The Oak and the Aulos part 1
Michael yawned as he walked through the woods, the birds singing their individual songs all around him, the occasional squirrel dashing up a tree upon seeing the young man. Micheal was about 19 years old, and was quite handsome, his wavy brown hair moving now and then from the gentle breeze that ran through the trees. His emerald eyes scanned ahead lazily, enjoying the colors of the various plants and animals.
He looked up at the clear sky, a relaxed smile crossing his face. This was his favorite way to relax: a simple walk through the woods with not a care in the world. He, of course, had a compass and his cell phone just incase he got lost, and he carried a rather sharp knife so that he could defend himself if needed. So far, however, he hadn't ever needed to use it. The closest he ever got to anything dangerous was when he spotted a bear or wolf in the distance, but he just made his presence known and the animals generally ran away.
"Almost there," he smiled to himself as he continued on. He had started to feel the weight of his backpack about thirty minutes ago, and was eager to set it down. He had brought along with him a tent and some basic camping gear as he intended to spend the his free week studying in peace and quiet. Michael was a second year college student, majoring in Biology. All of his classes were canceled for the week due to spring break and Michael had decided that a quiet week of study and relaxation away from the noise of the city would be a better than spending his vacation surrounded by drunken partiers.
Michael set his pack down at the base of a large oak tree, smiling up at the new leaves. He had often come to this old oak to sit and think over the last two years. The oak itself was in the center of a clearing with a gently flowing river running nearby, the water crystal clear. It was the perfect camping spot, and Michael had it all to himself.
The student quickly set up his small tent at the base of the tree, going out to find a good number of large stones to make the fire pit. Michael cleared a small area (a good distance away from the tree) of fallen leaves and minor plant life, placing the stones in a ring there, shortly afterwards, tying his pack to a high branch in the tree before going off to search for firewood and kindling.
Unbeknownst to Michael, he had been being watched, not by any animal, but by the oak itself, or, more specifically, the spirit the old tree that called itself Kaldren. The dryad had been watching Michael ever since the young man had found the clearing two years previous. He had been surprised, and delighted at the boys love and respect of nature. This time was the first that the human had prepared for an extended stay, and the tree spirit was curious about his equipment.
Out of the trunk of the tree, the tanned face of a young man appeared his features slender and beautiful, his long hair flowed down his back and was the color of the leaves that his tree bore. His torso emerged next, revealing a toned chest and lightly muscled shoulders that suggested a good amount of strength, but also a deal more grace. The fey's arms and pelvis were the next to emerge, revealing his uncut human-esque member above which was a small patch of green pubic hair. Finally Kaldren's legs formed from the tree, his lean body positioned on the branch to which Michael had tied his bag.
The dryad slid up the branch towards Michael's bag with ease, reaching down and untying it from the branch. Kaldren set the backpack on the branch in front of him and opened it up, looking through the contents. He found a few pairs of clothes, as well as a small, plastic box labeled "First Aid," and a small box of matches tinder twigs. He also found a small collection of dishes, a bottle of biodegradable soap, a few bags of preserved food and dried fruit and nuts, as well as a good number of thick books, which the dryad easily identified as the books that Michael usually worked from.
The tree spirit closed the bag and tied it back to the branch before swinging down to the ground, not making a sound as he landed gracefully on the grass. The first thing he did was inspect the makeshift fire pit. It wasn't bad, but the sprite decided to take a little extra precaution and instructed the grass to move back a bit. The grass, seemingly of its own accord, simply moved through the ground, away from the circle of stones. The dryad also suggested to a few trees that they move their branches so that there was less chance of embers catching them aflame. The trees near the pit shifted, their branches bending and twisting as instructed. The dryad gave a quick look around and nodded satisfactorily before turning around and heading towards the tent.
Kaldren had seen how Michael had opened it and imitated the human's actions, unzipping the door and peeking inside. The tent was a decent size and left plenty of space for the human to rest and take shelter. In the corner was what the dryad identified (after a bit of thought) as an electric torch, at least that's what humans had called it when he first had seen such a device. Michael had laid out a sleeping bag and had a pillow at its head. The sprite ran his fingers over the material of the sleeping bag and shuddered, wondering how humans could stand the feel of something so unnatural.
