Leon sighed in relief as he
entered the forest; he stopped for a moment taking in the serene sights. He
smiled slightly hearing little tweets echoing all around him. He watched them
fly branch to branch, there were large diamond shaped lime leaved trees
towering all around him. His eyes landed on something rather strange. “Is that
a house up there?” he asked himself bewildered. He raised a brow as he was
unable to locate what he originally saw ( or at least thought he did).
Leon shrugged his shoulders,
deciding that his mind must have been playing tricks on him. He let out another
sigh as he took another step.
The forest was pleasant, and
calm, much more relaxing then Ethos. Leon shivered slightly as he remembered
his trip through the capital. That place was messed up in his opinion. The
people there were arrogant, and flat out disturbing not to mention the designs
on the fountains; wolves chasing doves…how mature. He wondered for a moment
what their leader was like. “Probably a messed full of himself king…” he mused
.
Leon stopped in place
listening intensely to the sounds of the forest, a rustling sound boomed from
the trees. The red haired mercenary put a hand on the hilt of his sword, his
expression hardened, as he glared in the direction.
Out of the rustling leaves a
squirrel slowly emerged. It stared at Leon tilting its head from side to side,
before running across the branch, and hopping onto another, and disappearing up
high.
“That was far too loud to be
just a squirrel…” he thought gazing at the leaves once more. After waiting
several moments, and hearing nothing Leon took a deep breath shaking his head.
“This place is weird…I feel like there’s someone watching me…” he muttered to
himself as he proceeded onwards.
Leon
was now walking into a well-kept area, there were pink, and white impatiens
lined up in a row in one section. Orange, and yellow marigolds in another. Red,
and purple morning glories in another.
“Someone
definably lives here,” he concluded, scanning the area further.
He
spotted a little hut up in the trees, the roof the same color as the leaves,
and the interior blending in as well. He raised a brow as he noticed the blinds
move aside slightly, light purple eyes peered down at him curiously, before
widening, and vanishing.
“You
don’t have to be afraid of me…I won’t hurt you,” Leon reassured.
This
time a head peeked out from the door, revealing a young girl with long curly
light red hair. Her face filled with an uneasy air.
“…Hello…” she greeted timidly. “Are…you…” she stared at him for a moment before
saying. “Never mind,”
Leon
blinked as the door opened wider, and a rope ladder
gently flying towards him. The girl ushered for him to come up.
Leon
shrugged his shoulders, before grabbing a hold of the ladder.
The
girl suddenly attacked him with a hug. “ I’m Melody, and you are?”
He
blushed. “L-Leon?” he answered dumbfounded by the hug.
He pulled away, and noticed that the girl was about 3 feet in height
“Nice
to meet you Leon! Would you like some tea?”
“Uh…sure…”
Leon replied, befuddled as he took a seat in the nearest chair. He scanned the
small room. There wasn’t much stuff in it he noted, just a cot, kettle, two
chairs, and a small table with books stacked on it. “Are…you the only one who
lives here?” he asked curiously. “Or are there others here?”
“No
I am the only one…” Melody answered with a hint of sadness in her voice. She
turned towards him with the teakettle in her hands. She poured him a cup, and
handed him it. She sat down in the chair across from him with a wide cheery
grin. “So what brings you here Leon?” she asked brightly.
Leon
shrugged. “Just wanted some peace, and quiet,” he said simply taking a sip of
tea. He eyed the books in the comer.
“Oh
those are spell books, I was studying how to use a teleporting spell,” Melody
answered.
Leon
raised a brow.
Melody
giggled. “I wanted to bring a friend of mine here. I have something I want to
give him,”
Leon
blinked confusion showing itself visibly on his face.
“I
get lonely here. All the others are gone, many years ago, this forest was
filled with the sound of laughter and my people lived in harmony with our
neighboring communities.”
“What
happened to them?” Leon asked.
“I’m
an elf, all the others have been taken or killed by Carino. So many years have
passed and I’ve not had contact from the Dragon who saved me. But Ethos soldiers can be seen
wandering through my forest, I know that the evil one is looking for me. I move from house to house sometimes
staying deep within the woods, other times at the edge of the forest. My gardens need tending so every day I
walk to care for them.” Melody explained. “Elf houses are made to blend in with
the trees. They are made from discarded branches that the trees no longer
need. We care for everything in
the forest. The animals keep me company.” She added, as a pink kitala hopped on
her shoulder humming softly. The animal had the
body of a squirrel, the tail much longer at least 5 feet long, razor sharp
claws like a cat, and ears like one too, and the snout like a tigers. It opened
its mouth slightly showing long fangs like a wolf.
“When
I first saw you I thought you were a dragon.”
“Did
you?” Leon said slightly amused, still gazing at
the kitala.
“Yes
humans are rather unbalanced when they walk…or at least the people of Ethos
tend to be, and they spook easily too.” She mused.
Sometimes
I light a fire and they clumsily come into the woods in search of me, but I
move quickly from place to place, using the leaves and animals to hide from
them. Tomorrow I will take you to
see the elves meeting place, perhaps you would care to lie beneath the trees
and take in the energy of the crystals which surround the hidden glade. If you are searching for peace, that is
the place to be.” Melody
continued.
Let
me take you to a house where you can spend the night, you look tired.”
