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The news about another species living in these woods had spread through both villages quickly, at an alarming rate even. Both elders have tried their best to keep everyone under control and calm, but their efforts have unsurprisingly failed. Both of the younger fairies and humans have especially become entranced by the mysterys that this new opportunity provided them, challenging ech other to sneak into the woods and see the other side for themselves. It's a wonder that either side have yet to interact, that is, until now. They say curiosity kills the cat, and this time it might actually be true...

For Jarrén, it was just another normal day in the village. The children were playing in the grass that surrounded them and everyone else was doing their usual routine. Of course, he knew what was on everyone's minds. After all, why would anyone not be thinking about it? Surprisingly, Jarrén wasn't all that worried about himself or even all that interested about the situation. One small mess up, one small glance could expose him, ruin everything he had worked hard to make. He knew that if one person found out, everyone would. They would go tell their friends before he could convince himself to mess with their thoughts, much less actually do it. He always hated his ability, he hated knowing he could erase memories or create fake ones, or make someone do his bidding. He found it cruel to do such a thing, but the ability had saved him times before. He was able to keep his secret because of it.

Jarrén had woken up hours before everyone else for no real reason, even if he didn't want to. He always woke up even before the sun showed it's face and whe wasn't exactly sure why he did so. He couldn't confirm his suspicions about it having something to do with his species due to how much he had to distance himself from them, so he was still left in the dark about it. He somewhat enjoyed it though, being able to do whatever he pleased before anyone else saw him, he was able to watch the sun rise on a new day, and he could hear the animals of the woods wake up one by one. He usually used this time to take a nice walk into the forest, flying up to the treetops and resting until he could hear the village below begin their day. Life was peaceful for him, but the day that scout came back, everything changed. The village started to wake up earlier, closer watch was kept on the woods, and suspicion rose among the people. Now, all he could do in his spare time was walk around the paths of the settlement and stay in his home. He had to constantly wear that dreaded cloak now, and the amount of scars that rested on his skin grew substantially. He was afraid people would begin to notice, and some actually had. It was getting harder and harder to live as a human and it pained him. He had to be more secluded from the people he loved and cared for and it wore on him.

Today was just a normal day for him, staring at the roof of his room and letting those weighing thoughts crowd his mind. He didn't want to get up today, he really didn't, but he knew he had to.

"Young Men might know the rules, but Old Men know the expectations"-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Orion had seen many things in his fifty-four years of age. He had seen so many developments in this little village, He had helped to create many of them (Though he didn't claim to be a leader of any kind, no sir.) In fact, being one of the oldest people next to Calliba herself, he considered himself to be an adviser, someone who gave advice when he could. Whatever his role was, he would help people, whether it was with working on a construction project, a problem with growing a garden, or mending a tear in a shirt. He was a jack-of-all trades.

But that was challenged when the news of their...neighbors came. Orion wasn't quite sure how to deal with this. Ever since he was little, he had loved stories. Stories of magical forests, little girls in red capes, trolls that shook bridges, it was all fascinating and wonderful to him. He would tell them to small children around fires, or to the sick villagers as he assisted them. But he never expected them to come true. He never expected to be living in a literal fairytale. But could he really call this a fairytale? This was actually happening, this was real. This wasn't a dream...right?

Orion was working in his own garden when he first heard about it. One of his favorite things to do was to feel the soil under his hands, to feel the leaves, and how smooth they were, the sunlight on his back, the smell of fresh dirt and growth. So he was brushing his hands on his shirt when he heard the news, standing up carefully, one hand on his aging back. He joined the crowd, heard the whispers and saw the glances. He soon found out the source of them.

Days later, Orion was leading an old goat that had broken out for the millionth time back to its owner, tugging gently on the rope attached to its neck and whispering soothing words. As always, the subject of fairies was on his mind.

