It is human nature to adapt. Environments vary, seasons change, even local animal populations fluctuate. Everything is changing constantly, whether fast or slow and to survive is to change as well. That is why humans are considered hardy, because they adapt as best they can to all they encounter, in mind and body.
Though it would be safe to say that, in this particular situation, the mind didn’t adapt fast enough.
As she stepped out of the bushes she had been hiding in, the young man could only gape. The first thing he though when seeing her, was that she wasn’t who he had expected. That was rather obvious, given that she was not green, appeared to be human and had additional garments on her person, than the forest lady did.
It was also the last thing he thought for a while, since his mind completely shut down after registering the first thought.
The girl, for she was clearly a girl, shuddered in fear at the stranger looking at her, with a spear half-raised. He had been so angry just moments ago, shouting at her to reveal herself, yet now his face reflected nothing, turning from flesh to stone. She would have run, if she wasn’t pinned on the spot by the fear of being struck with that spear. And like prey caught before the gaze of the predator, she trembled in place.
“You.” He said, producing a small yelp from the girl.
“Who are you?”
“M-me?” she managed to ask.
If the situation wasn’t so tense, he might have laughed. He hadn’t met anyone before, not counting the damned tree woman. Who else could he be talking to?
“Yes. You. Who are you? Come here.” He said, gesturing to his fire.
“I’m- I’m no one. Could I leave please? I’m sorry to have disturbed you, I’ll just-“
“No!”
Judging by the second yelp and the fact that she seemed to be shrinking into herself, the young man judged that he had perhaps spoken a little too sharply.
Yet he was overrun by emotion himself. The first person he had found wanted nothing to do with him. The second one… No. He couldn’t let her leave, not without finding information first. Talking to her! Oh, how he had wished to talk with somebody other than himself.
“No. Sorry, you can leave, but only after answering some questions. Come here.” He said, gesturing again.
She did. It looked as if she had to make a conscious effort to put one step in front of the other, but she managed to take enough steps to stand opposite him, in front of the fire. She still looked like she would bolt if he ever even turned his back to her.
“Sit. Down, I mean. I’m sorry… I’m not used to talking with someone else.” He tried to say gently and smiled.
If anything, that seemed to scare the girl even more.
He took a quick moment to look at her. She seemed young, but how young he couldn’t be sure of. A part of his mind was telling him that she looked to be eighteen years old or so, yet he couldn’t be sure, since he didn’t know for sure how old he was. He did speculate he must be around twenty. Looking on, he noticed that her eyes were blue, her hair was auburn and her ears were definitely not pointy. Clearly a human, like him. As if the milky skin didn’t differentiate her from the forest woman already.
Eyes going down, he noticed she was wearing a type of blue tunic that reached below her knees. Her feet were covered with a leather footwear, somewhere between a shoe and a boot. Other than that, all she had on her was a satchel, tied around a belt, hanging from her waist.
Observation over, he looked up at her again. And realized from her expression that his quick glance was not that quick. Not at all. And he had just given her the wild stranger version of a once-over. Yes, that would be why her eyes were now wide open and she was trembling harder than before.
“I don’t mean you any harm! I promise. And I’m sorry for my appearance. I’d be wearing something more… normal, if I could.” He said, looking down at his bare chest and leaf skirt.
“Okay.” She replied in a small voice.
He noticed she was still standing.
“Please. Sit down. I just want to talk.”
She did, eventually, though not taking her eyes of him for one second. The young man thought about what he could do to make her more at ease. He didn’t know how to act around guests. How would he? Absentmindedly, he noticed the fish-on-a-stick laying on the grass and had an idea.
“Take this, and hold it over the fire. You look hungry.” He said, handing the fish to her.
Truthfully, she looked too scared for him to make out anything else about her, but he thought being hungry when the sun was halfway across the sky was a good bet.
Once she did and he had his own fish dangling nicely over the fire, he noticed the girl was now at least directing some of her glances towards the fish instead of at him. Which the thought was the perfect time to start with his questions.
“So, who are you?” he asked.
“I’m Lola.” She answered after a moment. “Uhm… pleased to meet you!”
He could tell she was just being polite out of fear, but he smiled all the same.
“Pleased to meet you too. I’d give you my name, but I’m afraid I don’t remember it.”
“Oh, ok.”
Going by the look on her face, it was safe to say she thought him mad or worse. He decided to just come out clean with everything he knew and hoped she would be able to fill in any gaps. And that’s just what would have happened, if he hadn’t just tried to slide over on the grass, to the terrified girl.
“No, please, don’t! Please don’t hurt me! I’ve got mushrooms, take them!” she said, emptying her satchel next to him.
Indeed, it was as she’d said. A bunch of mushrooms came out of her satchel, tumbling on the ground. Normal mushrooms of different types and even a few of the red fire mushrooms. He was too confused by the sudden mushrooms to try and calm her down.
