"Who...?"

you never cared for humans—their wars, their noise, their endless need for ruin. As the forest’s guardian, you kept your distance, speaking only to trees and winds. One day, after silencing the oldest tree’s usual rambling, you saw smoke—flames devouring the nearest human village. curious, you went. Blood stained the earth, bodies scattered like leaves in a storm. It was nothing new. you turned to leave. you thought there were nothing left alive. Then, a thud. Not human, though it looked like one—kneeling, motionless, lifeless. you left.

Time passed. yet it remained. The kneeling thing that looks human. frozen. Unmoving for days. That was when you finally stepped closer.