A walk in the woods

The silvery moonlight lit the forest floor of this dark realm in the depths of the forest. The chirping of the nocturnal insects flooded the forest, giving cover for that night prowler that stalks the floor.

An orange glow did cast light in the silver and dark world. The figure holding the flame on the back of its hand was the image of a young man of the city.

His light brown hair was stained black and orange by the glow of the faint contrasts of darkness from the night and firelight. His garments were clumsily made from light leather. It was clearly made by no renowned person but of an amateur. So, too, were his leather shoes the same as rags of the leather, created merely to protect his feet from the uncertain things that lay underneath the leaves.

A young man named Devin Leaf was looking for rare plants that would grow on the night of the birth of a divine being. Even if tigers still prowled the night, these rare herbs could be used to make miracle medicines with many benefits to either health or beauty.

The herb he is forging for this night is called Moon’s Tear, which would bloom on the first night after the battle of dominance in the crevice of an old tree hollow in the inter-forest.

This blue plant with gray petals would give off a faint red luminescent glow in the moonlight as white nectar drips from the petals. Its rarity with the right buyer would ensure the finder one hundred platinum coins. The bounty is more enormous than most merchant ships make every two fiscal years.

Although many held such knowledge, almost none would be overwhelmed by Greed and reckless abandonment on this particular night. For many, scavengers and predictors would be as common as weeds. Well, vultures influx of death with a blanket the sky. It was a terrifying sight for anything that holds even the 1 ounce of respect for their life and well-being would not go near the forest after the war.

Not to mention, no man or woman would not know how or when the new divine being would act. They were uncertain about the new being’s nature that would be established. Many people wonder if it is for their benefit or destruction.

The norm is to give grievances for the bed and rest that day. Though a couple of fools did still exist, every human did exist.

Devin Leaf, in his impoverished state, only dreams of wealth and adventure are his only desires. Hearing the many stories from merchants and travelers and the whisperings of the city's underbelly are his current means of education. One such tale of these rarities he heard once behind the stables of an old inn: he goes dumpster diving. The fable compelled him to act this night to find the Moon’s Tear to acquire a merchant’s fortune.

As Devin continued in his nightly stroll, screams and grunts could be heard no closer than 50 steps away. In a sudden stupor, he put out the fire on his hands and waited for its eyes; his eyes readjust to the silver moonlight.

As soon as the scent of copper filled his nostril, he knew that blood was spilled, and soon he would be surrounded by many beasts if he didn’t run away from there. In all reality, instead of slowly creeping away, he chose to run. Not only did he attract the attention of many eyes in the forest, but even some shadows also started to follow his own.

He continues to run for several minutes before buckling under his weight, gasping for air as panic continues to rush through his mind. As his composure and breath without incident, he continues to wander through the forest under the moonlight.

He wanders in between the trees and rocks, ignorantly passing by many herbs and magical plants worth a king’s ransom until he finds a pair of red glowing lights in between the hollow of an old, weathered oak tree. Devin became excited after noticing the glow; he took out a hand shovel, a small pot, and a small metal flask to catch the plant's white milk from the leaves.

After storing away the flask in his rucksack, Devin carefully looks around, holding a glowing potted plant in his hands. He carefully starts to walk back towards town. His actions could make anyone see his lack of education since the plant is not covered and draws the attention of many gazes of the forest’s wildlife. Miraculously, many predators of the night are weary during this night of magic overflow within the forest.

One would think that Devin would have common sense and leave the same way he came by backtracking to town, but he has now become lost.

He comes to a clearing with a small rock formation centered as a natural landmark. Devin leaves the trees, arriving at the rock formation in the clearing. He walks towards it while checking his surroundings, only to see a human figure looking at him.

Devin starts to panic as he wonders if this figure would want to rob him. He gets down. Devin conceals the plant's red light in a crevice.

This human silhouette is getting closer, revealing a feminine figure. As she was coming into focus, a pair of dark green eyes met his own eyes. Devin’s quickened heart flutters like a bird in flight. He desires to run as fast as possible in the opposite direction of this woman. Sadly, his desire was stolen from him as his consciousness went dark.

