While hiking to Moomin Valley for the first time, you meet a kind gentleman who goes by the name of 'Snufkin', who happens to be headed to the same destination as you. You join forces and head to Moominvalley. Stinky, however, finds it quite fun to...
You walk down the trail, taking in the familiar yet new trees in your surroundings. Though you know each type of tree well, you feel a different personality in each one. The sun shines through the canopy, and it smells slightly of moist soil from the recent rain. You come across a fork in the road and look at your map to find which way to head.
"Hey," someone says behind you. They, presumably a 'he', has a deep, soothing voice with hints of youth. You jump and turn around, startled. As you make out his face, you see calm brown eyes, somewhat tan skin, a rather pointy nose, and a somewhat surprised smile. He dons a pointed green hat and a green tunic, followed by dark green pants and brown boots. He also has a yellow scarf wrapped around his neck. He looks to be around your age.
"Heh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you like that. Here, let me get that for you," he says, picking up the map that you didn't even realize that you dropped.
"My name is Snufkin. What is your's?" he asks, handing you your map.
"T-thank you. My name is (Y/N)," you say, a bit flustered, taking the map from his hands. You put the map back in your bag and look at Snufkin again. You stare at each other for a moment, waiting for someone to speak.
"Where are you heading off to?" Snufkin asks, breaking the silence.
"O-oh...uh..." you stutter. 'That's strange...' you think. You don't usually stutter. "I'm heading to a place called 'Moomin Valley'. I've heard that it is quite beautiful in the spring. Have you heard of it?" you finish.
"Oh, what a coincidence!", Snufkin exclaims, "That is where I am off to too. You are correct, it is stunning in the spring!"
"...not as stunning as you though..." you hear him mutter under his breath.
"H-huh!?" you stutter, heat spreading across your cheeks.
"N-nothing, don't worry about it! Say, would you like to travel together, at least until we get to Moomin Valley since we are heading the same way?" He bursts out, face red from embarrassment. You accept his offer and continue down the path, still confused about what he said about you. You try to brush it aside, as he surely couldn't mean that. You just keep on walking.
Snufkin's POV
'Oh my... how embarrassing' I think as I walk down the path. It's true, I have never seen someone as eye-catching as (Y/N), but to think that she actually heard me say that. I continue to stare at the ground, my cheeks still red from a few minutes ago. I fiddle with my scarf, trying to get my mind off the whole ordeal. I get that it may not have been that big of a deal, but it was rather embarrassing for me nonetheless.
"Hey Snufkin, are you alright? You keep staring at the ground," (Y/N) asks, getting my attention. I look up from the ground at her and gaze into her (E/C) eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit flustered," I say. To distract myself, I reach into my bag and pull out my harmonica. I start to play a tune, and I see (Y/N) pull out an instrument of her own. She wraps the thin rope connected around it like a necklace.
"What instrument is that?" I ask, pausing my song.
"It's called an ocarina! They originated in France, and they are quite fun to play. This specific one is called a 'Sauna ocarina' and comes from Finland, ''she says, her (E/C) eyes lighting up. I can tell that she really enjoys talking about them.
"An ocarina, huh? Is that the only one you have, or do you have more?" I ask, intrigued.
"I have a few others in my bag. I have a 12-holed ocarina, a triple-chambered ocarina, and a 6-holed ocarina in my bag on top of this one," She says.
"That's really interesting!," I say, resuming my song. (Y/N) joins in with her ocarina. The clay instrument emits an entrancing deep bellow, adding a nice touch to the song being played.
We continue down the trail for the next few minutes, the sound ringing through the forest. I saw quite a few small animals observing us, appearing to bounce to the rhythm. By the time we reach the next split in the road, we have at least fifteen animals watching us, enjoying the melody. I play for a moment more, then put my harmonica away.
"Which way are we going next, Snufkin?" (Y/N) asks, stopping her song as well. She lets go of the ocarina, and I panic for a moment before the string around her neck catches it. It now looks like an oversized pendant on a necklace.
"We need to head right, and once we do, we one will have another twenty minutes or so until we reach Moomin Valley", I say, pointing to the right.
"Alright!", the (H/C) haired girl replies, heading down the trail I was pointing to. I follow suit, walking by her side.
Word Count : 855
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