Back to the Wilderness

Chapter 2: The Hulder

"Are you ready yet?" Hilda asked, leaning on the door frame of Johanna's room. The little girl was dressed up in her dress, but now her pigtails were taken out and her hair was curled. She was ready for this party, but Johanna was struggling.
"Just give me a bit..." Johanna mumbled, struggling to comb her poofy brown hair. She wasn't even dressed yet, and wore a white t-shirt and brown sweatpants.
"Ugh." Hilda rolled her eyes, turning on her heel and walking back to her room. The pet deerfox, Twig, pawed at her ankles. Hilda half smiled, before shooing Twig to Johanna's room, as she entered her own room.

Hilda's room was very neat and tidy, and the main attraction was the closet full of fluffy dresses. Hilda walked into her closet, pushing past it all, and poking into the back, where a small shoebox sat.
Hilda sat on her bed, and opened the box. The warm smell of men's cologne came from the box, and Hilda smiled. It was such a distant smell, but one she missed.
Hilda pushed stuff around, picking up a picture. Her mother was looking the other way at something off camera, while Hilda's dad held baby Hilda, and looked at the camera with a grin.
Her father had a muscular build and a big bushy beard. He wore red flannel and blue jeans. A perfect fit for Johanna.
So why did he leave?

"Ah, Pearson. You look lovely!" Johanna was greeted by a thick woman with short blonde hair. She wore a sleek black gown, and had a huge smile.
"Why, thank you, Debby." Johanna greeted nervously. She was terrible at social interactions. Hilda stood at her side, loving the pure gossip she heard from simply standing around.
As a child, nobody expected her to be paying attention. She held onto many secrets, but longed to release a few of these to her mother, but Johanna blurted out every secret she's told. Except one.
What happened to Johanna's husband?

"Yes. That's her." A woman said, drawing Hilda's attention. The woman was thin, with cherry-red hair in a bun on her head. She was dressed in a pink satin gown.
"That's Johanna?" The woman's friend asked. The friend was plump, with dark skin and black hair. She wore a shiny red dress.
"Indeed. She used to live in a cabin." The women shared looks of disgust.
"I heard her daughter is a star student." The friend remarked. Hilda smiled to herself, not really caring about the opinions of her mother.

Hilda wandered around the party, heading to the hors d'oeuvres, before a blonde stood in her path.
She was a teenager, and her blonde hair was in pigtails. She wore a pink dress, and her arms were folded.
"Excuse me." Hilda said, trying to move past the girl, who scowled, and stood in front of Hilda still.
"Go back to your mommy." The teen taunted. She glanced towards Johanna, who wasn't even talking to adults anymore. She was looking out the window of the house, staring longingly at the outdoors.

"I feel bad for that daughter of hers. She takes care of herself better than Johanna does." The woman from earlier chuckled.
"I heard she's been fired for every job she's worked here." Another added.
"Makes sense."

The words swirled around Johanna, who heard it all. She was in her own world, looking out the window. Why were adults acting so immaturely and calling her these names.
She ignored it, fiddling with her hands, when she saw a figure in the forest.
A Hulder! She abruptly got up and ran outside, drawing a lot of attention.

"Mum?" Hilda mumbled, seeing her mother run outside. She didn't follow, and moved past the teenager blocking the snacks, but was stopped once more. The teen grabbed Hilda by the wrist.
"What are you even doing here?" The girl asked, glaring at Hilda.
"I could ask you the same thing." Hilda shot back.

"Is she in the river?!" One of the partygoers exclaimed.
"Johanna Pearson, I swear..." Another added.
"Go babysit your mother, dork." The girl taunted, flicking Hilda on the nose.
Hilda ran over to the window, and saw her mother swimming across the river to the forest outside the house. She was mortified, as she ran outside, amidst all the laughing and mocking.

Johanna stared at the creature standing in front of her. It was a humanoid creature with a tail. She read about these. A Hulder.

This one had silky black hair, pulled into a ponytail. She wore a dark blue dress, with a black vest, with white sleeves underneath.

Johanna stayed behind the tree, her cheeks pink. Usually these creatures were rare to find, and hardly acted like humans. This one was different.

The Hulder stopped and sat down on a log, leafing her fingers through her smooth hair. She kept glancing around, and Johanna made sure to hide behind a tree. Her cheeks were hot.
 Last time she felt this way was when she met her husband at a camp when she was young. Why was she feeling this way? Was it the smell of the oak? The natural and fresh air? Her thoughts were racing but she was cut out of the daydream.
"I can sense you, Human." The Hulder spoke. Her voice was like a bell. A faint tinge of a scottish accent hinted her voice. It was very pretty, and Johanna blushed, carefully stepping out from behind the tree.
"Uh. Hi." Johanna waved awkwardly. A cool shiver went down her back, and she wished she was wearing her sweater.
"A female. Interesting." The Hulder observed, rising to her feet. She walked towards Johanna.
"Hehehehe..." Johanna was full on blushing now, and it was clear that to the Hulder.
"I suppose it's just my charm." The Hulder shrugged. "Alas, I cannot help it."

That's right! Johanna remembered what she had read about the Hulder. They were seductive creatures, especially female. So it wasn't Johanna's fault that all this was happening. Or was it?The Hulder was very close to Johanna, looking her up and down. Her tail curled around Johanna's ankles, causing her to giggle from the tickle.
Upon closer, Johanna could see the Hulder had muscles that could faintly be seen under the thin clothing. Her closeness made Johanna feel weird, and looking at the creature-

"Mum!" Hilda shouted, from the other side of the river. The Hulder gasped, letting go of Johanna. She smirked over her shoulder, before dashing into the woods like a deer.
"Hilda! Hi..." Johanna turned around to face her daughter, who looked humiliated."What are you even doing?!" The little girl shouted.
"Everyone at the party is-"
"Hilda, I don't give a damn." Johanna replied, folding her arms. "Mum-"
"No! All my life, I've been mocked. And I don't care." Johanna glanced to the house where the party was. She saw the eyes of the women at the party staring out at her. Johanna put up two middle fingers.
"Mum! Stop!" Hilda yelled.
"No. I'm not stopping. I'm heading home. And we're moving out here." Johanna turned, and walked to the car. Oh right, the river. She waded through, and went to her car.
Hilda stood on the bank of the river, frowning as she watched her mother dry off.