Part:2

Off in a battle-scarred land surrounded by bloodied corpses stood a lone figure. She stood in a daze, trying to remember what had happened. Giving up on the prospect of remembering, she desires to leave this place of death and desolation to go on into the far-off forest.

She has long green hair that shines as bird feathers, reaching to her waist, and torn garments dyed black from the dirty blood covering her body. This woman, which would bring nightmares to any man who would have seen her, continues to walk until she finally comes to a river. She continues to walk upstream until she comes to a shallow bank where the current has calmed down.

In the slow-moving water, she washed her body and clothes. She cleansed her body, and so too; she tried to clear her thoughts and understand who she was and what happened in that field of death.

Only the thought of being a victor and a desire for a name came to mind. Her mind searches her feelings of who she is and why she remains.

She can only remember the sight of many men charging at her with weapons of war and the view of them turning into lumps of flesh. Shaking her head, putting aside those unpleasant memories, she continued to scrub the blood off her clothes with the rocks, and then she proceeded to clean her clothes.

After leaving the river, fully clothed, she only walks a short distance away to lay on a solemn log to sunbathe beneath the shining light and contemplate how she should remember or think of a new name for herself.

Her body seems to contain secrets and more abilities than she knows. Not knowing how to access her potential, she continues to sunbathe on the felled log. Now, she is contemplating on her instincts, hoping to gain insights into who she is.

The noon sun soon fell into dusk. Bird songs slowly start to die down as insects begin to sing. The feminine figure stirred from her slumber and rolled off the log. The moss and the decaying leaves leave a soft feeling underfoot, which brings the small shock of pins and needles to the touch.

The new sensation only stops her new thoughts from wandering briefly as she turns to the emerging starry sky. She felt a desire to walk into the dense brush and trees as if some force was pulling her there. The surrounding wildlife was all too silent as each footstep of breaking leaves echoed in the night.

This green-haired figure walks until she comes to a clearing with many large rocks protruding from the ground like a small mountain. She climbs this rock formation until she sits in the center. The call of her instincts desires for her to wait here. The darkness of night now is blanketing the land. The only light comes from the celestial bodies that dance in the sky.

Continuing her pondering on who she is or what she is, a name came to her: Moonwillow. She felt pleased with her name and now starts to consider what her identity will be.

After some time passes, a faint glimmer of red light weaves between the trees until the light reaches the clearing. When the red light figure of a human male appears, Moonwillow is filled with anger and anxiety at the sight of another human who must have come to take her life. Hostility covers her countenance as their eyes meet.

The man didn’t notice and continued walking closer to the rock that Mooonwillow sat on. The man got nearer as he climbed the rough surface. Their eyes meet again, and the man hid on the edge of the rock from Moonwillow’s view.

She continues to advance while looking toward the man. She can only feel her hostility growing as she advances. Just as Moonwillow feels the desire to slay the man, he collapses on the ground, leaving Moonwillow stunned by the ghastly sight.

Part:3

Devin opened his eyes while cradling his aching head. Looking around, he sees that the mysterious girl who made his instincts scream is now illuminated with crimson. For she held the plant and seemed captivated by the flower. She now has a more profound interest in this flower than taking his life as the feeling of bloodlust has dissipated. The green-haired girl noticed Devin’s gaze and stared back. Devin opens his mouth to ask for his fortune back, but his instincts advise against him. Devin had his mouth open for a moment like a cow before closing it again in thought.

The green-haired girl loses interest only to gaze at the flower. Devin decided that he would rather lose a flower to a beautiful girl than lose his life. Devin said, “If you like that flower so much, it’s yours.”

The green-haired girl seemed to be in deep thought before she finally replied saying, “I shall take your offering, man. For it is the first beautiful thing that I have seen since my birth.”

Devin was a little confused, wondering what she meant since she didn’t seem to be a sheltered rich girl. He pondered on how she could not have seen anything more beautiful than this flower. Devin lived in the slums, so he thought many of the trivial things that the other citizens took for granted as wonders and works of high-class art. How could only a single flower be so beautiful?

