She looked up at him eagerly. “Please teach me,” she replied quietly, her eyes bright at the prospect.
He nodded slowly, looking around at the campsite and what was above them. "Okay. Every form of magic relies on energy a different way. With Earth, you fight against it, your energy a barrier. With fire, you exert it, creating the flames. With nature, it's a different story." He sat down, folding his hands. "Nature is a living thing. It has it's own energy. To use it to your will you must lend it your own energy to help it grow, and fuse them together to create what you want."
She tilted her head as she listened to him, her eyes wide and thoughtful. "Okay," she mused, sitting down on the ground. "It's gentler than fire. It's... it's nurturing."
"It might seem difficult to fuse energies at first," he said, gesturing to the trees, "but it's like a twisting vine. Look at the surrounding trees, and the branches that cover us. Our goal is to provide us with strong coverage that little snow can get into. You'll have to connect with the trees above us through the roots," he said, placing his hands on the ground. "Once you've fused you should try to direct all energies into our goal area."
She considered this before leaning forward, setting her hands flat against the ground. Her brow furrowed and her eyes fluttered closed. "Connect to the trees above us through the roots," she murmured quietly, sending her sense down into the earth, trying to feel for that energy gently.
She would be able to feel the energies of the trees around her, and the roots that settled deep into the ground. As an elf, she would have a special connection to nature, and found it surprisingly easy to bind her energy with the surrounding trees.
She tilted her head as if she were listening to something, her ears perking up. A small, soft smile crossed her lips, and she gently implored for the branches to pull over their head, imagining them binding to the space right above them.
The branches slowly began to move, twisting together to provide a covering, the soft wood creaking carefully.
Her face softened and her shoulders slumped as she relaxed, feeling the connection between herself and the roots and the ground.
Her eyes fluttered open and she squinted blearily for a moment before looking up at Zerras, her face hopeful. "Yes?"
He was looking up with a slightly tilted head. After a moment he looked back down at her. "Yes. Good job."
Her whole face brightened when he praised her and she settled down in her spot, opposite from him at the fire. "We should probably get some sleep..."
He nodded in agreement, stretching out on his blanket. "We did a good job. The walls and covering on top should help insulate the camp, so it'll stay warm around us."
She pulled her knees to her chest, looking up at the work. "I like working with nature more than fire, I think. It makes more sense."
She looked down at him, pulling her cloak around herself gently. "It's probably a difference in species," she mused. "You should sleep. Long day tomorrow..."
