Chapter Text
The warm touch of the sun warmed his body, but even if it was warm, it also made him frown and half-open one of his eyes. He got up lazily, rubbing his eyes to remove the residue of sleep. The Elf looked in the nest. His mate wasn’t by his side. The young Elf let out a deep sigh. Remembering that yesterday, his mate had told him that there would be a meeting and that his presence was important.
They both didn’t like being apart for long. Not after so many years together.
The Elf sighed and got up from the nest, hidden inside the hollow of a tree. The best thing to forget that his mate wasn’t there was to go for a walk in the vast forest. Most of the time he was always accompanied by his mate, but he could never go alone to the forest. The best thing would be to take advantage of this occasion.
With the same precaution that many times before, he tried to leave his nest hidden in the undergrowth. The Nagas are very dangerous creatures and, therefore, very wanted. Half snake, half humanoid. But he knew that if someone tried to harm his mate, they wouldn’t escape unharmed from their battle against a giant snake.
The Elf began his journey, looking up at the sky, he saw that the sun was in the middle of the sky.
It must be noon, The Elf thought. That meant that he had to return to his nest before the sun set and the sky will begin to turn red. He didn’t want to worry his mate, and make the Naga cause a tragedy in the forest.
The Elf wandered for a few minutes in the forest. He was very agile climbing trees, so he didn’t hesitate for a moment to look for the tallest tree and start climbing it. Very soon he had full view of the whole forest. It was curious that he always liked to climb trees, when the way his mate called him was Sapling, Little Tree, Pine Tree; He couldn’t remember if he ever had an Elvish name. However, the Naga named Cipher, Bill Cipher, seemed to like to call him by the name of My Mate but more than anything he remembered it with passion was when Cipher had given him a name, a name thanks to seven golden points on his forehead, Dipper.
He watched the leaves of some treetops turn yellow. Almost golden, like Cipher’s hair and scales. He would have liked to see this view with him. Maybe at another time he could bring it with him.
The Elf before descending, penetrated again among the branches of the trees, observing the human village that lived far from the forest. His mate had always told him not to approach humans. Although he was similar to them, Dipper knew that the town quickly noticed a stranger. Even when the Naga hadn’t talked about approaching humans, everyone in the forest knew they were dangerous.
The Elf came down from the top of the tree and decided to collect some fruit. Cipher loves mangoes. He spent a lot of time gathering the delicious fruit. Most of the food Dipper ate was the meat of the prey that Cipher was hunting.
Dipper ran his hand through his hair, drops of sweat fell from his forehead. The heat of the sun had increased. His lips felt dry. The fruit would spoil if he didn’t find water. Even though he could wait to get to his nest and take it to the nearby stream, by then it may be a bit late.
He must find some source of water.
Near him, he could hear the water falling. He had found a waterfall! What a great news.
The young Elf walked faster to where he could hear the water run freely.
The water was falling into a pond, it was so crystal clear that even he could see the bottom of the pond and even some fish swimming. Around there were beautiful flowers. A few months ago, it had been the rainy season, so the rain had germinated some flowers. With his hand he felt the temperature of the water. A sigh of relief appeared on his face when he felt the water was cold.
With both hands he took some water and drank it, his throat thanking him instantly. With another small amount of water, he washed his face, removing sweat and allowing the water to cool him.
Crack.
His ears moved at the sound of a branch breaking. Oh no, he had come out too far from the forest area guarded by magic. He was too close to the village.
Then something moved in the bushes. Dipper was ready to attack, even when he had left his spear in his nest, he had his magic, it wasn’t as powerful as Cipher’s, but at least he could knock out his opponent.
Something, or rather, someone jumped out of the bushes.
“I have you!” A girl jumped out of the bush with a small pig in her hands. The girl laughed, but when she looked up, she found the Elf’s.
Dipper dropped his hands. That threat was only a human child, maybe eight to ten human years.
His first reaction was to run. If there was a human girl near here, then her parents were also here. Dipper turned to enter the forest before more humans appeared.
“Wait!” The girl stood up, letting go of the pig, and running to the Elf, taking his hand.
Dipper stayed in his place, the little girl looked at him with intrigue and admiration.
The girl made Dipper come down to her height and looked him straight in the eyes, “Are you a fairy?”
Fairy? Why compare him to those annoying forest maidens? Dipper shook his head.
The human girl said, “Oh.” But, curiously, she didn’t seem disappointed.
Cipher had explained that children, of any kind, are more innocent. That soft, childlike aura that he could see around this little girl was the most colorful.
“So...” The little girl placed her hand under her chin thoughtfully. When she seemed to have an idea, she snapped her fingers and her eyes shone. The Elf felt his hand was pressed between her small hands. “I know how to find out what you are! Come with me to my house, there’s a book with many creatures drawn.”
If the creatures and the humans could speak the same language, he would have told her that he was an Elf, however, seeing that shine in the girl’s eyes, well, it sounded strange, but she reminded him when he was a little Elf, after being found by Cipher, and he ran through the vast forest to discover its secrets. And he couldn’t help being curious about the idea of a human village. Even when he knew he had to return to his nest before Cipher returned, he let himself be guided by the human child.
“By the way, my name is Mabel.”
Mabel? That strange name fit perfectly with the strange girl.
