Our story begins like most stories - with a seed. This particular seed fell from its Great Tree on a listless afternoon in late spring. It took root within the walls of a village called Hidden Hollow, which was surrounded on all sides by stone walls and dense forest. And like all seeds of this species, commonly known as the walking wood, it first grew into a giant acorn. The first year is a vulnerable time for any newborn of the walking wood. They grow from deep within their acorns and they have no way of defending themselves. So it was dutifully guarded by one of the protectors of Hidden Hollow, a ladybug named Priscilla. She kept it clean of forest growth and fought away any creatures that might steal it for food until, the following spring, a young boy emerged. The boy, like all his kind, had made his way to the outside world by eating. He'd hollowed out his acorn by ingesting it, absorbing all the nutrients and knowledge that the Great Tree had woven into the fibers. He'd learned to read, write and speak all before his first birthday, and he'd grown as tall as he would ever be. And there he would reside for the rest of his time, the acorn he was born within serving as his home and spending his days attending to the needs of the Great Tree and the surrounding village. Or at least he would have, were his path a typical one. It's his story I wish to tell.🏁

Our story begins like most stories - with a seed. This particular seed fell from its Great Tree on a listless afternoon in late spring. It took root within the walls of a village called Hidden Hollow, which was surrounded on all sides by stone walls and dense forest. And like all seeds of this species, commonly known as the walking wood, it first grew into a giant acorn. The first year is a vulnerable time for any newborn of the walking wood. They grow from deep within their acorns and they have no way of defending themselves. So it was dutifully guarded by one of the protectors of Hidden Hollow, a ladybug named Priscilla. She kept it clean of forest growth and fought away any creatures that might steal it for food until, the following spring, a young boy emerged. The boy, like all his kind, had made his way to the outside world by eating. He'd hollowed out his acorn by ingesting it, absorbing all the nutrients and knowledge that the Great Tree had woven into the fibers. He'd learned to read, write and speak all before his first birthday, and he'd grown as tall as he would ever be. And there he would reside for the rest of his time, the acorn he was born within serving as his home and spending his days attending to the needs of the Great Tree and the surrounding village. Or at least he would have, were his path a typical one. It's his story I wish to tell.🏁