Mystic Forest
Trees, plants and shadow as far as the eye can see. An illuminescent mist descending through the air. The bright moon, blocked by the dense canopy above but still managing to shine down through, casting beams of holy light through random places to brighten up the gloomy but mystical view. The sounds of a thousand insects singing their nightly song. The crunch of a twig snapping under the soul of a hardened leather boot from a Ranger of the forest, followed by the silent patter of another, more delicate and graceful than the first.
He ran like the wind, treading carefully to avoid stepping on any small flowers or animals, ducking past the many low lying branches that turned his chosen path into an obstacle course and laughing heartily as he looked back to see Her just a few steps behind. The extent of the forest passed by then in seemingly no time, until they came to a large clearing in the depths of the forest. Covering the floor of this clearing was a lush green meadow. Each and every blade of grass was dancing in the wind and glittering from the lunar light reflecting off the droplets on the grass. There was a single feature to the area: a solemn, gray tree, many times grander than the others of the forest, yet it was alone and bore no leaves.
Obsessed by the beauty of the scene, they slowly walked forward, and became part of it. Their bright long hair, made silver in the light, danced along to the flow of the wind. Suddenly, She dashed forward, excitedly, towards the base of the tree and with a single leap, landed on the tallest branch. She sat down there, called back to Him, then gazed up at the sky and fell silent once more. He followed and chose to climb the tree rather than jump its height. When he joined her on the branch, he followed her gaze and stared into the clear night sky.
The glistening light of the dew on the grass matched perfectly with the stars in their view. There were no clouds in the sky so none of the billions of stars were hidden from them. They searched for the familiar constellations that they had known from childhood, but could recognize none from the countless that they could see. He looked back down at her, observing her fine long hair flowing behind her face, almost covering her pointy ears, which were just as pointy as his own, and her smooth, pale features. She noticed that she became the center of great attention, then looked back at him. His hair was not as long or as neatly kept as her own, but it was still just as active in the air. The parts to his face were more distinct, yet just as kind and smooth as her own. They looked deeply into each other’s eyes, then he embraced her, who happily returned it. They stayed there, arm in arm, bathing in the beauty of the scene. Time seemed to come to a complete stop, and the moment lasted an eternity, until eventually the stars faded as the sun rose up, breaking the moment and letting them continue on their journey.
By: Xaphania