Under The Oak Tree Novel Patreon Novels & Stories

Birds chirped melodiously, their songs harmonizing with the rustling leaves and the distant howls of the pack. We ventured deeper into the heart of the pack lands, where the ancient oak tree stood tall and majestic. Its branches reached toward the sky, casting a protective shadow over the surrounding area. The ground beneath it now teemed with life, lush green grass and delicate ferns adorning the soil. "This is where it all began," Lady Loretta said softly, her voice filled with reverence. "The oak tree, the source of our pack's prosperity, and the testament to your power, Royal."

he says and leads me out in the rain and to the garden. We pass a pond. Its insides are overflowing with moss. There’s a pungent smell coming from it. And then, we stop at a giant oak tree with a swing hanging from a sturdy branch. The tree’s leaves are a brilliant green with acorns scattered all around. The tree trunk is still etched with the engraving: “Emily & Liam were here.” I used to pretend a soul inhabited the tree and granted wishes only once a year. Every year on my birthday, I’d stand in front of it and wish for a puppy. As I grew older, my wishes turned into fervent incantations for better grades.

“Do you want to see the oak tree? It is where most of them live too.” Rosalyn blinked. “What’s an oak tree?” I lowered my voice slightly like I was about to tell her the world’s greatest secret. “It’s a magic tree.” Her eyes widened instantly. “It is?” I nodded seriously. “It holds all the secrets in the world. Everyone tells it their secret, and it has seen so many generations and so many people, and it knows everything that is there to know.” Rosalyn gasped softly. “No way…” “And,” I added, glancing briefly at Mia before looking back at our daughter, “it’s your turn to tell the tree one of your secrets too.”

The accumulation of fifteen years of being together had made the arrangement more fully itself, not less. They stood under the oak. The June light came through the full canopy in the specific quality of the filtered summer light — green and warm and particular. The oak's trunk was wide — wider than Ernest could reach around, wider than two people could reach around together. The bark was rough, the texture of the old oak, the specific pattern of ridges and crevices that had formed over decades. The roots spread out from the base, some of them visible above the ground, the evidence of the tree's underground life.

June arrived with heat and humidity. The kind of weather that made you want to sit still and do nothing. Catherine said the garden loved it. Doris said the garden was welcome to it. Maple dug a hole under the porch and refused to come out. Marmalade sat on the porch railing and watched the world with lazy eyes. I sat on the swing. The oak tree gave shade. A breeze moved through the leaves. I had my laptop open. The novel was published. The Secret Billionaire I Married. My name on the cover. My story inside.

But he hobbled onwards for all he was worth and I found myself walking faster just to match up his pace, we walked in silence, well as silent as it could be with an old man muttering and mumbling things to himself, we must have walked for an hour before we reached a majestic looking tree whose height seemed to span into the heavens, again I had my mouth agape and then I noticed it's blackened roots, like a disease it spread upwards into the trunk and every branch and as we moved closer I saw it pulsated as it sapped at the very life force of it. "Little girl." The man turned to me "Meet my patron, Order and I the humble keeper Taisfet humbles you, although you'd be more welcome as you can se

[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.]

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.

So Owen could have fruit by autumn, he brought in workers to replant the tree and bought butterflies to set loose in the garden. One afternoon, I sat leaning against the trunk of the new apple tree, soaking in the sun. A breeze came through, and white petals drifted down around me. Soft and weightless, they settled on my skin. The butterflies circled me, one landing on my shoulder as if asking me to come play. I didn't have the strength to turn my head. Owen tried everything. He even brought in priests to pray over me, to sing and beg the Moon Goddess for mercy. Every single one of them looked at me and shook their head.

She is mother nature herself, the queen of all living beings. "Let's go, Cody. And to answer the question in your head. Yes, I was alive the day the world was born and the sun god and moon goddess were wed. I sang at their wedding, and danced under the shooting stars." The oak is large and is the oldest tree I have ever seen. It must be a thousand years old. "This tree is a thousand years old, Cody. And you have nothing to worry about, these are the luna lilies we have been searching for. Thank you, for helping us. You are free to go back to the Wolf People Clan."