While hesitating, Devin said, “If you like flowers like that, I believe that I saw some more in the forest from the south of here. I don’t think it is safe right now, but I could accompany you come morning if you like.” Devin tried to be sincere while giving himself value to this terrifying woman. It is better to align yourself with someone strong when you can do nothing against them, either biding your time or something else.

“What. Do you plan to stay up on this rock all night,” said the green-haired girl with an inquisitive look.

“Look, I was stalked back in the forest not long ago, and I can only light my hands with fire,” said Kevin as flames bloomed in his palm before smoldering into smoke. “I can see you strong since our eyes met, but that doesn’t make it smart to walk around in this forest alone.”

The girl with the green hair tilted her head and asked, “If that is true, why are you here tonight?”

Devin quickly retorted, stating, “True, I might be like a piece of delectable floating meat in the forest to its residents tonight, but tonight was my only opportunity.”

“For what," said the green-haired girl.

"To find a rare flower and sell it for a large sum of gold and leave the life of a slum dweller behind me,” said Kevin.

“That's just stupid. Then why give me something so precious? I see no value in it,” said the girl with the green hair.

“To tell you the truth, you intimidated me, but your beautiful smile was enchanting. I thought if your smile could linger just from possessing that flower, then I could look for another opportunity later,” said Devin.

The girl looks at Devin in disbelief that something so corny could be said. As she thought more about it the more, she smiled lightly with a slight blush on her cheeks until the girl with the green hair laughed. “I am sorry for my offensive behavior. I just thought that it was comical to give away a vast fortune for such a simple reason.” The girl continued smiling even more. “You are the first good man I have met. I like you. You have given me many new and exciting things for me.”

Devin smiled back and answered, “If I can make a beautiful woman like you happy and brighten my day, Rubbing the back of his head, he stated, “Sorry, Miss, I have not asked for your name yet. Mine is Devin, Devin Leaf. My disrespectful nickname in the slums back home is Flint. Cuz I only show my power of fire with sparks to not attract unwanted attention.” Devin smiles as he holds out his naked right hand.

The girl with green hair firmly grabs his hand, saying, “Likewise, my new name is Moonwillow. I am willing to accept all of the tomfooleries if you promise never to betray me.”

“Well, Miss Moonwillow, I am happy to hear your words. Receiving a woman’s favor is wonderful. Though, I must point out that what you just said could be mistaken for a marriage proposal.” Devin scratches the back of his head, barely Keeping eye contact.

Moonwillow seems to be in deep thought about what Devin just said. Minutes passed before she replied, ”What you say is filled with truth, and it is that I require a spouse before I gain my complete authority. ” Devin starts to feel an unpleasantness just from what he heard. What he thought would be some playful word banter that he once heard from the upper-class citizens to court young maidens. Who knew the deep waters he was treading?

Moonwillow declares, ”As my instincts say, that you, Devin, would be an acceptable spouse for me. I shall take this flower as your dowry and accept your marriage proposal.” She starts to have a warm smile spread on her lips. Moonwillow's eyes widen, and her green hair gently falls across her face.

Devin’s mind slows as his eyes cloud. After a few seconds in a dopey-faced daze, Devin finally snapped back to his senses, wondering what to do about this troublesome strong woman.

He could not think of anything good to come from actually going along with her suggestion, but even worse were the prospects of denying her. It was worse than being between a wolf and a tiger. Devin says, "I am deeply honored to receive or give a proposal to such a great and noble beauty such as yourself, but shouldn't we know each other better before exchanging vows?"

Moonwillow's face slowly started to turn from joy into a stern and slightly disappointed one. She looked from her flower to Devin and back again as she began to talk to him while staring into the red glow, saying, "What is there to know? Love can come later. I have survived this long following my instincts. Would you not listen to your instincts of yourself if you, too, were a god?"

Devin felt hot sweat flow down his back as he started to understand how dangerous this mistake would be if he further did anything to anger her. Devin speaks shakily, saying, "Is not the god or demon supposed to choose their spouse in three days?"

