Hidden In The Trees

Late spring meant the wild hummed with life. Mating season kept in full swing as plants flowered and bloomed. The Woods around them filled with greening Cork Oak and Golden Larch trees. Heat beat down from the sky. Under the shaded path, Caleb and Amanda marched forwards.

Caleb lagged behind Amanda as he said, "Why do I have to carry your bag, again?"

Amanda slowed down and said, "You have a wider body, so it's not as uncomfortable for you as it is for me."

"Why does it matter about comfort? You're the one who brought so many things. Shouldn't we carry our own stuff?"

"Oh yeah? I brought our necessities since you never help prepare anything. That's a lot of things. Well, how are we going to eat? Drink? Do you want cooked food or not?"

"If it was before I received the Inheritance… now, we're literally completely different people now. Why do we need to eat or drink or rest?"

"You don't suddenly stop wanting to eat food. Food is important for its taste, fullness, and socializing!"

"I did like watching you cook and eat while snuggling up with you."

Amanda's eyebrow twitched. She forgot Caleb only stayed at home and talked with her. He never learned recipes from the Uncles and Aunties. He never sat at their homes, laughing at jokes and eating a hard-earned meal. He never had his hair ruffled or encouraged little kids. He never did anything, when she really thought about it.

"Still, we can skip the annoying part of preparing meals and wasting time with our mouths full. Besides, I never liked to eat your cooking."

Amanda stopped in her tracks and held out her arm. Caleb slightly bumped into it and also stopped.

He thought she looked weird, so he asked, "What's the hold up?"

"...What's wrong with my cooking?" Amanda demanded. Her voice cut as sharp as a kitchen knife.

"Oh, that? You always overcooked things. You burned the edges of toast, unevenly cooked the sides of eggs, added weird ingredients, and so on. With your cooking, it was like a surprise. I didn't complain because I didn't want you to make me start cooking. Preparing ingredients is too much, let alone making a meal."

Amanda gritted her teeth, but moved on.

"Fine, so my cooking wasn't the best! I was doing my best!"

Caleb nodded and said, "Yeah! So, why do you still want to cook? Isn't it so troublesome to do? Ingredients need to be gathered, and even then, they rot. We have to eat them within the next few days or survive off of hard bread and salted meat. Speaking of food, we should really finish everything we brought or else it will go bad."

Caleb put the large and cumbersome bag on the ground. He opened it and searched for the food.

Amanda's face turned red and she yelled, "Wait, why do you want to eat my cooking! You said you didn't like it!"

Caleb took out the food and set aside the non-perishables. He nodded while setting up a clear spot on a flat rock.

"Yeah, I don't like it, but wouldn't all that effort you put in it go to waste? That would be sad, right? I might as well eat it, so you don't have to stomach it."

Amanda blushed as she fumed quietly. Caleb slowly ate, saving even the crumbs.

"I-idiot. You can't just say things like that…" she muttered.

Amanda was used to being busy that she never paid much attention to how her food tasted. She had to clean up the house, get buckets of water from the well, collect and cut firewood, sew and repair clothes, make candles out of animal fat, and all the other little things just to baby Caleb.

When the Aunties tasted her cooking and said she did fantastic, she took it with pride! But to learn that they lied to protect her feelings and kept trying to teach her again and again… How Caleb appreciated what work she went through… Why Amanda could never fill in for Mom…

Amanda sniffled as tears filled her eyes.

"You can't say it so casually…"

Caleb continued munched but left the food. He walked over to Amanda and comforted her in his arms.

"Don't worry about what happened in the past. We're doing fine, so who cares if you aren't perfect? We have all the time in the World to do what we want. Aren't we like the perfect beings, practically Gods embodied?"

The tears beaded into droplets at the sides of Amanda's brown eyes. She looked up into his sapphire eyes.

"...Well, do you know how to control the power in our bodies? If we can't use it, what's the point of having it?"

"You're right. Having power doesn't make us experienced or skilled. Like, I can only defend myself. That doesn't mean that we can't change anything. If we keep trying, it's inevitable that we become great. We can practice every day, becoming better and better. All we have to do is fix the imperfections, no matter how hard or how long it takes."

"Ugh… why can't you just shut up and be nice to me."

Amanda fell down to her knees and hugged Caleb's chest. Her tears wet the front of his shirt. Caleb bent over and patted her back.

He said, "I thought I was… Whatever. It's fine to let out your feelings. Just know I'll always be by your side."

But, further past the mating Black-Toed deer and the White Mulberry trees, a translucent man sped forwards!

Fluctuations shook the air, increasing his high acceleration! In the moment he took to reach Caleb, a Sultan Tit dropped a grasshopper in its baby's mouth!

The man roared, "Stop, you!

Stop, you…

Stop, you..

Stop, you."

Caleb and Amanda turned around to stare at him.

Caleb snorted, "Why are you repeating what you just said? You don't need to echo your words for us to understand."

The man stroked his long white beard that dangled like an isosceles triangle. He wore frayed brown robes that billowed in the wind. His face scrunched up his wrinkles.

"I knew I sensed strong shifts in vitality! You, evildoer! How dare you practice Demonic Techniques and control that unwilling woman's body! The flow of your vitality consumes her, and for you to do such shameless things in the open, well, for that, I will punish you!"

The man still bounded towards them, raising his arms. His long and loose sleeves flowed behind him like a Peacock's tail! His hands spun in circular motions as he closed in on the last thirty paces of distance!

He yelled, "Buddy Technique: Impure Infection to Pure Rejection!"

