written by Blood_MiracleChapter 1: A Visitor and Introductions
(Author’s Note: This entire story is based in Norway. Therefore, since I am from the United States, I am not entirely sure how much I have written is actually true. I only checked Wikipedia if I wasn’t sure, and Wikipedia is not a one-hundred percent true source for almost anything. If I have, in any way, offended or stated something wrong in this story that is incorrect subject matter for the area, I apologize. However, I am willing to try and change parts of the story, but I am not willing to change anything that isn’t directly related to Norway, or myths surrounding Norway. As a final note, the characters are supposed to speaking Norwegian, even though they are speaking in English. It’s easier for me to write in my own language, so it is obviously going to not be the correct language. Any complaint’s, send me a PM, please.)
The forest was teeming with life on this sun-drenched day of spring. The tree’s swayed their branches with the breeze that flowed throughout the land, rustling their leaves and occasionally allowing the sun to greet their overgrown roots. The animals were widespread, with birds chirping above and squirrels rummaging below. The only noise which was unfamiliar, however, was the noise of feet crumpling leaves and mumblings of a woman who had no idea where she was going.
“Geez, this forest is too big…” She sighed, staring upwards at the sunlight grazing her face. She was wearing a bright blue skull cap with a few buttons attached to it and a dark green hoodie, with long dark blue jeans with dozens of pockets located all over. The spring may have come, but it has only just begun, and it was still cold enough to warrant wearing long sleeved clothing. She exhaled a sigh, a small bit of fog coming from her breath, and kept moving forward, rustling more leaves as the birds looked down on her.
“I have to see what could have hurt him, though. This forest is too large to NOT have some possible way of causing someone permanent pain…” She thought to herself, remembering why she was out here in the first place. She paced on, the beauty of the forest mostly ignored by her travelling eyes, colored in with two grey pupils. She tugged on her backpack, straightening it out so it wouldn’t accidently open, and cleared the bushes and branches out of her way.
She slowed herself, realizing she was suddenly starting to tire out. She raised her right arm up to her face, looking at the watch on her wrist. “Man, it’s already been about six hours…” She was breathless as she said that, wondering how she did not become hungry already. She slowly leaned against a tree, sliding downward into a slump of sorts, with her legs bent and her head slightly tucked into her legs. She pulled off her backpack, putting it in between her now separated legs. She unzipped it, and began scrounging inside for something to eat.
She pulled out her hand from the backpack, a box of Pocky in her grip. This was a food that would force her to become happy, as it was imported, directly from Japan, and in the flavor of strawberry. Carefully dipped biscuit sticks were covered in frosting, and it was so sugary sweet that it could cause the most sour of men to giggle uncontrollably. Wait, did I just use two sentences to describe what could be the greatest candy in the universe? Whatever, let’s continue.
She slowly ripped off the tab that held the opening and the box itself together, and disposed of it by putting it back in her backpack, as she did not want the body of an animal on her hands. She pulled on the wrapping, slowly tearing it open, praying she would not damage the delicate candy like she did last time. As the wrapper crinkled and squeaked as she started to finally open the top of it, she heard the crunching of leaves and the sounds of humming.
She halted her progress on the wrapper and glanced upward at where the noise was coming from. She almost lost her grip on her Pocky, staring in awe at the woman in the distance. The first thing she noticed was the woman’s body: It was flawless, with the curves of her hips and her soft legs defining her walk with an aura of both peace and power surrounding her. Her orange hair went down to her thighs, flowing behind her as if it were an entity all its own. She quickly stood up, hoping to not upset or disturb the girl walking towards her, for fear that she may steal her supplies.
As the girl in the distance became more and more apparent, she realized something. She gasped, dropping her Pocky next to her backpack by mistake. This girl walking towards her was completely naked. Although this was a shock to her, there was something even more surprising than that. This girl had the tail of a cow, with the tip of it dipped in brown fur. Her mind raced with thoughts, wondering exactly who this girl could possibly be.
“Excuse me, but I have never seen you within this forest before.” She quickly snapped back to reality, with the girl she wondered so much about within a few feet from her. She got a quick look at her face before she pulled back, noticing freckles on the girls cheeks. The girl quickly stepped backward, as if she knew this would happen if she got too close. Her tail waved vigorously, almost whacking herself in the face.
“Wait, wait!” She called out, holding out her hands to the cow-tailed mistress. “I come in peace! I didn’t mean to react like that!” Her back was to the tree, staring back at the girls green eyes. The girl stared back for a few moments before straightening herself, calming down and no longer swinging her tail. She tried to keep staring upward, hoping not to lower her line of sight and get kicked in the face.
“My name is Ida. I come from a village not too far from here, and I am searching for someone, or something, within this forest.” She turned away quickly as she searched within her backpack, taking out a newspaper article she had kept with her. “My brother, Joachim, went blind after coming back from this forest, bleeding from the eyes, a year ago. I’m trying to find out why.” Ida opened up the article, pointing to the picture near the side with her brother in a hospital bed, his face, along with the pillows, covered in blood.
