Purity-In-Fire

 The rider was hurt. He was sore. He was weary. Sigh. He was old and he knew it. Loosening the grip his legs had on his mount, he slowed the great beast to a trot. Ever so slowly, he allowed his old frame to settle into rhythm with the massive horse. Thankfully, the slower pace eased the aches of his fragile body. With a quick glance over his shoulder, he made sure his pursuers had been properly lost in the woods. A quiet chuckle escaped his lips at the thought. Yes, he thought, dryads do have a knack for confounding those they considered enemies of their wood. Just a bit up the trail, the old rider came to a clearing. Set directly

 They fell without a sound. Millions upon millions of them, all sailing through the air without so much as a whisper. Their bulbous bottom ends tapered up to form a slight point and give them a teardrop shape. As one it seemed, they continued their descent to the ground. Those silent missiles sped to the ground with surprising quickness. They stayed silent right until they hit the ground with a thunderous cacophony of sound. As they hit, they smashed themselves down, bulging out until they could no longer maintain their shape. Each and every one of them broke apart into a million little aquatic shards. Every shard caught the light for a sp