The Maiden of the Wood

The woodland was abuzz with activity, even with the sun setting on the horizon. Native orchard bees drift from blossom to blossom sprinkling the cooling air with whiffs of pollen. Bumble bees, not near as deft, perform the same ritual, sipping the sweet nectar and collecting the pollen on study hind legs. The Maiden of the Wood steps from between two boulders, as if from thin air, and inches her way onto the moss covered path. She has been waiting for dusk before entering the Wood, watching for shadows to begin forming along the flora.

Dusk was her time to survey the woodland and give thanks for another day. The God of the Sun had provided warming light through out the day and now the Princes of the Moon was preparing to stand guard over the approaching night. The Maiden would be setting out on a journey once the moon was full in the sky. She must travel to the mountains – to Twin Pines – to ask the Mountain King for help in protecting her woodland. The Wood was being threatened from the south by Man, who was ripping out vegetation at an alarming rate, heading straight for the small woodland. The Wood was home to many plants and animals.

The Bumble Bees guard the Wood and give the inhabitants first warning whenever danger is approaching. Casually flying from flower to flower, they are constantly on alert for anything out of the ordinary. They land on the dainty lavender flowers of the common violet, then ride the petal to the ground as the weight of the Bees bends each stem.

© Bobbi Rightmyer