The grassland stretched as far as the eye could see, the grass tall and rippling with waves in the moonlight, stirred by a light breeze.
Leandra was nervous. She put her hand on her familiar, a young lioness; she didn't like it here either. It was unfamiliar territory; more than that, it was the territory of the Druids.
No one knew why they had started fighting. It had been a war that lasted so long that it had become a culture; you saw a Druid, you fought a Druid. It was that simple.
It had always been simple.
But she was here on a different mission today. She was here to meet someone; a peace offering on behalf of Witches everywhere. There was something far worse afoot than each other.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” she thought to herself. This did little to comfort her, but it gave her some small hope to cling to. She could die tonight, and she knew it.
She felt her familiar react and turned to look. There stood a woman in a flowing white dress; well-spun cotton, soft and smooth, floating like a banshee across the plain toward her, stark in the light of the full moon.
But what most caught her eye wasn't the woman, but what was behind her. Like the Witches, Druids had their familiars; unlike witches, however, theirs were all herbivores.
Behind her, making the ground shake with every footstep, was a full-grown elephant.
“Holy shit.” she thought to herself, staring from where she sat. “How am I suppose to negotiate with that?”
The woman came to stand before her, the elephant but three feet away. Both looked down at her; both suspiciously.
"And to what..." she said slowly, "...do I owe the... honor... of this visit?"
_404 words, 11:25 minutes_
Leandra stood up slowly, brushing dirt off leather pants, then offered her hand. "I am Leandra, of the..."
"I know who you are." interrupted the Druid without introducing herself. "You are too young to be here. They should have kept you at home. Why are you here?"
"I am a messenger." she replied. "There is something you have to know."
"Yes? I am listening. Tell me girl."
"There's something headed this way." she replied. "From beyond Gaia."
"And what would that be?" asked the Priestess. "What is it that could be such a threat that you, a Witch, would come to me?"
"A parasitic planet."
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