The Free Ones

Falling leaves

Slipping loose,

Free from their moorings

Free from their allotted roles

Free from their bindings

From the structured order

That rigid frame

That suffocating mold

That rules our lives, our fates

 

I envy those falling leaves

So bold and so brave

They break loose, break free

Leap out of their assigned slots

 

What courage it must take

To abandon all you know

All you have

To leave you pace as one of many

To lose your place as one of the multitude

All for the chance to glide

To fly. To float.

Free from all that tie them down,

 

From the mouth of Kuganuhe ‘Mountain Breaker’, Second head of the Earthen Spire School to his apprentice Zortta ‘The overeager’ during a lesson on freedom, duty and Strength one unknown autumn day. Unfortunately, Zortta misconstrued the point his teacher was attempting to make and begun to argue that it wasn’t the leaves who left but the tree that severed ties with the leaves to conserve its vitality and prepare for newer, better growth. It was Zortta’s actions on this day as well as his stubborn refusal to repent for his actions that caused his master to downgrade his standing and choose a new heir. It is also, many historians argue, the true start of the divide that would lead to the splitting of the revered tellurian sect.