Nil

It took nearly ten days for my vision to return. We mostly just hid in the canopy while I cooked our meal with a heat . As expected, the tasted horrid, but we had plenty of it. The taste was one step beneath tolerable. The meat had this odd stink to it that was barely palatable. Luna slowly made the pelt more into a blanket each day as she would get us water from pitcher plants. We snuggled under it to sleep; it was quite warm. My really came in handy. That was probably the most intense I’ve ever done. I’m also glad that the idea of cutting through all using worked. I needed to get better at using the time portion of my ; the let me use a solid burst of it there. If I didn’t slow it around me, I’m not sure I would’ve been fast enough to surprise that monster. I hope it doesn’t make me go blind again. I had a massive scar where I was bit; you could see the outline of each tooth. Did. Not. Bother. Me. At. All. Thankfully, I recovered enough to resume our trek. It’s thanks to Luna knowing how to heal I recovered in ten days. I sighed as I shook my head. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover; we need to get moving. I was torn on if we encountered Elves if that would be good or bad. I have no frame of reference. It was nice being able to talk to Luna openly the last ten days. Things felt oddly pleasant with her. Unfortunately, I kind of just picked a direction and kept at it. Luna stayed next to me the entire time as we continued our journey back to Speranza.

It feels good to be able to make progress towards getting home. I stated, trying to break the monotony of walking through the woods.

It does. Luna agreed. Please. Something to eat other than . Ten days of that has been hell.

Thanks for taking care of me. I told her again. I’m glad we didn’t encounter anything after killing that monster.

We’re working together Nil; it was the least I could do. Luna replied with a small sigh.

But I still got severely injured. I retorted. I was definitely a bit reckless in that final gambit.

I think you were right about having to kill it though; I don’t know how we were getting away. Relax. Luna said, looking a bit stern.

I delayed us ten days. I pointed out. That was ten days we could have been traveling.

I’d rather be alive; I’m fully aware you’re not invincible. Luna informed me. Huh?

What’s that mean? I inquired. It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting her to say.

Nil, you were just scared witless for nearly ten days as your vision returned. I know you have moments of weakness. Stop acting like you’re capable of making the optimal decision at all times; you made the decisions as needed to try and survive. The fact you survived and were only injured for ten days is a fantastic result all things considered. Luna explained, looking annoyed.

I’m not acting like that. I deflected. I didn’t need to see Luna to see her doubt.

Then why are you harping on the fact you got injured? Luna pressed. I could feel her stare boring into me.

I don’t know. I confessed. Luna not being irritated at me injuring myself was odd. Was it because we won?

It’s fine; just accept I’m okay with what you did. I think you made the right call. Granted, it turned into a deathmatch, but I don’t think it was giving up until it was either grievously wounded or we were dead. It’s okay how things played out Nil. You saved us. Luna assured me. She says stuff like that a lot.

Okay. I replied. Luna was being kind of weird, but I somewhat liked it.

We kept walking in silence for a bit. I wish I had some idea of where we were going. We had no way to orient ourselves better. We don’t have a map, and according to Luna Speranza could be in several directions depending on what part of the forest we’re in. Luna seemed to believe I was doing a good job so far. I kind of hoped the forest would look different, but we haven’t moved much all things considered. The wildlife was different, but it was a fairly normal tropical forest. Why does it look similar to forests of Earth? There was probably some reason. The two of us kept trekking through the forest, which just seemed to stretch on for eternity.

It was good practice for my hunting. Luna would point out the prey as she was using and I would retrieve it. She was clearly trying to conserve my strength more than before. And not have to eat more . I shivered remembering the taste. We both were glad to not be eating more of it. If we don’t have to, we aren’t going to. When I was catching small game, I made sure Luna was always within a single as she stood still. We’re being cautious.

The forest was endless; it was hard to tell if progress was being made it all looked so similar. We kept walking. And walking. And walking. Then make a temporary canopy to sleep under. After several days of walking the scenery barely changed. I felt like we weren’t moving. How? Are we walking in a straight path? I kept using landmarks to make sure we were walking in a somewhat straight line. Luna when I went off to grab prey didn’t move so we kept our path. Technically, could we even get lost if we have no idea where we are? As we traveled, one thing became brutally apparent. We definitely had nowhere to hide from the long term. It was soul crushing how similar the forest looked even after walking for days on end. It was lucky that cliff was nearby to start. On the fifth day of walking something was off. It took me a bit to notice, but once I did it was driving me nuts. What’s there? I could sense we were being watched, but not what was watching.