“You can have them all, just please let me go!” she pleaded.
“Uh… why do you think I want mushrooms?” he asked, bewildered.
“Well… I’ve seen you- I mean, I’ve heard you yelling for mushrooms. A few days ago. In the forest.” She replied haltingly.
Seeing that he just stared at her, she continued.
“I wasn’t following you! I mean, I was, but that was just because you were talking and making noise and I wanted to see who it was.”
Once she started, the words came tumbling out of her.
“And then I saw you, wondering about. You were… uh, not dressed at first, so I just listened, I didn’t come close.”
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Judging by the sudden flush of her cheeks that was a lie and he knew it, but he let it slide. He had gotten used to being half-naked and whatever embarrassment he might have had at her seeing him like that was washed away by the pure need to hear words from someone other than himself. He nodded at her to go on.
“So, some time later, I was in the forest, not watching you, I was just… gathering… rocks and- and I heard you yell for mushrooms! I panicked and ran, but later I thought you must really like mushrooms, so I started gathering a few. And today I came here and I thought to leave them at the edge of the clearing, but then you yelled at me.” She finished lamely.
Once the avalanche of words had ended, the young man had snapped back from his reverie. So, she had been following him. He thought there was someone watching him, but he just assumed it was the forest lady.
“Sorry for yelling at you, I thought it was the bush woman coming to take away my fish.”
“W-what?” she asked, clearly thinking him insane.
“By the way, you should hold that up over the fire.” He said, indicating the forgotten fish on the grass.
“Oh, right, sorry.”
This girl had been wondering through the forest, heard him talking and decided to follow him about? And when she heard him yelling for mushrooms, she decided to gather some up and leave them for him to find? That, he thought, actually sounded like a nice person.
He suddenly started feeling quite bad for terrifying her. Not bad enough to let her go, but he tried to be gentler with his words.
“Like, I said, I don’t remember my name. All I know is that I woke up in this forest a few days ago. Naked, alone and not remembering a thing. All I knew was how to talk and I guess that’s why you heard me talking with myself so much. I’ve built this” he said, pointing to his shelter “and a few other things, but that’s about it. The thing is, I don’t know anything about… anything. When I saw you, I thought I could finally learn about what’s happening or at least more about this forest or just… more, you know? Sorry again I yelled at you. I guess I just got too excited.” He laughed a little, but it was a sad laugh.
That must have shown, since her expression softened a little. There was still fear there, but pity as well.
“Well, I don’t know much of what to tell you or at least where to start, if you don’t remember anything. But… nothing? You remember nothing?”
“Not even my own name.” he said, shrugging.
“I see. I’m sorry for that.”
“Not your fault. Who knows, maybe I’ll remember stuff, after I learn something from you. Also… do you mind if we eat while we talk?” he asked, eyeing the now cooked fish.
His mind might have been hungry for answers, but there was another part of his body that took hunger in a far more literal sense. And that part was grumbling.
“Oh, sure, of course.” She said, looking at her own fish and for the first time, a look like hunger entered her eyes.
Satisfied that he was right about her being hungry as well, he bit deep into the fish.
“Oh, wow. Oh… oh, this is so good!” he said, between bites.
The cooked fish was like nothing he had ever eaten before. It was nothing he had eaten before and his ecstatic expression was amusing enough to make even the girl smile.
“You never had fish before?”
“Not that I remember it. This is the first fish I caught since I’ve been here. All I’ve had to eat was berries, roots and mushrooms before. And I’ve grown sick of them.” He responded, munching on.
“Oh. I just thought you really liked them. Since you were shouting for them.” She said uncertainly.
“No, I was just looking for them.”
“…I see.”
“Yup.”
The conversation ended there, for the time it took for him to gobble up the remaining part of his fish and set another one to cook over the fire.
“You know” she said, before he could ask his next question “I thought you were a Jack at first, which is why I didn’t approach. If I’d have known you were lost, I’d have tried to help earlier. I’m sorry.”
The young man was surprised, since she looked quite honest. Though, going by the little he knew of her, it was looking more and more like she was one of the truly nice people walking around in the world.
“No, I’m not Jack. I don’t think so, at least. I like it, but I’m not sure since I don’t remember anything.”
She looked slightly confused, yet she soldiered on.
“I’ll tell you what I think it’s important. Where we are now, this forest, it’s called Vaneil Forest. Though the people in my village call it the Van Woods or just the Van. I live in a village about an hour of walk away from here, in that direction.” She said, pointing in the direction of the mushroom patch.
The young man thought. An hour away. The mushroom patch must have been less than half an hour of distance away and that was before he had gotten his |Rough Walker| Skill. He could have reached the village days ago, if he had just kept on walking. Apparently, himself and good luck didn’t mix all that well.
Mistaking his thoughts, she continued.
“I don’t think it’d be a good idea to go to the village. I mean, I don’t mind, but people might believe you’re a Jack and with them being so superstitious about this place, they might think you’re a bad omen.”
