Those Hidden Among Trees

[shakenSilences]

Martha Walkin padded through the thick underbrush with a curiosity filled gaze. Other explorers had come here in search of new plants or species because that's all they thought they might ever find. In the end, they all went home empty handed and disappointed by their lack of discovery. Martha though, was in search of something greater, she wanted an adventure. She knew there had to be something that the other explorers, blinded by science and selfish views(just wanting to be the one to discover what ever was here that no one else could), were unable to find. There wasn't something in particular she was looking for but she wanted to find it.

She inhaled the thick forest air as she halted beside a fallen over tree and sat upon the log. She smiled as she took in the atmosphere surrounding. The trees reached to the sky, morning dew dabbled upon the leaves, the soft croak of a toad softly echoed in the air and bright colored flowers bloomed where sunlight broke through the trees whilst a thick mist filled the air. This place was beautiful. She needn't find anything at all in the end because the beauty made the harsh journey worth it.

Martha slid her pack from her back and stretched a bit before heaving it back on her shoulders. Hopping off the log, she continued through the forestry. She heard the sound of rushing water and decided to follow it. Eventually she broke through to a small lake with a waterfall flowing into it and a stream running out. The sun trickled down upon the water making it shimmer and look almost crystal. It looked welcoming. She threw her pack to the side and grabbed her Canteen.

 

[growl]

[ I'm just gonna use Native American names for all the forest peoples because I'm an unoriginal blob ;A; Sorry if this post is a little long, I have a habit of writing really long first posts]​

​

[BCOLOR=transparent]xxxxxNadohi murmured a made-up song as he swung the herb pouch around his finger and continued picking his way through the forest. Having lived among the trees and the whispering undergrowth all his life, it seemed that his feet made almost no sound. Or rather, the noises produced by his gliding movements blended into the rustlings made by the other creatures going about their business. The tune he was humming had a sort of skewered lilt to it, but his voice was low and pleasant. The young man paused to brush his feathery bangs away from his face as his dark, catlike eyes scanned the ground. He was searching for the telltale yellow-spotted leaves of the pain-relieving plant that Akikta had asked him to gather. The billows of morning mist, tinged gold by shafts of sunlight, made it hard for him to see. He broke off the tune to curse the fog. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Maybe I'll have more luck by the stream.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] Nadohi started crooning his simple song once more. He heard the bubbling current of the stream and the fainter, far-off roar of the waterfall before long. His long and wiry legs carried him over the smooth pebbles as he searched the bank for the herb.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]xxxxxIt took him over ten minutes to find what he was looking for, but Nadohi eventually came across the yellow-spotted leaves and small pink flowers that Akikta had described. With a short exclamation of victory, he meticulously relieved the blooms of their leaves and stuffed them into the pouch He pulled the drawstring tight and wrapped it around his wrist. The black-haired man wet his hands in the stream and scrubbed at his face to wake himself up. Now that he had made good on his favor for Akikta, he could get to hunting and hopefully make it back to Center Camp in time for the noon meal. He decided on his goal for the hunt: three rabbits. There was a good chance he'd see some if he went upstream. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Nadohi removed the bow from his back and nocked an arrow in one fluid motion. Even if he tried to make his walk soundless and slow, any prey on his side of the stream would probably notice. So he kept his gaze on the opposite bank.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]xxxxxAside from a pheasant that flapped away before he could get a good aim on it, he saw nothing of interest until he reached Gem Lake. There, just ahead of him, was a woman he had never seen before. Nadohi threw himself back into the cover of the trees, wishing he had kept an eye on his own side of the stream. He immediately scaled a tree as he usually did when faced with a threat, and in his panic he made a bit more noise than he normally would've. Nadohi had never actually seen a stranger before, though he knew Akikta had on one occasion, and Dyani as well, multiple times in fact (it was kind of her duty as a scout). Only Akikta had consented to describing the experience, and he had focused more on his own fear and less on the stranger. Nadohi couldn't blame his friend-- even now, all that would come to mind when he thought of the stranger was her clothes. They were so... colorful. And just weird-looking in general. The stranger stuck out like a poisonous frog in those clothes. Nahodi looked down at his own green tunic and brown pants. He touched the familiar leather belt around his stomach with all of its spare pouches and knife sheaths, and his sagging boots made of the same material. Everything he was wearing was soft and as comfortable as a second skin, worn with age and the colors dulled by constant exposure. The young man remained silently perched on his branch, hoping the stranger hadn't heard him or would decide not to investigate. He needed to get back to Center Camp and inform his father immediately.[/BCOLOR]

