[Pegasi Woods] The Forest Has Wild Eyes (Nyl Please)

[Gossamer]

TS: Fourth cycle of Melora, Spring of Era XIV

She first came across his trail in the early morning hours of the end of the spring. New people often came across the woods, but none stayed. This one, however, she sensed was different. It was her gift, one might say, to have a suspicion about the wanderers, and to make sure they eventually moved on. Too much was at stake. It wasn't often, for certain, that a forest held onto its wildness so close to civilization in the largest province of the Empire. Of course, she knew little of such things; nor could she have told him that she herself... and those others of her kind, were the reason little timber was cut, and almost no farms survived except on the fringes of the great wood he roamed.

She only knew certain things... water ran downhill, climbing wild pea would choke the life out of a tree if it was allowed, and the form of a deer was the swiftest way to travel among the thick growth around them. And it was this shape she took, darting in and out of the foliage, following his early morning wanderings. Just where was he off too now? It was easy for her, following. She'd been doing so for days. Perhaps it was because he was something different and spiked her curiosity. More likely though, it was her duty calling her. Protect the forest. Protect it at all cost. Her only hesitation was his motivation. It wasn't clear, just yet. Once it was, she'd borrow wolf or bear's form. Perhaps, if he was enough of a threat, she'd borrow a greater brother's form. Until then, she followed, fleet on sister deer's hooves and silent of the wings of a forest dove. The form mattered little to her...

The only inclination, were he to stop these animals, that something was amiss about them... was the fact that their eyes... their huge oddly colored eyes had a haunting triple coloration to them. In her case, rings of violet surrounded a deep blue, and finished off with a subtle almost imperceptable pink. They were strange overly luminous eyes, that gave no clue to her true form nor what in fact she really was. Nyl himself, though stalked, had no clue as to her origins unless he himself heard the tales and songs the ancestors knew about those that guarded the green.

[Nyl]

The farm was behind him for now, though he would be back, he knew it, and like as not they might well expect it too. Friendly and helpful people, more than willing to have an extra pair of hands at this time of the year when there were more things to be done than time to do it in. Summer would be something of a lull in comparison before the harvests of Autumn brought a fresh peak of renewed activity.

But the farm wasn't the forest that had caught his attention, and, for all of the fact that he enjoyed the companionship and valued the knowledge of the farmer, something drove him on, away from the pigs which rummaged in the undergrowth. It would have been too easy to sink into life at the farm, too close to what he had grown up with for all that the routines were somewhat different. If he wanted that life then he would never have left home. No he wanted more than to be just part of something where he was reliant on the goodwill of others. He wanted to be himself, to find out where his limits lay and to prove to himself that life was just out there if only he could reach out and grasp it. Exactly what he would find in that grip he wasn't entirely sure, but he was sure that he wanted it, whatever it was.

Still young enough to adapt without thought to the massive changes he had wrought in his life, his step had an eager spring to it as he explored the forest. Rations earnt in hard labour at the farm bounced softly in the bag that rode on his shoulder. It was the perfect time he reflected for he had all of the summer and autumn to find his feet here before the winter tightened it's grip and might perhaps force him back to the shelter of the farm. That though would be a defeat that he was determined to avoid. It never occurred to him to doubt that he would succeed, nor that he might not be welcome here. Tales certainly spoke of strange things here, and in part the excitement of that had drawn him, but the wildness had drawn him more. Danger and death were things that happened to other people, they were not part of the future that he had envisioned.

That he was stalked was something that he didn't suspect, the thought indeed never even crossed his mind for he was too full of excitement at the exploration. The time in the woods with the farmer had opened his eyes to things that he'd not even suspected before and now he wandered along, eyes as often on the woodland floor as in front of him, searching for the traces of those animals that might have gone before.

Deep, deep into the woods was his objective, to find what was there. Not that he expected material goods or rewards other than the ability to be at peace with no others placing demands upon his time. He placed a hand on the rough bark of an oak as he stepped up a steep bank and paused as though he could feel the life of the tree within. He wondered if the life still surged in the birches or maples, but guessed that it was far too late in the season now and that they had settled down. He didn't in any case have anything to tap the trees with for their sap, so he patted the tree and moved on.

[Gossamer]

The woods Nyl passed into were old when history was new, and the trees he paced beneath were huge, mammoth things with personalities all their own if he had the eyes to see. Even the atmosphere was different here, where light trickled through the thick canopy, spotlighting clusters of mushrooms and bright blooming trilliums on the forest floor. The trees were sentient to the passing of time, watchful and passive as they slowly tracked the passage of the stranger beneath their ranks.