---

"ι нσρє тнαт тнєяє αяє ∂αуѕ ωнєи уσυ fαℓℓ ιи ℓσνє ωιтн вєιиg αℓινє"
༻༻༻⋇⋆❀❀❀⋆⋇༺༺༺

The trees whisper of yet another human wandering in their embrace

The wind sings of the fae who rest on man's tongue and fill their thoughts

The same goat who keeps fleeing has been found once more, the Moss murmur

More voices add their harmony as a symphony swells, the trunks of mighty trees weeping over felled brethren and the well trodden road regaling all who would lend an ear to the many travelers it led. Only one would hear though as he gently pushed dirt together as he replanted a delicate flower under the warm morning's glow. This particular child of his had been struck with disease as nature fought to survive against one another and the caretaker had been gently coaxing the flower back to life, relishing in the gentle brush of velveteen petals against his fingers. This particular species wasn't quite endangered nor rare but it did carry within its petals a soft shimmer, rainbows shifting as one moved their head. But regardless of how aesthetically interesting or rare the species was, flowers were always his favorite to care for, their gratitude endless and their care necessitating only a gentle touch.

The caretaker was a fairy known only as Mao. Very technically he did have a surname but that only connected him to a family he acknowledged out of social convenience. Mao spent most of his day dancing amongst the flora, discarding stolen boots and letting the soil sink into his sun-kissed skin. It was a wonder how he wasn't the one that the scout had spotted though he did suppose that some rumors of haunted singing coming from the forest was his fault. It was almost funny how humans tried to rationalize the unknown, and now that whispers of fae had made their way into the collective consciousness, that unknown had only grown even more despite a seemingly all encompassing answer

"Oh Sibling of Ours, hear our warning. A Child of Man approaches on foot, flee into us and we shall keep prying eyes covered." A tree knot suddenly cried, drawing a head of sunlit dawn up. The caretaker's head cocked in interest, and the flowers urged him to take shelter as well. Already in the distance he could hear the murmurs of coaxing encouragement as a sharpened ear twitched. A shower of gently floating white petals which shimmered under the sunlight as Mao darted into the sky reaching branches. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea for a fae who's entire appearance consisted of warm reds and oranges to find shelter among the dark greens of the forest yet as the tree had promised, thick branches curled aground Mao's slender form, swaddling their caretaker in a soft embrace

---

Foxgrove was tending to her garden, pulling weeds, watering plants, and doing the typical garden stuff. "What should I make today?" She asked herself, before noticing the presence of her, well, pet.

"Night? How is the forest?" The fairy asked the Crow who had landed on a nearby branch.
"Eh, just the regular rabbits and food. And Humans, love stealing from them." Night answered, before dropping a wooden object on the ground. "Little gift for today, stole from human."

"Thanks." Foxgrove said, putting the wooden object away. "Everything's been a bit chaos since someone found a human nearby. I need a break from all this human talk."

---

Ping was uninterested in the fairies, unlike most people. Her metal tipped spear sat in front of her, as nimble fingers skimmed over a block of wood, her metal carving knife moving fast as wood shavings flew about the place. Intricate patterns began forming at the hands of the craftswoman, and soon there was a striking replica of said metal spear. She stares at it thoughtfully, before carving her signature onto it, a swirly Chinese character that read “mountain” The rickety wooden stool she perched on wobbled, causing Ping to frown, putting the chair aside to sit on the soft grassy field dotted with little specks of white with tinier specks of yellow— a daisy field. She gathers the fallen flowers, her slender, long fingers nimbly crafting a flower crown, before taking a piece of metal and some string, strengthening the flower chain to form an accessory of sorts, a tiara, if you would. She puts her tools down, and stares at the open field, thinking. She supposed she did care about the fairies, but not in the “I want to find them” but instead the “I would like to know more about you” kind.

---

"Observe what is with undivided awarness"-Bruce Lee

"C'mon girl," Orion soothed, clicking his tounge as he led the goat back to the village. "You're tired, arentcha? A long journey like this for an old woman like you?" He had, with the goat's rebellious nature even in its age, made this journey many times, but suddenly, on this trip, he seemed hyperaware of his surroundings. Like at any moment, something could happen. Of course, wouldn't that be expected after what he had learned? It was like he was seeing the forest in a new way, something that he never thought was even possible. Still, he kept down the well-trodden path, his boots breaking the twigs and leaves that littered the path with soft crunching noises.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Orion spotted falling white petals, something that struck his curiousity. He looked up, brow furrowed. "What do you say we take a little detour, huh girl?" He started heading torwads the source of the flower petals. Orion was a wise old man, but everyone gets curious. He saw a glimpse of red amoung the trees, and paused. Maybe it was a bird, or a squirell. But..it was so vibrant, like nothing he'd seen before. What was it? He kept looking up, eyes squinting.

