Awaken was a spell that was special to druids, that allowed them to imbue a living creature with a mind equalling that of one of the 'humanoid' races, as well as the ability to speak and move freely, if they didn't have it already. Plants and animals alike could be affected by this spell, though their intelligence was, to Rattles' knowlege, typically neither less nor more than that of an average person.
It felt unintuitive that an undead could be Awakened, but technically, a mindless undead like Rattles had allegedly been could simply have the animating force that inhabited them imbued with the arcane energies necessary to carry the spell.
Most undead who stopped being mindless did so because they regained their mind somehow, remembering their identities and memories that they had in life. Rattles didn't remember anything before the moment when Father Heron greeted him, but he remembered every moment afterward with surprising clarity. Perhaps, Rattles surmised, it was because there was simply not yet much to remember.
Rattles shivered in excitement at that thought. Technically, he had no need to shiver, but the habits of life are ingrained deeply into the undead. His excitement stemmed from the thought that there could yet be many, many days to remember, maybe even years.
Rattles looked around at the druids, noticing that some were awake, but most were asleep. Those who were awake seemed to be only barely keeping awake, and were doing so unwillfully. One of the druids staying up was the dwarf from before.
Rattles walked over quietly, careful not to disturb the sleeping druids, but also careful not to startle the dwarf. He tapped her on the shoulder politely once he was sure that she'd heard him. She looked over her shoulder at him and grunted quietly. Sitting down next to her, Rattles quietly asked, "Why are you still awake? Shouldn't you be resting?"
The dwarf grinned, her teeth pale and sharp within her beard. "One might think so, huh? But no, someone's got to keep watch."
"I don't need to sleep. Can I keep watch instead so you can?"
The dwarf thought about it, then shook her head. "I don't know that you really know what to watch for. I don't relish the thought that you wake everyone up for nothing, or worse, that you fail to wake everyone up because you don't know something's wrong."
"You shouldn't stay up all night. You worked so hard today."
The dwarf shrugged. "Father Heron was awake for a day and a night and a day without too much trouble."
Rattles tilted his head, confused. "He was?"
The dwarf looked at him skeptically from the side. "Awakening you took him eight hours if it took him a minute. Didn't you notice that he brought you to us almost right as we were done resting?"
Rattled contpemplated that. Father Heron had been quite tired all day, being the first to take rest, but he'd never been the last to get up after. He shook his head, turning back to the conversation at hand. "I don't think Father Heron should have been up all night, either, but there's nothing I can do about it now. He's sleeping now, anyways."
The dwarf shuckled quietly. "Relax, bony. I'll join the others in rest soon enough. We take turns keeping watch, normally. Especially as we get through this part of the forest."
"What's different about this part of the forest?"
The dwarf scowled, crossing her arms. "Civilization is near."
She spat out the word 'civilization' like it burned her tongue to even say.
Rattles again tilted his head. "Is that bad?"
She shook her head, as if to clear away unpleasant memories. "Yes and no. Yes because it means that we have to be careful of people stumbling upon us and being rude to the wild places we protect, and no because not all people from the civilized world are the same. Some are really nice to talk to. Others..." The dwarf again shook her head vigorously, her beard flying everywhere. "Others would just as soon level the forest completely for their own petty reasons."
Rattles' jaw dropped. "That's horrible! They would turn the whole forest into a waste?"
"Yeah, or buildings, or gold, or whatever would help them the most." She sighed. "I suppose I can't fault them for wanting things. Nature is all about getting whatever edge you can over the competition."
Rattles didn't understand that. If nature was so ruthless and cutthroat, why did the forest need the druids? Why not just let the forest fend for itself?
"Then why protect the forest at all?"
"Because we are part of the forest in the same way that the forest is part of us."
Rattles contemplated that. If the druids and the forest were related... then the druids *were* the forest fending for itself!
Satisfied with that revelation, Rattles asked, "When do you go to sleep?"
The dwarf chuckled. "In a few hours, come nightfall. Fancy keeping me company until then?"
Rattles agreed happily, and they spent the whole of the first watch talking quietly.