David didn't know what was going on, but he knew he didn't like it.

Which is why he was walking through the kingdom, alone, while Nathan caught up and negotiated with his newly-returned sister. A sister, who David wasn't sure he liked all that much. 

At first, he was relieved that she ended up being Nathan's sister (though how Nathan could tell,  David still wasn't sure. What was the name she mentioned that gave Nathan confidence? Peggy? How many Peggys were there in the world?), and afterward, he was suspicious of her reasoning behind faking her death. Again, who does that to their sibling? How selfish could one be? And then, furthermore, she started shooting David weird looks while Nathan was updating her on his life.

The looks she shot him were suspicious, and sort of threatening. Angry, almost.

David would rather be in the woods- alone- than up in the castle, awkwardly listening to their family catch-up time, while Nathan's sister was shooting weird looks at him.

Maybe she is just overprotective? he wondered. But David thought she had no right to, after all she had put her brother through by faking her own death.

The leshy was glad that Nathan wasn't an idiot, however. Because his soulmate wasn't just going to give the throne away to his sister without making sure she was still the person she was before; according to Nathan, before she "died" the woman was, "beautiful, caring, and mature," all of which David had yet to see, despite the beauty. Yes, she was extremely beautiful on the outside, something that David did not expect, seeing as how she was supposedly living in the woods while she was "dead." But Nathan's sister did not seem so pretty on the inside, which immediately made David's mind treat her like an ugly, old hag.

Maybe he was being too harsh, too judgemental, too soon. But over his years of being bullied by both Leshy and werewolf, living a life with only animals and the supernatural, and being a guardian, protecting those from the easily hidden Aswangs- after a life like that, the only ones he could truly trust were his best friend, Jake Pierce, and his amazing soulmate.

And, even though Nathan's sister- what was her name? Mary?- was a vampire, David still didn't trust her. And he probably never would. Nathan was wary too of the fact, so he didn't fully trust her either until she proved herself worthy.

Or some Mjölnir crap like that.

Anyway, David wanted to get away while they were doing their family reunion, so he decided to do something that he had to do anyway: talk to the leshy of the nearest forest, and ask him if they can trade. Hopefully, the leshy was a nice one or at least cooperative. David would be worried to leave his forest behind with no one to guard it.

Then he realized, whoever this leshy was, had to guard Jake and his pack too if they were to trade.

Now, David really wished this leshy was a kind one. Perhaps, it would be a poor old soul who David had never met, or a newbie, who would be raring to protect his forest for him.

Either one, David was fine with. He decided, as he reached the tree line of the foreign woodlands, that either of those would be the best options, and he hoped- prayed, even- that it was not someone he knew.

Because every leshy he knew was not particularly nice.

He entered the forest, not entirely knowing how to summon a leshy or find one. Usually, no human or creature knew enough about supernaturals to summon something specific; they relied heavily on legends and stories. Even David himself was unaware of how to summon his own kind. However, since leshiye usually stay in one forest, they are, at most times, not that difficult to find if you were actively seeking them out. 

So, he wandered around, aimlessly gazing at all of the trees and every animal. The forest was different than David's in some ways. The trees were mostly evergreens, but there were a few deciduous and even a few palms growing here or there. Wondering around, looking for any sign of a leshy, David had even ended up walking in sand, which meant he was near the beach. The land was flatter, and the rivers in the forest seemed saltier and clearer, but with fewer fish.

He was enjoying his time wandering, taking in the beauty of the forest. He loved seeing the signs of life: a squirrel's nest or a bear's den. But he could tell there were less squirrels and bears than in his forest because of the heat of this one. An animal with a bunch of fur would have a rough time getting around in the heat of the summer. However, the birds obviously loved being in the warmer forest. They were tweeting sweetly toward each other, probably glad that they didn't have to migrate down to the southern kingdoms over the winter.

It was when David smelt smoke that the leshy discovered where the guardian of this forest was spending his time. His heart sank at the scent.

Most leshiye were not big fans of smoke. Smoke meant fire was nearby, and fire meant the burning of forests, the killing of lives, and houses that crumble beneath the flames. Not only houses of humans and supernaturals but also the houses of the animals that lived in the forest.

