19. Reunion.

The sun shone down into the grove and woke its residence, while the birds whistled their songs and the wind blew through the leaves.

Maria sat up from the tree she had used as her bed last night and felt a twinge where her wound was. She looked down at it and saw that there was a little blood on the bandage but not as much as she feared. Warren was good at patching people up. It was his best trait. She felt dirty and grundgy.

"I really need to clean off in the river." she thought to herself. "Maybe after we eat, because right now I could eat anything they put in front of me."

She looked up at the others, who where just waking up. As Paul rose up Maria saw that his hair was full of leaves as if a crown of them had been put on his head, and intertwined throughout the rest of his hair where small flowers, neatly one could say lovingly, placed.

Maria let out one quick outburst of laughter, before she was able to cover her mouth with her hand to stop anymore from escaping.

The others looked at her, and then they looked in the direction she was looking. When they caught site of Paul, both Warren and Jenny did not even try to stop their laughter and were laughing so hard they were holding their sides. Harold just shook his head in that ‘I can’t take them anywhere’ way he has. But Maria could tell that he was amused and that was a damn sight better than how the had felt last night.

"What?" asked Paul while looking around himself and down at himself to see what was the matter.

"What’s so funny?" He sounded like he was getting a little frustrated trying to find the source of his companions amusement.

Harold pointed to his own head and Paul reached up to feel the foliage in his tresses. His face showed that he was mystified as to how so much had gotten into his hair, but he removed all of it in due time, with some help from the rest of them to find the smaller flowers and twigs.

Considering that none of them looked any better than Paul did with his flowers and leaves, they were in a better mood after that.

As Paul finished removing the last piece from his head and they all stood up, Xenia and the others came into the grove bearing food. That was when Maria noticed that the wall of branches that had been there the night before, was no longer there.

Xenia noticed Maria looking around and guessed at what she had noticed.

"We have taken down the wall since you are safe now that morning has come. We have brought you some of the best fruits and nuts that we could collect. You had an awful night and we felt you deserved a little something."

The hunters sat in a small circle in the middle of the grove and the fruits and nuts where distributed among them. Maria saw that the same young Dryad that had clung to Paul’s arm last night, was serving him this morning. She glanced at his hair and a small look of disappointment spread across her face, but she quickly recovered and served him his portion. Maria felt sorry for her, but Paul had a woman that he fancied back at the manor and that made him a little clueless when others showed interest. He truly only had eyes for her and no one else.

The fruit was the most delicious that Maria had ever tasted, and judging by the sounds the others where making, they thought so to.

"This is absolutely delicious." said Jenny. "I have never had anything like this back at home, and my homeland is is known for its fruits."

Xenia smiled at the compliment.

"This is the last place where you can get such delights." she said. "Many of the other forests that housed our sisters are gone. We are the last of our people and still carry on the tradition helping and guiding the trees as they make their fruit, to give it that particular taste. You are the first humans to taste of our work for many a century. We are delighted that you enjoy it so much."

"Count yourself lucky for a second time in as many days." said a familiar voice from behind Maria.

Maria dropped the pear she had been eating and quickly stood up while turning around.

There at the edge of the grove was her aunt.

Maria bolted across the small space between them and threw herself into her aunts open arms.

"I am so sorry.." she began to say as she started to cry.

"No." Eva said, interrupting the outburst that she knew was going to come out of Maria’s mouth. "You did what you were supposed to do. I taught you, and made you promise. Do not apologies for keeping your promises. You did well out there and I am very proud of you."

She wiped the tears that were forming in Maria’s eyes and smiled down at her. Maria smiled back up at her, and squeezed her aunt even tighter. This elicited a sharp intake of breath from her aunt.

Maria quickly pulled back and holding Eva at arms length, she looked at her.

That was when she noticed the long stain on the side of her shirt and the blood that was seeping through the sleeve. Without thinking Maria lifted up the shirt on the side of the stain.

A small gasp escaped her lips. There, along her side from her hip to nearly right below the shoulder, was a cut that still showed as a very red and swollen one. It looked as if she had just received it. Blood still leaked from it and it almost seemed to be throbbing. Maria dropped the shirt back into place and rolled up the sleeve to more protests from her aunt.

"Stop it, I am ok." she said.

"No your not!" cried Maria in a voice Eva had never heard her use against her. She could see anger in Maria’s eyes. She stopped protesting and resigned herself to being looked over like a helpless child, which was how she felt but had not wanted Maria to know. Looking at her niece she realised that it was a foolish wish.

Maria pulled the sleeve up and saw the same type of wound.

"I will eventual heal them." said Eva. "It is just that unlike regular weapons, the damage that type of weapon causes is a little harder to get rid of. Not impossible, just harder."

"Well at least we can help a little. Let Warren take a look at those."

"And we will get some more of the moss used on Maria." said Xenia, as she motioned to Zin, who again disappeared into the woods.

Eva resigned herself, though not completely reluctantly. She did need a little extra help, even though she did not like to ask for it, and was glad they offered. Though she was not going to let them know that. She had a reputation to keep.

After Warren had cleaned and bandage the wounds, they all sat back down in a circle and finished the meal.

After they had filled themselves, Eva turned to her niece and asked, "Now, young lady, how about you tell me just how you came to be here last night."

Maria told her the entire story that had begun the morning before as Eva listened intently.

When the story was finished Eva said. "This fellow knows to much."

"Well he was with the Unnameable." said Maria. "It does have an unnerving fascination with our family."

"More with you, than with the rest of us." said her aunt, which made Maria shudder. "And It is not that obsessive. It gets into moods and fads, but It would probably not have known of this place or even divulged it to someone in Its employ. No, I think someone else is feeding him information."

"That is where we may be able to help." chimed in Xenia. "There was a man fitting the description that Maria gave of the man she had encountered, in these forest a few days ago. Beside the fact we see few humans here, he came to our attention because of who his companion was, since he was talking to Weivo."

"What!?" Eva cried out. "That little pipsqueak! I swear if ever I get my hands on him."

"Who is he?" asked Maria to stop her aunts tirade before it went to far.

"He is one of the gods, known for being obstenant and childish. He has no creations of his own, so he amuses himself by playing with those of the other gods. Much to the consternation of some of them."

"And," continued her aunt. "He is nursing a grudge against your mother and I."