The day rolled onward like a wave desiring the shoreline, pulling with it anyone and anything caught in its wake. Our group met no resistance along the path during the day. We were able to relish the sunlight. The forest peaceful. Eventually the road eased downward as we headed into the valley where Wuudsaw’s capital city of Wuudburrow lay in the center. Britheer explained that most of Wuudsaw’s population lived in the valley; with the valley being known as the Garden of Gaia.

Supposedly, many years past, the entirety of the Garden was a city, so vast it stretched from the northern mountains to nearly the south sea of Arinean. Gaia, an ancient goddess, saw to it that the Garden flourished with an abundance of flora and fauna despite civilization, with nature and sentients living in harmony with each other. It was a slice of true heaven bred on the blood-torn lands of Mortalis.

But it didn’t last. A great battle occurred when a Thalwesse came to slay Gaia. Gaia lost. The Thalwesse and his army overran the Garden, slaughtering its inhabitants and turning the realm to ash. Gaia’s spirit remained, however. She watched the ensuing slaughter. Every one of her beloved subject’s brought tears to her eyes, which fell from the heavens for a full year. Her tears landed on the graves of those so wrongly fallen, and in blessing of their memory trees sprouted. Mighty, thick, forests appeared from death, becoming the Forest of Gaiav’Bless; which literally meant Gaia’s Blessing.

“…and that is why there are so many nymphs in Gaiav’Bless,” Britheer finished, looking around at the forest while he pulled the wheelbarrow. “Because the spirit of Gaia, though weak, still resides in this forest. Protecting it. Blessing it. Allowing it to bloom and blanket the Northern Reaches with its mighty hand.”

‘And I just burned a thousand acres a few days ago…’ I internally sighed. If Gaia was still around somehow, I was not her favorite person.

“A fascinating tale. Thank you for sharing it,” I said, lightly clapping. The Larw family gave me an odd, confused look. It took me a second to realize that they just didn’t understand what I was doing. ‘So they don’t know what clapping is… great.’

Ivy happily mimicked my clapping however, hers soft and fluttery compared to my harder, rigid sound. I gave her an affectionate head pat.

“It is a way to show approval,” I explained. “A handshake is for a greeting or for showing agreement. Clapping is for showing approval after a story, performance, or something of the sort. It is a way of showing support.”

The group nodded, with the older folks trying a soft mimic of clapping. The kids tried smacking their hands together rapidly, delighting at the sudden realization of how just a single clap could be strung together to create something seemingly so special. Their eyes brightened and they smiled, beginning a chorus of wild clapping. Ivy spun around skipping backwards and giggling. She started clapping a steady beat that the children mimicked as best they could.

It sounded like a drunk crowd trying to clap to a bar singer… but the giggles and grins helped lift all our spirits. They continued for a while, changing rhythms and at times humming to it.

When Ivy hummed, my ears perked up, focusing on her silky voice drifting through the air around me. Everything else faded. It was so smooth… creamy, in a word, and filled me with warmth.

I had known her for less than twenty-four hours… and yet, I felt like I knew her for a lifetime.

Unfortunately the slower gait we took increased our travel time past the sun’s fall. The shadows grew long. A cold chill fell over the forest. The moons shimmered in the sky surrounded by a glistening diamond sea spaced by the inky black. The occasional cloud sailing by lit up, reflecting the myriad of colors unnaturally as if the cloud were a floating lake instead of an actual cloud. It proved quite enjoyable to watch; each a unique fireworks display of its own, just the watery kind.

While more visually stunning, the night grew far more vicious. Howls erupted toward the heavens. Heart-stilling wails and echoing cries of the night’s dwellers shook us to the core. So much so that even Ivy grew nervous, clinging to my sleeve and her eyes shifting from shadow to shadow.

I could feel her longing for the safety of her bulb, where the thorns protected her and the tentacles waited for her commandments. When an especially close, guttural scream of some creature broke through the tree line, I shivered and wished I could be hiding in the bulb with her.

