She allows the feeling to take her where she needs to be. Apparently, where she needs to be is a human camp. She doesn't worry too much about being seen, even though her appearance is considered rather unnatural, by human standards. Her green dreads, different shades of the forest, her hazel eyes, her skin the color of pine bark. She stands out amongst all the bland colors of the camp. 

As she was walking around, she didn't see anybody, but all of a sudden, there's noise from the far end of the camp. Nature's pull is taking her towards there, so she follows and her heart stutters when she sees a girl with glowing honey-brown skin, bright purple eyes, and raven black curls. She looks towards Amiel, her eyes encaptivating Amiel, she finds herself walking towards her, pulling the girl aside from her game with her friends. 

"Uh, do I know you? I don't think I could forget a girl with your coloring." She says.

"No, you don't know me, but I-I'm Amiel. I was born from nature and Mother Nature called me here, to you. I feel a pull that leads to you." Amiel tries to explain, but the girl still looks confused. 

"Well, since you introduced yourself, I feel like I should introduce myself as well." Her voice is shaking, but she still goes on to say her name. "I'm Valda, it means leadership. My father is supposed to start teaching me about everything I need to know."

Amiel seems to finally realise that she's still holding Valda's hands, and her face heats. She quickly lets go and Valda looks back at her friends waiting for her.

"Hey, uh, Amiel. Do you wanna join me and my friends? We're playing a game our parents showed us when we were kids."

"Uhm, I haven't eaten yet, I was just about to go hunting after I found out whatthat pull was. I- uh, I also never really played games."

"Oh, we ate leftovers from dinner, we still have some extra, if you want some? It's just some deer meat." Valda goes to grab the meat. Amiel doesn't know what to do, so she just waits there patiently, looking at her feet. 

Valda comes back and Amiel thanks her for the food. She bites into the cold meat, and cringes at the taste. "Why's it taste burned?" 

Valda laughs, "If my father heard you, he would be furious. He's the one who cooked the food for camp last night."

"Cooked?"

"Yeah, don't you cook yours?"

"Yes, but not this much. it's way over-cooked and tastes like rubber." Amiel hands the meat back to her. "I'll go hunt a rabbit really quick instead. Do you wanna come with me? As long as you're quiet."

"Sure! I've not been invited on any of the group hunts yet, so this'll be an adventure."

Valda goes to tell her friends to continue the game without her for a bit and she and Amiel run off into the brush.

"How are you going to hunt if you don't have a weapon?"

"I don't hunt with a weapon in the morning. My bow is only for evenings. I use skills to catch food in the morning." Amiel looks around and starts running off further into the woods. Valda rushes to keep up, forcing her footsteps to be quiet. At some point, Amiel disappears, but a minute later she comes back with a big rabbit in her arms. He's still alive, but calm as Amiel pets him.

"How did you catch him?" Valda asks.

"Mother Nature helped me. Do you have a sharp knife at camp?" Valda nods to her question and follows Amiel back to the camp, even she doesn't know where they are right now.

When they get back, Amiel starts her own fire and cooks her rabbit after quickly killing him. Valda questions her a bit when she says a prayer to Mother Nature and buries the bones of the animal.

"You should always thank for the food She provides and give back the remains so She can make him anew." Amiel explains when she notices Valda's confusion. 

............

From that day on, Amiel wakes up early, hunts, and goes to Valda's camp to play with her and her friends. They become really close, telling each other of their everyday life, sharing most of their secrets. They talk about crushes, and Amiel got to meet Valda's father. She was welcomed to the camp, and talked with Valda's dad about hunting with enthusiasm. They were intrigued when they saw how she hunted, how she killed, how she cooked, and how she prayed. She explained to them, just like she explained to Valda, and they decided to learn Amiel's ways. They prayed, hunted, killed, and buried just she does. 

............

Two months pass by, Amiel and Valda have grown closer than ever. Amiel gets invited into Valda's tent and spends the night a couple of days throughout the week. Whenever Amiel goes back to the fox family's den, they never question where she's been, just check that she's okay and doing well. She tells the little foxes of her adventures with Valda and they enjoy it very much, they say they muss her flower crowns and that her garden isn't doing so well now that she's not around all the time. She apologizes and goes back to Valda's camp anyway.

At some point, sleeping over became a constant thing, they play all day, and do their duties and then fall asleep in each others' arms. Amiel starts to think, 'will she push me away? Or will I be able to get closer to her? I don't know what I want, but I know that I can't lose her.' Those thoughts run through her mind like crazy every time they are together, and then at some point she starts hearing a soft whisper of advice in her ear everytime she's with Valda. "Just tell her. Tell her. Tell her." It becomes a chant in her head. "Tell her. Tell her. Tell her." 

Amiel ponders the words one day, instead of shutting them out. 'Should I tell her? Should I try to explain to her?'

She makes up her mind and wakes up the sleeping girl in her arms. 

It takes a moment to wake Valda up, but once she does she asks to go for a walk. Valda says sure and grabs a pelt to cover up with. "What did you want to talk about, Amiel?"

"How did you know I wanted to talk to you about something?" Amiel asks, she pulls the pelt around Valda more and leads her to a trail.

"I can see it in your eyes, you have something you want to explain."

"Y-yeah, I do. Uhm... Valda?" The girl looks at her. "I like you, more than friends, I think. I-I'm not totally sure because I don't understand my feelings. B-but, I know that I never want to lose you, I want to be next to you for the rest of my life." Amiel rushes to say, stammering as she explains.

"Amiel," Valda says breathlessly. "I want that too, I find comfort in your embrace, and I also never want to lose you."

Valda takes Amiel's hand again and pulls her close. She looks into her eyes and brings their lips together. 

A sound from beside them startles them, they look towards the noise and see Valda's dad. 

..........

"You can't be together. Valda, you're supposed to be the next leader. And you have responsibilites that no one can replace, you're supposed to marry the most eligable man in our village. Please, don't turn your back on that."

"I know all about my responsibilities, and I won't turn my back on them, but I love Amiel. I can't turn my back on her either, father. Please don't make me do that, why can't I marry her, and carry on as the leader?"

"Because there are some people in our village who won't approve of that. With you marrying a man, they know that you are true to all of your promises of a leader, but marrying a woman, one who also only came into our village and claims to be born from nature, they would lose their trust in you, Valda."

Valda runs out of the tent in outrage. She goes to the center of the village and calls to all of her people:

"Would all of you trust me less if I fell in love with a woman and married her instead of an eligable man? Be truthful, for that will make determine what I do next!"

The majority of the people say they will support her, but some of the 'eligable men' disagree. The ones that approve banter a bit with the men, but Valda doesn't care. She calls Amiel over, who was looking at her new garden in the corner of the village, by their tent.

The forest girl walks over, stands beside Valda. And blushes when she declares:

"This is the woman I love! I will marry her, and we will lead you together! She's brought much wise advice to us, we deserve to have her lead us. And I'm glad that she feels the same way about me." Valda finishes her declaration by kissing Amiel in front of her people, by now the girl is a bright crimson color. The village people cheer, and Valda's father joins them.

"I love you, Valda, and I accept your proposal. You and Amiel shall be married in the fall!" He declares. "I'm happy to accept a daughter-in-law, I'm happy that you asked our village if they agreed or not. That shows true leadership."

THE END