"Great! Let's head outside and get started." I ignore her disrespectful comment and urge everyone outside. We all sit down around the center of the fort. Even Woohee joins in on our meditation circle.
"The goal is to clear your mind. Remove all thoughts. Feel the cool air on your skin. Blur the line that separates you from the forest and expand outward." Inari's calm, sensual voice flows in through my ears. "Take slow measured breaths. Feel the air entering and exiting your body. Watch the energy of life travel throughout your being. Listen to your heartbeat and pay attention to everything your body is trying to tell you."
We sit in silence for a few minutes and I try desperately to clear my mind.
♪ Na na, na na, na na, na na; na na, na na, na na, na na. ♪
The theme of a certain caped hero echoes around my head relentlessly. I can't reach the point of the song where his name is said, so I just hear the beginning on repeat. Despite this noise slowly threatening to drive me mad, I do my best to remain calm. Suddenly, as if she's reading my mind, Inari speaks.
"This is only your first time meditating, so don't get frustrated. Your mind is a muscle you will have to train in the same way you train your body. No one is good at it their first time. Just relax. Focus on your breathing. In... Out... In... And out." My ears have adjusted to the silence of the woods, and I hear quiet noises that I hadn't noticed before. The distant rustling of leaves at the top of the trees, the quiet chatter of birds. I think I can even hear my blood streaming through my veins between the booming sound of my heart. Slowly, I become more sensitive to the sounds around me and her sensual voice feels as if it is being spoken softly next to my ears.
"Let loose any worries or concerns; allow yourself to relax completely."
'Pfft.' Someone's fart cuts apart the carefully constructed atmosphere. We all try to stifle our laughter, and I slightly open my eyes to find the culprit. Josh's beet-red face gives him away without a need for a confession.
"Alright, maybe don't relax that much." I can see Inari desperately holding back a smile as she tries to calm us down. A few giggles escape the others as we all try to relax again. Sakura is the one who enjoys it the most as she continues to struggle to control her laughter for the next couple of minutes. Peace slowly reruns to the fort, and I try to focus on my breathing again. Not five minutes go by before I hear Sakura's voice.
"Uh oh..."
'PFFfffftbbbBBTttt!'
Sakura leans to the side and releases a tsunami of flatulence, the likes of which this forest has never heard before. The dam breaks. We all drop our posture and burst out laughing. Sakura and Woohee are holding their sides, and even Josh is chuckling through his still reddened expression. Surprisingly, Inari loses her composure as well. I can see her hunched over with both hands over her mouth and tears streaming down her face. We laugh and laugh at the absurd situation.
[This is probably the hardest I've laughed since I came to this world.]
After a few minutes, we manage to calm down.
"Well, I think that's enough meditating for today," Inari says between subdued giggles.
We all stand up and stretch as we try to calm down. A few chuckles can still be heard as I make a plan for our next move.
"Since we're done for the day, why don't we look for some fungi to sell."
""Okay!"" The kids agree, so we start searching. Woohee gives us a hand again today while Inari quietly follows us. Things progress smoothly for the first half-hour, and we gather a sizable haul. I climb up the side of one particularly large tree to get on top of a Pons fungus when I hear a clacking sound. I'm climbing further up the trunk, and I see a strange insect about fifty centimeters long. It has a thin abdomen covered in a hard shell. Its four legs grip the bark with powerful claws, and what looks like two scythes are folded up in front of its upright thorax. I freeze as the many eyes covering the creature's head turn to focus on me.
'Pffffoot.'
[I really hope that was a fart.]
The sudden noise startles the abomination, and it charges at me. I let go of the tree and land awkwardly on the ground. The beast moves lightly along the trunk and comes up before me with gnashing jaws.
"Die."
Inari's firm voice appears behind me, and I'm covered in green blood as the insect is rent in two. A foul stench fills the air as I sit on the ground, dumbfounded.
"You're lucky I was here to save you," Inari says with a smug smile.
"Yeah, I'd be dead if you weren't here," I say as I rub the Monster's Bane in my pocket.
She narrows her eyes at my response. "Flattery will get you nowhere, child."
"It was worth a shot," I say lightly. She figured out I had a backup strategy based on her reaction.
"Either way, there's no way I'd be able to take that down one on one. I've read about Equuinoids but never seen one."