Was the road always so dark? Was that shadow near the bend moving…? I couldn’t tell. My hairs were standing on end and my nerves were growing tight. I expected to snap at any moment.

“We need to stop…” Yla finally said, voice filled with worry. Two kids clung to her, their fists white from gripping her dress so hard.

I immediately voiced my opinion. “I concur. While I would like to maintain speed… continuing further in this is simply begging for an ambush or to run across something really unpleasant.”

Britheer nodded, “Yes… we’ll stop.” We slowed to a halt.

“Though we be chick’ns in a pen out here,” Gramps said with a yawn. “Soonest fox shown up ‘ill have a might nice dinner.”

He was right. There were no highly defensible position… and then I chuckled for a moment, actually thinking and remembering who I was.

‘I can just make a wall.’ With a cut to my finger I asked the trees and plants around us to block off the road in either direction, building a massive wall a dozen feet high. They obeyed, the plants growing and groaning as they stretched and looped around each other, creating a messy but solid wall of branches and leaves. With a smile, I then walled off the sides leading to the forest. The final touch was a roof. With a hole in the center for smoke to leave.

‘But what if something tries to drop in…?’ I wondered.

Ivy tugged on my sleeve and pointed at the hole, “…nnn… nnn nmmm ha…”

I kissed her on the head, “Good idea.” With a sweep of my hand, thorny branches created a grid over the hole, leaving small holes but nothing more. Smoke could easily get out. And if anything wished to get in, it would have to be quite small.

“Ya be a master magus an’ not be tellin’ us, Lord Chaon?” Gramps slowly asked. The Lawr family were gaping again.

“No. I am simply highly adept with nature magic.” I gave Ivy a playful wink, earning an adorable attempt at a wink back. She tried closing both eyes, opened them, and realized she was only supposed to close one eye. She tried again, both eyes closing. With a huff and a puffing of her cheeks, she began trying and trying over again. She simply was not able to do it.

I couldn’t help but smile at her antics. When she closed both her eyes, I carefully placed a finger on one eyelid and held it down for a second as the other opened. I released and she held the wink for a few seconds. Her eye opened. Her face brightened and she beamed, hopping excitedly, quickly hurrying to Ditto to show it she could wink too; though she had to try several times before she could replicate it again.

During this, Britheer and Yla busied themselves by pulling out bedrolls and laying them on the ground. Gramps had the two eldest children collect a few dry sticks, which I coaxed the branches to provide. They then brought them over to a campfire spot he chose. I went over to help.

I recalled the stories Gramps told around the fire. We listened. ‘Ate… ate what, exactly? Dried meat? Dried bread?’ That sort of thing… My mind willed itself to remember, but the memory turned to a foggy haze that escaped the moment I clutched it.

We went to sleep. Ivy and Ditto were beside me. We slept on leaves. Ivy wanted to sleep on leaves.

But I wasn’t sleeping. I was standing. In a meadow, moonlight covered, with pine trees. A touch of snow. The smell of pine and winter, bitter cold and thawing earth.

‘Why am I standing?’ I wondered. I was lying down… sleeping. Right?

Suddenly a small pain throbbed from my mouth. It hurt. Fear clutched my heart, pressing in with talons, causing it to bleed. Ripping holes.

I was sore. I hurt all over… as if I had been beaten and bruised. Something wet covered my lips. Poured from my mouth.

My hand slowly rose to brush against my mouth. It was smooth. Small. Smaller than my mouth… and wet. Wet with something thick. It covered my fingers. I rubbed them together, feeling the slight elasticity of the liquid. The odd taste of cut grass and nature hung to it. I wanted to see what it was. What was it?

My hand rose in front of my eyes. It was a greenish red, glistening under the ghostly light. Blood. I knew it to be blood. It was blood covering my fingers. My blood. In my mouth. On my lips. Fear’s grip tightened. It hurt to the point I felt like vomiting. Curling up and drying up, becoming a husk.

That was when I finally noticed… the hand was Ivy’s, not mine.