---

The commotion. There it was again, constant talking all around him. He couldn't stand it, why did they have to keep talking about it? Why couldn't life just go back to normal? He gave a long sigh as he covered his face with his pillow, thinking to himself for a bit. What if he just... No, that would be selfish of him. He couldn't just wipe the sight out of the scout's eyes, and he definitely couldn't take away the thought of fairies from everyone. That would just be... cruel. Then again... What would the people of the village do if they found the home of the fairies? What would they do if they knew his secret? Would their actions be cruel? Would their words? He had faith in the people of this town, he knew that each of them were kind but... Were they really? He sighed and removed the pillow, getting up and letting his wings slowly expand. They were getting much larger by the day, and they were nearing the point where his cloak wouldn't hide them anymore. In fact, right now it was getting hard to hide anything. He had let his hair grow out to cover his now suspicious pointy ears, but it was incredibly easy to uncover them.

He got dressed into his usual attire and doned his cloak before walking downstairs, retrieving a simple breakfast before walking out. There wasn't much for him to do today, throughout the week he had been working much more than usual to get his mind off of things. He could play with the children, but he felt as though it was risky considering how rough and curious they were. He looked around to see if he could spot something to do when he noticed an elderly man hauling a goat around. Well... That's something. He walked over to see if he could help, stopping whenever the man came close to the woods. He followed slowly, not even noticing the petals that had fell. After a few seconds of this, Jarrén soon realized that what he was doing was quite weird, and notifying Orion of his presence was probably the best action to take. "Sir? I'm sorry for following you, but may I ask, what exactly are you..." While he was speaking, he had seen that Orion's gaze was set above, in the treetops. Curiosity of course got the best of Jarrén and he did so as well, stopping his sentence as his eyes landed on a bright scarlet figure.

---

"ι нσρє тнαт тнєяє αяє ∂αуѕ ωнєи уσυ fαℓℓ ιи ℓσνє ωιтн вєιиg αℓινє"
༻༻༻⋇⋆❀❀❀⋆⋇༺༺༺

He's looking the leaves hissed, rustling angrily at the branches as the trees themself scoffed at the notion. Perhaps it was the personality of that certain tree, stubborn and prideful, but the branches loosened slightly revealing a curious eye of dawn orange calm blinking at the human. Mao's curiosity had gotten the best of him, his desire to actually catch a glimpse of the species the forest had told him so much about. It was so odd to see the absence of wings on a creature that looked so much like him, lines etched onto his aging face. There was another who joined the first greeting the elder, and Mao watched on enraptured at the sight. A human, a real one that he could see with his own eyes, a human who was looking right at him.

Jerking back, Mao's back pressed against the wooden cocoon that encased him, hands clasped over his mouth. From the gaps of the branches, he could still see the human gazing up into the trees, eyes searching for any glimpses of red. He was content to stay up in the boughs but when the goat leaned down to nibble on the flowers, Mao burst into action. See, the flowers while relocated and healthy, were still healing from the fungus. If an animal ingested it, it would give an upset stomach at the very least and while the goat wasn't Mao's responsibility he did have a duty to the flowers.

A shower of petals was all that denoted his presence, as Mao gently cradled the goat's face away from the flowers instead leading the animal to a patch of sweet grass which was strewn around the field in order to detoxify the earth, the grass giving themselves up gladly. He didn't speak or make any noise completely ignoring the two humans, simply letting the goat graze as his wings gently fluttered behind him, catching the sunlight and refracting an almost glass window like image onto the swaying grass under his feet