The girl scanned over the picture, her eyes giving a slight glint of anger as she examined it closer. She glanced back up at Ida, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I cannot believe someone could be hurt so badly here. The animals are peaceful, and the forestry is not so outgrown as to cause someone to fall.” She sighed heavily, as if she were sad for the forest, or for the hospitalized brother.
Ida gloomed slightly, forcing the newspaper back into her backpack. She sat down against the tree, now even more worn out from the shock this girl provided. “Um…” She stammered, wondering what to ask. “Who exactly… Who exactly are you?” Ida looked up, then quickly looked down, trying to avoid embarrassment. She had a feeling, in the pit of her gut, that she needed to be VERY careful with what she said.
The girl looked downward at Ida, who was blushing completely red from trying to not look up. “My name Is Ylva.” She stated with a hint of frustration in her voice from looking at the article. “I live in this forest. People occasionally see me, and I believe a few of them say I am from…” She paused, trying to remember the correct word. “… Folklore.”
Ida thought deeply for a moment, trying to remember if there were any stories she would remember involving a creature such as this, with a cow tail and a human’s body. She snapped, suddenly recalling an old story her grandmother told her. “Wait!” She stood straight up, looking straight at Ylva. “You’re a Huldre!?” She practically demanded an answer with the tone she was speaking in, causing the girl to take a step backward. Ida quickly regained herself, her arms upward against her face, hoping she did not hurt the girl.
After a pause, the girl responded. “Yes, I believe I am called a Huldre. I think I may be the only one around here though, as most, if not all, of the others have either died or leaved the Forest long ago.” She sighed, shaking her head as she realized, as she has before, that she may be the only one of her kind. Ida looked down once again, hoping she did not upset the Huldre. “However, I seem to get along with this forest quite well, so I do not seem to require another Huldrefolk to accompany me as of yet.” She smiled, recovering from the slight gloom the previous situation had.
Ida thought for a moment, looking back at the watch on her arm. “Whoa, it’s almost four. I gotta start heading back or my parents may get mad at me.” Ida lifted up her backpack, picking up the Pocky at her feet while doing so. “Uh, thank you for talking to me, but I have to head back to my home before the sun sets…” Ida handed the girl the Pocky, holding it out with her hand. “If I may inquire, what is your name?”
The girl looked down at the opened wrapping, with the small bit of pink frosting showing. She slowly lifted it out of Ida’s hands, examining it with precaution. “Thank you for this offering.” She bowed on one knee, truly thankful that she received a gift. She stood back up, Ida giving a slight hint of confusion. Ylva tilted her head, not sure what was wrong.
“A, uh, simple thank you is fine. Really, I don’t want to seem like an important person or anything…” Ida gave a slight laugh, turning around and heading back towards where she was coming from. “I’ll come back to visit you, don’t worry! I’ll bring more of that delightful food I just gave you, trust me!” Ida slowly made it out of view, the sun beginning to darken in the distance. Ylva simply stared at the wrapping, not sure what it would taste like.
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Chapter 2: The Green Dress and the Secretive Reply
The sun has risen over this forest once again. The birds began chirping and breaking the silence as they scoured the ground for food. The flowers and tree’s began to flow with the wind, leaves floating to the ground and petals floating along and landing on the grass. A rustling of the grass could be heard a short distance away as Ida made her way farther into the forest. Today, she wore a short sleeve red hoodie, long blue jeans and a green, long sleeved undershirt. Her blue skull cap still covered her head as she trekked on.
“I hope she didn’t migrate or anything. I studied up on the Huldrefolk, but I still ain’t sure how much of it is accurate…” She sighed, lifting up her hand and counting on her fingers. “One: Never, EVER talk about their…” She quickly glanced the surrounding area, making sure Ylva wasn’t around. “… Tails. Two: There are many stories surrounding them, so there may be more than one, or she just travels quickly. Best not to ask that about her.” She had two fingers pointing out, her index and middle finger, counting the rules she went over before she went out. “Three: Most of the stories say something about them wanting to find a mate, or have children. One had a Huldre using her ugly children to replace some beautiful babies of someone else’s.”
“I haven’t even HAD children yet, Ida.” A voice exclaimed, coming from behind a tree. Ylva came out from behind it, her green eyes giving off a slightly humorous tone. “Second, I am not so bad a person as to leave a child as a replacement. That’s barbaric, at the least.” She chuckled slightly as Ida almost tripped backward from hearing Ylva. Ida quickly stood back up, looking over at Ylva. Ylva shook her head, giving off a warm smile but no longer laughing. Ida stared at her for a moment before quickly changing the subject.