Before the human walked to the village, Dipper stopped, the Elf had almost forgotten that no one should know of his existence. “What is happening to you?” Mabel asked. “Oh, I understand. Maybe we can go directly to my house through the forest.”
The house she was referring to was a small two-story shack. Dipper frowned when he smelled the incense on the porch of the house. It was an aroma to protect oneself from the spirits.
Mabel noticed his discomfort and released his hand to run off to extinguish the incense. “I’m sorry. Usually, Grunkle Ford lights it only at night. I like it because it smells like coconut.”
Dipper raised an eyebrow, what is a Grunkle Ford?
“I’ll leave you in my room while I go to search the book.” Mabel went back to his side, they went up the stairs, walking down a hall to face a door and enter the room. “Wait here, okay?” And with that she came back down the hall.
Dipper looked at Mabel’s room. There were too many animals in the girl’s nest. Dipper took one in his hands, they were soft. A part of him was glad they weren’t real forest animals. A small table with hundreds of colored sticks scattered and a book with pages of colored drawings. In it, he could see that on the first page there were Mabel and two people, a man and a woman, and the next she was with two older men. Her father and her mother and — The thing called Grunkle Ford?
“I’m back! And I brought cookies!” Mabel sang as she entered her room with a tray of chocolate cookies and a book.
Dipper took Mabel’s sketchbook and showed the girl both images, asking for an explanation.
She observed the first drawing with nostalgia, “They are my mom and my dad. They died three years ago.”
Dipper could understand why Mabel was sad, he didn’t know his parents, he was separated from them when he was very small, when the clan war happened. The Elf pointed to the following image.
“This is better.” Mabel smiled slightly, “I’m with my two Grunkles. Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford.”
Dipper tilted his head and looked at the image. Is Grunkles another way of saying new parents?
“Come, I want to know what magical creature you are.”
Mabel walked to her strange nest and jumped, falling sitting down and settling the book in her lap. Dipper followed her example, only without jumping, and sat down beside her. This nest was very soft, apparently everything around Mabel was soft.
The girl opened the book, and he looked with wide eyes at the creatures that were recorded. It was amazing that all the creatures that lived in the forest were in this book.
“Now, maybe in the humanoid section.” Mabel flipped through the book reaching the desired category. “Druids. Witch. Nymphs. Arachnes. Gnomes — ”
Dipper wanted to ask how Mabel’s Grunkle knew all this. So he tried to stop on each page, pointing to the information that was written in the language of humans.
“You want to say how he knows all this? My Grunkle Ford likes these themes about creatures in the forest. He tells me that we must keep our eyes open to the world in front of us.”
Grunkle Ford seemed a very wise man. Now he understood the reason why she hadn’t fled from his presence.
“Pixies.” Mabel continued thumbing through the big book, “Bingo! You are an Elf! A cute Elf! I should have known it by your pointy ears.” Mabel stood on her bed and touched the tip of his ear.
Dipper laughed at the persistence of this child. And taking her in his arms, he put her on the ground.
“Do you have a name? Oh, silly me. We don’t speak the same language, I forget it for a moment, I thought you were just mute. But you can write, right?”
Write, yes. In her language, no. Dipper shook his head.
“Oh. So, can you tell me how to pronounce your name?”
He had never talked to a human. Hell, he could be the first Elf to talk to one — But seeing that look, that soft glow in the eyes, he couldn’t deny that innocent request.
Mabel watched the Elf kneel at her height and his hand moved to his forehead, revealing seven golden dots.
“Dipper.”
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The meeting had lengthened more than he would like it to be. If he could, he would have stayed all day with his Sapling, whether they were both in their nest or hunting.
The animals moved away when the tail of golden scales crossed their path, the upper half was human and with a simple hiss all they could feel the danger of doing any impertinent act in his presence.
The Naga continued his customary path in the depths of the forest, where he could finally meet his little Elf.
Cipher felt more relaxed when he entered his territory. In the distance, the Naga managed to detect their nest that was inside the hollow tree.
The Naga was surprised to see that his Pine Tree wasn’t in the nest, sleeping, eating or practicing magic,
Pine Tree wasn’t there to hug him.
Pine Tree wasn’t there to kiss him.
Pine Tree wasn’t in their nest.
The Naga came out of the hollow tree, waiting for a couple of minutes for the Elf to return, but there was no sign of him.
The sun was hidden among the mountains. Pine Tree knew it was dangerous to be in the forest without him when it was night.
What if something had happened to him? Pine Tree was untouchable!
Throughout the forest, everyone knew that he was the most powerful being and that if someone had dared to touch his mate, they would suffer terrible and horrible consequences that would make them ask for death as soon as they saw him in their eyes.
The Naga being guided by the Elf’s smell reached the pond. Cipher covered his nose when he discovered a sweet smell combined with a spell to repel spirits. Cipher only had to put two and two and his conclusion was over.
The humans had been here.
The humans had been near his Pine Tree! Near his mate!
The anger soon seized the Naga and his body was covered completely with golden scales. The giant snake opened his mouth showing sharp fangs that shone like ivory daggers, the poison seeped into the ends of the fangs, falling to the ground and killing everything they touched. His golden eyes focused on the lights of the human village.
He must honor them with a visit.