The guardian followed him as well. Curious... always curious.

His motions with the tree brought her that was currently wearing sister deers form to a pause. What was he doing now? She tilted her head, angling her eyes to better see him and slowly moved forward, carefully placing her splayed hooves. Was he patting that oak? Curious. She knew the oak, it grew on the corpse of its other, long since gone two hundred years since. The oak itself was younger, but would see, with lucky, far more seasons than its mother had. Lightning took her, and in the way of trees her death had nourished her children into strong tall trees perhaps the same way the mother tree's mother had.

The trees opened up more, giving way to small thickets and wide sweetgrass meadows. The forest was truly beautiful and breathtaking, so much so that it often moved the hardest heart. And one thing, a clever person would note, was the abundance of food. Jeweled streams streaked through the undergrowth, adding a different tone to the music of the rustling leaves. They were full of bright colorful fish. Rabbits bounded here and there, as well as deer grazing the meadows. Owls hooted, even during the day, from distant locations. And songbirds were prolific.

The deer paused, walking closer now. To approach him was dangerous, and she'd need a fiercer form, she decided. And so, in passing one thicket, she entered as a fleet deer and passed out as a cream-haired wolf. And with that, she hiked up her gait to a trot, and joined the trail with the man, pacing him in plain sight... not approaching, not growling. Her eyes, large and brilliant, reflected their strange hues. She wondered how soon he'd notice her, and if he'd mistake her for something tame. If he did so, she'd let him talk, let him tell her his plans. And if his language was simple enough, she'd understand. If he tried to attack her, she'd simply kill him. For now though, she was curious...

[Nyl]

He slowed his progress, realising that despite his curiosity, there was no race to run, no specific objective to achieve. One lesson that he'd learnt, something that had been driven home by the journey to reach these woods from home had been the need to constantly have an eye out for foraging. As he walked he took a few leaves that were still young from the trees that he recognised as being edible, adding in the young leaves of hedge garlic along with a sprinkling of its unopened flower buds. He kept his eyes open for the flowers of a wild apple, the petals he reckoned would be the final touch to a spring salad to accompany the jerky that rode in his pack, the gift of the farmers wife at their parting, though he'd provided his fair share of work in return for it.

He paused at the side of a steam that burbled merrily to itself and took a sip, scooping up the cold yet refreshing water in his hand while one knee became damp from the water that trickled past it. The life in the woods surprised him, almost he'd thought that he'd seen a deer from the corner of his eye, but he wasn't sure and he knew well just how well they could disappear once they froze in place.

Passing through a thicket he was reminded of what he'd been shown and slipping his knife out of it's sheath, he picked up a fallen twig and sharpened it to a point. He moved along the edge of the next meadow, his eyes scanning the signs that would indicate rabbits, rabbits whom he'd seen breaking for cover as he'd come out of the trees. Spotting a tell tale run in the briars, something that he might well have missed before, he knelt down and used the stick to break apart some of the droppings. Some were dried hard, but others were softer. It didn't tell him much, but then he'd not expected much, but there was grass visible there, though greatly chewed, just a few fibres here and there.

He tossed the stick into the undergrowth and went back to his journey. The land had changed here and he looked around more. It was strange, almost as though people didn't venture into here very much, which was an odd feeling and one that he couldn't quite shake off. It tickled the back of his mind in much the same way that he could almost feel the life which pulsed around him. A shiver ran down his spine and he glanced around, sure that eyes were on him, but he saw nothing. He smiled to himself, telling himself that he was being ridiculous, his nerves getting the better of him at being out on his own, away from anyone and anything that he knew, a stranger in a strange land.

The next thicket would be the last he decided. The next grassy meadow with stream, he'd stop and eat what he'd gathered, lay back and rest, enjoying the suns heat and the sound of the birds, which now that he thought about it were unusually loud, even something that sounded like an owl but couldn't be. It was a reminder that he was somewhere strange, somewhere that wasn't the same as home, but then, that was why he was here and not there.

So far he'd not seen anything which grabbed his attention as a place to call home, though he could have settled anywhere here. He began to wonder if he should revise his initial plan to build some sort of cabin and create a permanent base. The cabin was a natural idea for someone from the hills but this wasn't the same as home and he wasn't sure any more that he wanted to settle himself down in one place. His original plan had been to set a trap line and work it as he'd known the trappers to work in the more remote places in the mountains, but down here he wouldn't need the refuge of a cabin through a mountain winter, though he'd need something. He toyed with the idea of roaming the woods rotating around a series of shelters. The idea appealed, though it was too early to be forced to make a final decision.

