Strangers in the Forest

The combination of the rushing sounds of a waterfall nearby and the warm summer sun lulled Gulin into a nap on the grass. He knew that he wasn't supposed to be loafing around and should have been picking herbs for medical supplies, but the temptation of this perfect setting was too hard to pass up. Besides he already picked most of them up and he planned to get the others on his way back, he thought to himself.

Gulin made himself comfortable by tucking both of his hands under his head and began to drift away to sleep. But just as he was about to enter a state of unconsciousness, Gulin was interrupted by the rustling of bushes nearby.

"It's not here! We're lost!" Gulin heard a female voice say. From the sound of the foot steps, Gulin could tell there it was at least four or five people. But he was too entranced by the sounds of the waterfalls to be bothered to get up and help. He hoped that they would just walk by and he could continue to enjoy his nap for a little longer. However, Gulin had no such luck and heard their footsteps approach him and stop nearby.

"Hey", it was the same female voice as before. Gulin lazily opened one eye and saw that there were six people in front of him. They varied quite differently in size, gender, age, and race. If he had seen them individually, Gulin would not have been so surprised, but together it was a sight to see. It was his first time seeing a group of people so different from one another together.

A woman with golden hair and a soft tan stepped forward in front of the group. She was dressed manly, wearing a pair of trousers that were loosely tucked into her boots and a tunic with a leather strap that covered her right shoulder and chest. It was strange to Gulin that she was dressed like a man, but it somehow made sense among this diverse group of people.

"Sorry to wake you from your nap… young warrior", her eyes glanced to the sword beside Gulin. "But do you know where the nearest town is?"

Gulin slowly opened his other eye and sat up. He lethargically pointed in the general direction of the town he passed by a few days ago. "It's about ten miles that way", he said.

"Thank you", an old man in the group bowed his head slightly. He had short dark grey hair and his small dark eyes were hidden among a sea of wrinkles on his face.

Gulin nodded slowly at the six strangers and yawned before laying back down and closing his eyes, expecting for them to leave. But instead he felt something poke at his shin. This time his eyes opened immediately and he saw that it was the same old man, standing above him with a long green walking stick in his hand.

"Are you okay?" the old man asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine", Gulin was beginning to get annoyed. "If you have nothing left to ask me, would you please leave."

"You're quite the brave fellow to be napping here so casually. Haven't you heard of the rumors of bandits nearby", the old man said.

"How would you know if there are bandits nearby if you can't even find the town nearby", Gulin said rudely, hoping that they would leave.

"You insolent little-" a balding fat man stepped forward with his fist clenched. Gulin quickly sat up and reached for his sword. But before his hand even came close to it, the old man held up his green stick to stop the fat man from coming any closer.

"Ash, he's just a young man. He does not know any better", the old man gently nudged him back with his stick.

As Gulin watched the fat man reluctantly step back to the other four, he realized that they were all carefully watching his hand reaching for his sword. Gulin let his hand drop to his lap instead, understanding that if he gotten his hands on his sword before the old man stopped the fat man they would have all attacked him. He cursed himself in his head for being foolish and was somewhat thankful the old man had stopped the situation before it could escalate.

"I am sorry for bothering you but I urge you to leave this forest soon. It will not be safe for you alone out here", the old man said. Gulin was unsure if the old man was genuinely concerned for his wellbeing or if it was a veiled attempt at a threat.

"Thanks, I appreciate your concern", Gulin changed his tone to a politer manner now that he realized the predicament he was in. "And I will take your warn-erm… I mean advice, into consideration. But I think I would like to enjoy this view for a little while longer", he lied. He wanted to make sure that they were long gone before he left. Gulin didn't want to risk one of them following him back to his father.

"Very well", the old man nodded and turned around to leave. "Be sure to leave soon, the beautiful scenery could quickly change to be a very ugly one," the old man said with his back turned to Gulin. He solemnly nodded to his group and they all began to walk into the direction Gulin had pointed in earlier.

Gulin watched them as they walked backed through the trees and disappeared from his sight and waited until he could no longer hear their footsteps. He then stood up and wiped the specks of dirt and debris that clung to his clothes and took one last look at the waterfall rushing into the nearby lake, trying to commit everything to memory. Gulin sighed, feeling a little sad that he had to leave so soon. But he would be a fool to ignore the old man's words, threat or not.