NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16: Nest
Naru took a drink from the pond. Observing her reflection, she saw a face that was unfamiliar to her.
The face was haggard and gaunt, paler than she remembered. Rather, it looked half dead.
[I haven’t been eating much after all…]
The problem was psychological. It wasn’t as if Naru couldn’t eat, rather whenever she tried to make plants grow and eat them, they tasted like dust in her mouth. Even the mushrooms she so dearly loved didn’t taste the same.
In essence, she had been starving herself.
Perhaps she wished to join her family wherever their souls had gone but she wouldn’t have been able to tell you why she still felt hungry.
[This won’t do.]
Naru hastily grew some potatoes and once she dug them out of the ground began to gnaw on them. They were raw of course but her physiology allowed her to eat them raw without much concern.
They tasted bitter, but she was more concerned with the nutritional content.
Once she had eaten her fill she took another drink from the pond and looked around.
[There’s nothing left for me here…] She thought.
Along the grove, there were rows of mounds with sticks attached to them. Naru had spent much of her week burying the dead deer. An effort that would’ve been impossible for a girl like her if not for the fact that she had earth magic.
It had still taken her longer than she wanted to. Since she had to take several breaks to let her mana restore and also mental breaks as well.
Burying Whitehorn and Vine took her an entire day and too many tears to count.
Although there was no more barrier to protect the grove, the hunters hadn’t come back.
Naru could’ve spent the rest of her life tending to the rest of the grove, but she was still vulnerable. If the hunters came back to find stragglers she would be caught as well. Naru didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of killing her.
Though, if Naru wanted to leave the grove that would mean getting spotted by the deer. Naru rubbed her ears on the tops of her head. She was in her human form and although hiding her deer tail and the magic gem was simple enough, the ears would be a little more difficult.
Naru tried to imagine a hat on her head
[It works?]
Suddenly a large floppy hat was on Naru’s head. It felt woolen and looks like a large brown Beret. Naru tucked her ears into the hat and took a look at her reflection again.
She looked like an average girl.
Naru nodded to herself
[This should work]
Before she left the grove though, she had to tell the master of the forest she was leaving. He was still her patron after all.
** ** **
Naru entered the small clearing where the Master of the forest resided.
The branches of the master of the forest seemed to sway happily upon seeing her. It made sense, she was the only deer in the forest after all.
She felt something fall from atop her and caught it. It was a red apple which she took a bite out of. It was delicious, the first tasty thing she had eaten in weeks.
The master of the forest had a kindly smile on his face.
“Master of the forest-san I am leaving the forest,” Naru told the tree
The tree stayed silent and didn’t seem to rustle. In contrast, it seemed like it was a little distraught.
“I can’t stay in the forest forever, it’s not safe” Naru said.
The leave seemed to rustle in agreement.
“I will come back and visit okay?” Naru said.
The tree rustled happily hearing that.
Naru heard something fall from the top of her head again. She caught a small round object.
The object was small and wooden about the size of a golf ball.
“Is this a good luck charm?” Naru asked.
The tree rustled happily.
“Okay!” Naru said, taking it in her hand and tucking it into her pocket.
** ** **
To be honest, once Naru had left the grove she didn’t know where to go. She hadn’t been outside the grove before and she didn’t even know where she was in relation to the world she was in.
Naru was once again struck feeling like a frog in a well.
[For now, I guess I’ll just pick a direction]
Naru didn’t even know if the sun rose in the west or the east or if there was a north star, so she could only plod along and hope for the best.
