Two days later, Tomas and Eila asked their parents if they could go visit the forest again, which they agreed to, so long as they came back before lunchtime. The twins figured they could check how the man was doing and then return before lunch. After packing a few snacks and drinks in their picnic basket, they went off into the forest, met with Flora again, and searched for the tree near the lake.

On the way they found the remains of a small campfire. The two figured the man built it overnight for cooking, as there were a few bones near it. Likely the remains of his meals, judging from the few spots of fur and flesh stuck on them. Beside the campfire laid the man's coat, identified by their emerald color with black and yellow lines along the seams. A golden flying serpent was embroidered on its back, a sign of one's noble status according to Lady Anne's travel stories. According to her, the creature depicted on a noble's clothing indicated their place of providence, though they could not recognize the serpent.

The spot underneath the tree where they had found him yesterday was empty. Searching, the children soon spotted him sitting by the lakeshore washing his face. His long dark green hair was tied into a loose ponytail, though it was mere inches from touching the ground in his crouched position. As the twins approached the man, he looked to the side and noticed them. The twins flinched briefly, as he still had an intense stare at times.

Tomas approached him first and waved, "Hi again!"

Eila said with a large grin, "Hello! Feeling better?"

The man remained sitting and turned his head towards the kids, saying, "Hello children. I am quite surprised you came back to visit me so soon. But to answer your question, yes, I am faring much better, though my shoulder aches still."

His clothes had dried bloodstains, and their damp texture hinted the man attempted to wash them off.

Eila observed him wide-eyed, impressed at his swift recovery as she remembered how disheveled he looked at first. She walked toward the man, offering him fruits and a granola bar this time. As before, the man was hesitant to accept, but told her to leave them near the tree behind him.

The man said, "I must say, your forest is home to particularly interesting creatures. Quite wonderful to see so many here, not like my home."

After a moment of silence, Tomas asked, "Hey, how did you end up in the forest like this? Were you traveling and had an accident here?"

The man glanced at Tomas but remained silent and stared at the water.

Tomas lowered his voice and rubbed the back of his neck, "Oh, sorry if that was a bit too, uh, personal. Just, um, I thought it was weird seeing you like that when we found you. And you don't look like you're from around here."

The man sighed, "No, it is fine. I do come from a place far away from this forest. As for how I got here with my injuries, well, I will admit that I was attacked while on my travels and had no choice but to hide by the tree where I now reside. I was sure my attackers would find me, but I was most fortunate that it was you two who did instead."

Eila swiftly turned to face the man, her eyes wide as she shouted, "Wait, you were attacked? Did the forest spiders get to you?"

"Ah, no. My attackers were not beasts like those. They appeared unexpectedly, attacked and robbed me, took an object most precious to me...and I mean to get it back as soon as I recover." His eyes darkened as he spoke, "The stone they took is very valuable, a one-of-a-kind gem. I must retrieve it from them..."

Eila raised an eyebrow, "But, do you know where they could have gone? Can you even catch up to them? Maybe you should get the police to help! That's what dad always tells us to do if there's trouble."

The man gave a small grin and chuckled, shaking his head, "Those thieves are not a group mere police could handle, I assure you. If I were at my full strength I could..."

He paused and looked at the twins, "Ah, forgive me. I do not wish to worry you two about my situation. Still, I am grateful for your advice, though I believe I will handle this on my own."

The twins still felt uneasy about his attackers, yet the man seemed quite confident about pursuing them. Tomas glanced at his watch; it was slightly past 11 a.m. now. He thought it would take about half an hour to go back home, so he called Eila over.

"Hey sis, we need to go home soon, are you done wrapping up the food?"

"Yep!" Eila said with a firm nod. She turned towards the man, pointing at him, "Say, how about we come back in two more days to check on you again?"

The man tilted his head slightly, placing a finger upon his temple, "Hmm. To dedicate this much time caring for a stranger you found in the forest... That is admirable, yet reckless. Still, you are free to see me again as I recover, though regretfully I must leave eventually."

"And how long 'till you leave then?" The girl asked.

"I should be able to go in about a week if all goes well. Now then, take care." The man then stood up and walked into the lake, looking from side to side. "I believe I will find my lunch in these waters."