 

[shakenSilences]

[That most certainly is not too much. Don't you worry, I made mine a little shorter because I didn't want it to seem TOO foreboding as far as length goes. Thank you for not being one of those thirteen year old's who has horrible grammar and only writes one liners. Also, if you meant to have an image, it isn't showing up for me.]

Her eyes glazed over with excitement and wonder as she kicked off her hiking boots. Bending over to stretch she placed her canteen by her side after deciding to fill it with water after she was clean. Quickly and in one swift motion, Martha raised her hands above her head and over lapped them. Whilst keeping her arms as straight as possible she padded forward before diving into the shimmering waters. Her sore muscles and bruised skin welcomed the cool silk like feel as the lake enveloped her body. After staying under for about a minute and a half, she surfaced and inhaled sharply. Martha had always been great at holding her breath for long periods of time because she had practiced it ever since childhood. It was a great discovery she made around age seven, that swimming under water was faster and more efficient. She dove under once more and rose beneath the waterfall and allowing her thick golden(Strawberry Blonde) curls to flatten against her head. Once a few minutes had passed, she decided it would be smart to fill her canteen and continue her trek. Although she was grateful for the fifteen minutes spent resting, it was time to move on.

Martha sank and swam to the bank where she climbed out. A gentle breeze blew over, cooling her wet skin and giving her millions of tiny little goose bumps all over her arms and legs. Sighing, she ducked down to grab her canteen and waddled to the lake once more. When it was filled as much as it was going to be she placed it at her side. Her hands morphed together forming a cup as she reached into the water and filled her overlapped hands with water. Raising it to her lips, Martha drank deeply seeing no reason to waste the water she had just collected.

Martha reached over and grabbed her Canteen before standing up and spinning around. Tiny droplets flew from her body and hair at the swift movement. Practically prancing, she stepped towards her pack, reattached the canteen, and began to move around as if she were... dancing? With soft, fluid movements she leaped, spun and twisted herself around. Her hair bounced at her shoulders and the bright pink shirt she wore blurred as she quickened her pace. Soon though she froze when she heard a twig snap somewhere close by. On any other occasion, she probably wouldn't have heard but at that moment she was listening to the rhythm of the forest, the melody of natures glory and that twig disrupted the 'music'. Glancing from side to side, Martha stayed alert. Whilst fear of what creature might lurking around stabbed at her consciousness, adrenaline and excitement boiled in her blood. Sadly though, the sound never returned and other than the normal noises of the forest, it was silent of whatever snapped that twig. "Oh well, I guess I better be on my way... Perhaps we shall meet face to face creature of the forest so until then I'll be waiting for you."

 

[growl]

[ Yay, I'm glad we can mirror post each other! Though to their credit, I know some pretty great thirteen-year-old writers-- ex. my kid neighbor who's amazeballs I actually cried while I was looking over some of her stuff that she let me read because for some reason she's very adept at writing emotional stuff and omigods I showed her this Bertie Gilbert video called Many Moons and she just wrote down this awesome poem within 2 minutes on the spot like it was no big deal and I'll stop rambling now she just needs to write a book or something cause goshdang. Oh, and the picture is just a picture of some leaves that was meant to pretty up the post ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]​

