The Healing Tree

Near the dark brackish water it stood. From a wide, round-shaped crown were low drooping branches hanging down into the lake, seemingly sipping the water and emitting a near silent whisper when the cold wind blew. It's tiny leaves seemed alive, flickering in the sun as they held the early morning dew.

What made it stand out was the size of this tree, nearly eighty feet in height. This was not unheard of but very rare. And the color of it was amazing, or to be more accurate, it's lack of color. It seemed to be made of glass. Interesting too were the leaves that it had shed, which had fallen to the ground and surrounded the mammoth beast. They were black as night yet as shiny as the ones that still gripped it's branches in life, and they were exactly what the wizard had been seeking. For it was these leaves that held precious powers of healing when crushed and brewed into a tea.

Collecting as many as his sack would hold, the healer made his way back to the palace where the king lie on his deathbed. He had suffered a deep wound from a poisoned sword blade while battling the orcs that had stormed the castle days ago. The tea the wizard would brew would surely bring the king back to health but only if he didn't die before the healer returned.