“Oh, um… S-sorry about that. I should’ve known you, uh, wouldn’t have had any kids, out here, heh…” She was quite nervous, obviously from saying something she didn’t know Ylva heard. She was looking down at her feet, hoping not to upset Ylva. “So, uh, the Pocky…” Ida began, looking back up at Ylva, who was stepping closer towards her. “Did you like it? I brought some more, if you want some…” Ida bent down on her knees, opening up her backpack and pulling out a slightly larger box of regular chocolate Pocky. I’d rather not go into an entire paragraph about how awesome this stuff is, so let’s skip it and move on, alright?
Ylva’s tail perked up at the mention of Pocky, her eyes scanning the backpack as Ida reached into it. As soon as she pulled out a small box, Ylva began walking forward, intently staring at the Pocky she held. “That food you left was delicious, Ida! I never tasted something so… What was that word that one man used…” She thought for a moment, pausing her steps, trying to recall the word. “… Scrumptious?” Ylva put her hand up to her chin for a moment as she spoke, making sure she pronounced the word correctly.
“Wait…” Ida froze for a moment, analyzing, in her brain what Ylva just said. “A… A MAN came to see you?” She asked, forgetting about her Pocky for a moment. “Was it a rather short man? 5’6, a little shorter than me? Brown hair, black pupils, eats chocolate?” Her voice rapidly picked up in pace when she asked her questions, almost as if in a panicked manner. Ylva began backing up as Ida took closer steps, worried that Ida may do something rather painful. “This is EXTREMELY important, Ylva! Give me details you are sure of, even if you aren’t sure of them!...” She smacked herself on the head, realizing that was a stupid request. Thinking and actions don’t go well together for her, it seems.
“Uh… Um…” Ylva stammered for a moment, trying to gather exactly what had just happened. Ida was usually rather timid, and this sudden change in attitude was quite surprising. “It… It was a shorter man, yes. More like a boy, though, or a young adult. He did not seem strong enough or old enough to be a ‘man’ so to speak. He brought some chocolate, and gave some to me, but otherwise, he brought fruit. The brown hair and black pupils…” Ylva paused, realizing something. “If you would not mind me asking, how do you know all this?”
Ida gasped suddenly, backing away as she calmed down. She shook her head in focus, trying to recall why she came to this forest in the first place. “That man… He’s uh…” She paused, as if questioning whether she should continue. She inhaled deeply, than exhaled just as hard. “He’s my brother. He came to this forest before winter began, but when he returned, he…” She looked downward, her head hung low, trying to quickly pass by this memory. “His eyes… were gone. A huge cut, straight across his two eye sockets.” She grew silent for a moment, before continuing. “He survived, but he’s very… sad. Depressed might be a better term. I’m trying to find out how it happened, but he isn’t willing to talk…”
Ylva said nothing, only looking straight at Ida as she spoke. As Ida began winding down, Ylva flicked a small strand of hair behind her. “Your brother… I met him quite a few times. He’d come to the forest, always bringing with him food and drink to share with me. He was nice, but…” She paused, knowing she could speak no further. “Ask your brother about me.” She stated, calmly and plainly. “I do not think you want to hear the story from me, but rather from him. A victim remembers things far more clearly.”
“Victim?...” Ida asked, looking up at Ylva. “You mean… His eyes coming out were from an attack?”
“Possibly.” Ylva quickly said. The two were silent for a few moments, before Ylva decided to talk again. “I believe you should be heading home before the sun sets. I know you will be returning soon after talking with your brother.” She sounded sure of herself, which confused Ida even more. How much did Ylva know of what happened to her brother?
“Oh, that reminds me…” Ida quickly handed the Pocky to Ylva before digging back into her backpack. She pulled rather large dress, covered in plastic wrap. It was dark green, with the small bow near the neckline and the small wrapping near the waist a light green. “I brought you a dress, because, um…” Ida blushed slightly, quickly trying to regain her composure. “I, uh, can’t concentrate too well with you naked. It’s a cultural thing, you see…” She held out the dress, waiting for Ylva to take it.
As Ylva slipped the plastic wrapping off (with Ida’s help), the dress became slightly more vivid, rippling with the slight wind. She examined dress closely, going over the fabric. “Would you prefer I wear this, than?” She asked, holding the dress behind her as Ida began packing up. “It IS a beautiful dress, but I am afraid of damaging it…” Ida slid the backpack on, taking back the container of Pocky and slowly opening it up. She gave one of the small wrappers to Ylva, keeping one for herself later.
“If you wouldn’t mind…” She looked down, before walking back down the path she came from. “Don’t worry, though. The dress has a rather tough fabric, so it isn’t easy to damage. Some water from a spring will probably clean it up, too. Take care of yourself! I’ll be back soon to catch up with you on what my brother says!” She picked up her pace, rushing down the hill. Ylva stared at the dress she held in her hands, the Pocky on top and the skirt reached near the ground. She sighed, her eyes diluting slightly as she recalled her final encounter with her brother.
