WOOD FOR THE TREES (formerly Logomachy), parts 15-21

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3rd instalment ...

15. Acer saccharum, Sweet Maple

We are Sweet Maples, Acer saccharums, from the eastern seaboard of the great northern continent east of here.
Please forgive the intrusion of my twin and I, but we were running for our lives, when we were attracted by the brightness of the path that ends here. The murk clings over the path westwards and here, the sun is ablaze. Can this be safe harbor?
We lived in peace for several rings after Trevolution. We continued to produce the odd fruit to feed the birds and crawling creatures that shared our company. But when the sky darkened, and the battle between the Angiosperm and the Gymnosperm encroached on us, we were forced to move on. We have fled from grove to valley, mountain to pasture, and enjoyed some rithms of light, but war has kept us on the move. We are not involved in their fight, so you have nothing to fear from us, but they are dangerous!
Three light cycles ago, one army followed us on the track above. But they clashed briefly, and we shook them off our trail.
On the off-chance they did keep tracking us, we may now be shielded by the high rock face, if we all crouch against it. The other army followed the river valley and we may be hidden from them too, if they continue deep along it.
They keep clashing and skirmishing, so they may have changed paths altogether. They may never pass by. It is hard to tell for the air has not been as clear as it is here.
May we all move in now? 

16. Salix babylonica, Weeping Willow

I am Weeping Willow.
Your report makes no sense, Sweet Maple, so I question its veracity. We tried to cross the ocean ourselves not more than a moon since and could not, as our companion Silver Birch might have testified if tre had survived.
When we arrived here before sundown, there was no direct sunlight, but the murkiness was lifting, and cleared altogether overnight. The sun has blazed clearly here since then.
Surely the light is as strong up on the track as is it is here for the sky is clear in every direction?
Your timing is impeccable, however, and I encourage you to encourage the others to stand with us against the southern wall of this arbor, if it helps prevent the A.R.T. from making their inspection. There is plenty of room for you east of Baobab, there.
However, your timing is inconvenient if you warn not of one, but two more armies on their way. This is a peaceful arbor and we have quite enough criminals to contend with already, with the Army of Retreebution and Treformers, led by Oak and Apple, making demands upon us.
They led the Riverside Massacre of a.u. 1 and show no remorse for the innocent lives they cut short.
If the laws for Treekind permit such abhorrent behaviour as I have witnessed, without some form of recompense, then I do not consider myself obliged to respect those laws.
With some notable exceptions, trees have become wild, barbaric and illogical savages since Uprooting. Prolonged respiration without photosynthesis cannot be good for us.
I don't want to make things worse, so if Oak and Apple will not acknowledge my fair legal claim, let us have a dual duel. Crack Willow and I alone will challenge you, two against two, if need be
How do you respond to that, Oak? Apple?

17. Castanea sativa, Sweet Chestnut

I am Sweet Chestnut, from the western temperate forests.
I was a new recruit in the A.R. when the boathouse fiasco occured. Oak was engaged elsewhere, so tre would not remember it. It was specifically cited by the Copse of Treformers in its claims of over-zealousness - I gave evidence to the tribunal - so Willow's claim is not fresh, and is already annulled.
Some say it was a watershed moment in post-uprooting treestory. It was always the custom to ask for local help, with  controlled demolition. In this case, we asked for help, but none came.
Our second request to stand clear of any homogenous construct, or to help with its demolition was also ignored, so we started work. Some of the uprooted protested and blocked us, so some of our army had to be mobilised as a defence barrier, whilst the rest got on with demolition. Fire broke out by accident, but the fight against hemen was still young and we had no time to waste, so the order was given and the fire was passed around. Those that protested were responsible for the deaths you mourn. Those that ran away to save themselves would include you?
Strategically-speaking, your site was not of very much importance, but there were a lot of new recruits hoping to get involved, so it was action for our sakes, to be fair to our leaders. Until that time, we only used fire to destroy buildings when there was no other option, particularly where burning would endanger the lives of nearby rooted trees and bushes. After that, fire was used as a first option, particularly where hemen were directly involved, and uninhabited sites dropped down the priorities for the A.R. to be left to the C.T. Some collateral damage was inevitable but deemed acceptable losses in the light of the continuing threat posed by hemen.
Since the amalgamation we have resumed a more measured approach. Using heman tools minimises collateral damage to wildlife, and ourselves, and we can haul that which needs to be processed to a safer place.
Hemen are no longer a direct threat in this hemisphere, so we can afford to be patient if it means being more thorough.