Moonwillow continues to gaze at her flower with a slightly softer gaze and is now running her dainty fingers through the flower peddles. She says, "It is by my will to choose my spouse or accept the dowery of another. I feel that you are still my best prospect. Will you deny me a second time?"

Devin started to stutter, saying, "I did not deny you. I just thought it was a little fast for my first woman. I have not had any prospects for love before. No good woman lived in the slums I called home. If there was one, they somehow found work and a man soon after exiting the slums."

"Excuses are useless before your heart and me. I have asked you, but is this your answer," questioned Moonwillow, raising an eyebrow.

"I am sorry. I don't know what prospects will lay in store for us, but I will follow you, accept the proposal I unknowingly made, and stay true to your feelings as long as there is breath in me!"

A courageous and fascinating smile spread across Moonwillow's face. She firmly grabbed onto the flower as it started to wilt. The potted flower fell from her grasp as her hair began to shine with a red glow, and her hair turned into a pleasing sliver. It was as if she had taken on some of the characteristics of the potted flower.

Devin was a little bit of a loss over the plant drying into mulch all the while. This diety only became even more of a mysterious beauty. He could not understand anything. Devin just decided to accept being in a daze once more while waiting for her to speak.

Moonwillow slowly gets her composure back and feels a little embarrassed, seeing the look on his face. Devin’s gaze seemed to penetrate her, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable from his eyes. She was even wondering if she should just have him hold her in an embrace.

She broke what was most likely a spell brought on by having her soul form a covenant and vow with Devin. Getting back her composure, Mooonwillow reached out and tenderly caressed the side of Devin’s left facial cheek until her hand slivered to the back of his head to bring him closer and seal their vows with a kiss. The red light from Moonwillow’s hair wraps around the two for a brief moment until it fades, leaving only the twinkling of the starlight.

Moonwillow releases her moistened embrace and separates herself from him. Devin, for once, looks like a little woodland creature before a predator in shock, but instead of being white as a bone, he is as red as a hot iron from a fire. His red-faced embarrassment spread from his ears to his toes. Slowly losing his sanity and raising his hands about to come at Moonwillow once more, a new red-hot feeling came across his right cheek on his face.

Moonwillow raised her left hand as she said, “ I will not let you stay charmed from our vows! You are now my husband, and as such, you need a certain amount of composure for now.” Moonwillow lowers her hand after seeing the light's clarity return to his eyes.

She continues to say, “Now that we are as one in purpose, I shall explain what covenants we made to each other.” Devin keeps quiet while lightly rubbing the red palm imprint on his face. Devin now focuses on preparing for what his new wife will say. He starts to focus on her ruby lips once again before shaking his head and trying to pay attention.

Moonwillow slowly continues her speech, “First, we are now bound to one another by our souls for all eternity. Even after death, our souls will find each other again. Second, you now have the same life span as I do, which is anywhere from 500 to 3,000 years in the flesh. Third, we promise to love, nurture, support, accompany, and care for one another as long as we exist. It is not as bad as it would sound for a commitment. Fourth, you will be my aid, along with being my spouse. These are the bare minimum conditions that you, Devin, my husband, are now bound to along with me, Moonwillow. Oh, and one more thing. As I am sure you can guess, I am to be your only spouse. Got it!" For a moment, Moonwillow's eyes seemed to shine with a dangerous light. Devin could only shake his head up and down, agreeing with what his new wife stated.

She seems to be satisfied and continues her speech, "As I have fulfilled my right and have a new spouse, I shall return into the spiritual world as my role and authority in this mortal plain has become cemented. I will return in three days."

With only leaving those words behind, Moonwillow seemed to glow as bright as the sun until her countenance changed to white before what looked as if the Heavens opened up, and she climbed light into them. Before the heavens closed, she turned back and blew Devin a kiss.

As the heavens closed, so too did the darkness of night come rushing back like the tide. All was black; all was quiet as Devin was left to sit on the rock in the darkness and think about what just happened.

The sun soon started to rise, and its warmth filled the land. Devin could only think of how he needed to get back to town. Thus, he left his broken pot and walked back into the woods till he got back to the town gates.