The built a network of hollowed-out bamboo pipes, a vertical veins system running from the canopy to the soil.
The were the first to suffer. Without rain, their high gardens withered. They cried out for water, but the Root-Tenders, bitter from years of being ignored, hoarded the deep-well reserves for themselves. "You have the sun," the Root-Tenders shouted up. "Drink that." The built a network of hollowed-out bamboo pipes,
It was Elara, a young Trunk-Keeper, who stood in the central plaza where the three levels met. They cried out for water, but the Root-Tenders,
The village of Oakhaven was built around a tree so large its roots served as the town’s foundation and its canopy as the sky. For generations, the village was split into three distinct guilds: the , who lived in the dark soil and managed the water; the Trunk-Keepers , who carved homes into the bark and built the structures; and the Leaf-Watchers , who lived in the heights, harvesting sunlight and rain. The village of Oakhaven was built around a
By the time the autumn rains finally arrived, the village had changed. The gates between the levels were gone. They realized that unity wasn't about everyone doing the same job—it was about realizing that no matter how high or low you lived, you were all nourished by the same sap.
As the Root-Tenders pumped the spring water, the Trunk-Keepers guided it upward through their pipes. The Leaf-Watchers used the water to revive the canopy, which in turn cooled the earth, allowing the Root-Tenders to work without heatstroke.