Melancholy will overrun this friendship.
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Chapter 3: The Truthful Revelation and the Unwillfull Couple
The lush forest of Norway that Ida always travelled to was oddly quiet as she approached the outskirts. Ida had come to the forest today without her backpack, which was not due to her forgetfulness; she purposefully left it behind. Her hood was over her head, along with her skull cap, hiding everything from the eyes up in shadows. The clouds were gathering overhead, contrasting the bright sun and the blue sky. Ida slowly made her way through the forest, her hands hiding in her pockets, her jeans pant legs less than an inch from the ground.
The birds were silently chirping, almost like they were taking turns as to who could make noise next. The animals were chewing on some plants or making their way through the trees, but it felt more like they were either trying to find a hiding spot or trying to run. From what, they could not tell. All they could sense was an intense pressure of emotion.
Ida made her way past the tree’s and bushes that popped up as she continued deeper into the forest. She was not at all careful compared to earlier; she stepped on flowers and snapped branches that got in her face. She kicked over Ant hills and scared away all the animals that noticed her. She was disturbing the Forest.
However, she was not concerned with the Forest right now. She was far more concerned with finding Ylva. That was the single goal she had in mind at this particular moment, and she refused to think about anything else until she completed this goal. Her complete concentration of maneuvering through the Forest without thought of the various pieces of nature itself personified this.
She felt an odd sensation in her leg as she was about to step over a fallen tree. She was already halfway over, with only one leg on the ground as the other hovered above the hollow log. She quickly glanced downward as she saw a Snake wrapping itself around her leg, and rather tightly. The Snake pulled, and Ida tripped over herself. She fell on the log, her knee she had in the air landing first on the log, followed shortly by her stomach, and then her head landed on the ground.
She quickly turned her head, climbing over the log to see what tripped her. She noticed the small light green Snake again, hissing at her with discontent. She stared back at it for a moment, unsure what to do with it. The Snake suddenly began changing in front of Ida’s eyes, its body mass morphing into something else. It transformed into an odd looking girl with a tail and a dress: Ylva.
Ylva quickly transformed into the form she was in whenever she talked to Ida. She was a slightly tall female with slightly tan skin. Her orange hair did not contain its usual flow, but instead went straight down, as if it refused to behave the way it was supposed to. Her eyes were full of silent anger, staring directly below at Ida. Her dark green dress, full of bows and laces that covered her clothing from head to toe, reached down past her knees, but it did not touch the ground. Ida quickly stood up, staring straight at Ylva’s face, both of them separated by the fallen log.
“Ida, what the hell are you doing to the Forest!?” Ylva asked, pointing to the crushed flowers behind her. “You never harmed this Forest before and were always very careful when traversing the area! Right now, however, you step on the fauna and plant-life as if it weren’t even there! As the protector of this Forest, I demand an explanation from you!” Ylva was deadly serious, pointing directly at Ida, her finger a scant few inches from her face.
Ida lowered her hood as she looked at Ylva, her face showing a slight scowl. “You want an explanation?” Ida asked, the scowl on her face becoming more apparent. “I asked my brother what occurred all those years ago, between you and him. He is blind, eyeless, because of YOU!” She screamed, pointing her finger at Ylva, the exact opposite of Ylva. “You hit his eyes with your tail with such a powerful swing that you forced his eyes inward deep enough to blind him!”
Ylva was shocked, taking a large gasp and taking a step back. “I-I never ONCE touched him! I heard accounts of how he became blind, but I did not actually cause it!” Ylva stated, still in relative shock from this accusation. “I asked you to talk to him because he went blind doing something BECAUSE of me, not because of any pain I inflicted upon him!” She straightened herself out, staring intently at Ida.
“Lies. What else besides a Huldre could possibly be able to hit him that hard in the face without any sort of weapon mark?” Ida lowered her arm, still staring intensely at Ylva. “You are the only Huldre I have seen, and the only one that may exist here. If you can PROVE there’s more than one of you, then show me. Otherwise, you committed this crime and caused my brother’s blindness.” Ida pulled her hood over her head, the rain starting to fall. “Goodbye.”
Ida began walking forward, stepping over the log and passed the now stunned Ylva. She could not move as Ida passed by her. She could only stand there, looking forward, slowly lowering her head in sadness. Ylva turned around quickly, tears forming in her eyes. “Ida! Why do you not trust me!? Have I not demonstrated that I am a gentle person who protects the Forest!? What makes you think I would harm someone so badly as to blind them!?” Ylva called out to Ida, waiting for an answer.
