Benevolent Spirit

     I spent the next years training and learning. I quickly got the hang on shape-shifting but I still favored my former human body. I don't know how long it actually lasted, maybe decades, but I did my best to focus on my studies to forget the pain of my loss. And I succeeded. I still remembered happy and sad moments of my human life but it didn't pain me as much as before. I was more... serene than ever before.

     I learnt my true role as the forest Great Spirit: I was to make sure the forest respected its internal and external balance, its position in the world. It was even more complex than it seemed but I was given ways to manage. I could basically do everything a forest or a spiritual creature could. Once I was sufficiently one with the forest it felt like taking care of my health, making sure I didn't fall ill or was not seriously injured. It could be hard, especially when I didn't know what caused my discomfort or when I had to let a beloved animal die, but I was reminded of what it meant. The fact they knew it was ineluctable and went in peace made it easier and made me relate. It was a necessary sacrifice to help the forest survive. And there were happy times too, when the bears and deer family gave birth for example, or the games children played between my trees. Or when humans introduced a pair of wolves. It had been the first significant perturbation of balance I had to handle and I like to think I did well. The pack was now proficient and the forest bloomed more and more beautiful.

     But most of all, I could still see my family when they came. I would make myself invisible and spy on them, so see how they went without me. That's how I realized how long had passed since my conversion. One day, my baby sister brought her children. It was a big shock, I had barely changed but she was an active and blooming adult now. I felt humbled.

     A very unexpected aspect of by duties made itself know when griffins started to pop here and there in my forest, usually just sleeping a few hours before going. I was to shelter them and hid them from humans and poachers. My only real obligation was to make sure humans didn't discover the supernatural, but how could I let those cute little beasties alone in their misery? After only a few years poachers began to avoid me- I mean the forest- and the migratory flux progressively became more important. Sometimes a nomadic elven tribe would come through me to rest. They were respectful of the forest and always left a tribute to me when they left, and I would thank them the next time by discreetly leading them to new resources they could use. Like a little pond or new fruit trees.

     When I felt it necessary I would also help humans. I would use a few animals to herd lost children or set a more comfortable atmosphere for camping families. As long as they respected the forest and its inhabitants, else I would make sure they suffer as I deemed fit. I always hated polluters. One day day a rapist led a woman in the deep wood and tried to assault her, but a root under his foot made him trip and a well placed famished beast made a short work of him. I was surprised later when I learnt this woman was also one of the child I had herded when she was younger. I didn't think much of it and continued to help invisibly when I could, and I sure didn't expect the rumors that started to spread around. At most I expect a werewolf story, but not something even remotely like a lucky wood, nor that my 'lucky charm forest' and its 'benevolent spirit' would make a new touristic attraction for the town.

     Before I realized what happened an altar had been made at my threshold and I had followers praying me and giving me little tributes, which gave me more power and influence even outside of the forest. It was all mostly touristic and commercial, very few actually believed there was magic or a good spirit and their 'lucky wood talismans' were not actually made from my trees so there was nothing bad and I was still following the spirits' law.

     With more and more prayers, expectations and tributes I gathered enough power to actually grant some of the prayers I received. Just little easy ones for now, like 'how can I tell my girlfriend I love her?' or 'Please heal my mother' if in some cases, but I knew that if I actually granted them, if I acted like their worshiped... entity, probably a god, would act I would truly become their god. I would have new powers, new territory and new responsibilities additionally to those as the forest Spirit. I could also be less hidden, gods having different rules than spirits.

     I was torn, but I eventually settled for...

… becoming their god. I want to help as much as possible.
… staying a forest Great Spirit. I have enough work as it is.