Leon could feel something poking his face, the sounds of peals of muffled laughter roused him from his slumber. As he opened his eyes he could see he was surrounded by a number of girls. Glancing around his mind went into shock, not at the number of them but that they were nude for the world to see. Leon covered his eyes and turned away.
"Have you ladies no deceny" Leon shouted in a nervous voice, he could feel the warmth of his cheeks turning a pale red. The ladies laughed behind him.
"I didn't think he would be such a boorish man" a voice said behind Leon.
"Don't focus on that" another said, as Leon could feel a hand slowly stoke the front of his chest and stomach "This one is a fine specimen" Leon was at the mercy of a multitude of hands touching him and pulling at his clothes.
"Stop, where's Rin?" Leon said in a panic as he felt his shirt being thrown away.
"Why focus on her when you have us here?" said a voice next to Leon's ear. The breath left a tingling sensation down his neck. The girls laughed at Leon's attempts to keep his eyes averted from the gaggle of women.
"And who said you could have my guest?" a voice rang out cleaerly. The hands that were covering hesitated for a moment and removed themselves from Leon. Opening his eyes he saw Rin and the Dryad with her.
"If you nymphs have nothing better to do than seduce men I suggest you return to the lake" the Dryad said in a soft but threatening tone. The group of women withdrew as they continued to look over their shoulders for longingly at Leon and they slowly disappeared from view.
"Come" the Dryad instructed as she walked off in a different direction with Rin in tow. Leon barely had a moment to watch the nymphs walk back to their lake as he got onto his feet to follow the two.
"I have a small place to rest for humans. Although it is not grand it is of comfort for a traveller. Be warned though, those nymphs are restricting themselves for you but they have led to many a man's demise" the Dryad lectured Leon. Rin continued to follow in quiet. Arriving at a small cottage the inside had a fire glowing, lighting up the windows in what was now the late afternoon. The cottage would've been quite normal if not for the fact that it was built into the side of an old dead tree with its roots hugging the of the cottage.Rin opened the cottage door for the Dryad as she walked herself in, Leon followed as he looked around. The room was quite plain, a bed and some chairs surrounded a wooden table in the middle of the room. A fireplace was slowly burning firewood keeping the place a pleasant temperature. The dryad took a seat and gestured to Leon.
"Sit" she said, in a tone that was expecting obedience. Leon sat down as Rin closed the door. Pulling a tea kettle that was sitting next to the fireplace she poured it into two cups as a light fragrance filled the air. Placing the drinks in front of the two she stood to the side waiting for the dryad.
"Drink" the dryad instructed, herself taking a sip of the drink Rin had served. Nervously Leon eyed the drink and carefully sipped, worried about the contents it contained. A light sweetness filled his mouth as he eyes showed a surprise at the drink, even during his wonderings between the town and villages he had never come across a drink like this.
"It's a rare delicacy for us here, locust honey cannot be harvested anywhere you may have travelled. Of which get to my main reason talking to you today" the dryad said as she placed down the cup with a much heavier hand than expected. The sound causing Leon to nervously flinch.
"All know that it is forbidden to hunt in my grounds. We refuse to leave this forest and expect none to intrude on our grotto. And yet you dared to kill an animal under our nose" the dryad continued, her tone had an edge to it as she recounted Leon's actions.
"Unfortunately the deer decided to run into your forest, I had found it on the snow slopes and it had decided to flee towards your lands. I apologise for this, had I known that I had crossed those borders I would have given up on the animal. During the winter it is incredibly hard to survive with the snow." Leon recounted sounding confident in his reasoning, however he could feel a cold sweat under the dryad's gaze as she observed him.
"Usually we would assume that those who would enter expect to never come out alive. Nonetheless you have trespassed and that is a crime I cannot pardon. For your punishment I believe I have something suitable in mind" the dryad said.
"This hunter will accept the punishment" Leon said his fists tightening and his nerves frayed.
"I want you to escort my dear Rin into the outside world" Leon barely processed the words when a loud bang sounded from near the fireplace. Rin had been moving the kettle back when she heard the dryad speak. Nervously she picked up the kettle and placed it to the side.
"Am I not worthy enough to be by your side anymore Sylas?" Rin exclaimed a slight mist forming in her eyes, throughout the day Leon was surprised to see this as the first time the girl had acted her age.
"It is not a matter of being worthy, you have been in this forest for a long time. Your life belongs outside of this place and you must see for yourself what it truly is like. We cannot hide you here forever" Sylas said with a lack of emotion in your voice.
"But this is my home, you are my family" Rin said as the tears begun to fall down her face.
"We are but a gathering of monsters. There may be a day for you to return but the right thing to do is to return to your kind. From this day forth you will be exiled to see the world of humans with your own eyes." Standing up from the chair Sylas eyed Leon "I expect you to protect her more than you would protect your life. Know that death is not the end when dealing with our kind" Sylas said in a threatening tone as she left the small cottage. A silence descended on the room as Rin fell to the floor and weeped. Leon felt uncomfortable as he watched the girl cry out her heart on the floor as the sounds became quieter. Remebering the dryad's words Leon went over to Rin to check her but she had already dozed off. Lifting off from the floor he placed her onto the bed and lifted a heavy blanket over her as the slow rise and fall of her chest indicated she was in a deep slumber. It wasn't unusual to expect that the news had took a toll on her body. While she was sleeping Rin could look like any other village girl he had passed but he could not forget the clouding in her eyes and her gaze that could stare into him. Sighing to himself he thought, Leon what did you get yourself involved in. Leon sat in a chair while watching over Rin as his own eyes became heavy and he let sleep take over.