“Oh, I understand,” Adrian said, removing his hand from hers. “I just don’t agree. Just because we can grow back doesn’t mean we should wait passively while they cut us down. The Blackwood is more than trees. It’s also the cornered animal who fights for its life, the mother bird who fakes injury to draw predators away from its nest, the snake that still bites even after its head is severed. The forest taught me that when it gave me back my heart, and I will not ignore its lessons to satisfy your fear.”
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