xxxxxNadohi took deep breaths and relaxed into the tree until his heart stopped feeling like it was going to thump thump thump its way out of his chest. Gods, he needed to calm down. It was just a stranger, and it wasn't even that big. He wasn't sure what made strangers so dangerous, he only knew that the ones who killed clan members were killed in turn. The others were (usually) successfully driven away. He didn't know where they came from. Some place outside of The Forest, obviously, but Nadohi had only fleeting ideas of what that could look like. He cautiously slipped down from the high branch and dropped into a crouch, maneuvering stealthily through the undergrowth on all fours like a cat. The stranger didn't know how to travel covertly at all. At first it was so easy to track that Nadohi wondered if it wanted him to follow it. He didn't have to pause at all, just followed the path it had trampled into the mossy ferns, and in no time at all he could hear it tramping around up ahead. He risked being seen and raised his head out of the vegetation to see it clearly. Was it... wet? Its golden hair was glowing in the sunlight and still dripping water, and its top, which was the color of the Cosmos flowers that were in bloom right now, clung to its frame.

xxxxxCuriosity drove him to take a few more treads toward it. Why was it wet? Had it fallen into the lake? An improbable possibility, unless the stranger was clumsy enough to trip over its own feet. Then... had it bathed in Gem Lake? Under the waterfall, perhaps, which was a tantalizing attraction for everyone during the early days of summer? And with its clothes on? The stranger was staring straight up, probably trying to find the sky beyond the trees, and had its arms away from its sides, reminding him of a fawn trying to steady itself. It looked positively harmless and naïve. What Nadohi did next was out of sheer exasperation, but when he looked back on it later he would question whether his brain had been addled by sunstroke. Maybe it was out of concern for the ignorant creature. Or maybe, more likely, he had wanted to do something crazy like this, and no one would be able to tell him no. There was no one to tell him that he couldn't. No one to hover about for the express purpose of keeping him out of trouble. No one to scold him on how he should talk, who he could talk to, what he had to do in his "free" time. Nadohi stood up and approached the stranger.

xxxxx"Gods, you're sad. Don't you know how cold it gets at night?" he snapped as he sauntered around it. Now that he was less than four feet from it, he could see that he was half a head taller than it. His heart started quickening in his chest again, even as he said, "You're going to freeze to death in those wet clothes. Hey, do you even talk?" He was tempted to go up to it and poke it, but he wasn't actually insane. He kept a safe enough distance, meaning he stayed far enough away that he would be able to see any sudden lunges coming if it decided to attack. Nadohi anxiously carded a hand through his bangs as the other tightened its grip on his bow.

[ As you can tell, Nadohi's going to act unbearably superior for a bit, what with the lecturing and referring to Martha to 'it.' He's got a lot going on though (as I hinted not-so-subtly at) and hopefully they'll hit it off ]​

 

[shakenSilences]

Martha trudged through the high grass welcoming creatures to find her. With her head held high she closed her eyes, inhaling the thick forest air. It smelled so natural, so good. It was almost tantalizingly drawing her deeper into these wood. Her eyes fluttered open and she walked farther forward with a big, excited grin. The strawberry locks clung to the sides of her face, caging its pale features in a golden frame. She loved the light breeze that cooled her damp figure and smiled raising her arms to either side of her. She then looked to the sky. She was in a patch of light that shone down from the beckoning sun mostly shrouded by the canopy above. She listened in on the croaks and shuffles that morphed together into an unending melody. Martha smiled but she jumped up startled at a voice calling out to her and she froze. The only thing that moved was the gentle sway of her hair.

A tall boy shuffled into view holding himself all high and mighty. He was cloaked in green and brown, the colors of the forest and he appeared to be much taller than her. Less skin was visible to her but she could tell he wasn't as pale as her. The eyes he wore were dark and ripe with expression as he stared her down. Why was he acting so superior. She didn't know but she wasn't ready to be treated like she was less than him. She had been here for two nights so far and knew very well how cold it got which is why she would change out of these clothes as soon as she got too cold. Strangely though, she welcomed the cold. He spoke again in the same tone itching with superiority. Her skin crawled with excitement and fear as she stared him down, never breaking eye contact.