Is detecting things nearby? I asked Luna, hoping she could.

Several. We’re being watched. Luna replied calmly. How was she calm about this?

Any idea if they’re friendly? I probed. She actually seemed a bit relieved.

It’s Elves. If they decide to interact with us, I’ll talk to them. Luna told me. She likely had interacted with Elves in her past life.

That’s probably a good idea. What are Elves like? I checked. I’ve heard they exist, but not much about them.

Quite interesting; they generally love nature. From there if I say something you need to play along. Luna instructed. It felt like she deflected a little. Why though?

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Fine. I sighed. She probably needed me to just stand there quietly as she talked.

We kept moving. It was unsettling being able to sense so many nearby but not see them. They kept watching us as we walked. Luna and I closed the gap between us after a bit. I kept my bow and arrow ready. Luna said do not switch to my sword as we walked. It’s apparently an act of aggression, but it’d make me feel better. I kept looking at her. She kept assuring me to keep walking forward. After walking a bit further, every fiber of my being screamed we were under attack. Luna put her hand on me, glaring at a specific spot.

“We know you’re there.” Luna stated calmly, motioning for us to stop.

Do I react yet? I inquired, looking around.

If they do another trick like that, switch to your sword. Luna informed me, sounding annoyed.

There was no response; I looked at Luna. She motioned for us to keep walking. I don’t get what they’re doing. We continued our trek through the forest. I noticed there were a few more presences around us now. Why are we so interesting? I could feel their stares getting stronger. This is irritating. Why not just talk to us?

Switch. Luna ordered. I immediately complied, looking around as they clearly hated I pulled out a sword.

“Dilwauls, they’re kids.” A female voice ordered. Her voice was a bit deep.

An elf materialized in front of us. She’s fast. I immediately shot in front of Luna. Luna put her hand on me, clearly wanting me to relax. I looked at the elf. She was quite tall, almost as tall as my dad. Her eyes were bright red, glowing from some she was using. She had long, pointed ears. Those are like six inches long. The elf had tan skin, with pale lilac hair. The elf was in great shape, wearing tribal style clothing. There was a thin scar across her face. Something about her gives me an Amazon feel. Is it the fact we’re in a forest?

“I greet the Matriarch.” Luna said with a polite bow. What position is that?

“I greet the Matriarch.” I replicated, bowing like Luna did.

You are not going to like this, Nil. No matter what I say, agree. Luna told me with a bit of a sigh.

Why? I inquired. She was clearly not thrilled.

I know where we are now; we’re in Themys. I’ll explain later but for now, obey and follow. Luna replied. Her tone let me know this was important.

“I am not the Matriarch.” The elf replied. Her voice was a bit lower than I’d think looking at her.

“I’m sorry, who am I greeting?” Luna checked politely. I looked a bit better, realizing nearly all the elves were women. That’s odd.

“I am Matriarch-Apparent, Ailla Foredra.” Ailla introduced herself.

“Pleasure to meet you, Matriarch-Apparent Ailla. I am Lady Luna Odeus Dawnsfield. This is my hunting dog, Nil.” Luna replied. WHAT DID SHE JUST CALL ME?!

“Really? His face looks a bit annoyed.” Ailla taunted. I’D LIKE ONE EXPLANATION PLEASE!

“He’s on edge from us being followed; Nil is a protective dog.” Luna retorted with a fake smile.

Nil, you have no idea how important it is for you to follow along. Luna snapped at me. A little heads up on the being your dog would’ve been nice.

“I apologize.” I said immediately with another polite bow.

“I noticed. Now, how did you two end up here?” Ailla inquired, keeping her gaze on Luna.

“There was a trap trying to kill me that teleported us here. We are quite far from home and would appreciate a place to rest and to know where the closest port is.” Luna answered. I think the facts we’re demons gave that away.

“We’ll see about that. For now, we’ll be taking you two back. He can travel with the other men.” Ailla told us. I don’t see other men.

“I’d rather keep him next to me. My dog gets anxious when I’m out of sight.” Luna replied. I wish I knew what was going on.

“Typical man. I understand, mine gets the same way.” Ailla retorted with a whistle and a shrug.

