Deep within a forest, somewhere in Endapano, walked a beautiful wood elf maiden. She walked amongst the tall trees, enjoying every moment of her little jaunt with a beautifully woven wooden basket held by one arm. It contained herbs of many kinds, as well as beautiful flowers, ones the maiden fancied the most. Her brilliant red hair was tied up in a low, messy bun with a few strands draping down the sides of her charming face. Though messy her hair may have been, it somehow only managed to make her even more attractive, instead of not.
Her eyes wandered the ground for anymore flowers and herbs, her steps stopping momentarily so that she could pull a flower or herb whenever she saw one. But she was not so careless as to pluck them from the ground. Instead, she dug them up, roots and all. The maiden wished for the plants to survive, you see, for she intended to plant them elsewhere. And as she dropped to her knees to gather another flower -quite a beautiful blue one, mind you- a red figure dashed by, one which she only saw through the corners of her eyes. She smiled with amusement glinting in her blueberry eyes, and as she turned her head she saw that the red figure was none other than a red fox, chasing a butterfly.
“Moriko, my dear. Won’t you stop playing and help me find more of these flowers? I haven’t seen one in quite some time and I would like some in my garden,” she said to the fox, though, she knew it was futile. She had no spell nor ability that allowed her to communicate with animals, but talking with the fox helped keep her from feeling lonely. Of course, she often told herself there was no reason for feeling lonely, for she was surrounded by nature and its creatures. The forest was welcoming and alive; she could feel it breath with every breeze, hear its voice with every creak of wood on the trees, with every bird song and every symphony performed by the insects. Sometimes she swore she could feel its heart beating. But, she was also aware that none of it was an actual person, and no matter how much she enjoyed the forest which surrounds her, it was painfully lonesome without someone of her own kind. She could speak all she wanted to the creatures, including her very own friend, Moriko the fox, but they could never offer her a reply. They couldn’t even understand the words she spoke, not like a person could.
The fox only looked at her in response and sat in its spot, watching as her smile softened and she turned back to gathering the flower. Once out of the ground and added to the plants in her basket, the elf stood and dusted any dirt from her green dress. “You really ought to be a gentleman and help a lady when she asks for it, you know,” she looked back at Moriko with a playful glint in her eyes before she continued on her way. Moriko sprung to his paws and followed suit, bouncing at her side in a playful manner and sometimes wandering away a few feet.
She looked up at the sky, and noticed that it was beginning to grow dark. Her smiled turned to a small frown; she would have to head back shortly. Though she loved everything in the forest, unfortunately not everything loved her. They were incapable of understanding that she meant no harm and was no threat; in their eyes, she was just a person, a race they knew was capable of harm. Up ahead was proof. The maiden stopped once she realized she happened upon the edge of a town of some sort. It was those people, the ones that didn’t appreciate the forest and its life that harmed its creatures. It was them that taught the animals to fear people. She just looked no different, so of course, they thought she was the same.
However, despite the harsh truth she held no hate for people. It was something that couldn’t be helped, for they needed to hunt in order to survive. They needed the meat for food, needed their hides for warmth. Such a shame it was that this world was kill or be killed; in order for one to survive another must die. How tragic… Of course, she couldn’t be much better in the eyes of the forest creatures. She never hunted, for she could never bring herself to kill another living thing. So, she bought the meat necessary for survival in this town. She figured it was better to make use of the meat, so that its death wasn’t for nothing.
Taking a deep breath, she glanced down at Moriko and offered him a soft smile, “Now, you stay here and wait for me. I will be back shortly.” This command was one of few the fox could actually understand, and surprisingly, it obeyed. It sat and watched as the maiden made her way into the town for a little shopping. She walked down its streets whilst gazing around for any shops that sold food, clutching her wooden basket in front of her with both hands. And she wandered and wandered…and wandered…and wandered…until the sun had finally gone down.
Where was she again?