I woke with a start, erecting myself in a breath’s passing, heart pounding in my head. A sheet of comfy leaves lay beneath me, crunching quietly with my movements. To my left sat the embers of the fire still crackling and shedding a tiny glow. Gramps lay on his back, snoring up a storm. Britheer and Yla slept together, with their children snuggled as close as they could.

A sigh escaped me. ‘It was just a nightmare. Though… it felt too real for just a dream. Maybe a memory?’ I looked to my right and saw Ditto munching on a branch happily. Ivy, who was once beside me, was… gone.

My neck turned to a swivel as I hastily stood and looked everywhere; every corner, every shadow.

She wasn’t there!

Panic struck and I tried focusing on her presence within me. It hummed, vibrating with life and a peaceful calm that overflowed and eased my worry.

‘Just a walk…’ I turned toward her direction and walked. The branches and bushes lifted away when I reached the wall, allowing me through. Beyond lay the dark forest. Near black, with beams of moonlight sifting through the canopy.

The forest had stilled. The fearsome noises earlier waned to nothing, now replaced by gentle cooing and the sounds of small animals scurrying through the undergrowth. An invigorating cool gripped the air. It breathed freshness, with earthen and woody scents tantalizing my nose and delighting the senses. My boots fell slowly as the peace enveloped me.

I had discovered that walks were nice when I journeyed to collect Ditto. But with Ivy, I learned that they could be enchanting. Nature breathed. It flowed with an untamed chaos at times… and with an overwhelming serenity in others. And I felt so connected to it.

Walking through a final glimpse of trees, I found Ivy. She stood, head raised, looking through a break in the trees. Moonlight cloaked her naked form in a nightgown of ghostly glows, a far cry from the over-sized tunic I had her wear before. It lay on the ground beside her.

Her hair sparkled. Every leaf and flower glinted like gems. Her skin carried a mesmerizing sheen.

I said nothing… I knew she knew I was there. Without looking to me, she pat the air beside her. She was inviting me to join her.

I did.

We stood side by side. Heads turned upward to the skies. Once more the gorgeous light display played for both of us. As if the sea of stars were for only the two of us. An infinity where time became sand. Infinity became our breaths. Nothing moved but each other.

Her hand brushed against mine. Mine slid into hers. Our fingers laced. She had such a small hand, gentle, soft as the petals of the daintiest roses.

Like two winds meeting, we turned in sync. With my free hand I clutched the back of her head and pulled her to me. Her lips met mine. They crashed as waves, interweaving, roiling in growing passion. We held our breaths. Our thoughts. Our minds grew blank as the connection between us pulled us ever closer. Her body to mine. Her lusts to my own. And mine to hers.

I could feel her chest; two savory swells of passion pressed to me. Her heartbeat. A hastening rhythm. It matched the beat in my head.

Her tongue playfully slipped across my lips. A burning, wet touch. My nerves lit with joy. I pushed my tongue right back at her, running it over the contours of her mouth. Tasting her sweet scent. Touched with a pleasing tart, apple-like delicacy. It filled my lungs.

Our tongues met. Tapped. They swirled about each other in play, only pausing when our mouths became one again.

My hand slid from hers. Upward. It traveled to her chest. Roamed over her flesh. Clutched her supple breasts and clasped them. My fingers brushed over her shape, enjoying the motion they held. It traveled back and forth. Like an explorer over to mountains. Loving the adventure… but relishing on the summits.

The attention caused her two voluptuous buds to grow hard. My thumb rolled over them. Rigid and firm, yet still sublimely pliant. My fingers closed around her right nipple in a loving pinch.

“Haaaah…” A breathtaking moan departed her lips. Her vivid, star-filled eyes locked with mine. Her silky lips lay parted subtly, her chest rising and falling in beat with her weak panting. A sparkling radiance held to her lust. An almost primal, desperate hunger grasped us both. I could feel her want. Her need for my attentions. My skin. My love. And I found in that moment… eyes unwavering from hers… that I wanted the same from her.

That night, I discovered that I, in love… had suddenly fallen.