The crack of twigs and the sound of moving brush reached the dryads ears and he quickly left the tent and hurriedly zipped it up, barely merging into the oak before Michael reentered the clearing, his arms filled with dried wood.
Michael was quite pleased, having easily found a large amount of firewood for later that night. Michael walked over to the oak to relieve his load, carefully stacking the small logs and branches he had found, glancing around the clearing as he did so. He paused as his eyes passed over the fire pit, his expression showing obvious confusion. Something looked... different, but, try as he might, the human couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary. "Must be my imagination," he said to himself as he turned to place what remained of his arm load onto the wood pile. Suddenly, he jumped back away from the oak, the remaining firewood flying from his arms.
Michael sat there silently, staring with wide eyes at the base of the tree. He could have sworn he had just seen the impression of a face staring up at him from the bark, but now as he stared at the oaks trunk, he saw nothing but the aged surface of an old tree. A few moments passed before Michael shook his head and finished stacking the wood, blaming the odd sight on the swaying shadows of the trees.
Michael lay down the last of the logs and stood, stretching a bit before walking around the tree and sitting down. Michael looked out towards the slowly flowing river, a smile crossing his face before he closed his eyes and sat there, simply listening. The songs of the birds filled his ears, mixed with the hum of the wind through the leaves and the gentle sound of running water. He sat there for a long while, just listening to the sounds of the forest. Opening his eyes, he shifted his position, reaching for a pouch on his belt, withdrawing from it an instrument crafted of two long, wooden pipes. Michael held the Aulos in his hands for a moment, examining the woodwind before bringing it to his lips.
The forest clearing was filled with the gentle tune of Michael's song, as his fingers slowly played over the pipes. Everything seemed to stop to listen to the tune, the melody weaving a life of its own between the trees and across the the water. In the branches of the oak, above Michael, lay Kaldren, his eyes closed listening intently to the beutiful tune. This is what he loved most about Michael's visits, the beautiful music he played, taking the dryad back to a time of religion and philosophy, of myth and legend, of love and romance. The tree nymph could practically see the celebrations of ancient times. The humans dancing with fey of every kind, feasting upon rare dealacacies, paying tribute to each of their individual gods. The dryad could see the couplings of man and sprite as they made love beneath the open sky. He could feel the dance of the various nymphs, twirling and laughing and enchanting all those who gazed upon them. He could feel the earth shifting beneath his feet, feel his hair twirling about his figure. The ecstacy of the dance filling his body, the music running through his soul, his mind lost in a cloud of pleasure produced of pure melody. His heart swam with the beat, his arms swayed with the rhythm. It was as if the notes had swept him up into the arms of a lover, guiding him to pure eros. It was then that the music, without any previous warning, stopped.
Kaldren opened his eyes, and found himself, instead of staring up at the sky in his tree, standing stock still in the middle of the clearing, his hands above his head, his legs crossed in mid step. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Kaldren lowered his arms and turned to face his tree, and the human sitting beside it, a look of surprise and awe upon his features. Both the sprite and his human observer were frozen stiff by the sight of the other.
Michael was dumbfounded. He had simply been sitting and playing his music when he had heard a rustling. He ignored it at first, assuming it to be a passing rabbit or squirrel. But when the rustling continued, he had opened his eyes and turned his head in the direction of the sound, where he gazed upon the most beautiful man he had ever laid eyes on. What he had caught of the dance had been beautiful, almost magical. He would have wished for the figure to continue, but his surprise at the stunning beauty which he beheld had caught his breath in his throat, ending the tune he had been playing.
They stood there staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity, eyes scanning eachother. The dryad, having seen the human many times before, concentrated on his eyes, which examined the entirety of the dryads nude body. Kaldren watched Michaels expression carefully, seeing the human's face redden as his gaze drifted downward. It was only now that the dryad realized that he was erect, his nine inch, tan member pulsing lightly with the sprites heartbeat. It was with this realization that Kaldren himself started blushing, his face going pure scarlet. Michael was mesmerized by this stranger, his body was so lean, his movements so graceful, his cock so... perfect.