And this was no normal smoke from say, a campfire; no, this was cigar smoke. The smoke implied that there was someone in the middle of the forest causing it, but David wasn't so sure he wanted to meet them. 

However, he followed the scent until he started hearing voices. No- not voices specifically- laughs. One was from a man, big and deep. A good gruff, but it made David's skin crawl. David wasn't entirely sure why, but the laugh sounded familiar, which made David's stomach churn.

The other laughs sounded more like giggles, and, whether they were from girls or boys, David couldn't tell. All this laughing should be a good sign, right? They must be nice friendly people, David decided.

Following the laughs, they gradually became clearer. The familiar, deep gruff sent more shivers down David's spine. The laugh was familiar in his memory, yet he prayed that this leshy was not one from his childhood. 

Suddenly, the creatures, who's laughter still pursued his ears, came into his view, but before they could see him, he hid behind a tree and scoped out the situation.

 Oh god, it was a leshy- a leshy that David did know. The leshy, who David vaguely remembered his name being Philotes, was smoking a cigar (as David had guessed) cross-legged on the ground and was basking in the attention and entertainment provided to him by the beautiful woodland nymphs.

Furthermore, Philotes's soulmate appeared to be sitting right next to him, looking as if she was miserable beyond belief. That poor woman, David thought. It was as if she was being punished by being bonded to such a bigoted creature.

David remembered Philotes only by his poor choice in name. Although, in their group of leshiye, Philotes was not the top-dog, the leshy certainly acted as if he was as strong as Enyo, who was the leader of David's childhood bullies. Both Enyo and Philotes thought they were already strong enough to guard their forest. They believed that they needed no training or knowledge because they were already built like warriors. Even to this day, Philotes was showing off his ripped abdominal muscles, tall and buff figure, and meaty biceps. 

The story goes, Philotes wanted a name that described his personality, so he went to Enyo. Enyo told him about the greek god of personified affection, friendship, and sex: Philotes, and that was the name he chose to be called by.

However, Philotes, David knew, was a greek goddess. It was a woman's name, and so was the name Enyo, who was the goddess of war. The leshiye, Enyo and Philotes, were completely oblivious to this fact, and David still remembered the day that Enyo had announced his name in front of his posse. David had accidentally let out a laugh, and then...

David shook his head from his thoughts. He needed to stop thinking about his past. The leshy looked back up at the present Philotes, wondering if the leshy would indeed trade forests.

Philotes was mean to him, yes, but he was nothing like Enyo. He was just the one on the sidelines. The one that tried to look cool by supporting everything that came out of Enyo's mouth. Enyo was the real instigator of all the torture he had been put through.

So David decided to at least try. He cleared his throat and stepped out from his hiding place. Although Philotes was nothing like Enyo, David's nerves racked through his body at the thought of revisiting his past.

Once he came into view, Philotes's eyes snapped right to his. So did Philotes's soulmate's, whose eyes were filled with hope. David was noticeably skinnier and smaller than the leshy in front of him, and he knew he would end up refusing to fight if it came to that.

There was no way he could compete against someone whose pride was balanced thinly on winning at life.

"Look at what the forest dragged in," said Philotes sarcastically, "A failure. Say, have you come here to ask me for help? Can't defend your forest on your own, runt?"

"I'm not a runt," David replied. Sure he was smaller than most leshiye, but he was not small. He was still taller than most humans, except Nathan. He and Jake outgrew him a of couple inches. 

He was definitely not as small as General Reno, who David had assumed was a runt.

"Sure you are!" Philotes guffawed, "The only leshy I have seen that was your size was a halfling! Halflings are very rare, you know, and most are very powerful, so there is no way you could be one! A runt is the only option left!"

A Halfing, which could also be referred to as a hybrid, was half something and the other half was something else. Most Aswangs were hybrids, which means they were not shifters. They were half-Aswang and half-something else, usually half-vampire or witch. Hybrids usually had the powers of a different species, along with the powers of their original species, whether it be a speedy vampire with the strength of a werewolf or a magical witch with the immortality of a god.

