Once a presence within the sky, now forced to take refuge on the ground.
art by rnirai
Flying was a part of him. From the strength in his wings to the soaring of his free heart, he took to the skies like they called to him. Gliding beside the clouds he felt more at home than any dwelling found on land. Yet one mistake took that away forever. He tried to race the storm but was caught in its thunderous fury. Lightening crackled like whips and the wind carried no direction in its frantic fluttering. The rain fell like hail pelting his wings, forcing him downward and into the branches of a tall tree. One clip of his feathers and he fell like a rock, plummeting to the earth and catching more branches on the way down. When the impact finally came, Willow saw only darkness as black spots overcame his consciousness.
He awoke to silence, and the shreds of one wing. Torn and broken from the fall he was unable to take back to the skies and over time the hurts did not heal. Willow could no longer fly.
For many years he shut himself away from the world in grief to this loss of self. He belonged to the sky! Yet it seemed that it the end the sky turned on him. Yet a healer from the kingdom of Arlasia heard stories of the tragic man, and traveled a great distance to offer his aid. Shiloh was his name, accompanied by the healer's lover Cyrus. Together, the two managed to coax the saddened man out from his place of hiding and show him the beauty of the world on the ground. Shiloh taught him the arts of healing, Cyrus told stories of adventure. Slowly but surely, Willow regained his love of the world in new ways, and thanked his new found friends for their kindness.
Now he tends to gardens, finding solace in nature, and deeply loves the plants he cares for. His botanical skills impress many who travel to his gardens, where they too can find beauty in the magnificence of soil.