The Call of the Woodland Spirit

<<COVER UPDATE>>

For as long as I can remember, I wasn't like other children.

From the orphanage where I grew up, they would constantly be teasing me for wanting to explore the forests which bordered the building instead of going out into the city. Sure enough, I felt like I had a raving connection with the woods, the way the trees floated eagerly in the breeze, when wildflowers would blossom in colorful patches, and the way the fresh smell of spring rain would taint the wind. Although, before I had come of age, I had left the orphanage and my snappy caretakers early, striding with barely any caution into the forests. Immediately, I felt more at home than I had ever been.
It was uncanny, but fate seemed to lead me to a small cabin in the midst of it all.

It was held in a small clearing, so beautifully made from wooden planks that it almost shined in the sunlight. And, as I was tired from the past week I have been traveling (alone and running out of resources to survive) I stepped up to the front door and knocked. And, expected enough, a man answered my pleads for shelter and food, leading me graciously into what I thought was his home. Everything was pleasant for a time. He showed me around, in places I never even knew existed.

In spite of it, he had a few ground rules if I wanted to stay under his roof until I was able to get up on my feet again. And, I regret it now, but I grudgingly disobeyed them. And I was nearly killed in the process. But I was saved. He took care of me despite his lingering feelings about something that scared him in the past. Until, I thought that he wasn't so much of a stranger after all.

But life has numerous twists and turns that lead you to other paths.. paths that have challenges along the way.

He told me about his past, his life before, his family, and most importantly, my future.

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#1 in "forgotten" (as of April 19, 2023)
#4 in "woods" (as of April 21, 2023)
#12 in "woodlands" (as of May 3, 2023)