Therefore, with more powers, halflings were extremely powerful. Especially Leshy halflings, who could turn into any species already.

However, David had no possession of an extra power, so Philotes was right. He was certainly not a halfling.

"Pardon me, Philotes," David said, setting aside Philotes's accusation, "I know we have our differences, but I have not come for your assistance. I have come to trade forests with you."

"And why's that, runt?" Philotes growled, "Is your forest too difficult to keep up with? A little birdie told me that you had a war with Aswangs a few weeks ago. How is that going for you?"

Traitorous birds, David thought to himself. It was very likely that a little birdie told Philotes what was going on; birds were such gossipers, especially when they move to warmer areas during the winter season. They tell your juicy secrets to everyone in the area.

"It is over, and the war went well in my favor," David replied, a little aggravated from Philotes's tease, "I have not come here for that. I've come here because I have found my soulmate, and I need to trade forests."

"Ha! My, my, my," Philotes stood and got closer, a big smug grin on his face. The nymphs that were draped against him seemed sad from the loss of his attention, "The runt has found someone that loves him! Poor soul, I know too what it is like to fall for such a weakling!"

Philotes's soulmate visibly flinched at the word "weakling." How heartless could Philotes be to this woman? David thought. He wanted to save her, wanted to carry her away to a place she could be happy, but it would only hurt her to remove her from her soulmate.

"Say, who is this soulmate of yours?" Philotes continued, "Why can't he move to your forest with you like Venessa is here with me? Sure, jötunn (A/N norse frost giants) do not do well in warm climates, but there are no forests in her home place for me to guard."

Keeping his jötunn soulmate in warm weather? David's eyes widened, Is he trying to kill her?

No wonder she looked so miserable.

"He's the king," David replied, knowing it was necessary for him to answer the question in order for the trading of forests. He hoped that Philotes would trade for the sake of the frost giant; David's forest was much colder than this one.

"A he?" Philotes suddenly laughed hysterically, "Oh! That's so good! The runt is mated to a man! Do you need a big strong man to take care of you, runt?" He laughed some more; David did not find anything funny. "Do you need a big strong man to hold you when you cry with your little soft feelings?"

"I am not a runt," David repeated, trying his hardest to stay calm and not let his over-emotional self get the best of him. He didn't want to seem like a weakling. "I am just like everybody else."

"Oh, does your leshy tell you that? Do your feelings get hurt that bad?" Philotes continued. David thought he was an idiot. The leshy inside him didn't even talk.

"No, my leshy doesn't speak," David continued, confused. He waited for Philotes to realize his stupidity; he waited for Philotes to stop laughing and start being sensible because of his mistake.

"Oh, really? Now, that's rich!" Philotes wiped away a tear that fell while he was laughing, "You are such a pathetic weakling, your own leshy doesn't even like talking to you?!"

What? David thought, taken aback. His heart quickened, and his breathing did too. "What do you mean? Your leshy talks?"

"All inner leshiye talk, runt," Philotes smiled almost evilly, "Seems like yours just doesn't like you. Not surprised, honestly. None of us like you. "

David didn't want to believe it. How could that be possible? He and his leshy were one and the same. They were bounded to each other since David was born, and they have never had any fights, simply because his leshiye didn't talk. The voice inside him was never there. 

Not when he was bullied.

Not when he found his soulmate.

And not now.

The only times the voice inside his head seemingly spoke was when it grunted here or there. David never heard a single word come from his leshy's thoughts.

Why wouldn't his leshy talk to him? Was he really that weak compared to every other leshiye? Suddenly, the possibility of being a runt became clearer in David's mind. He didn't want to be what everyone said he was. He didn't want to be the weakling, the small one, the defected one.

He just wanted to be like the David from the story: smaller than everyone else, but twice as strong.

Suddenly, his emotions got the best of him.

Suddenly, he wanted to cry.

But he couldn't prove to Philotes that he was as weak as he claimed.

So, despite needing to trade forests, David suddenly turned and started to walk away.

He would come back later, when he figured himself out. For now, the forest could wait; the leshy had other things on his mind.

David really wanted, no- needed to see his soulmate.