Hesitantly she parted her lips to speak, her voice was soft and lulling, "I enjoy the cold." She still wasn't moving while she glared into him. She didn't know what to do, she certainly never expected to find people here. Her breaths were heavy and her heart pounded so loud she was almost positive it would scare off every animal in a two mile radius. She wasn't ready to move just yet but something was telling her that he wouldn't harm her. So, slowly, she stood up straight and lowered her arms to her side but kept her eyes locked on him. Questions flooded her thoughts as she wondered about this strange young man: Who was he? What did he want? What was he doing here?

 

[growl]

xxxxxNadohi blinked when the stranger spoke, but quickly moved on to hide his slight surprise. We speak the same language? "Oh, it enjoys the cold," he repeated in a taunting manner. The stranger looked unnerved by his appearance, but it hadn't bolted. Rather, it looked a little peeved. And it was also wary, he could definitely see it taking him in, assessing a possible threat. This wariness relieved him a bit; at least it wasn't as naive as it appeared. It straightened itself and faced him slowly. He found himself holding his breath as he searched her eyes, and told himself to relax. He was the one in control here.
xxxxxEven so, Nadohi reminded himself to not test the stranger's patience. "I suppose I should stop playing and start asking the important questions," he mused aloud. He settled into a more relaxed stance, the grip on his bow loosening. "Who are you?" he started. The young man paused, and then shook his head. "I don't need to know that. What are you doing here?" He pointed an accusatory finger at it. "You're not from here. You're a stranger. You're lucky I decided to deal with you myself," he continued, though he was thinking that he was lucky that they hadn't been discovered by another clan member yet. "What do you want from us?" Maybe if it answered all of these questions, he would be satisfied, and he would never risk his position like this for the sake of a stupid curiosity ever again. "Is it our food? Our herbs? Is your clan starving or suffering from a plague?" He cocked his head and looked the stranger up and down again. No wonder they were starving, if the stranger's clan wore clothes like that. "I can get you to talk to my dad, you know. It would be much more effective than wandering suspiciously around out here. Wait, are you hunting on our territory?"
xxxxxNadohi stiffened and his gaze locked on the stranger's pack. He lunged for it and had it in his hands in a flash, slinging his bow back over his head. "Hmm, I wonder what's in here?" His worry was tinged with a genuine interest in the contents of this strange-looking pack. He fiddled with it. How did you open it? There weren't any clasps or ties her could see, just a strange metal pattern.

[lol it's a zipper Nadohi calm down]

 

[shakenSilences]

Martha stood there calmly, looking him confusedly in the eyes as he spoke. He asked who she was, what she was doing here, what she wanted with them but never gave her the chance to speak. He was obviously not alone here in the forest but was not with anybody currently but he was definitely a possible threat. He kept asking questions without giving her time to answer them which led her to believe he was just as curious about her as she was about him. She raised an eyebrow at him as he scrambled around with his words before sighing and rolling her eyes. He may be able to over power her if he wanted to but at this moment he wasn't an immediate problem.

Or so she thought but suddenly he lunged at her, tearing her bag from her shoulders causing Martha to lose her balance and fall onto her back. She gave a groan of discontent before maneuvering herself into a kneeling position and facing him. As soon as the boy stopped talking to start inspecting her pack she cleared her throat and spoke through gritted teeth, "Well, now that you finally shut up I can answer your relentless questioning. My name is Martha, I am an explorer of the unknown and a journalist of my travels. I haven't come here for you or your people and I certainly do not wish to speak with your father. Every other explorer that has come here before me, has gone missing or came back without a story to tell. I just had to come see it for myself."

Martha then stared at him cautiously before crawling closer and stopping beside him. She reached for the zipper and gently tugged on it so the pack would open as she whispered in a matter of factly tone saying, "And this opens like this. It's called a zipper. Now please give me back my pack, you know why I'm here so you have no reason to look through my gear." She glared him in the eyes trying to show that she wasn't helpless and naive like her appearance suggested. In the end though, her gaze softened and she smiled before pleading quietly, "Please."