A tall man halted in his tracks, his face reflecting nothing short of a deep reverie for the vast expanse of wildlife that sprouted before him in all directions. He shared with only himself a tender smile at the sight of what he alone witnessed. Trees of varying color (as it was now early autumn), ranging in hue from red to gold to brown to green, and all the shades in between, greeted him with their slender branches from afar, waving to him in the gentle breeze that ruffled their leaves and swayed their massive bodies. The grass that reached to his knees bend in reverence to him, knowing who this man was that stood within the throng of tall, pear-hued blades that tickled his legs in a playful affection. Roses and daffodils and daisies and many other flowers followed the sway of the life around them, their brilliance dazzling to their master.
Said person stooped low to the ground and, with lithe, unwrinkled fingers, plucked one from its stem, and did nothing but gaze at its tiny magnificence. His platinum hair, which reached to the middle of his back, fluttered over his shoulders as though attempting to grasp the object. These silky locks brought from their tendrils an eternal flow of flora, which drifted to the ground and disappeared in the grassy plain beneath him. The only way to staunch their flow was to tie up his hair, which he seldom did. Because of this, it was not uncommon for him to awaken in a bed of roses. A rouge silk robe hung from his body, dancing in the wind at his feet. It draped loosely from his shoulders and exposed his prominent collarbone, the V stopping just below where the line of his chest started. Piercing blue eyes, their color ranging from Egyptian at their bases to turquoise at their crests, regarded the scene laid out before him with an emotion indescribable to him in the present.
This man, only twenty-seven years of age, had not a home but the trees that held him in their arms, the lush grass that was as much a comfort to him as any bed he had ever known, and the wild fauna that worshipped his presence and ate the fruit of his benevolence. They were more family than that which he had left over a decade ago. He was happy here. There was nothing more he wanted in his life.
Except.
Ever since he had left all those years ago, he had been...well, to say he was lonely would be only to graze the surface. He was truly craving affection, be it given or received. He longed the comfort of another, to ease his doubts, to wipe his tears, to greet him in the morning and bid him goodnight come evening. He wanted more than anything another person to hold onto and lavish with gifts and praise.
He wanted love.
But he could not have it. All that he had he was forced to forsake at an age too young, when his mind was still approaching the zenith of knowledge. His heart trembled at the memory of that dark night so long ago, and not for the first time, he sank despondently to his knees. He hugged his body close to himself and tears dripped soundlessly from his eyes. He knew duty should come first. He was aware of the responsibility he held. As the Breath of the Wild, as he was so ordained, the giver and protector of life, he should know to abandon selfish desires that fastened him to the Earth. It was one of the first lessons his father had taught him: not to cling to vain hopes.
His own emotions took hold of him, seized his tense body, and the next thing he knew, he was lying down in the grass in a tight ball. His thumping heart ached for attention, for the void in its core to be filled with another passionate soul as his own. But being the Breath of the Wild prevented such happenings. He was destined to live a solitary life, distant from the humans, from the other Elementals, as he was one of, from anything that is outside his realm. What a cruel fate! What torture he had to daily endure as dusk fell each night and left him in the sphere of his oppressing thoughts!
But what other choice had he but to endure all the same, as he has done day by day, year by year, since he was hardly an adult?
The choice was not his. He must live and bear the weight of the world on his slender shoulders. He must let his problems fall from him like the daisies that fell from his hair.
He must live a loveless life.
"No chto, yesli yest' yeshche?" he asked himself. "Chto yesli v zhizni yest' chto-to yeshche?"
He always found himself wondering this very same thing. The question pressed down on his heart and constricted his mind, preventing any escape from his oppressing mind. But one always persisted even when the others had long left him in peace.
"Kak Dykhaniye Dikoy, naydu li ya kogda-nibud' lyubov'?"
He slept a fitful sleep that night, that one question still haunting him even in the realm of his dreams.
No chto, yesli yest' yeshche? - But what if there is more?
Chto yesli v zhizni yest' chto-to yeshche? - What if there is more to life?
Kak Dykhaniye Dikoy, naydu li ya kogda-nibud' lyubov'? - As the Breath of the Wild, will I ever find love?
I have officially begun the new version of this story. I hope that this one will be better than the last. This time, instead of adhering to the mentality that I will lose support if I take too long, I will now upload at my own discretion. I hope that this story will be of a higher quality because of this. Please show your support however you can!