NAMU: Guardian of the forest

여섯

Heart to heart

     The guardian patiently walks around in circles as he waits for the girl, wondering if she is going to show at all.

Did he do the right thing? Maybe he shouldn't have invited her. But it's too late now. Still, he has been waiting for hours now and there is still no sign of her anywhere. Did he really manage to scare her away?

Stop. He tells himself. Get a hold of yourself.

Her voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry I'm late!" She says, panting as she rests her hands on her knees.

"I was beginning to think that you weren't going to show." He adds, raising a brow.

"Well, I was actually making something!" She says with a smile, standing straight up as she says it. That's when the guardian notices the bag the girl is carrying.

Following his gaze, her smile widens.

"Here." She says, the guardian raising his brow once more as she offers him something he has never seen before. "Maybe you'll change your mind when you try these."

Hesitantly, the guardian stretches his hand out, his brows furrowing together as she places the warm object in his hand.

"They are fresh off the oven." She adds, pursing her lips as she waits for his reaction.

"This is why you're late?" He asks, still confused.

"Yes. I made them this morning."

"What is it?" He finally asks after a while, the girl slightly gasping in surprise.

"It's a blueberry muffin." She replies with a smile. When he still doesn't react, she adds, "It's food, you eat it."

The guardian had encountered some humans during his time protecting the forest, but he does not recall ever seeing something like this before.

"I'm pretty sure you get hungry too so I brought you some food." When he doesn't say anything she asks, "Do you?"

"From time to time," he says, surprised that he actually answered the girl. "I am a living being wanderer, I breathe and live just the same as all living beings."

"I see." She says with a nod.

After a brief pause, the girl speaks again. "So, why did you call me here?"

"Come." He says. "Let's go somewhere to talk."

Oh? This is new. The girl thinks to herself, quickly following behind as he begins to walk.

Their walk is silent for the most part, the girl admiring the trees while making sure not to get lost again.

At one point, she almost did get lost, but the guardian was quick to find her.

"Wow."

Her breath is taken away by the scenery surrounding her, a river running a few meters in front of them.