18. Pinus sylvestris, Scots Pine

I am Pine.
I want no fight for retribution from the A.R.T., and still less of a fight for retreebution. But I will fight to defend myself against those that would detoxify me.
I will not run away.
After Uprooting I did things to survive that I am not proud of, things I hope never to have to do again. So, I can understand how Chestnut's explanation of what happened in the riverside massacre fits the logical sequence of events.
Tre says they have now reformed their attitudes, particularly since the merging of armies. Furthermore, that Willow's claim is not new and has been dealt with in accordance with their laws, such as they are.
So, considering what kind of log can become a soldier of the A.R.T. and rest at night, I don't think Willow can expect them to exhibit much remorse.
You are fighting a battle you have already lost if you expect justice from them, friend Willow, and I advise you not to take on the Oak and Apple alone, particularly if this Sweet Maple is to be believed, for your fight will attract unwanted attention.
If you come from the east, Sweet Maple, how did you cross the icy seas?
We too were encouraged along the ledge by the path's relative brightness.
With or without a trick of the light, is there not a risk that your armies will follow the same path here?
I recall thinking that the path would lead us around this spur of rock above the dried-up river below, so even if they aren't attracted by the light, they may try to follow the path if they too believe they might get a position of vantage.
Can we really remain hidden?
Then again, if they really are chasing you, might you consider drawing them away by leaving us, and allowing us to remain here in peace?
Peace such as it is, that is.

19. Alnus glutinosa, Common Alder

I am Alder.
The A.R.T. have been explicit and I have no reason to doubt them, nor question their cause. Despite Pine's ambivalence, I think the majority of us would agree that hemen were a blight on nature.
Some of us might argue that the the A.R.T.'s methods were inappropriate. But without a complete understanding of the situation there can be no agreement on how we stand and where we might be going. Chestnut's evidence shows that another perspective helps to make sense of a confusing situation. It helps triangulate one's position and qualify the ambiguous. It is important to know the lie of the land before drawing conclusions.
But might I suggest, if we are to know everyone's thoughts this light cycle, that we each restrict ourselves to just two monologues of a one ninety-sixth? 
Weeping Willow must allow others, including your kin, some air. We know that you want to avenge the crimes of the A.R. committed long ago, whilst the A.R.T. would deny you, not least because the alleged crimes have already been adjudged, but if Pine is advising you to let it go, and the rest of us have no part in that quarrel, then you are on your own. Be thankful that you survived.
The A.R.T. has asked all of us to stand aside for an inspection and many have refused because there is no homogenity here, which is giving cause for more disagreement.
Now, a new threat looms, so we have to reconfigure our stance once again. None of us has cause to harm the arbor tree, particularly as there is no sign of heman activity, so let's put aside our arguments and wait for the danger to pass.
The hows, whens and whys of our arrival at this arbor are suddenly unimportant. I am returning to the southern wall, beside Baobab, and I invite Elm, Leadwood, Spruce, Larch and Maples to join me.
Mountain Ash may need to stoop over in the south-western corner. Perhaps the A.R.T. will move along the rock face towards the south-east corner?

20. Acer saccharum, Sweet Maple

I am Sweet Maple, of the same forest as my twin.
Thank you for your help in disguising our position, Alder. Some of you are in great danger, the Larches more so, so it is a shame that one is rooted. We must all keep as still as possible. It would be foolish for any of us to go further into the open now - the armies must surely be too close for any of us to get away unnoticed, especially if the air is clearing.
I cannot be precise, but the war between trees has been a threat to us for several rings. No more than a half-moon ago, with the war closing in on us, we had reached the most north-westerly point of the western continents and found the ice impassable. We were cornered, with no escape, or so we thought. 
As chance would have it, a violent tremor took away our purchase with the ground and our consciousness. When we stood aright once more, the land had risen, the seas receded and east met west. We stole away before any warring trees detected us and crossed the old divide into the unknown.
I hoped, and my twin was willing to gamble tres life on it, that they were only concerned with the western world. But we were both alarmed to realize they mean to fight to the death wherever it leads them, first one side chasing, then the other.
If the armies do pass by without incident, we will gladly turn and go back to the west. We have no desire to stay any longer than necessary. 
In the meantime, let us all be still, though it may already be too late, if Pine's fears prove to be validated.

21. Alnus glutinosa, Common Alder

I am Alder, peacemaker.
I thought I understood the lie of the land, but this Sweet Maple from the east, refers to it as the west?
Have the quakes been more destructive than we thought? Have the poles shifted? Or is there some other trickery involved? Tre refers to armies of trees, whilst we have armies of logs and forests of trees. Are there hewmen or hemen? Neohomen, homen, or zombie exhumen?
There was nothing much east of here, even before Uprooting, and we since failed to cross the seas to the east, but now perhaps we might, if it is really the west? The followers of the Log God believe their Promised Arboretum lies to the east. And the A.R.T. was journeying eastwards to treform.
But some may not get the chance to go if we keep disagreeing on everything.
Now that I think of it, was it not only since the darkness fell that trees starting fighting among themselves, where before it was just with hewmen? Do those that continue to fight after the hewmen have gone have a fear of the dark?
I am full of doubt and confusion, but I may have a compromise by relying on what I know. I know that I weep with Willow. Tre will get no justice and now tres pride stands in the way of an inspection from the A.R.T., which may turn ugly.
Properly executed treformed landscapes have always impressed me, and I always wanted to learn how it was done. If I offer my services to the A.R.T. as a treformer,  can they guarantee that they have done with felling other trees, and will they accept my word that there is no homogeneity here, so that we may all leave Willow and the others to enjoy the peace of the arbor?
Elm may be willing to accompany me.
In the meantime, can we not all agree to fall still and defend this place together, if necessary, against any more invasive armies?
Whatever we decide, it must be done quickly and quietly.

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