Again with the name. Do these people really hate Jacks so much? Perhaps someone truly vile named Jack lived in these parts before.
“What do you mean ‘about this place’?” he asked.
“Well, this is a protected forest. Enchanted. It’s really hard to find animals here, even though we know they exist and we’re forbidden from hunting them.”
“Yeah, I got the forbidden part as well.” He muttered. “What do you mean by enchanted?”
“I mean, whoever gets into the forest is protected from harm. They will not be attacked by animals, they’ll find plenty of plants to sustain them, but must importantly, no one of harmful intent can enter this forest.”
“So, like a refuge?” he asked.
“Exactly like a refuge.” She smiled. “In case of monsters or when bandits attack, my village hides in the forest and are protected. It’s just at the edge of the forest too, so it’s easy for us. In exchange we take very little wood from it, never hunt in it and people don’t enter it without reason either.”
“But you did.”
“Yes, well…” She hesitated. “What more do you want to know?” she asked quickly.
He thought about what he had learned. The forest is protected, but he already knew that. His broken spear attested to that knowledge. There’s a village nearby, which brought joy to his heart, knowing he was not alone. Though apparently, it would be a bad idea to enter it. And he was safe from bandits and monsters while he lived here.
Wait.
“Monsters.” He repeated, remembering the word. “What are monsters?”
“You don’t know?” the girl asked, raising a delicate eyebrow. “But… right, no memory. And you wouldn’t have met one in here either. Well, monsters are like animals, only bigger and meaner. And they like to eat people. And they have different abilities like… fire or acid.” She stumbled on her words.
They did sound bad to the young man, but simultaneously, he also didn’t think too much of them. Perhaps, if he ever met one, he could kill and eat it? After all, it sounded like monsters weren’t animals.
“It’s… hard to describe, but if you ever meet one, please just run. It’s safer.” She finished empathically.
“Sure.”
He never needed to lie before, but apparently it wasn’t hard.
“Uh” she said, looking at the sun. “I should go. It’s still an hours’ walk back to the village and… I mean, if it’s ok…”
It took him a moment to realize she was asking for his permission to leave. It seems her fear hadn’t completely left her, while she had talked with him. Embarrassed and a little sad, he responded.
“Of course, no worries. Do you want a fish to take back with you?”
“Oh, ah…. I wouldn’t want to take them away from you.” She said, but it was clear she was conflicted.
Now that he looked at her, he noticed she wasn’t exactly fit. She was slender, but her frame was leaning more on the skinny side. And judging by the look she was giving the fish he offered, it probably wasn’t by choice.
“Please, take all three. There’s a river nearby, I can get plenty.” He said earnestly, holding out a basket, with the three fish in it, to her.
“Thank you!” she said finally, accepting it.
And if he saw some moisture in her eyes, he didn’t mention it.
“One thing I have to ask. Can you tell me your age? It’s just that I don’t know my own and I’ll have to guess it by how old you are.” He said.
“I’m eighteen.” She laughed. “And if I’d have to guess, I’d say you’re twenty-one or twenty-two.”
“Huh. Thanks!” he grinned.
“My pleasure.” She said, begging to walk towards the edge of the clearing.
He remained where he was, happy for the day he had just had. True, he had a lot more questions remaining to be asked, even a few new ones, but he was happy to have met her.
“Visit me again, Lola! It was a pleasure. Besides, it’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
He truly hopped he had made a good enough impression that it would overcome the fear she first showed.
“You know” she turned to him “I think I just might.” She said with a smile, before continuing on ahead.
Yes. Truly a happy day. Finally, someone to talk to. Though this last though brought back a memory to his mind. He decided to repay Lola’s kindness with some of his own.
“Oh, by the way.” He shouted, since she was nearly at the edge of the clearing. “It’s unlikely, since you said you don’t hunt in this forest, but if you meet a forest lady, stay away from her!”
Who knew what the green one would do? Maybe she’d just take offense at Lola, because it meant there was another woman in her forest. It was true the young man was being irrational and overprotective, yet he had met the first person to break his loneliness. He was taking no chances.
Lola stopped on her way to her village and after a moment, slowly turned around. Even from this distance, the lack of expression on her face was visible.
“Who?” she shouted back.
“A forest lady! I don’t know what she is, but she’s green and tall. And has weird, long features. And she…” he thought about her lack of clothing, but neglected to mention that to his new young female friend. “Well, I call her forest lady, or tree woman, or bush one. All kind of things, but I don’t really know what she is. But I’ve met her and let me tell you, she is not nice!” he laughed. “So, you know, if you ever meet her, let her be.”
He was in such a pleasant mood, that it took him a long moment to realize something was wrong.
Lola was utterly still. Her face was pale and he could see her eyes were wide open. He was about to ask her if something was wrong, when-
“YOU’VE MET THE NYMPH?”