nymph ⚣ joshler

four

tyler walked through the dark, night-ridden forest towards the little clearing he had grown so accustomed to over the time he spent there. walking gracefully along the ground, his mind kept wandering to the pink haired boy who saw him the previous day. he was never around other people much, other than his adoptive parents, considering that they lived in such a secluded place, which is why he had acted so skittish around the likely harmless boy.

ever since tyler's family had found out about his little difference to other people, they prioritised keeping him away from most other humans, much to young tyler's distaste. and although he knew it was 'for his safety,' tyler couldn't help but not be on his best terms with the adults for a long while.

and since the run in with the doe-like woman all those years ago, and a small dispute with his parents, tyler had returned to this area of the forest, most every day almost without exception. he saw the woman most days, and eventually, when she realized he was staying for good, she opened up to the young boy. years later, when the woman and her fellow people had realised tyler was different from other humans they had encountered, and not just a child who could see them due to his over active imagination (which happened often among children with them), they eventually decided they'd help him find out more about who--well, more of what--he was.

by the time tyler was fifteen years of age, the woman, who tyler found out was named donella, had put together a few pieces of tyler's past. she had found out with some help that tyler was indeed one of their kind, but also one of a kind, completely unlike anything they had seen before now, which explains why all of the people who resided in the forest were so enchanted by him, much as he was by them.

donella explained a few basic things about their people, knowing some things may apply to the strange boy, and some may not. she explained to him what he should want and need to know about the people, and though she had told tyler what "their people" were, she still remained very vague with what she had explained to him.

eventually, and with varying reactions from his parents, he explained, albeit even more vague than donella had been, a bit of his situation. since they now knew he was even more different, being the entirety different species he was, they were even more reluctant to let tyler around humans other than themselves.

and since they didn't let him really see people from outside their family, which made him even more bitter towards them, and since the two same people day in and day out got very annoying very quickly to the young boy, tyler spent a vast majority of his time in the forest, constantly wandering and exploring different paths, but he always ending back in his same little clearing day by day. sometimes overthinking, sometimes writing, drawing or reading, and other times just sitting.

there were never carvings in any of the trees, other than crescent-shaped marks from tyler's fingernails when especially bad days rolled around, and there was never any litter or things out of place in what he donned his clearing. no one had ever, ever found the place in his entire life, which is why tyler froze in place when he saw a puff of smoke surround a figure sitting on a log in the forest. his log. in his part of the forest.

mind not processing, a small gasp escaped his lips. he mentally scolded himself as soon as it did, seeing that this was the third time he had had a little slip up like this, and the second time had gotten him seen by a human.

he jumped behind a bush when he saw the figure turn in his direction, the soft, recognizable voice breaking the silence.