Titanite picked its way through the ferns, movement slow--and not "slow" according to a standard scale. Slow for most was probably a cautious prowl; slow for Titanite was a barely-noticeable, glacial shift in branches. It had probably walked a few yards in the last hour, as if a small tree had decided to pick up roots and change backyard.

At the moment, it was fixated on the ground. Since the departure of its sibling and creator, its attention had wandered; lonely, it had sought out other life. It had tried to talk to the birds, to call them down to roost upon it.

The birds, as it turned out, wanted nothing to do with it.

Now it was following the tracing line of thin berry-vines along the dirt, trying to follow it back to its source: not an exciting task, for most, but it apparently gripped Titanite's full imagination. At last it lurched (if halting inch-by-inch movement can even be described as such) to a halt, and graaadually knelt, branch-like talons sweeping away the leafy detritus atop the base of the vines.

It had found their source! Faint light lit through the Titanite's body, a soft, wisping green glow; and its voice, like branches rubbing together, rasped out.

"Hellooo.... berries."

@James

James had been exploring since he'd been dropped off by Khloros, trotting around and bolting away from scary things before realizing that it was just a branch, James. Don't be a wuss.

He'd found some berries, and was munching on them happily, the very beginnings of teeth starting to show through his gums. Nothing drastic, yet, but he was growing, and it made him feel rather excited. In fact, he'd felt so excited that he'd run off and tripped into a stream, drenching himself and making him shiver for a good hour until he dried. At least he was clean again, his white socks and the star on his head clear to see.

The foal bent his head down and spread his legs to grab a mouthful of berries, having slowly made his way down the vine, slowly eating his fill.

His ears flicked up at the sound of a voice and his head shot up, spotting a nearby glow, green in color, and rather eerie. He stared at it for a few moments, and stepped forward, nostrils flaring as he sniffed in the glow's general direction.

"Hello?", he asked, coming to a halt as he spotted what looked to be a very gnarled tree, "... Oh. I'm hearing things..."

James sighed and turned to walk back to his berries, an odd feeling in his chest.

@Titanite

The 'tree'--some nine feet tall and very branchy indeed--turned slowly to face James. Titanite responded in the same whisper-thin voice it had used to, apparently, talk to the berries: "Hellloo..."

It paused, a moment of hesitation taking it. This was a stranger. It didn't often talk to strangers. It wasn't about nervousness, exactly; it was just a little... baffled, for a moment. What should it do-?

The tiny snail-child--it had liked plants. This one was eating plants. Perhaps Titanite could feed it.

A couple thin, green shoots sprouted from Titanite's hand-branches, after a moment, and it lurched forward with two jerky steps, offering these down. "Hellloooo," it repeated, a little awkwardly lost for conversational ideas.

@James

James startled a bit at the voice, and whirled around, legs jutting out as he stared up at the glowing green eyes embedded in what he thought was a tree. He took a step back and stared in shock as it grew a few shoots of grass off of its hand, offering it out to him.

"... Hello,", he offered tentatively, and sniffed the grass gently, wondering if the creature wanted him to eat or not, "... I'm James."

He bit off a tiny bit of grass and tried to chew it as best he could with his baby gums, finding the grass much sweeter than the shoots back in the swamp. Carefully, he took another bite, pulling the grass off with his lips before chewing at it steadily, and looked up at Titanite, in awe of the creature's massive size.

"Who are you?", he asked, and swallowed, so that he wasn't talking with his mouth full. He didn't want to be rude to this new person, after all.

@Titanite

Titanite let out a low, wheezing sound; it wasn't entirely clear what this was. Maybe a sigh, maybe thoughtfulness, or maybe some of its branches just hit other branches-... In any case, it stepped back once James had eaten its offering, and responded.

"I am... Titanite." A pause, and then a decision, apparently, reached: "I am... Titan. Jamesss..."

It looked over James, slowly, thoughtfully; and then asked, "What... are youu..? I am--tree." Titanite gestured at itself, wicked branch-talons indicating its wicker-like body. "I am... plant."

The lights dancing through its branches had faded, but as Titanite spoke they shone bright again, dancing through its branches as if indicating its curiosity.

@James

"I'm a horse,", James said, "It's nice to meet you... Titan. I've never met a tree that walks or talks before."

He sat down on his rump, back legs awkwardly splayed, his ears perked, "Do you live here? Are you a part of the forest?"

So many questions...