Kaldren couldn't take it anymore. He bolted for the tree with all of his speed. Seeing the stranger start running, Michael jumped up and reached for the creatures wrist as he passed by, but the dryad easily evaded the human quickly merging into the oak leaving Michael standing at the base of the tree, dumbfounded.
Hours later the clearing was filled with the poping and crackling of Michaels campfire, warming and lighting the dark clearing. Night had fallen and Michael had made the fire to keep warm and maybe cook something, but as of yet, he had not eaten. He sat before the fire staring at the oak tree lost in thought, the memory of the dancing man going through his mind again and again. Had it been just a daydream? There was no physical evidence of the dancer having exsisted at all. He hadn't even left foot prints. Michael sighed. That green haired man... had been perfect. Michael sat there for what seemed like hours thinking on the man, trying to decide whether he had existed or not, and if not... Michael might have to question his own mental health.
The human stood up and stretched, looking into the dancing flames for a moment. It was getting late and Michael decided it'd be best to sleep on the topic that so occupied his mind. A few minutes later Michael was walking between the river and the fire with a water bottle, extinguishing the flames. The hiss of the dieing flames replaced the soft crackling before fading into silence, leaving the gentle sounds of the forest to continue the nights soothing lulaby. Michael double-checked the fire, making sure that there was not a single ember still aglow before he started to his tent.
Michael paused for a moment, remembering the tune he had played when the man appeared. The human reached for his pouch and removed the aulos again, putting the dual pipes to his lips. Dream or not, he still wished to play the creature a short song of thanks and good will. The tune that flowed through the clearing was soft and slow, like a mother singing to a restless child. A peace seemed to flow in its wake as the notes faded in and out of existence, even the trickle of the flowing river seemed to slow for a time. Michael reached the end of the tune and looked about the clearing one last time. No one. He chuckled to himself and entered his tent, zipping the door closed behind him, hping that he may see the dancing man again.
For a long while the clearing was still, with the exception of a few small animals passing through. Kaldren waited within his tree, listening to the human, waiting to be sure that he was asleep before attempting to emerge from the oak. Slowly, the dryad peeked out, his head emerging from the trunk, his eyes scanning the clearing. Satisfied tht all was well, Kaldren stepped from the oak and made his way to the river, kneeling at the shore and whispering to the night. "Dana? Are you there?"
A feminine voice was almost immediately heard across the river bank, it echoed and flowed like the water, soothing and calming. "I am here child." Before the dryads eyes a beautiful feminine face formed within the water, her eyes ice blue and her skin smooth as a polished stone. "After all, what being of the old world could resist the beauty and skill of that boy's songs. You could not even hope to resist danceing to his tunes."
Kaldren's expresion changed from the welcoming smile to a look of regret. "I let him see me... and now... I don't know what will happen... I'm affraid Dana." A tear rolled down the dryads cheek, and was brushed away by a graceful, translucent hand, reaching ut from the river.
"Of what Kaldren? The boy is not one of industry or of fear. The only thing I saw within his eyes as he looked upon you was wonder."
"But what if he leaves? I don't want him to go. I want to watch him, I want to learn more of him. I-" Kaldrens tears were flowing freely and he soon found himself in a warm embrace. Dana had risen from the water and now held Keldren to her bosom, stroking his head reassuringly.
"You must not let your fears get the better of you," said the nyad in a soothing voice. "He is obviously not frigthened of you, in fact he seemed quite enchanted."
"But what will-"
"You will do that which you wish" Dana interupted, holding the dryad's shoulders at arms length, looking into his eyes. "Learn more of him, learn his ways, his preferences, his distastes. Learn all that you can, and in exchange let him learn of you."
Kaldren was silent for a moment. Turning his eyes away from Dana and towards the tent where Michael lay, asleep. "I- I wonder if he'd play that song again..." the dryad whispered, earning a smile from the water sprite.
"That's the spirit dear." Dana let go of Kaldren and snak back into the river. "I'll stay and watch and be here if either of you needs any advice."
"Thank you Dana. Good night."
"Good night my child."
With that, Kaldren crossed the clearing and returned to his tree to rest and await the coming dawn.