The human released a long sigh and removed the blade from your throat. You let out a relived breath and composed your self once more.

Then the human emitted a soft melodic tune, a whistle.

A mischievous little wood nymph peeled off the bark of a near by tree. His miniature impish features were contorted in a devilish grin, only a nymph could muster. He bounded over the quilt of leaves blanketing the ground and vaulted onto the humans shoulder with an impressive leap.

The human wasn't fazed at all by this encounter and, in fact, faced the elf and spoke like it was any other conversation.

"You told me there weren't any humans in this forest."

He must think I'm a human! I have to make sure he doesn't discover the truth.

The nymph leaned towards him and twittered unintelligible whispers in his ear. The humans eyes shifted in thought, eventually landing upon you. You tensed up, causing your spine to become rigid. He studied you for a few more drawn out seconds.

"Yes, I know I'm human." He replied, with a hint of annoyance in that, seemingly, monotone voice.

The nymph shrugged his shoulders carelessly. It did its best to appear sincere, but with the devilish grin still painted on his wooden features, the attempt was in vain. The nimble imp hopped off the human's shoulders and rejoined his arboreal home once more.

You had the urge to speak, but the human obviously wasn't in a good mood. You picked your next words wisely and carefully.

"Nymphs are pesky. Trolls are much nicer...despite the smell."

The man turned and eyed you with a furrowed brow.

Oh, no! I made the human angry! Please don't eat me!!!

The most strangest thing happened. His stormy air dissipated, revealing a small sliver of a smile on his face. Then, even the bright smile faded. It was replaced by his frequent look of apathy. He turned to you and asked a question.

"Who are you?"

You debated whether or not to tell him your name.

"(F/n), (l/n)."

"(Y/n). I like it."

Your only response was a rosy blush and a barely audible "thank you". You hadn't really imagined he would complement you.

"What's your name?" You asked.

"Lukas Bondevik..."

"Nice to meet you, Lukas."

You weren't given a verbal response, but instead a swift nod.

"I suppose I should take you home now... Where is your house?" He inquired.

"House?"

"Yes, the building you live in?"

"I don't believe I have one."

Lukas searched your eyes for honesty. Almost everyone had somewhere to call home in this day and age.

"That won't do..."

Without another word, he grasped your hand, sending shivers all over your body. You dared not to utter another word in fear that he would obliterate you.

You stumbled after him, barely able to comply to his hasty pace. Your feet dashed over the rugged forest floor, with as much grace as possible in that situation. Despite your dainty foot work, your bare feet snagged an excavated burrow in the earth.

Ugh. Tusser!

You came crashing down, like a tree after it's been acquainted with a woodsman's ax. You only had time to let out a surprised yelp. This caught the attention of the mysterious Lukas.

He sighed and trudged closer to assist you.

"No!" You shouted, fearing he would glimpse your tail. You coughed nervously, trying to dispel the tense air. "It's fine, Lukas. I just tripped, that's all."

He raised a skeptical eyebrow, but you could swear there was a hint of worry glinting somewhere deep with in those violet pools.

You tucked your tail back into your dress and prepared to lift yourself. You hoisted yourself onto your feet, sending waves of pain crashing down on your damaged ankle.

Withstanding the excruciating sensation of pain, you took one tentative step. The pain doubled, worsening your overall progression. You risked another step forward. As soon as your heel made contact with the ground, your ankle have way, causing you to collapse on the hard-packed dirt.

Lukas rolled his eyes, huffed, and lifted you up with little effort. He briskly sped to his home, careful not to agitate you.

You were nearing the end of your trip. The tree line greeted you with a view of a cozy cabin a few yards off.

You were inches from the trees when, pure fear gripped you. The fear rose, emerging as a desperate cry.

"No, please! Don't make me leave my forest!"

Lukas maintained a visual lock on his cabin, as if it would flee at any given moment.

"...Why not?..." He asked in his oddly dull manner of speaking.

"I've never been beyond the tree line..." You answered sheepishly. You looked away, to avoid his, unamused yet judging, eyes.

"Nothing is going to happen. That's why I built my cabin here. I had to have someway to escape my brothers..."

"Brothers?"

"I'd rather not talk about them..." He mumbled in a dismissive tone.

He prepared to take a step out side the protection of the wall of trees.

You squeezed your eyes shut and held your breath. Prepared for certain doom. What if you were ambushed by a pack of hideous beasts, like the elves told of? Puppies, they called them!

You felt your chest tighten with a burning sensation. You gasped for a taste the crisp air, making Lukas confront you with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you doing that for? We're here..."

Upon snapping open your eyes, you received a up close view of the comfortable accommodation.

The cabin was certainly old, but it was still a sturdy and capable home. The entire thing was erected from pillars of quality wood, and featured a few windows facing the porch. The porch itself was a skillfully built extension off the front of the building. It included two wooden rocking chairs, a small coffee table, and a swinging bench hinged to the ceiling.

Lukas approached the screen door at the back wall of the porch, with you still resting in his arms. He pried it open with a bit of difficultly and entered the living room, setting you gently on the sofa.

He glanced at you one more time, and entered a separate room with without a word.

You studied your surroundings curiously.

You were stretched out on a light blue couch, facing a lit fireplace. The soft glow of the flames sent a blanket of warmth over you, soothing your injured ankle with its magnificent rays of heat.

You tore yourself away from the hypnotizing crackles and popping produced by the coals, and noted the other aspects of the home.

The walls were coated in a vast sheet of forest green wallpaper. Little two dimensional elves danced on the glossy surface, with glee printed on their detailed portraits.

You beamed at the images, and shifted your eyes to the table on your right. It was littered with an assortment of items, all humming with a strong magical energy.

A bowl of steaming liquid was set before you, along with a silver curved stick.

You searched for the provider of the liquid casting off a delicious aroma. Lukas was waiting by the fireplace, entranced by the crackling phoenix of a fire.

"...Eat..."

You observed the bowl quizzically. You could never trust humans.

This could be a weapon of mass destruction!

After a few moments of cautiously poking at the silver stick, you lifted the spoon to your lips. The warm stew cascaded over your tongue, bringing with it a delightful concoction of flavors from all over the spectrum.

You ate the soup vigorously, finishing it rapidly.

Lukas reclaimed your dishes and began to scrub them clean in his sink. He hummed a soft tune and worked.

With the stew filling you with a cozy warmth and the exhaustion of the day's events wearing down on you, your eyelids began to shut. There wasn't much sense in challenging sleep, the couch was much more comfortable than the rock you usually sleep on and quickly proved itself to be a almost ethereal surface to rest on.

Your eyes slowly drooped and blocking out the light. You focused on the details, the texture on the couch, the distinctive scent of the burning coals, and the beautiful melody Lukas was creating.

Before you knew it, even the humming was filtered out by the blanket of blissful sleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yay! I finally finished this chapter! It takes so long for me to update, but it's so worth it! Thank you guys for your support of this book, and for continuing to follow the story. I am so psyched for the rest of this book!!! Anyways, thank you again and I'll see you in the next chapter!