their restriction.]

How many times had they put themselves in danger while I was too focused on war plans and elder meetings to notice? I stayed far enough back that they wouldn't hear me. Close enough to intervene if something went wrong. The trees grew thicker. The light grew dimmer. Shadows stretched long and dark across the forest floor. Still, the children kept running. Finally, they stopped. A massive oak tree loomed ahead. Ancient and gnarled. Its roots twisted up from the ground like frozen snakes. Its branches spread wide, blocking out what little remained of the evening sky. Carl and Karin dropped to their knees beneath it.

Colton looks like he wants to walk into a tree. I shake my head, unable to stop the small smile tugging at my lips. “You two are terrible at lying.” Oakley beams. “Thank you.” “That wasn’t a compliment,” I say. “It felt like one,” he replies. Colton exhales slowly. “Let’s just… move on. The orchard is this way.” Oakley nods quickly. “Yes. Orchard. Trees. Fruit. No mysterious healer prophecies there.” Colton mutters, “Hopefully.”

The path beneath their feet grew uneven, the forest growing thicker and more ancient as they walked, until they arrived at the base of the oldest oak tree in Valenwood. The massive oak towered above them, its gnarled branches stretching out like protective arms, creating a canopy that filtered the moonlight. Caius stopped beneath the tree, his shoulders tense as he exhaled a slow breath. Lira stood beside him, unsure of what to say, the weight of the prophecy hanging between them.

I doubled down by crying out, “Would he give you a happy pat on the back if you allow something to happen to his unborn pups due to too much heat?” “No please, go on please. But at least let me escort you to make sure you're safe.” He offered. I bent over and cried out again, adding some convulsive shakes to the drama. “Ah, please just go quickly!” He conceded. I smiled out of the corner of my mouth as I left him. Fool. It wasn't such a long walk before I saw the oak tree described by the note-sender. I couldn't see anyone there. I went closer till I got to the tree itself. I stood there, looking around.

Suddenly, they were all healed. Meanwhile in a different scene, The other faceless figure, the one who had ventured into the forest, moved with a quiet determination through the dense undergrowth. Sunlight dappled through the leaves, but the air was heavy with a sense of foreboding. The figure walked with a strong sense of determination towards a specific tree, an ancient oak bearing strange orange fruit. He reached out and gently placed his moon chain against the trunk of the tree. The forest floor trembled. The surrounding trees seemed to sway in unison, as if acknowledging a powerful presence of the moon chain.