---

"la la la-la la la~♪"

with a woven basket clutched in her hands, the small child hums to herself as she springs down the dirt trail leading away from her home, her light footwork causing the simple brown hide satchel at her side to bounce along with her. what may have been just another run-of-the-mill day for someone else in the village, was another opportunity for an adventure for her. at her age, Hana didn't really have much of an important role like many of the grown-ups, but did her best anyway with any odd chore thrown her way. thus, was her purpose of setting out today: a fun foraging activity that had been suggested by her mother. though, 'foraging' was an odd word for her, despite her grubby little hands picking up everything by impulse since she'd begun to crawl. she could, however, understand the more straightforward instructions, for example, "go pick some blackberries". typically, the promise of homemade snacks afterwards would lessen the number of random trinkets that Hana would also pocket along the way because there wasn't really anything that was safe from her curious gaze.

upon reaching the fields, Hana plonks herself down on the grass to rest briefly. moving the basket aside, her hands reach inside her satchel, pulling out a rather thick book. an encyclopedia was what her mother had called it, but it was full of big words that she couldn't read. fortunately, it was also contained pictures that she could use to find the fruits she'd been requested to find. some of the pictures looked as if they were pulled straight from the fairy tales that the villagers would narrate for the children. she glances over towards the woodline. after recent talk of real fairies living in the woods had spread across the village, orders from Elder Calliba stated that no one was to enter the woods. whilst she would be reminded of this order before venturing out each morning, Hana suddenly found herself fighting the urge to dismiss it, just this once. not too deep into the woods, it was a place that she and the other children used to visit regularly, making dens from fallen branches and snacking on the bountiful berries that grew there. looking at the pictures in the textbook had sparked this memory, and Hana could taste the sweetness already.

it was then she decided. if she was quick - which she would be - no one would even know she'd have gone into the forest. Hana glances around her surroundings with caution to ensure no peering eyes would catch her out, before quickly packing away the book back into her satchel. once certain that it was safe to go, she picks up her basket once more and begins running towards the forests' edge.

"Sometimes the most shocking surprises are also the most beautiful surprises"-Lori Wilhite
It was one thing for Orion to be surprised by the news of fairies. It was another thing to see a strange, vibrant flash of red in the woods, with falling petals he'd never seen before. He was a simple man, who lived by simple means. This was getting a lot more wild then he was used to. Of course, that didn't mean Orion was stupid. He could go along with this. He spotted one of the petals, and went to pick it up. "So simalar to that of the Orchidaceae," he murmered to himself. He looked back up, dropping the petal. Orion turned around when he heard Jarren's footsteps. He may have been an old man, but his hearing was as sharp as a tack.

"Terribly sorry if I've caused any trouble, young man," he said pleasantly. "Old Angela got out again, and I suppose I..got a bit off-" He suddenly realized that Angela was being led, though he hadn't given her any instruction. "Now this just takes the cake, now don't it, you naughty old goat," he chided with a slight laugh. As Angela chewed contentedly on the grass, he sighed. "Just a few minutes more, I suppose-Oh!" He was fascinated by the light shining, and bent down as far as his old knees would allow. "Well, isn't that quite beautiful." He spoke to Angela, "We've always got to apreciate the little things in life, Angie."

---

"ι нσρє тнαт тнєяє αяє ∂αуѕ ωнєи уσυ fαℓℓ ιи ℓσνє ωιтн вєιиg αℓινє"
༻༻༻⋇⋆❀❀❀⋆⋇༺༺༺

You've shown yourself! Sibling ours, you've shown yourself! The forest cried, each plant and organism wailing as one. The wind brushed gently over soft skin but to Mao it was a cutting gale, a reprimand from the parent who he had been born from. The words sunk deep into his bones as he gently raised the goat's head and nudged her back to the aging human. Callused fingers dug into the soft fur, gripping it almost like a lifeline against the scolding There are prices to pay child, prices to pay. Who is to say that this human will not spread the word of our guardian? Flee O child of the forest, flee and never look back for the damage has been wrought

Sparing a glance backwards, Mao froze when he saw Jarrén, the ground under the other's feet crying out at the familiar magic that ran through the other's veins. Magic, a trait only fae could posses. Had the human somehow killed a fae and taken their magic for his own or... No. No that wasn't possible. Even if the other had their pointed ears, it wasn't possible for a fae to live among the humans. That hadn't been something Mao knew and Mao knew things. That was his purpose, to know the forest and those who lived in it. But the forest was angry enough at him for shaking the delicate balance and he had no time or desire to contemplate this any longer.