Ida slowly turned her head, leaving her body in place, one eye staring at Ylva. “He is human. You are not. I trust a human over a fairytale any day.” Ida slowly made her way forward, clearing away the bushes that impeded her progress. Ylva stood there stunned, completely silent as Ida walked away. She began shedding a few tears, not raising her hands to wipe them away or to cover her eyes from being seen. As the rain kept falling, the feeling between the raindrops and her own tears became blurred.
People choose which truth to believe.
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Chapter 4: The Explanation and the Purple-Colored Traitor
A grassy plain surrounded the small village. All the houses were log cabins, mostly single-floored houses. However, Ida lived in a rather fancy double-storied house, at the very tip of the village closest to the forest. She was on the roof of the house, silently observing the great forest in the far distance. The last time she went there, she yelled at Ylva. Looking back on it, she thought, things could’ve been done differently.
“I didn’t have to yell at her, did I?” She quietly asked herself, her legs bent as she looked at some birds flying above the forest. “I mean, she didn’t treat me badly at all. She talked to me, gladly accepted the gifts I brought for her… I didn’t have to treat her like she was some criminal…” She lowered her head, her eyes still observing the birds. “I mean, I don’t think I should have been nice to her, but I don’t know if yelling really solved anything…”
The breeze picked up slightly, ruffling her hoodie slightly. She wore a green skull cap, a black hoodie and a pair of blue jeans. She would usually be packing by now, as it was only 7 A.M., but she knew she would not be welcomed back into the forest. She had stepped on flowers, snapped branches, and paid no heed to the animals. She involved the forest in her own affairs.
It was unforgivable.
“Bringing pain to the forest is bad enough, but harming it carelessly…” She sighed, looking downward, no longer watching at the birds. She sighed again, exhaling more air than last time. She didn’t know how to remedy the problem. She stood up, climbing back into her cabin room through the window.
“Ida! I thought I told you not to climb up onto the roof!” A man called out, climbing up the stairs. There were two different noises as he climbed though, one heavier than the other. The man wore sunglasses, and one hand held a cane. This man was Ida’s older brother, Joachim. He was blind.
“I know I told you as much.” Joachim continued, standing at the door to Ida’s room. “Doing dangerous things is, well… dangerous! You might fall off the roof and hurt yourself!” He took a step forward, his cane moving ahead of him so he could stay balanced. “Even if it IS a flat roof and we have a small fence to make sure no one falls off…” He started realizing that he wasn’t thinking before he spoke. He blushed slightly, realizing that he just embarrassed himself.
“Joachim, I’m very careful up there.” She stated in a matter-of-fact fashion, her voice slightly deep because of it. “I’ve never once fallen from the roof, and neither has anyone else in the family.” She looked at Joachim as she walked closer to him. He only stood there, looking over to where he heard his sister.
Joachim began speaking again, moving his vane in an odd fashion as he spoke. “Our parents are in town getting supplies, and I don’t want anything to happen to you while they’re gone! Remember that one time I went to the forest when they weren’t here!?” He pointed to his eyeglasses, leaving a fingerprint on the lens.
Ida looked downward, avoiding the unseeing eyes of her brother. “Don’t remind me….” She sighed, walking back over towards the window. “You came back, your front torso covered in blood and your eyes missing…” She shuddered as she spoke, the memories creeping back into her mind. “You kept screaming about a girl in the Forest who whacked you in the eyes so hard she blinded you... It was terrifying.” She was slightly calmer when she said that, but her voice was still rather shaky.
“That’s why I’m telling you to stay here! While they’re at the market, I have to trust you to stay here! You always left after you asked our parents, but I don’t want you leaving when they aren’t around. If you were to go blind, too…” He paused for a moment, unable to continue speaking. A small tap on the window distracted him, throwing off his concentration. “What’s tapping against your window? It ruined the moment.” He pouted slightly as he said this, upset that he didn’t get to say anything cool.
Ida looked out the window, seeing nothing in particular. She saw some smoke coming from a chimney a few houses down, but otherwise nothing. “I’m not sure what it wa-“ she paused, looking downward. She noticed a small, bright green bird and a purple chipmunk. Ida tilted her head slightly, her mind drawing a complete blank. “… Joachim?” She began, turning her head slightly towards her brother. “Was anyone using paint nearby?”
“Uh… No, no, not that I can recall…” He held his hand under his chin, trying to remember if he smelled any paint. “There were a few people complaining about some birds and rodents being awfully loud. Louder than usual, anyway…” He began walking towards Ida, his cane hitting the floor with a bang. Ida opened the window to get a closer look at the two animals.
Just as she was about to pet the chipmunk, however, the green bird flew straight past Ida, causing her to spin around to look. The bird landed on Joachim’s shoulder, gently and elegantly. “Hm?” Joachim moved his hand over to the bird, petting it on the head. “What’s a bird doing inside?” He thought out loud, sliding back most of his fingers, except for his index. “This is its head, right? Feathers, beak… Yup, definitely the head.” He moved a single finger over the top of the bird’s smooth head, the bird itself looking over at Ida.
