A/N

It's hard to say exactly how and when this oneshot occurred to me. "When" was at least a year ago, "how" was the desire to put into practice a...unique pairing, a shipping that isn't encountered often. Pairing Kolima's forest spirits seemed to fit the criteria, even if it's more in the way of friendship than romance. To convey the full depth of emotion of talking trees that turn other people into trees was a bit beyond me...

Tangled Branches

Life was returning to Kolima Forest.

There was no single reason for this, no clear cut system of cause and effect. It was through the actions of life that life itself had been taken from the forest. It was by the actions of life that vitality was returning to Weyard's heart. All life was linked, existing in a state of balance. Whenever balance was lost, those of life's whole would inevitably correct it. That was the nature of the world.

If Kolima was the heart of life, then Tret and Laurel were life's lords. Forest spirits, possessing power and wisdom beyond measure, keeping the balance of the world. For time immemorial this had been the case, and for time immemorial it would continue. Those who encompassed the greater whole of life were fleeting in this world, inevitably passing on and returning to the earth that bore them. Yet life itself was eternal, the forest spirits proof of this. And despite the recent corruption of Tret, life's power had been demonstrated, triumphing over the corruptive energies of rampant psynergy.

Psychic energy…life's tool to be used for good or ill.

Laurel knew this, had seen what one of Weyard's species were capable of. Acts both shallow and great, the former fortunately having occurred before the latter. Yet she was concerned. For as powerful and wise as she was, Tret surpassed her in both respects and more. Yet it was he who seemed morose, who had remained silent since the adepts had left the forest to continue their quest to maintain the balance of the world.

"Tret…is something wrong?" she asked, her voice cutting through the air as clearly as the purest stream.

Her counterpart simply grunted, akin to the sounds made by the creatures who had taken to clearing the forest not so long ago. Men were mighty, but overcoming eternity was no easy task.

"Tret, what troubles you?" asked Laurel, this time not only more forcefully, but now convinced that not all was well with her partner. "Your life has been saved! Life is returning to Kolima, those you cursed have been returned to the forms that nature originally blessed them with, not to mention-…"

"Do not talk of blessings in my presence!" Tret thundered, his rage as powerful as that which bore thunder itself. "Not in the light of nature's curse!"

Laurel raised an eyebrow. She had not been cursed by Mt. Aleph's fury like that Tret had, had not descended into pure rage. But she had seen firsthand the effects of the curse psynergy had inflicted upon her fellow spirit and seen its dissolution. Surely Tret understood that it was gone?

After asking him such a question, it appeared that the forest spirit did not.

"How could such wrath come from me?" he whispered, akin to a mournful breeze. "How could psynergy alone drive me to such anger? What if…what if it merely awoke what was already there?"

Laurel smiled in a manner that she hoped was reassuring. "Tret…" she said softly, "nothing is eternal. For whatever harm psychic energy may inflict upon the world, in time it will be healed."

"Do you truly believe that?" Tret whispered. "You truly believe that what was once broken can be restored? Even…trust?"

Laurel smiled. She knew what was bothering Tret. His actions were causing him guilt, but they had been mended by the four adepts that had broken the curse inflicted upon him. But what of the things that ran deeper than his roots? Things that existed, but not in the physical sense? Things that were much more fragile…

"I do believe that," said Laurel, entwining her branches with Tret's.

"They've already healed."