The smug smile returns to Inari's face. I managed to stroke her ego a little so I chalk that up as a win.
"If you can't even fight one of those, you probably shouldn't be perusing the forest."
"You're probably right." I'm still wiping the green blood off of myself so I'm not really paying much attention to what she's saying. I just agree with her thoughtlessly.
"Well, I'd hate for Woohee's friends to stop visiting, so I'll offer you our protection when you visit the forest."
"Oh, thank you very much!" I didn't intend to stop coming to the forest but having protection while we're here takes a lot of stress off my shoulders.
"It's no problem. I think it's important that we protect those that are the friends of the fairies."
"You're too kind. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help."
"Well, there is one thing."
"Really?"
"That outfit you made for Woohee, could you make any more?"
"No!" Woohee shouts out her disapproval. "Nick made this for Woohee."
She pulls at her shirt as she makes her case.
"That'll always be the case no matter how many people I make clothes for, Woohee. You shouldn't be jealous of others having more, especially when you won't have any less. You'll always be special to me, okay?"
"He's right, Woohee. Don't be selfish."
Inari follows up after I finish. I can see Woohee trying very hard not to smile after I called her special. She's holding her elbow behind her back and twisting back and forth as she contemplates our words.
"Okay," she says softly. I can see her still squirming a short distance away, watching me while looking bashful. It feels like she wants something from me or wants me to do something.
"Woohee?" I ask cautiously.
She smiles at me with a big toothy grin and then flies over and wraps her spindly arms around my neck.
"Oh! Uh, hey," I stammer in surprise. She hugs my neck from behind my right shoulder, so her head is tucked under my ear. I freeze up because I'm worried I'll hurt her if I move too quickly. Carefully, I reach my left hand around my shoulder and lightly stroke her head with my index finger which causes Woohee to snuggle her head deeper into my hair.
"Stop that tickles." I giggle. Woohee ignores my pleas and digs her head even deeper.
"Stop, stop, stop, stop." I try to shake her off while laughing, and she eventually let go. My face grows hot with shame. Everyone is watching our antics which only makes me flush harder. I cough to try and shift the focus off myself.
Fortunately, Inari comes to my rescue. "It looks like it's getting dark."
'Cough, cough.'
"Yeah, we should get going." I gladly accept the life raft she offers and start moving to collect our spoils for the day.
"Nick, your face is all red. Do you have a fever?" Josh completely misunderstands the situation and opens a fresh wound.
"Yeah, Nick. Are you feeling okay?" Sakura piles it on while giggling. I can see even Inari holding back a laugh.
"Ha ha ha, you guys are so funny!" I yell sarcastically. "Let's just get going before it gets too late."
"Bye, Nick!" Woohee waves to me with both hands over her head. I meekly smile and wave back as we set off. The kids say their farewells, and we arrive back to town before night arrives. Inari watches us leave while flying near Woohee.
"People, huh?" Inari repeats the words of the boy from earlier. She watches as Woohee flies around hugging herself happily. It's familiar. She's been in those wings many times before; a woman offers to help the fairy village, and a man says he's fallen in love. So many have come before. Inari thinks back on all of these encounters that have occurred over her thousands of years of memories. Some of these encounters ended amicably or faded away from abandoned connections, but the betrayals are the ones that stand out the most. That's why she is so wary of this boy. She has been betrayed too many times in the past to easily trust a human again.
"People, huh?" That strange phrase rolls around Inari's tongue.
"Leader?" Woohee flies in close to Inari to see what makes her so uncertain.
"He called us people," she responds.
"…" Woohee tilts her head to the side in confusion.
"He doesn't see us as any different than humans. We're all the same to him, or at least that's what his words imply."
"Humans are bad. Woohee's not a human." Woohee puffs out her cheeks and glares at her leader. Inari has invested a lot of time making sure the fairies are wary of humans, so this is an expected response.
"But, Nick is a human. Doesn't that mean Nick is bad?"
"Nick is different, and he says Woohee is special." Woohee hugs herself and flies off again. It seems she's reliving the moment in her mind.
"My concern is that he has some ulterior motive or that this is an act."
"Hmmm hmm, hmm hm hmmm!" Woohee is humming to herself, completely oblivious to Inari's tribulations.
"I suppose only time will tell." The fairy leader heads back to her village, with Woohee following closely behind.