“Um… Joachim, I don’t know if that’s a bird…” Ida began, the chipmunk in the window now crawling onto her arm. Ida looked down at the creature, tilting her head slightly. “For that matter, I’m fairly certain that I know who this bird is.” Ida looked over towards Joachim, her eyes focusing on the green bird on his shoulder. The bird stared back intently, not twitching for even a moment.
“It seems that my choice of colors were not as wise a choice as I thought.” The bird exclaimed, now looking at Joachim’s cheek. “Admittedly, I knew you would recognize the color choice, but I would have thought that you would be confused enough to not think about it.” The bird fluttered upward, than quickly descended onto the floor. “Your brother over there is a bit dense, too… Like he’s always been.”
“Is that… Is that voice…?” Joachim was stuttering, recalling the memories that the bird’s voice invoked. “I-Ida… Who’s this-this person?” Joachim turned towards Ida, shaking slightly.
“Uh… This is… Ylva.” Ida slowly stated the fact, the small chipmunk moving over towards Joachim. Her voice was low and slightly upset, knowing that Joachim would not react well.
She was right.
“Why the hell did you let them in!?” Joachim yelled, waving his arms so the bird would fly away. The chipmunk jumped back, retreating towards Ida once again. “She nearly killed me! You met the make-believe creature who almost—“
“She exists.” Ida interrupted, the chipmunk once again resting on her arm. “She is not make-believe. If she DID hurt you, then she DOES exist.” Ida looked over at Joachim, then back over at Ylva. “I realized that any creature that lives on this Earth, whether seen or not, must be treated as such: a fellow life.” Joachim was silent, while Ida let the chipmunk onto the floor.
“Well said.” Ylva stated, landing in the middle of the room. “I came today to prove my innocence, however. I would have done so a long time ago, but he would not listen to me. You, however, might.” Ylva looked over at Ida, a small grin appearing on her face.
Ylva began changing, the feathers disappearing from her body. Her hair grew alongside her body, while her arms and legs began their growth. Oddly enough, she was still wearing the same dress Ida gave her. Ida couldn’t believe this; Ylva still wore the dress Ida brought to her, even though Ida treated her terribly. Why?
“Now, I brought a guest along to clarify.” Ylva pointed towards the chipmunk that was resting on Ida’s shoulder. “Her name is Nina, and she is a dear friend of mine. Of course, Joachim may already know of who I speak of.” Ida looked over at Joachim, who was looking downward at the floor. The chipmunk was already moving towards the center of the room.
Suddenly, another change occurred. The chipmunk began her transformation into a human. Her arms grew out, her hands on the floor, her legs lengthened behind her. Her hair grew down her back, dark colored and slightly curly near the ends. Her eyes were a dark purple with slightly small iris’. She smirked as she stood up after her transformation.
“Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Nina, the person who blinded the dumbass looking at the floor.” She pointed towards Joachim, who was still looking down at the floor. Ida twitched for a moment, her eyes widening to the point where her iris’ shrunk. Joachim turned away, while Ylva looked over at Nina and sighed heavily.
“Nina, I’m here to explain, not to invoke. We came to get our point across and nothing else.” Ylva gave a focused glare at Nina, who was now completely silent. To Ida, it seemed to be that Nina knew who was boss.
“Wait…” Ida began, her voice slightly shaky. “You… You blinded my brother?...” Nina looked over at Ida, Nina chuckling under her breath. “You caused him all this suffering?...”
“Yeah, pretty much.” She grinned wider, looking over at Joachim. “He came into our Forest and tried to get Ylva to fall in love with him. Didn’t work, though, and he kept going after her until I put a stop to it.” She glanced at Ida, her chin resting on the back of her hand. “Ylva was being a sissy about stopping him, so I removed the one sense most humans need to traverse through our Forest.” She chuckled again, much lower than last time.
“You… You… I…” Ida was speechless and completely flabbergasted, unable to speak a word. Joachim was still silent. Ylva slowly made her way to Ida, bending down and leaning on one knee.
“I am sorry for what happened to your brother. I never expected her to harm him. I thought she would only frighten him into not returning, not outright hurting him.” She had her head hanging low, unable to look at Ida. “I am truly sorry. I apologize for all of her actions. I am not asking for forgiveness, but for Joachim and his family to be able to blame me for these atrocities and move on with their lives.”
Joachim was finally looking upward, towards Ida and Ylva. Ida was looking down at Ylva, who was still looking down at the floor. Nina leaned against the wall, silently observing the scene.
Joachim took a slow first step towards Ylva, ending as soon as he stood beside her. He reached his hand downward towards her, his palm open. “I… honestly don’t know whether to accept the apology or not, but the fact that you hurt me and came here to say sorry means a lot to me…” Ylva took the hand, already rising up onto her own two feet.