The elves appeared out of the woods. I quickly looked at the guys, trying to glean some hint of why Luna called me a dog. Oh. The guys were all wearing collars. Amazons was a bit closer than I thought. I walked closer to Luna; I noticed walking next to Ailla was the smallest guy I had ever seen. We began walking. He was maybe five feet tall. Even as a child I was bulkier than him. Uncle Nez is bulkier than him, and that’s saying something. The elf had short, white hair with brilliant opal eyes. His skin was a very faint tan, looking like it hadn’t seen much sun. The elf was also wearing a collar. Why is he wearing a collar? Why are they all wearing collars?

Can you explain now? I requested, trying to grasp what I was seeing.

Welcome to Themys, the Elven Queendom. They are a bit misandrist and believe the women should rule; men are not exactly viewed as equal. It also means we are in the southern portion of the forest making us easily six thousand miles away. Luna explained. That’s why they have collars; they own their men.

What is the plan from here? I checked, processing the new information.

We will cooperate for now. Themys is fairly large. I think there’s not a chance they’ll help us back to Speranza but might help us at least reach outside the Ahzen Forest. Luna told me. I noticed the guy that was walking with Ailla kept looking at us.

Should we be concerned about him? I asked. He seemed to keep glancing at us.

I don’t know. Probably not. Luna told me. Ailla clearly gave him permission, and he shot over to us.

“I greet Lady Luna. I am Lilas!” Lilas introduced himself. His voice sounded like a bell chime. Luna instantly went wide eyed, looking at Lilas. Her entire body stiffened for the briefest of moments.

Be very scared of this man; you better be nice to him. Luna told me instantly. So, he either is or becomes important.

“Pleasure to meet you Lilas.” I replied. I can’t sense any coming off of him.

“May I speak with your hunting dog?” Lilas asked Luna.

“That’s fine.” Luna permitted, clearly trying hard not to smirk. She’s enjoying this.

“You have interesting eyes.” Lilas quipped. I trust Luna isn’t lying, but what’s the catch with Lilas? I don’t get it.

“It was a result of a going awry.” I informed him. Lilas nodded along.

“Interesting. So, how did your Mistress select you?” Lilas probed. I. Wow. Play along. Play along.

“She appeared one day and decided that I was hers.” I answered. Luna gave me an amused stare.

“That’s one way to phrase it.” Luna teased. Oh, I hope she never tells Lux this.

“How would you phrase it, Mistress?” I asked. Luna was smirking. I am so glad Lux is not here. I was internally dying.

“You groveled for my company, begging me to please select you. Luckily, someone is a very capable hunting dog.” Luna answered. Luna, I will remember this.

“How capable could he be?” One of the elves snapped.

“Nil, can you pull the head of the last thing you hunted for me?” Luna requested. I pulled out the head of the . Lilas looked at it, surprised.

“I am sorry the cut on the neck wasn’t cleaner, but hopefully it is still mountable.” I apologized to Luna, sounding as sincere as possible.

“A capable hunting dog indeed. Definitely young, but still an .” Ailla laughed. THIS WASN’T A FULL GROWN ADULT?!

“What do you mean young?” I blurted out. Luna glared at me as Ailla laughed at my surprise.

“The younglings stay near the borders. Judging by the head, it’s probably about two, maybe three, years old. Not a baby, but no adult. Still impressive for a kid.” Ailla explained, seeming amused by my bewilderment. My mental health could have gone without knowing this was a toddler.

“You can put it away now.” Luna ordered. I complied as several of the elves looked annoyed.

“How did you manage that?” Lilas inquired, looking like an amazed little kid.

“Failure wasn’t an option.” I answered. If someone was this meticulous, why did they choose a toddler? Was it because the bandits ambushing us couldn’t get close to an adult?

At this point, we walked through a barrier. On the other side was a brilliant, white city. The buildings were all made of the same white stones, with flat roofs. I then realized why Luna was calling me a dog. Why do the collars have leashes? I moved a bit closer to Luna. Several of the elves were chuckling. I am so glad Lux is not present for this. She would lord this over me for life. Luna might, but she wouldn’t be anywhere near as bad as Lux.

I scanned around, seeing that the buildings were built around the trees and natural shape of the land. This place is quite pretty. I also didn’t see a distinct castle. That’s interesting. I wondered where the Matriarch was. Luna called Themys a queendom, but why isn’t she called Queen? Or is Matriarch a noble title? Luna guessed Matriarch. She might’ve recognized Ailla. I had several questions for her, but I knew this was not the time.

“Welcome to Cyra!” Ailla told us with a wide smile.