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“Helena!” Shiro shouted once more, moving his head left and right to find any signs of the escaped horse. No luck. He was already too far from the barn, already close to the border where the forest starts and the distance he had walked frightened him.
It wasn’t anything new for one of his horses to stray away from the herd, it happened almost every other day that it didn’t surprise him anymore when he counted them that afternoon and fell short of one. What alarmed him, however, was that he had to be this far already without any clue as to where to find his missing horse. He had already gone to the usual areas where it might have traipsed away and hid for a few more moments of freedom but he didn’t find her there.
“Helena!” Shiro repeated, directing it towards the entrance of the forest, hands cupped at the sides of his mouth to hopefully make the sound louder and call the horse’s attention. There was no response. He placed his hands on his hips and debated on whether he should go in and look for her, hoping she didn’t get injured while discovering the forest.
It wasn’t that the forest was a scary place, he’d been there many times before during the day. But the sun is almost ready to set, low on the horizon, the moon already high up, waiting for its turn. When he was younger, his grandparents, who raised him, would always tell him not to go to the forest when the sun was not around. Whenever he would ask them why, they would answer with stories about the forest people who hid themselves well from the eyes of humans who visited their lands. Shiro had never seen them before and now that he was older, he wondered, as he stood by the mouth of the forest, if those stories were ever true. He had to find his horse though, whether he believed those stories or not. So he walked in with careful steps, taking the path that had been paved there for years by people who have passed by the forest.
“Helena?” Shiro called out, his voice a little quieter but still loud enough for it to be heard by anyone or anything nearby. “Where are you, girl? Shiro is here. Come on. Let’s go home.” He started talking, more to fill the silence that surrounded him than to actually coax the horse out of where it was hiding. The forest was lush green as it always had been. Aside from the absence the usual humming of birds, there was really nothing new he had to note about it.
Shiro had already gone far into the forest that the entrance he had walked in from was now just a small hole, the light that came from it a little orange, a sign that the sun is close to set. He shouted his horse’s name again, louder, uncaring if someone heard him other than Helena. And then a sound registered into his brain. A neigh. He stayed quiet and waited for it again, hoping to find out where it was coming from. When he was certain of the direction it was being carried from, he walked towards it, ready to rein his horse back to the barn. But just when he was about to take the final steps towards the area where he thought Helena was, another sound floated in the air. Laughter. It was quiet but it made Shiro’s chest feel warm without even seeing who produced the sound.
Not wanting to intrude, and afraid that it was one of the forest people he had heard about, Shiro hid behind one of the trees large enough to cover him. When he peeked into the area, he found a small clearing and Helena facing away from him. He also saw flowers growing around the boulder in the middle of the clearing and what seemed like sheer fabric flowing down to the ground. When he lifted his gaze a little he saw a pair of feet and a good length of legs covered by the fabric before he could see the person’s knees. Helena bent her head down to chew on the grass below and that was when Shiro got a good look on the person sitting on the boulder.
Shiro had only heard about them, the forest people. They kept the forest thriving with their powers but stayed hidden whenever humans were around. That was probably why no one warned Shiro of potentially falling in love with one when he came across them.
The sheer fabric was a sleeveless dress covered in purple flowers, lilac, Shiro assumed, as his grandmother tended a small garden in their backyard when she was still alive and had a few of them. It was shimmering in the sunlight that flooded in through the canopy created by the trees surrounding the clearing, making the person glow as if he was a star that fell from the sky. He had fair skin and dark brown hair that fell just by his shoulders, the silky locks also adorned with lilac and a few yellow flowers that Shiro had no name for. His sharp nose scrunched adorably when the horse nudged his hand with her snout. The person had a smile on his cherry lips the whole time, curved slightly upwards as he reached for Helena’s mane and said a few words that Shiro could not understand because his voice was too quiet. His eyes were gentle and shining as he interacted with Helena, as if the horse was his own, the care he put in every affectionate pat he gave the animal seen by Shiro.
“Mr. Shirogane,” the person said without looking up and meeting the man he was addressing. Shiro stood still on his place after getting caught, pulse racing at the velvety call of his name, and started listing possible scenarios this could end up with. He had no idea what these forest people gave as punishments and the man sitting in the clearing didn’t look like he gave them out himself but Shiro wasn’t certain if that was just a façade. That was why the herder couldn’t help the sigh of relief he let out when he heard the person’s next words. “You can come out and retrieve your horse now.”
Shiro was still stiff when he came out of his hiding place to walk towards Helena and the man sitting on the boulder. He could still change his mind and punish the herder if he so wanted, so Shiro was careful when he stood a few feet away from the boulder. He wasn’t sure what customs were to be followed when faced with one of the forest people so he just bowed to show his respect, since that was what people normally did when they saw royalty. The man was quiet when Shiro straightened up from his awkward bow and the silence made the herder worry once more, beads of sweat running down his back as he waited for a response.
With the proximity, he could see just how beautiful the man was. And the awestruck feeling he had when he first saw the man from afar returned in a snap, evidenced by the loud lub-dub pounding by his ears. There were lean muscles beneath the soft skin that rippled with the smallest movement he made, tensing and relaxing as he adjusted himself on the boulder. His face looked focused but his features were still gorgeous, as if all the good physical attributes in the world were collected to create him. Sparkling eyes in a dark shade of purple, a colour he had never seen so beautifully on anyone before, searched Shiro’s face, travelled down his body, to the ends of his boots before they were glued to his eyes again. The man’s gaze was enough to burn his cheeks, feeling the warmth intensify the longer the man watched him.