“What? I never saw you before you lost your eyes.” She responded, a look of confusion upon her face.
“… Huh?” Joachim twisted his head slightly, looking over at Nina. “I saw you with sharp claws coming right towards me. I only saw you for a moment, but you had bright green eyes and darker hair than usual.” Joachim twisted his head to the other side now, while Ylva’s eyes widened while looking over at Nina.
“You… Nina, what did you do!?” Ylva demanded, walking right over to Nina. “Why were you trying to imitate me!?” Nina chuckled slightly, putting her hands behind her head.
“The easiest way to fool someone is to throw their guard off, and he had a soft enough spot for you for me to confuse him.” She took a few steps, walking past Ylva and Joachim. She looked over at Ida, smirked, and headed towards the window. “If the person he loved were to attack him… That terrified him more than enough to stay away from us.” She chuckled, and started turning back into a chipmunk. “And all these years, he thought it was you. No wonder you dragged me back here.” She jumped out the window, landing on a small tree and scurrying her way back to the Forest.
Joachim stood there for a moment, silently contemplating everything Nina said. “… I… She… She acted as you, and I held that hatred towards you for all those years?...” Joachim leaned against the wall and slowly slid down until he sat. Ylva looked over, her eyes filled with regret. She reached out her hand to put on his shoulder to consolidate him, but was pulled away by Ida.
“Ylva…” Ida began, her right arm rubbing her left, trying to think of the words she wanted to say. “I… I shouldn’t have said those things in the Forest. I don’t know whether I had the right to be angry at you or not, but I know that I shouldn’t have disrespected you or your home. I’m sorry…” As Ida finished her last two words, Ylva put her hand on Ida’s head, on her skull cap.
“I accept your apology. You had every right to be angry with me, but I am glad we can forgive one another. However…” She looked over at Joachim, who had his head in his bent legs, silently thinking, possibly weeping. “I worry for him. Many revelations were revealed today, and one surprise can be more than enough for a lot of people…” Ida smiled, lifting Ylva’s arm off of her head.
“I’ll see to it that he’s fine. You have nothing to worry about except for that Nina girl.” Ida stepped to the side, walking slightly past Ylva before turning around. “I’ll come see you in the Forest after things have settled down. Make sure to be ready for me.” Ida smiled, as did Ylva.
“I will. I assure you.” With that, Ylva jumped out of the window, quickly flying away as a bird with green feathers. Many chirps could be heard around the house that Ida and Joachim resided in, sensing that a grave error has been cleared up. Ida sat alongside Joachim, conversing with him as he tried to recover from his terrible mistake. And all the while, the wind died down.
The balance of nature, and all of the problems that come with it, has been restored.
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Chapter 5: The Revealing Visit
There was no wind today as Ida approached the Forest. The birds chirped and the squirrels scurried about as if nothing was out of the ordinary. The sun shined down at the Earth below, the rays of light it emitted breaking through the leaves and the branches of the trees on occasion as the wind blew. Ida was taking small strides towards the Forest, but before she reached the edge of it, she stopped. She took notice to the peace around her and the wellbeing of the Forests inhabitants.
She came to appreciate this prosperity and the sights and sounds associated with it. All of the creatures, large or small, and all the plant-life, grass or tree, created an orchestra of silent ambiance. It set a tone of happiness within the confines of trees and flowers. She thought back to when she stampeded through the Forest, when she destroyed flowers and the homes of animals in a fit of rage.
She would no longer do such things. That was obvious to everyone now. However, she needed to patch up the problems she created for the Forest. Namely, how she treated the protector of the Forest, Ylva. Ida treated Ylva unjustly, and thus, Ida wanted to see her simply so she may find a way to make it up to her. Apologizing like she did when Ylva visited was only the first step, not the solution.
She took her first step into the Forest, her hands gently pushing the bushes and branches out of her path. The birds would fly away for a quick moment when she approached, but would quickly retake their spot after she walked away. The small flowers near her feet would sway away from the gust, but would stand tall shortly after. The branches would move when she pushed them out of her way, but silently fall back down. Nature returned to the way it was, as it has always done.
She stopped mid-step in the middle of a small area covered in grass. Whenever she took a step beyond this point, Ylva would jump out somehow and surprise her. It happened every time she came around here. Ida decided to stand there instead, and patiently wait for Ylva to appear.
That didn’t take long.
She only stood there for a few moments before she was pounced on by a cat with green fur. Ida did not scream, but laughed in a lighthearted manner as she fell on the grass from the weight of the cat. The cat playfully licked her face, while Ida pet the cat and stroked her fur. It was blatantly obvious who this was.
“This is new for you, Ylva!” Ida proclaimed, putting Ylva back on the ground as she stood up. “You’re usually sorta secretive. You never jumped me before.” Ida dusted herself off while Ylva transformed into her regular self. “But you always transform into some sort of green animal… What is it, your favorite color?” Ida turned to Ylva, who was wearing the dress Ida gave her.
