Searching For a Flower

I'm in the forest near the tribe now, but no, I'm not after rabbit horns this week. This time, my mission is different—I'm out here…

"What are we here for again?"

Ah, yes, Mirina is with me today. Why? That's a great question. Too bad not all good questions have good answers. It's unfortunate.

"I'M looking for a flower; you, I'm not so sure."

"Hehehe, I didn't know you liked flowers that much."

"I-I'm not looking for it because I like… ah, never mind."

But seriously, my mission today is to collect a flower. This particular flower has a distinct look: small, round green leaves at the base with a long stalk covered in tiny yellow flowers, giving it a fuzzy appearance. Thinking about it, I think I've seen one of these a long time ago. What was it called again? Cat's-tail grass? Something like that.

And now, you're probably wondering why I'm looking for this flower. No, it's not for cooking this time—sadly. Mama Huiya asked me to collect this specific flower. Why? Probably for a potion ingredient. Want to know the best part? It's not like we don't already have any of these flowers—no, we actually have a box full of them. So why am I out here to get more? I have no idea.

Huh, am I forgetting something?

"So where do we find this flower, then?"

Oh, right, thanks for reminding me. This particular flower is tricky to gather and is usually found deeper in the forest in open areas. And why is it hard to pick? Its flowers only open at night; before that, they look identical to another local plant, a grass-tail, which isn't very useful… at least not for potions. Anyway, when the flower finally opens, there's not much time to collect it, since its scent and bright color attract many animals that come to eat it. Seriously, even wolves eat these things.

And now, knowing all of that, you might be wondering why I brought Mirina along, even though this is clearly a dangerous mission. The answer is simple—I didn't have much of a choice. I'm afraid she'd try to follow me into the forest if I went alone without saying anything. And if she's going to be out here exposed to danger because of me, I'd rather have her in my line of sight when it happens. Thanks very much.

I would have found a way to keep her in the village if this were too dangerous, but even though we're going deeper into the forest, it's still relatively close to the tribe, so there are practically no wolves or fierce beasts in the area, and we should be back by nightfall, so it's all good—nothing bad is going to happen.

"Phoebee…"

Mirina says, a few steps behind me. Turning back, I see her balancing on top of some large rocks on the ground, arms stretched out. This part of the forest is full of these stones.

"What is it?"

"Do you always do this kind of thing alone?"

"What kind of thing?"

She pauses for a moment, looking at me. "You know… going into the forest like this?"

"Well, I wouldn't say always, you know? Sometimes that gobl—er, Mama Huiya joins me on my little missions, but most of the time? Yeah, I do come out here alone. But don't worry, I've been doing this for a while."

I say as I walk backward, arms behind my head, then finally turn around to face forward again.

"By the way, get down from those rocks; you're going to fall," I point out.

"Humpf, you underestimate me! I'm not a little kid anymore," says the 8-year-old. "And my balance is really good! So there's no way I'd fa- Uh?" she says as a butterfly flutters by her face. She gets distracted, stumbles, and falls—but before she hits a rock, I, having predicted this outcome, catch her in a princess carry.

"Told you," I say, looking at her, cheeks red with embarrassment. I fail to keep a smile from forming on my face.

"You meanie!"

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We walk for about two hours, and the sun has already started to set on the horizon. If I remember correctly, we should be about 30 minutes away. It's pretty obvious, but I'm not searching for these flowers aimlessly in a forest right now. I'm not that dumb—I know exactly where I'm going, after all; I've already walked aimlessly in the forest to gather those flowers before.

"But how does it work?" she asks, tilting her head to the side with one hand on her chin.

"It's not that weird once you get used to it, you know?"

"But it looks like you're always walking on tiptoes. That has to be weird, right?"

"Well, my feet have always been like this, so it doesn't really make a difference."

"Guess you're right."

We talk about a lot of things on the way. One of the most common topics is my various anatomical differences. I won't lie; she's managed to cook up some pretty good questions about my body. Like my horns—do they get in the way when I go through a door? Answer: not yet, but they probably will someday. Another question was about my sleeping position, and yes, sleeping face-down was a privilege I lost over time. Truly important questions.

"But Phoebe, you're pretty fast, huh?"

"What makes you think that?"

"You moved so quickly to catch me when I fell! Speaking of which, are you okay?"

'And now you're worried about that?' I try my best to suppress a chuckle from escaping.

"I work hard to be the fastest, you know? And why wouldn't I be okay?" I reply, raising an eyebrow at the question.

"W-well, I was falling pretty fast… and maybe I'm a bit heavy…"

Hearing this, I really can't hold it back, and a small laugh slips out. "Pfft—I thought you were a bit quiet… is that what you were worried about?"

"I-I just…" She tries to answer but gets too embarrassed remembering the moment and totally fails.

"No need to be embarrassed; you're lighter than a feather, and I could carry you all the way back to the village without a problem."

We're only about five minutes away now, and we won't have to wait long for the flower to bloom. I don't need to worry about animals coming to eat it either—I chose an area that's farther out, with fewer large animals like deer or wolves. And no rabbit dens nearby, so I shouldn't have any trouble collecting the flower. The plan is perf—

"And I already told you to get down from those rocks! Are you trying to fall again?!" I can't hold back my frustration as I see her climbing on the moss-covered, slippery stones of the forest again.

"But Phoebe, you were the one who said it, weren't you? You're the fastest and wouldn't have a problem carrying me, right? So you'll always be there to catch me if I slip again, won't you?" She says, looking at me with the most innocent eyes in the world, with the certainty of someone simply stating a fact.

"…"

When did this girl learn to do that?!

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