Taro's Return to Faedin: Faedin Forest

Taro has traveled far and wide since he left his island. When missions and life gets exhausting sometimes, he likes to go back to places he feels at ease. He remembers songs that his village would sing and play to and feels nostalgic. Taro makes his way back into the forest of Faedin and heads into the woods.

 

"I haven't come back here in a long time. But I do love how the air feels here. Hearing the water flowing by, feeling the soil under my feet. Everything just reminds me of back home."

Taro remembers the time he came here to forage for mushrooms.

"I know that spot was around here somewhere..."

Taro looks towards the treetops and lights up immediately.

"Here it is!! And just in time for the bioluminescents to come out!!"

 

Taro flies up into a lush tree. He gently pulls out his ukulele and starts strumming it.

“Ah, yep, gotta tune this.”

Taro starts playing again after he adjusts his strings, and immediately the bioluminescents light up all around him. They start to sway in response to each note he plays. Chatter from the forest animals recedes as they keen in on the white java sparrow plucking away on his instrument.

Taro starts to reminisce on how at night him and his flock would unify under the moonlit skies on the beachside and have concerts at a bonfire. His neighbors would bring rice, seeds, and nuts they would gather throughout the day. They played all kinds of stringed, and woodwind instruments.

“I know this isn’t the same as being back home, and you haven’t been there before. But let me share a little piece of home with you.”

Taro resumes playing his ukulele and starts singing a song. His dream of traveling the world and playing with other musicians is slowly coming to fruition. When Taro wants to feel refreshed, he likes to perform for others around him. If there are no people, he will play for the place that he’s in. Because he believes there is life in everything.

Spore boars start to assemble around the base of the tree. They start nudging at the dirt and looking around. They look up and see Taro playing in the tree.

“Yes, finally the finishing act is coming through,” Taro says to himself as he sees some nearby Kag Mantas start to ascend to where he is in the tree.

Taro starts to pick up the pace and plays an upbeat melody. He starts to sing again, this time louder and more cheerful. The Kag Mantas blissfully float in circles around each other.

“This. This is exactly what they needed.” Taro says to himself as he watches the bioluminescent lights around him dance from side to side.

Taro smiles happily and slowly reaches the end of his song. As he puts his instrument away, the forest creatures start to disperse, but not without making noises as if they were applauding in their own way.

“Thank you for letting our worlds become one,” Taro exhales as he perches on the tree, tucks his head into his shoulder wings and closes his eyes.