The twins began making their way to the other side of the lake, when Eila lowered her head to the ground and said in a low voice, "You know, maybe calling a stranger in a forest our friend is kinda 'reckless', like he said. Still, something about him tells me he's not a bad guy. I mean, he got attacked by thieves and all."

Tomas responded, "We dunno what happened to him, just that he was 'traveling' and then got attacked by some thieves. I saw an episode from that crime series dad watches, they said thieves don't attack so violently. Like, in the show, the dudes went up to the victim and acted super scary, but they never hurt him."

"Maybe the guy resisted and fought the thieves?"

"I guess, he does look pretty tough, and those yellow eyes kinda scare me. They're so weird and intense, it's creepy to look at."

Eila nodded while giggling and continued chatting on their way home, "We should get him to show us everything he's seen in the forest. We might even find animals we haven't seen before!"

Tomas' eyes lit up as she said this, and both went home with big smiles on their faces.

During the week, they asked their parents to go play in the forest in the morning to talk with the man in green, exploring the forest, seeing all kinds of animals and bugs. Eila managed to photograph a silkie jumping out of the water, a deer with glowing antlers, and a jackalope eating berries. Tomas caught beetles of all colors and sizes, including a tri-horned golden beetle, and though he did see two giant dragonflies they were a bit too large to be caught with his net.

The two often asked the man about himself, his homeland, family, and many other questions to know more about him. He often tried avoiding those questions though. When asked about his name, he explained that it would be difficult for the twins to pronounce as it was in a language they did not know, so Eila suggested they call him Mr. Green, though he did not seem very fond of the nickname. In the end, they only managed to learn that he's an ambassador of sorts, and that he arrived from somewhere far off in the west.

On the last day they saw him, Tomas learned how to catch a tigerfish in the lake with his hands using a technique the man used, while Eila photographed them in the lake.

As noon neared, the three sat by the large tree eating sandwiches when the man said, "I am... afraid this may be the last time we will meet, children. I shall leave by nighttime."

Tomas and Eila were caught off-guard by his sudden words, interrupted while looking over her photos.

Though they had known this moment would arrive soon, both lowered their heads as Eila said, "We know, but still, it's been fun hanging out in the forest! We were even starting to think of you as a buddy of ours, but there's so much we don't know about you yet and now you're leaving..."

Eila paused, her eyes fixed on her camera with a thoughtful look. Tomas walked beside her and placed an arm on her shoulder as comfort.

He turned to the man and said, "Yeah, we've only known you for a few days, but we've had so much fun! I kinda wish you could stay a bit longer too and teach me some more hunting techniques, but you've got somewhere to be, right?"

Then man smiled softly and approached the twins, patting their heads, "I thank you for understanding. But do not worry, you two have much time to explore this forest's wonders without me. And I do feel our paths may cross again, though I do not know how long until then. For now, we go on our separate ways."

Though the twins were saddened, they finished their lunch and exchanged their goodbyes. As both began packing, they ran over to hug the man before leaving. Then the twins headed back home with heavy hearts, though somewhat comforted by his words.

As they exited the forest, Eila said, "You know, this might be weird, but I feel we made a good friend in just a few days. Sure, we still don't really know everything about him, but he did say we might see him again."

"Yeah, same." Tomas, however, thought their friend might've said that to comfort them feeling their chances of seeing the man again were slim. Especially since his home was very far away and they didn't know how long it would take for him to find the thieves, if ever. Still, Tomas decided to have hope like Eila and move on.

Once they got home, Eila printed out some of the photos they had taken that day and placed them in a separate album. Though they were not sure if they would meet again, they will at least keep their memory of him in that album. After that, the twins had their dinner and went to bed early, as they will spend time at one of their friend's house the next day. The rest of their summer vacation was spent going on trips to the forest with their parents, exploring new places and identifying the creatures with Flora's help.

Meanwhile, the man in green roamed the lands, looking for any sign of the thieves. One night, as he looked up at the night sky, a meteor shower occurred. He somberly stared at the sky as it glowed with orange and red streaks.

"I must hurry..."