"Why do you glow?", he asked, "Is it magic? I can do magic!! I learned about... an hour ago!"

He seemed extremely proud, his tail flicking back and forth behind him as he grinned.

James inhaled sharply and stood, tensing up as he focused in front of him, straining as he tried to cast a spell to light up the area so he could see the other through the dim.

He did it!!

A small wisp of light lit up in front of him, floating in place, not really doing much except for lighting up everything in a wash of cool purple. James let out a laugh and spun around in a circle, "It worked!! It didn't before- but it did now! Look, Titan! I made a glow too!"

@Titanus

It gave a long, soft rumble, or more appropriately a sort of bass wheeze, like a rattling rush of air. Then Titanite slowly lurched forward, its movements awkward, and it attempted to place one hand briefly--in a sort of approving pat, without the patting--atop James' head.

"That is... good. Magic... is... good. That is--what you do? Light?" it rasped, moving away, a little.

Like James it sort of dropped into a heap in the grass, though for Titanite, rather than on its haunches, it was in an odd cross-legged sprawl. Talonbranched hands reached out to sweep gently through the grasses. After a moment of contemplation, it began to answer the horse's questions. "I do... live here," it rasped; "I... am part... of the forest. Yess. I think... It iss... magic. Yess..."

A long pause, the conversationally-awkward tree beast looking at the foal. And then: "It is... nice? To... meet you. Too... I have not met a... what-you-are, before. A... horssse. Do you live here..? Are you part of... this forest?"

The green glow continued to shimmer and dance through the branches of the tree-beast as it turned, watching the purple glow of James' wisp, as well.

@James

James' head bowed under the weight of the ent's hand, and he shook out his head before deciding to lay down instead, the wisp of light staying where it was. He looked up at Titanite and grinned a large toothy grin, and answered, "So far! I don't know if I'll be able to do much else, but it's useful for when I can't see under these trees."

"I do live here. I came from a swamp- Cetus, I think it was called. I'm not a part of the forest... but I live here,", he said, "For now, at least. When I'm bigger I want to explore, but that won't be for a while yet. Do you protect the forest? Like a guardian?"

The foal scooched closer so that he sat decently close to the tree, and started to delicately graze as they sat.

"I don't have a lot of friends,", he said, looking up, "Will you be my friend?"

Everything felt magical, with the green glow from Titanite and the purple glow from the Will O' Wisp floating serenely in the air, casting all sorts of fairy-like shades upon the clearing. James was glad he summoned the wisp. He didn't feel so afraid anymore.

@Titanite

"Cetusss... I do not know it..." A long, bubbling sort of sound; but no, Titanite couldn't remember such a place. Do you protect the forest? Like a guardian? Titanite rumbled for a moment over this one, too, pondering. "...Yesss. I protect... the foresst," it decided, at length. Granted, it'd never really thought about it, before, but if someone were to march in and start tearing up his friend-trees, he'd be pretty mad!

James had a great deal of energy--a warm-blooded thing, an active and curious creature--and Titanite found it almost overwhelming to keep track. But it was exhilarating, too. Even those he had met were studious, methodical beasts, not young and enthusiastic, and such energy was both new and fascinating to him. It was... fun, almost, to try and talk to James, though Titanite was struggling to keep up.

Take this whole 'friend,' thing, for instance. The Titanite tried, briefly, to think over what that meant--and the whole time he was wondering, he feared that James might leap onto another topic entirely before he himself had the chance to answer. After a moment, then, he blurted--"-What... is a friend?" and peered quizzically to James, hoping the foal could explain this concept to him. His glow dimmed and went out entirely, as if worried, or fearful--or maybe he just couldn't hold the light-magic and the concentration on conversation all at once. Whatever the case, he went pitch black inside, and it didn't look like it was coming back any time soon.

@James

James went to reply before pausing, realizing that... did he really know what a friend was either?

"I think... I think a friend is someone who you can count on,", he said slowly, "Like... a family you choose. Somebody who you can talk to and do stuff with, and can always tell the truth to because you really trust them."

Apparently he did.

James shook his head out and flopped onto his side, before rolling on his back, legs flopped against Titanite, "Your lights went out..."

He flopped his head back against the ground and stared up at his wisp, thinking, "... I could be your friend if you'll be my friend. You're really... hm. Interesting! You're strange but in a good way. And you're nice, too, so that can't be bad."

The foal tilted his head up, lips twitching before he offered a clumsy smile, eyes scrunching up.

@Titanite