"This field is dangerous. Do not graze from it." He warned cryptically, meeting Jarrén's eye to push the message home. The leaves rustled in warning as Mao glanced up to see the looming boughs glared at him. Come child. Lord Straiton worries and you have broken his creed already. Why provoke so many, go back to the settlement. The winds advised, eliciting a rolling of eyes and brief sneer at the forest. Did Straiton really expect to keep one of the forest's caretakers away from his job just will a decree? Ridiculous but still. Mao hated it when people scolded him so he would take his leave

---

"When a man's knowledge is not in order, the more of it he has the greater will be his confusion"-Herbert Spencer

Orion furrowed his brow, confused at what had happened. Of course, wasn't confusion something that he saw often these days? Sooner or later, he supposed, Either it would stop or he'd get used to it. Though, it seemed that their neighbors weren't leaving anytime soon.

Orion had never really considered what he'd thought about the fairies. He'd had them on his mind for awhile now, but he'd never thought about wether or not he was resentful of them being there, or if he was happy. In the stories, most of the time, fairies were good creatures, peaceful ones. There was always the evil or wicked one now and then, but why judge an entire tree just by its one bad apple? Of course, he'd still love to meet them. It would make sense that fairies were there much longer than humans, after all, hadn't the village simply come to be as their past race destroyed itself? They were, in reality, intruders on this land. An invasive species. So, Orion would want nothing more than to learn what he could from the fairies, if they were willing to teach it. Until then, he had a goat to return.

With a grunt, he got to his feet. "Well, show's over, Angela, let's go." He took the goat's lead and began leading it home, saying over his shoulder to Jarren, "I'd suggest you head home to, my boy. Unless you have buisness in the forest."

---

She heard the soft pitted patter of running feet before she saw them. A young girl— if she remembered correctly, Hana, was running directly into the forest. She immediately stands up, pocketing her carving knife and the rest of her items, and picking up her spear to chase after the girl. Hana was known in the village for her kind, and extremely curious, foraging nature. But the forest was not exactly ‘defined territory’ It belonged to neither fae nor human, but served as a kind of border. “Hana! Where are you going, alone? It’s dangerous, you should be going with someone else, some company” Now normally, Ping would have left the situation be, but she wasn’t one to let a child’s life be in danger.

---

The oddity of what had just occured left Jarren quite perplexed, his mind not allowing him to speak, or do anything really, as he tried to process everything. He had heard faint whispers during the whole ordeal, whispers that came from the trees around him. From what he could see, the scarlet fairy had a deep connection to these woods, a connection unlike any other of his kind. Once he made that realization, he begun to focus on the whispers of these woods, trying to gather all he could. It almost felt like he was eavesdropping, the way the whispers seemed to be talking to Mao specifically. They seemed to be calling him their protector, but that's all he could hear. The more prominent whispers seemed to be like those of a spectator, not particularly talking about anyone but instead talking amongst themselves. This was an odd situation he had found himself in, and it got even worse when a frozen glare was cast on him. He looked over in the direction of said glare, surprised that it came from the stranger they had met moments before. Why was he staring at him? And in such an odd way too? "This field is dangerous. Do not graze from it."

The ominous words he spoke weighed in his mind for what seemed like forever, leaving a terrible taste in his mouth. The moment of realization hit Jarren like a truck, his body tensing up and his heartbeat grew so loud it banged against his eardrums. He knew, didn't he? He knew he had just met one of his own, with a human no less, right? This wasn't good... What if he went and told his village about it, "The fae who lived among the humans"? The words of Orion, the man he had come here with, quickly snapped him out of his sudden state of shock. "I suppose so, sir... Say, that was quite an interesting encounter, wasn't it?" He mumbled, looking over at the spot Mao once stood. He then turned his gaze over to the goat, who stood close to the two.

