The Woodland Creature

Story of a Forest nymph

There had always been legends floating around that there were unthinkable monsters living in the woods of Delat. It was said that these monsters were hideous to behold, their skin a rotted green and peeling off their bones; their hair was described as spider webs infested with bugs and decayed leaves. Some claimed that these monsters were clothed in the putrid remains of the wild beasts that inhabited their realm, while others said that they actually wore human skins, pilfered from the graves of the newly-interred dead to cover their bodies. Nobody could quite agree on the features of these monsters, but they all agreed on one thing: they (for they were certain there was more than one) were powerful beings and should be avoided at all costs.

Twilley, the protector of the green forests and woodland critters, thought that the humans' imaginations were both disgusting and amazing at the same time. Amazing because they were actually capable of imagining that something nonhuman and nonanimal lived within the sanctuary of the trees; and disgusting because they thought up the most hideous things for her to be clothed in and look like. For one thing, her skin was most definitely not rotted, it was a nice and smooth emerald green, which was a good thing because it meant that she was healthy. Her hair had not a strand of spider web in it, thick and luxurious, it was exactly the same as human hair; except for the fact that it was green and strewn through with various leaves and flowers 'Certainly no bugs, that's just yuck!' The worst belief however, was the one about what she wore. Who in their right mind would want to wear rotting pelts? Or, even worse, decaying human flesh? That's just vile! Her clothing was made of the grass she was given from the eternal garden, which would never wilt or rot.

Shaking her green head and setting a few crystal ornaments to tinkling, Twilley hummed under her breath and sped from branch to branch, checking to make sure everything was in order and peaceful within the woods before the sun rose. I don't want another human to see me and start making up even more stories. There had already been enough sightings to keep Delat full of myths for the next few decades. So far, everything she had scouted through seemed to be normal, except for the squabbling of an owl and a crow, but she set that straight quickly and moved on. She was about to head back to her sheltered grove to rest for the day when she heard the distressed mewling of a tiger cub. Without a second thought, she altered her course and pushed her long legs to sprint a bit faster; the cub had sounded as if it were in a tremendous amount of pain. Her eyes narrowed in concentration, she eventually found the little cub, and was horrified to see that it was caught in a hunter's net trap.

Outraged, the nymph, for that was what she actually was, began to savagely tear away at the rope with her fingers, not caring about the fact that she was getting rope burns. The beasts! Why are they still doing atrocities like this? Her face hardened, refusing to let the tears that had sprung up in her eyes fall; she knew that as soon as the cub had been snatched up by the net, its mother had sped away, unable to help. Twilley never noticed that there was a pair of wide eyes observing her from the cover of a bush as she freed the little cub and watched it limp away in search of its den. She did notice when the bush rustled as a young man stood and stepped out from behind it. The human was startled when she whirled around in surprise, crouching low and baring her teeth at him; it did not have as big an impact as it would have if her teeth had been pointed, but he did stop his advance and watched her warily. There's no helping it now, he has seen me. Her eyes darted this way and that, calculating the best way to get away from the impudent human.

“I'm sorry if I startled you but, why did you let my cub escape?” He realized he'd said something wrong when the creature's eyes narrowed dangerously and she actually growled at him. “YOUR CUB?? How dare you believe that you can own a spirit of this forest! We are not for humans' amusement,” Ryel, for that was the young human's name, was even more surprised when the girl crouching before him was so adamant that he could imagine fire sparks dancing behind her eyes. Meanwhile, Twilley had been gathering herself for a leap straight up into the branches, to escape this repulsive and unthinking human before she broke the one rule of her kind: Do not intentionally hurt others. She wanted very badly to harm this insolent little boy for trying to enslave one of the dwellers of her forest. “Leave my forest, human, and tell your kind that they are not welcome here.” Her voice rang through the little clearing and she launched herself up and away, disappearing faster than he could see.

Instead of going home, she traveled to the largest clearing, in the very middle of the forest, and threw her head back to release a screech that would be heard to the very edge of the trees and not an inch further. Twilley was summoning all the creatures of the forest, from the largest most noble tiger, to the humble ant. Casting her green magic wide enough to also communicate with the trees, she let the entire forest that humans were not allowed to set even one foot within the boundaries of their home until they learned to respect every creature's life and freedom. That very night, the ancient trees grew taller and thicker, more foreboding than they had ever been; and the animals of the forest patrolled every possible entrance that humans could ever consider using to enter their sanctuary, all the while teaching their young ones the task and instructing them to remember always and teach their own young ones. For generations, the Forest of Sorrow, for that was what the inhabitants of Delat came to call it after many of their populace was lost to the protectors of the trees, became enshrouded in even more myths and legends.

One legend spoke of a fair maiden, spirited from a far away kingdom who had had her heart stolen by the forest and its creatures and who now lived in the heart of the forest, forever young and awaiting the day when she would be allowed to roam free once again. The last person to have escaped the forest and its animal warriors was a very old man; he had built a tiny cottage at the very edge of town, his front door opening to look upon the thick foliage. He was thought to be crazy to the very day he died, for he spent all his time telling any who passed by to stay away from Sorrows, or their lives would be forfeit. “The Green Princess will burn your soul right out of your body!” He would scream and cackle, having lost his mind when he was a young man. His was a very quiet passing, only a few noticing that he was no longer sitting on his porch and yelling at passersby.

To this very day, not a single human may step in Sorrows and keep his life, for we have not yet learned to respect and love all life as we love ourselves. Twilley still lives in her forest, at peace with her animal friends and away from insensitive humans. She never knew that the human who caused her great anger no longer lived, for time seemed to pass at a much slower rate within her sanctuary than the rest of the world. Now she waits for the day when she can look out through the tree trunks to see the interactions of humans once more.

Author's Note

Written for Suzhi Mix on Menewsha