“For your information, yes, it is my favorite color.” Ylva chuckled, the back of her hand covering her mouth. “It’s my natural hair color, too, so that may have something to do with it.” She put her hands at her sides, lifting up the blouse of her dress slightly, as if she were about to kneel. “It didn’t help that the dress you gave me is almost completely green except for the frills. I really do love this dress.”
Ida blushed slightly, turned her face away while Ylva let go of her dress. “Uh, thanks…” She quietly said, slowly turning her head back to Ylva. “I, uh, actually came here for a few different reasons…” Ida said, returning to her normal posture, her hands in her pockets. “The first one is that I have questions I want answered.”
“Are these possibly relating to the history between me, Joachim and Nina?” Ylva asked, her smile slowly disappearing from her face, replacing it with a plain-faced look, perhaps slightly serious.
“Uh… Correct.” Ida put a hand behind her neck, looking downward slightly, avoiding Ylva’s odd look in her eyes. “First… How did you meet Nina?”
Ylva put her hand up to her chin, covering it slightly, thinking for a moment. “I believe we met in the Forest around 5 years ago. One year before your brother was blinded by her.” Ylva lowered her arms and hands, focusing on Ida once again.
Ida thought for a moment, one of her hands slowly slipping out of her pocket. “Second, why did she try to imitate you?”
“Nina?” Ylva recalled, once again delving into her memory. “I… guess because your brother visited me every day.” She lowered her hand, looking up at some tree branches. “As Nina said, he was in love with me, but I didn’t love him back. He kept trying, though, until Nina stopped him…” She looked to the side, avoiding Ida’s eyes.
“I thought so…” Ida thought out loud, before returning to her previous stance, with one hand in her pocket. “Third, and finally, how did you and Nina know each other so well? She was definitely intimidated by you, so I’d guess you both knew each other long before I met you.” Ida tilted her head slightly as she looked at Ylva, who was sighing deeply as she looked at the leaves above her.
“We knew each other because…” Ylva paused, a smile full of melancholy spreading across her face. “Well, simply put, we were in love.” Ida, slightly shocked, raised her eyebrows, while Ylva continued her explanation. “She got mad that Joachim kept seeing me, so she said she made him unable to return… I didn’t know he was blinded until you said.” She lowered her gaze back to Ida, who was slowly blinking, trying to focus on what was being said. “We parted soon afterwards. Or, to be more specific, I parted from her.”
Ida thought silently for a few moments, computing everything that was just revealed. Nina loved Ylva. So that would mean Nina hurt Joachim because she loved Ylva and didn’t want her to leave. Ylva left, however, because Nina was a jerk. Expected. But why, then, if she knew that Ida was related to Joachim, would she be so kind to her?
“Why did you treat me so well if my brother pestered you so much?” Ida asked, somewhat regaining her composure. Ylva only shook her head slightly, one of her hands going through her hair, before responding.
“Because you were kind and honest. You were like Nina before she became protective, and Joachim before he lost his eyesight.” Ylva looked straight at Ida. “You made me feel like I had something to leave this Forest for, someone to go see when I wanted someone to talk to. I…” She mumbled for a moment, looking to the side, thinking of what to say next. “I…” She looked back at Ida, stumbling with her words. “I love you.”
Ida stood there, paralyzed. No thoughts went through her mind. No motions were made. Well, until Ida took a step towards Ylva, anyway. Ida stood in front of Ylva, who stared straight at her, unsure of what Ida would do. After a few tense moments of uncertainty, Ida rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Ylva, who was taken by surprise, almost falling back onto the grass.
Ida looked into Ylva’s eyes, holding her tightly in her arms. “I… Thanks for standing by me…” Ida looked down quickly, still holding onto Ylva, before raising her head again. “No, I’m going to say it! I love you! I love how you didn’t give up on me! I love how you followed me, even after I treated you like some made-up monster! I love how you treat this Forest, the Forest that surrounds my home, with the respect it deserves!” Ida hugged Ylva even more tightly now, lowering her head into Ylva’s neck. “I… care for you, more than I’ve cared for anyone before…”
Ylva, still slightly stunned, put her hand on Ida’s head, starting from the top of her hat and moving down to her slightly curved hair, before lowering back to Ylva’s side. “Love isn’t forgiving someone’s flaws. It’s about accepting them. And you and I accept each other.” Ylva lifted up Ida’s head, putting Ida’s forehead onto hers. “And the best part of acceptance is that you will never be lonely.”
Ida looked upward at Ylva, who was also looking upward towards Ida. They disconnected their foreheads, ending up about a foot away from one another. They stared at each other’s eyes for what seemed like eternity. Time was unmeasured. The Forest was silent. Ida and Ylva, smiling, closed their eyes and leaned their lips towards one another.
Finis
