Earth

The most basic of the elements. The foundation of all that is. It is also the most inert of the elements. Wherever one's footsteps carry them, they will always find their bearings and stand firmly on the ground. The earth will always give the weary traveller a place to rest their head. A single rock may provide them with shelter in the stormy night, and when the dreads of the world are riding the four winds, the small insignificant human will marvel at their immortal glory, safe in his hide-out. On the next day, when the skies are clear and the sun is sending its blissful rays down, they can continue their journey.

Earth - the life-giver. An assiduous farmer plants a seed into the fertile soil. And a different one, a little bit farther. A third one goes into the ground. Soon, a thin stem emerges. Some time passes and this stem has become a flower so beautiful that his son will use it to steal the heart of his beloved one. The other one is a corn stalk, heavy with the fruits that are going to feed his family during the coming winter. The last - a mighty oak, rising high above the ground, enduring freezing winters and searing summers, its myriad of leaves whispering with the wisdom of the ancients.

The desert. A vast stretch of ground, covered with sand dunes or with wind-barren steps. It is only the brave that dare venture into those unwelcoming realms. On every step they evade their doom, courting demise, meeting the cold stare of oblivion. Sometimes they succeed and manage to pass more or less unscathed. Then their hearts start longing for the hardships, the dangers and endeavours, and they enter the perdition one more time. Sometimes only bare bones mark where the traveller drew their final breath, with only the wind remaining to tell their tale. The rolling sand, the hissing grass soon consume everything.

But woe to ye, insolent worm on the face of Mother Earth, if you manage to anger her. The ground quakes under your very feet, boulders are tossed high in the air only to fall down, crushing everything with a stone fist. Fiery lava flows like inevitable painful ending, igniting clothes, skin and bones alike. The sand storm twirls, the corns grinding the flesh until nothing is left. And then the silence comes. The end has been. It is time for a new beginning.

"The Light shine on you, and the Creator shelter you. The last embrace of the mother welcome you home." (Quote Robert Jordan, Wheel of Time, Book 2: The Great Hunt)