Searching for a needle in a haystack

The young Shieldmaiden had made similar blunders during early, inexperienced occasions spent roving through the Rainforest, and it was for this very reason that an amused smile ignited across her face. The ear-splitting screech which rose through the gentle, constant thrum of rain that day in the rainforest, was like no other - even the shrill squeal of infancy had not the power to disable one’s resolve quite so superbly - and curious to see who had triggered it, her clean, tan-tinted hooves began to trek softly in the direction from whence she assumed it came (she had little doubt it would be a man: stupidity personified). Valkyrie was more than surprised to discover, however, as she slipped beneath the bent, leafy arm of a young sapling fern, that it was, in fact, a waif-looking child that had stepped on the moss. Without hesitation, she meandered forward with superior grandeur and offered the helpless runt a sympathetic smile. “It’s the moss…” she offered smoothly, gesturing her clean pink nose pointedly towards the olive-green carpeting various rocks nearby. “You have nothing to fear.” Of course, she could only assume the unfortunately ugly infant hadn’t realised her error  - she did after all look, awkwardly misshapen - and softened the lines on her face to appear compassionate. It was more commiseration though (for the sake of her obvious worthlessness), and less so tender-hearted empathy. Valkyrie made certain not to touch her… Without warning the forest began to stir, to whisper and to sway, and one tree which seemed so much more monumental than the rest, stepped slowly forward from its bed. The Shieldmaiden was rightfully surprised. Though she had indeed seen a Living Tree before, it had been comparatively modest in structure and size, and there had been more important things to consider at that time… On this occasion, however, there were no pressing priorities and the only company happened to find seemed to be more a hindrance (perhaps had she been clean, maintained…), than a help. Wide eyes soon forgot their prior hangup and lifted to survey the inconceivable giant.