It’s been several days since I’d passed a village. Within the village I got directions and supplies, then entered the sea of trees I currently trekked. My black boots made the barest of sounds as my cloak whispered against the dusty path. Truthfully, the beauty of the forest brought me such serenity that a part of me refused to break it, choosing to remain a shadow passing silently among the trees. A benefit to staying so quiet was that if there was anything out there, which I’m sure there was, they wouldn’t know that there was someone nearby. Just as I rounded a bend in the path, to my surprise, someone else came from the opposite direction at the same time, very nearly knocking me off my feet. Though I didn’t lose my balance, the same couldn’t be said for the stranger as he sprawled to the floor with a shout.

“Ah!” He hissed in pain, his eyes shut tight. Slowly, he looked up. “S-sorry! I-I was in a hurry and didn’t see you!”

His eyes widened further as he took in my appearance, his mouth agape. Though my cloak draped over my shoulders and created a kind of curtain to hide my attire and body beneath, I suppose it could be intimidating. After all, not many people wore all black. Ignoring his stare I offered a hand, which he smiled gratefully at and eagerly took. Hauling him to his feet, I continued to study him as he began speaking.

Overall he would have been considered handsome, and didn’t appear much older than I was. An off-white baggy shirt hid his torso, the sleeves ending just past his elbows. The rest of his forearms were wrapped in cream colored bandages, and his dark brown cargo pants were tucked into his black boots. He had lively chocolate brown eyes with a non-connecting ring of gold that surrounded his diamond shaped pupil, and dark brown hair that framed his kind face. It shifted as he continued to babble on, gesturing with his arms in random directions as he attempted to make conversation.

“What about you?” He asked suddenly, turning those sprightly eyes on me.

Despite knowing that he couldn’t see my expression, I slowly raised an eyebrow. “What about me?”

He blinked, the surprise written all over his face. I hadn’t lowered my tone in order to mask my gender, as I’d done back at the village. Hearing a soft female voice coming from the dark hooded figure had probably caught him off guard. Not to mention that my attire gave nothing away to my being female.

“You’re…” He trailed off, continuing to stare at me wide-eyed.