“Umm,” Shiro cleared his throat and nervously licked his lips, fearing the man was waiting for an apology that he was too lovestruck to give earlier, “I apologize for my and my horse’s intrusion. I did not know she would come all the way here.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” the man answered and shook his head lightly, “And you had to take her back so I forgive your intrusion. It’s not as if humans don’t come here often anyway.”
“Right.” Shiro scratched his cheek and patted Helena as the horse chomped on another patch of grass. “Is it all right that she…” he trailed off, pointing to where his horse was still biting onto the grass.
“I would have admonished her already if it wasn’t,” the man answered, his tone musical. “It is for the animals, either way, and she is one too even if she isn’t mine.” His laughter was entrancing as Helena reached for his hand again, as if to say thank you before bending down for more food. Shiro wondered idly if he wasn’t feeding his horses well enough.
“She said she was curious of the forest,” the man offered as if he knew what Shiro was thinking of, “And that was why she came here.”
“I’m very sorry,” Shiro said again, biting his bottom lip and thinking of how to best fortify the fences around his land.
“As I said, Mr. Shirogane, it is quite all right. I like meeting new friends.” After he said it, the man reached for Helena’s head again and caressed it.
“How come you know my name?” The question came out of Shiro’s mouth unfiltered and one hand of his instantly flew up to cover his lips after realizing what he had done, mumbling an apology afterwards.
“I know the people who live around my forest, Mr. Shirogane,” he supplied with a shrug, “It comes with the territory.”
“Of course,” the herder answered sheepishly. “I’m sorry again for intruding Mister…” Shiro wasn’t sure how he should address the forest people. He didn’t know if they had names or if they preferred being addressed by what they do.
“Keith,” the man supplied, a small smile, utterly stunning, painted on his lips, “Just call me Keith.”
“Then, you may call me Shiro,” the herder offered a hand, too late to regret sticking it out when he realized this might be too casual for someone considered to be of divine nature. But then there was a press on his palm, warm and soft, grip firm as Keith squeezed his hand and smiled up at him.
“I wasn’t lying a while ago when I said I like meeting new friends,” Keith said, hand still clasped with Shiro’s, “I get lonely here sometimes.”
“We’ll always make it a point to visit you then,” Shiro suggested, seemingly unable to create a brain to mouth filter when faced with Keith. He couldn’t think straight and his heart ran a marathon in his chest the longer their hands stayed together.
“I would love that.” Keith’s smile was worth it. It made heat, both searing and comfortable, explode in Shiro’s chest, a feeling he could only liken to love or at least the beginnings of it. His lips also quirked up, reciprocating the smile given to him, hoping it made the other feel even just half of what Shiro felt. And when their hands finally fell away, the herder immediately missed the contact, wanting to grab Keith’s hand and keep it in his again.
Seeing the light above them slowly turn indigo, Shiro gently tugged Helena up by the straps around her neck, just enough to get her attention. He cooed and told her about getting home, all while he felt Keith’s gaze on him.
“I’m afraid we have to leave,” Shiro said, sadness tainting his voice. He really didn’t want to leave. He would much rather stay and chat with Keith even though he had no idea what kind of conversations he would have with a deity. But, alas, he had to return to the barn and make sure all the animals were properly fed and that he too got his dinner.
“I look forward to seeing you again, Shiro,” Keith said before hopping down from the boulder, flowers instantly growing around the place where he stood. The herder realized only then that the man was a bit smaller than him, in frame and height. He stood stock still when Keith placed his hands on Shiro’s cheeks afterwards, closing his eyes as he did so. For a moment, the taller one thought the other was expecting a kiss but before he could lean in, the shorter male opened his eyes and stepped back. Shiro’s eyes land on the vines that were now wrapped around Keith’s arms, thin with small flowers of white sprouting from them.
“You should be safe until you leave the forest,” Keith reassured him, as dusk finally settled around them, “No harm will be done to you.”
“Thank you,” Shiro breathed out, mesmerized by the deity in front of him, “Keith.”
Shiro looked back to where Keith was, more than once, as he walked with Helena through the path he had taken earlier. The deity didn’t disappear, lifting a hand every time the herder turned his head. He only grew smaller and smaller as Shiro and Helena reached the entrance. Before the herder walked away completely, he raised an arm and waved towards the area where they came from even though he could see nothing but Keith’s silhouette.
When he reached the barn, he immediately walked Helena into the stable and placed food for his animals to feed on before going into the house to wash himself and start with dinner. Once he was in the bathroom that was when he noticed the crown of flowers that sat atop his head, made of the same ones that Keith had on his hair earlier. Shiro removed it and inhaled the scent, feeling light as he was reminded of how warm the deity smiled at him and the kindness he had shown them.
Later while he browsed the book his grandmother had about flowers, he found out what the yellow one was and what the flowers Keith graced him with meant, proclaiming afterwards that a return to the forest the next day with his own gifts was a must.