Movement caught his eye once more, breaking the train of thought. A wolf. His eyes widened and his fingers tightened on the hilt of his knife, though he left it where it was for the moment. He stopped and looked around slowly, searching for the rest of the pack. With his day dreaming he'd not considered the dangers, and the tranquil nature of the place had lulled him into a false sense of security. Keeping one eye on the cream coloured beast he looked around, but even a diligent search revealed nothing. Panic edged into his thoughts and he pushed it away carefully, breathing deeply and eyeing the surroundings for a tree he might make a break for if needed. Wolves were not sprinters he knew, or he thought at least.

This one though seemed more curious he thought, comparing it to the dogs that he'd known, but he continued to glance around, moving again now, turning as he did to keep a view around him and heading slowly for a tree that he'd picked out. Feeling a fool he started to talk to it, hoping that the sound of his voice might distract the animal, and he also hoped that his voice might carry a confidence that he didn't feel. He respected the wolf, knew as all did who lived in remote areas just how intelligent they were and also how well they worked as a team. This didn't give him confidence just at the moment since he might be walking into an ambush, but he also didn't want to act like prey. It was a tightrope though since he didn't want to appear a threat either.

"I'm just passing through, seeing the territory. If this is your territory I won't hunt here." The words were meaningless, especially since he didn't know enough to hunt effectively anyway, but he hoped to buy some time and get a little closer to the tree. The wolf had the most strange eyes he realised, wondering just what that portended and stared a little trying to get a better look. He glanced around, realising that his obsession had left him vulnerable to the rest of the pack. He avoided retreating from the wolf, not letting it turn him, for he knew how they hunted. But he wondered if this wolf was some sort of renegade or loner, though it wasn't old or injured as far as he could tell, aside from the eyes at any rate.

"Good hunting in these woods, so long as you take what you need and no more." He wondered what the wolf was thinking and resisted the urge to look around in panic for the rest of the pack.

[Gossamer]

The wolf moved passed him, uncharacteristically unhurried, so close he could smell the musk of her fur. He was sure it was a her now, for her jaw had none of the squareness males held in the canine family. Her eyes, wild and luminous, were strangely tri-colored as she passed him, close enough to touch. There was no nervousness in her movements. None at all. Instead, she seemed deliberately at ease with him, almost as if they'd traveled together before... a man and his dog out for a hike. There was no thought of stalking, not with her behavior. One didn't trot up a trail past something considered prey when one was hunting it. No, not like that. Nor did her ears flick away, as if listening for the motions of her companions. They stayed perked on him as she paced. The wolf had an easy floating sort of trot and as she moved further up the trail, she slowed, as if waiting for him.

The man talked. To her? It startled her. Somewhere, back in the past, she remembered talking. It was an abrupt memory, one that distracted her a moment. Yes, she talked sometime in the past. The words were unfamiliar to her though... and it wasn't something she was used to hearing. She'd been in the Pegasi woods for a long time now. And though her and her fellows communicated, it wasn't with words. But the man fascinated her. She was no longer worried about his presence here. There was nothing that seemed dangerous about him. He had no plans to turn the wilds into farmland for the large slow meat beasts she so despised. She could feel it. Wanderer, wanting skins, enough to survive. It wasn't a bad thing. She'd show him shelter for the night, she decided as she trotted past, and waited for him to follow.

If he followed, she'd lead him through the trees, off the path, up an incline. Then they'd traverse a small meadow, past a spring, towards a rock outcropping. It was larger than it looked from the distance, and when they reached it, he understood why. It was a finger of ancient lava that had oozed from the ground, made of far stronger sturdier stuff than the soil around it. It's presence indicated volcanism beneath the forest, and indeed a series of lava tubes.

One such tube was close, if the ancient finger was any indication. And, as it turned out, it was. The wolf lead him around it, and another two hundred feet past that, the gaping maw of a cave was displayed. She entered confidently, and he saw that it was cozy, not to large, not to small...cut off from the main tubings by a landslide in the back. Fires had been built here, as a firepit still existed deep within its main chamber. A pile... a ready emergency stalk, rested near it. Obviously, whomever used the cave restocked it before leaving. There was room for smoke to escape above, and if he were to light a fire....

Paintings would jump to life. Animals flowing around the walls, half human, half animal, sometimes both swirled around its exterior. Writing joined the images... an oral history of a sorts.

And if he lit that fire, he'd notice his wolfen companion was no longer a wolf. But a woman of long tangled cream hair crouched where the wolf had been. Her eyes were watchful but welcoming. And she wore nothing but what her mother and father gited her with at birth.

[Gossamer]

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[Gossamer]

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