The Water Sprite

Rejected

Mo Yuan watched her walk away, but the anger at having been aroused so thoroughly only to be tossed aside increased his anger.  But he did not attempt to stop her.  If she did not want him, then so be it, he would no longer pursue her, he thought to himself.  Turning away from her in anger and defeat, he returned to his own side of the forest.

As she had rejected him, he too let her go.  He forced her from his thoughts, and returned to the days of peace and solitude that he had enjoyed before he met her.  

Many times after that night, he had heard her calling for him.  He had heard her stumbling steps through the forests undergrowth searching for him, and many times she came close to his hut which was now overgrown and difficult to find.  He had even found gifts she had left for him, but he ignored them.  He did not want anymore to do with her.  

Though, one time saw her through the thick bracken that surrounded one side of his hut.  She had been calling out to him over and over again. Her eyes darted about in every direction as her head sniffed at the air, searching for his scent.

She was not wearing her furs, instead she wore a dress and a full length robe, clothing he did not think was suitable , but with her hair flowing about her shoulders, she looked so beautiful, he almost ran to her.  But he held back, he thought at the time that he might see her again one day.  But he never did, rejection was far too painful, that in the end, he quietly said goodbye to her and instead turned his back, entered his hut and softly closed the door.  

Days, weeks and then months rolled by until eventually she became a distant memory.  He stopped all bartering with her, and he no longer took the route home from the lake that would bring him closer to her, instead he used a different path, one she had not even bothered to look for.

Though having found a different path to take, he had also spent a lot of time scouting the new area and because of it, he stumbled upon a river that was also teeming with fish, that in the end, he no longer had to avoid her, he no longer needed her lake at all.  For Mo Yuan, his days of ease and comfort had returned.

He slept better, ate well and hunted only when he felt like it.  And if he had the urge to return to his old fishing spot, he would wait until the evening when he knew he would be alone.  He loved to fish at night.  Lying down in the tall grass under the stars was a luxury that he loved to indulge in.  

His life was once again full and he was happy with his solitude and lack of company.

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Turning away from him, she walked back towards her cave with a soft smile on her lips.  The heady scent of his arousal was making her dizzy, but the thought of that man releasing her from the painful ache in her loins, was all that was on her mind. 

Purposefully her steps took her forward, she was not that far away from her cave, it was only a quarter of a mile away, but it was when she was almost at her caves entrance, that she realized she was completely alone.

Confused, her eyes sought out his form in the mist, but unable to see him, she wondered if perhaps he had not been able to keep up with her and had been left behind.  So turning back, she retraced her footsteps only to realize he had gone.

Dumbfounded, she wondered what had happened.  Had he not realized she had wanted him to follow her?  Did he not understand her desire for him?  She knew she had not mistaken his arousal, she could still taste it on her lips. She had thought she had shown him her own desire for him, had he not understood? she thought to herself as she ran towards his side of the forest.  

Calling out to him, night had already begun to fall, and after stumbling around in the dark for over an hour, she returned to her cave dejected having been rejected.  Angry, upset, on heat and in no mood to eat the meal she had prepared for him, she went to bed and cried herself to sleep.