Eight golden pillars of glowing vitality spewed from his body and shot straight for Caleb! Caleb felt himself lose control over his body as he dashed over to the man. Caleb's body fell near the ground as he ran across the grass like a Cheetah made of air! The light passed over his head when he ducked and then Caleb spun, using his jump and rotational force to knee the man in the face!

"Soaring Knee!" Caleb weakly said.

Those words were the best he could think of in the few seconds that passed. After all, he didn't know how his body would counterattack…

The translucent man spiraled in the air, like a Black Kite with its primary feathers cut! His face caved in and red flows of vitality spewed from his face! He limply plopped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"What was that?" Amanda asked.

"I have no idea. We should pack up and leave before more of these people show up."

Caleb and Amanda quickly gathered their things and ran further into the Woods, off from the main dirt path.

From where the translucent man appeared, a chubby young man about eighteen years-old came running. He held his round chest and took deep, gasping breaths. His face burned red in exhaustion, but he kept running.

"F*ck! Great-Grandpa, when you transcend your body, don't run off from everyone else! We can't catch up to someone that reached the One With Community stage…"

The chubby man stopped to catch his breath. He rubbed his pounding heart and crouched down for some time.

"I'm only at the One With Family stage. Two stages whole f*cking stages under you, Great-Grandpa! Have mercy!"

The chubby man looked up and saw the fallen form of his Great-Grandpa. His body twitched erratically.

"Great-Grandpa, no!!! Who did this!"

The chubby man ran over, ignoring his overtaxed body. He picked up his Great-Grandpa who gasped more heavily.

"Bufford… Evil… enslaved… woman… Run… too… strong…"

"No, Great-Grandpa! I'll take you with me!"

"No… time… sur...vive!"

Great-Grandpa slowly dissolved into blinding light! His head converted into particles of vitality that blew with the breeze. His neck to his body to his leg to all the way to his toes… He truly became One With Nature…

"Great-Grandpa!!!" Bufford shouted.

Tears streamed down his face like waterfalls. He took his time to mourn.

From where Caleb and Amanda appeared, a platinum blond woman sniffed the air and a man hobbling on a deformed leg followed shortly behind. These people were Vanessa and Bill!

"Why're we going this way, again, Miss Fairy? Aren't you tired of walking around so much?"

A glint appeared in Bill's eyes, but he still remained confused. Not many women walked fine after spending a night with him!

"We need to find a man. He will fix all our problems!"

"I dunno, Miss Fairy. Aren't we like a couple or something? We spent a whole day shagging on a boulder. Why're you chasing another man?"

"Because he's the Inheritor! We are a mistake!" she hissed.

"I dunno about that, Miss Fairy. You're the one that asked me to come over and bang you. Wait, is he like your father or something?"

The woman glared at him with her vermillion eyes.

"He's like a father, but not really my father."

"Ah! So like he adopted you! Oh, does that mean we're together?"

"What do you— of course we're going together! How else is he going to fix this!"

"Awwww yeaaaah! Miss Fairy, are we going to meet your mother too?"

"I don't have a mother! Gah!!! Relying on you for sustenance is defiling my being! How could I be contracted with you as my provider!"

Bill shrugged and said, "I have no idea what you said, but it sounded hot. Oh yeah, now that I think about it, did I get you pregnant?"

"P-p-pregnant!?!" Vanessa screamed in horror.

Realization came across her face! He was her provider, so if he willed it…

Ahead of them, the chubby Bufford heard Vanessa's scream. He looked up and saw them! Vanessa clutched her chest as Bill stood behind her, a face full of excitement! Bufford screamed, but no noise came from his mouth.

Bufford ran as fast as he could! If he didn't want to die today, then he had to go home! Avenging his Great-Grandpa was one thing, but Bufford's life mattered the most!

Vanessa clutched her chest and stroked the design that appeared on her heart. She shivered, realizing she mistakenly gave a random hobo full control over her destiny.

"Hey, if you are pregnant, that'd be great! Ha! Having a baby with a Fairy! Oh, we'll live as a family, feeding off of nature and peacefully passing our time together…"

Vanessa stared at him, aghast at the implications. She never wanted this to happen! Silently, tears fell down her face. Bill noticed and wiped them away with the back of his dirty hand.

"Shhh. Shhh. Don't worry. I'm sure it won't be too bad. I'm a responsible man, trust me! I mean, if I can find honest work, I will work! We can help your In-Hair-whatever out and there won't be any problems! I mean, why not make more kids while we're at it? Your dad will love having grandchildren!"

Vanessa turned around and followed after Caleb. Her face filled with abject horror and disgust.

"Aw, c'mon, Miss Fairy. I may be a human, but not all humans are bad."

Vanessa left the dirt path and walked into the woods, sniffing every now and then.

"If you're so worried that your dad won't accept us, we can make sure you're pregnant so he has to accept me!"

Bill's eyes filled with determination, along with a few other emotions. He picked up Vanessa in his arms.

"W-wait, what are you doing!?" she screamed.

"Aren't you stressed? I can help relieve your worries," Bill whispered sultrily in her ear.

Vanessa opened her mouth to scream, but Bill deeply kissed her. His tongue sensually stimulated her mouth and his hands made their way along her body.

"Trust me. I'm an experienced man."

Bill winked as Vanessa blushed. She couldn't fight back… At least, that's what she told herself when her legs shook in excitement.

'I don't want to do this because I like it. I just need to… refuel my vitality!' she thought.

Mating season continued in full swing this late spring...