---

"A good laugh heals a lot of hurts."-Madaline L'engle
Angela bleated at him, her honey-colored eyes blinking slowly. Orion laughed. "Yes, I'd say that that was quite the interesting encounter indeed. But, then again, wouldn't you call it something more than that? I'd bet my vegetable garden that was a fairy." He continued walking a little ways. "Fairies must be the most wonderful people, it's a pity that we cannot communicate more. They must have so many secrets about the forest, and its wonders. Oh, what I'd give to have a conversation with one, for oh, five minutes, maybe." Orion chuckled. "Pay no mind to the ramblings of an old soul. I've been on this earth for far too long to be making sense, but I have apreciated every moment. Won't you walk with me back to the village? Can't see reason for you to be going anywhere else, really."

---

Jarren listened closely to the words the old man was speaking, following close behind him as they neared the edge of the forest. He knew he wouldn't stop thinking about the encounter for days, bringing worry, confusion, and the urge to investigate the matter further to his mind constantly. Jarren was just like Orion, fascinated by the encounter, the urge to learn more and spend more time with the strange fairy growing, covering his thoughts. "That would be nice, I suppose.... And, yes, I would love to, sir." He spoke, his perplexed frown turning into a delighted smile as he continued onward.

As he drew closer, he could hear the voice of someone calling out for a child, presumably one coming to close to the forest. He looked over to see the familiar child named Hana, as well as a woman named Ping. He decided it was best not to do anything yet, as walking out of the forest to confront the two would be counter-intuitive and wouldn't do any good. Instead, he walked in silence as he dealt with the heat of the sun's rays hitting his clothed skin. His attire made the warmer seasons unbearable, but he would run the risk of being noticed by others. It was exhausting, sure, but it was the best he could do in this situation. He didn't belong in either village, and living alone, to him, was worse than death. He would miss talking to people, playing with the children, all of it.

---

"This is the mark of a really admirable man: steadfastness in the face of trouble."-Ludwig Van Beethoven
"Please, call me Orion, everyone does," he chucked. He continued walking torwads the forest, he too recgonized Ping and Hana, and he sighed. "Oh dear, Hana must have wandered off again." Orion shook his head. "She's a free spirit, that child. Her mother will be worried, I'd better let her know that Ping is watching over her." He was silent for awhile, then after a bit, said, "So, I told you my name, would you mind telling me yours? You know, I've seen you a few times now and then, but you don't seem to show your face much."

(Sorry for the short post AHH)

---

"M-miss Shan En-!"

uh-oh - caught. coming to a sharp halt at the treeline, her heart rate racing, Hana grips the basket in her hands tighter. she was done for, almost certain of it, as she watched the artisan pursue her. although Ping was often friendly with the children, making them toys and even playing along with them, she was still one of the grown-ups, and if she were to tattle to her parents-! a sick feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach, dreading to think how long her parents would make her do indoor chores if they found out she'd gone into the woods. to Hana, there was no worse punishment than being cooped up inside, only being able to watch as the other children played. huffing, she accepts whatever fate was heading her way. perhaps Miss Shan En would let her off this once, it was just a quick hunt for blackberries. and as for the supposed fairies, Hana couldn't wrap her head around why everyone seemed so scared of them, despite stories of them being so.. nice.

"Yeah, you're definitely right about that." Jarren let out a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck, still glancing over to the lone child. He had often seen her wandering, in fact, she was one of the more... active children he had seen. "So, I told you my name, would you mind telling me yours?" He turned his head back to Orion, beginning to think a little bit about the question. What he had said was true, they both saw each other regularly, but due to Jarren's reclusive lifestyle, he wasn't surprised that he didn't know much about him. "I'm... Jarrén, pleasure to properly meet you, Orion." He held his hand out as a greeting, waiting for the man to do the same.

(it's fine lol, my posts have been the same way :eyes: )

---

“Please, just call me Ping” She replies, nose wrinkling in distaste. She would much rather be known as just Ping. Simple, and easy to call. She looks at the child’s tightening grip on her basket, and sighs. “I don’t mind you going into the forest, but at least you have to go with someone. Like a bunch of your other friends, maybe? If you get hurt in the forest then at least your friend can run and get help. And the same applies for if your friend gets hurt. What are you planning to do, anyway?” She asks, glancing at the forest. Perhaps the girl simply wanted to go foraging, or maybe she wanted to go look for fairies. Ping didn’t mind, but she knew she definitely would not allow Hana to go without company.

---