Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lue had wandered far from home. Not on purpose of course. Simply because she got distracted. She was admiring the wildlife, despite the sticky heat and swarms of bugs. It didn't seem to bother her at all. Not only that, but she was talking with the animals; something she did on a daily basis. She found it relaxing, and easier to do then talking to other people.

Today she had come across a family of tiny tree-dwelling rodents. She chatted with them about things like the weather, and if they had found enough food for themselves. She hadn't the slightest idea that someone was approaching. She couldn't sense it. She was too busy talking. But the rodents could tell. Some of them quickly scattered, leaving a rather disappointed Lue with a few of the braver souls that hid in Lue's clothing. "Why did they leave?" she said with a slight pout. "They didn't even say goodbye."

Perhaps she was crazy, or maybe she really could understand them. It was impossible to tell. One creature peered out from her top and gazed about. Lue did the same, almost as if she were mimicking it. With this opportunity to examine her surroundings more thoroughly, she suddenly realized the trouble she was in. She was lost. She gasped, her heart beginning to race. "Oh noo!" she whispered. "I wandered off again..."

Lue gasped in fright when she suddenly heard a voice; a voice that most certainly didn’t belong to the animals before her. She nearly fell backwards into the bushes out of a surprise, but caught herself on a nearby tree trunk. She leaned against the tree and took a deep breath, in an attempt to remain calm. The remaining rodent in her shirt squeaked and took off up a tree where it sat on a branch, chattering angrily at the newcomer. It seemed almost offended by being called a ‘mischief maker’.

The girl looked slightly disappointed at first; that all the critters had dispersed, leaving her to deal with this man. But she was in fact lost. So maybe he would be so kind as to give her directions? Of course, that meant speaking with him, which she knew she didn’t excel at talking to people. She seemed to shy away from Gerraden, ducking behind the very tree that she had used moments ago to prop herself up. “U-umm…” she began, peeking back out at him. That's when his word registered with her. He had mentioned that these rodents were ‘mischievous’. She personally didn’t think they were, but did that mean he spoke to the animals too?

“You……can understand them?” she found herself asking. “Who are you?”

She stepped out from behind the tree, but didn't move any closer. Her curiosity seemed to have gotten the better of her. Who was he? She had never seen him around before. But she hesitated to speak any further.

It suddenly dawned on her that he could also be lying. After all the animals didn't seem all bad, like the tricksters Gerraden seemed to think they were. So who should she trust? Was it worth the risk to ask for his assistance in getting home? She bit her lip in nervous contemplation as she waited for his reply to her earlier question.