"It looks like we're lost," said Gerald. The group of four had been walking for what seemed like hours in a densely packed area of the forest.
"We're not lost," countered Helga, leading the horses through the trees. "I've been following the map to a T."
"Then why haven't we reached the other side of the forest yet?" Gerald argued back.
"I'm afraid that I must concede, Helga," said Phoebe, leading the other horse. "It does appear are navigation and progress has been quite stagnant."
"I swear I've seen that stump at least five times already…" commented Gerald.
"Look, I'm telling you that we're not lost! I know exactly what I'm doing."
"Yeah, well maybe next time you actually learn how to read a map…" muttered Gerald.
"All right, wise guy – you think you're so smart? YOU try leading us out of this forest!" Helga thrust the map at Gerald.
"Oh no – you said you knew what you were doing!" said Gerald, thrusting the map right back at her.
"Uh, guys?" said Arnold.
"I DO know what I'm doing! It's just that…this is an old map. The landscape may have changed since it was made?"
"Guys?" repeated Arnold.
"Then why are you giving it to me? Just admit that you got us lost!"
There was a loud whistle; Gerald, Arnold and Helga turned to see that Phoebe was the source of the whistle in an attempt to silence the bickering.
"Thank you," said Arnold. Phoebe smiled and nodded.
"Okay, look," said Helga, turning to face Gerald. "I may have slightly veered off the beaten path…just a tad."
"Mm-hmm," was all Gerald said in response.
All of a sudden, the horses were ripped from Phoebe's and Helga's hands and lifted into the air by several vines.
"What the heck?!" exclaimed Helga.
"Run!" said Arnold. The group fled quickly from the area that was swiftly being swarmed by several living vines. They ran for several minutes until they bumped into boy with a big nose and stringy hair.
"Are you alright?" asked Arnold, helping the boy to his feet.
"I think so – thanks," said the boy, dusting himself. "What are you running from?"
"That!" yelled Helga, pointing to the vines that were aggressively fast approaching.
The boy shrieked. "Boy howdy! Quick follow me!" Arnold, Gerald, Phoebe, and Helga decided to follow the boy's lead and copied his winding path through the forest until they reached a gnarly-looking stump in a clearing.
The boy lifted the stump, revealing a passageway underground. "Hurry, in here!" The group did as instructed and entered the passageway, and the boy closed the entrance with the stump just as the vines had proceeded to go through area.
For a hole in the ground, it was rather well-lit and lived-in. As the four travelers stopped to catch their breath, the boy sat on the ground and wiped his forehead.
"That was a close one," he said.
"I'll say," replied Arnold. "Thanks for saving us. I'm Arnold, and this is Gerald, Helga, and Phoebe."
"My name's Sid. I'm a ranger."
"A ranger?" Gerald perked up. "That means you can help us find a way out of this forest.
Sid hesitated. "Well…"
"What is there to deliberate over? You're a ranger – it's your job to lead people out of places! Is it money? We'll pay you – Phoebes?" Helga snapped her fingers and Phoebe revealed a rather hefty sized bag of gold coins. Helga took the bag and threw it at Sid. "There. Now get us the heck out of these woods."
Sid weighed the bag in his hand, then pocketed it. "Okay…"
Sid led them through to the other end of the underground tunnel, and pushed aside a log so they could get back onto the surface. They followed Sid through the forest as he led the way.
"Finally," exclaimed Helga. "It will be so nice to get out of here. If I see another tree again, it'll be too soon."
"We're not out of the woods yet," cautioned Phoebe.
"Cute. Keep the punny retorts to a minimum, okay Phoebes? Phoebes?" But when Helga turned around she was startled to see that her friend had vanished, and she screamed in surprise.
"What is it?" said Sid, who turned around just in time to see Gerald yanked upward into the trees by the waist. "Aww, crud…"
"What's happening?!" yelled a hysterical Helga.
"She found us…" said Sid, staring upwards into the canopy.
"Who's she?" pressed Arnold.
"The Child of Nature," explained Sid. "She's the spirit that rules this area of the forest. It's because of her that I've been stuck in here for so long."
"Wait – she won't let you leave? You've been stuck here?"
"Two years, to be exact?"
"What?!" said Helga, enraged. "You mean I paid you a hefty sum, and you don't even know how to get out of here?!"
Sid chuckled sheepishly and shrugged. Suddenly, three large vines each grabbed Arnold, Helga, and Sid by the waist, and propelled them upward into the canopy. When they came back down, they were lowered but not released into a circular meadow area. Phoebe and Gerald were also there, and also still restrained by vines.
"Fine mess you've gotten us into!" said Gerald.
"I'm sorry, okay?!" said Sid.
"I was talking about her!" Gerald pointed an accusatory finger at Helga.
"Me?!"
"If you would've just followed the map exactly…"
"Oh shut up!" snapped Helga.
"Uh, guys?" said Arnold.
"If we ever get out of here, remind me to point out everything that you do wrong!"
"Guys?" Arnold repeated.
"That's a big 'if'," retorted Gerald.
"Put a sock in it, Tall hair boy!"
"Okay, that's it – enough!" said a girl's voice that reverberated so loudly it shook the neighboring trees. Everyone went silent and a figure morphed and emerged from out of a nearby weeping willow. It was a girl with dark skin and blonde hair in several spider-like braids. "Honestly, do you humans ever get along?"
Sid pointed a finger. "I-it's her! It's the Child of Nature!"
"You're the Child of Nature?" asked Arnold. "You're the reason we can't escape these woods? And what did you do with our horse?"
"The horses are fine," reassured the Child of Nature. "I just wanted to get them away from the likes of you! So typical of humans to think you can just lord over everything and do whatever you please. You cut down my trees and show absolutely no respect for the creatures that live here. Like this beetle – " she extended her hand so that all could see the red and black spotted beetle she was holding. "You think this little guy deserves a chance without having humans stepping all over him."
"But we're not like that at all!" said Arnold. "We're good humans! In fact, we're on a quest by the Lady of Perfection to rid the lands of the bad humans that want to damage your forest."
The beetle flew off the Child of Nature's hand and she regarded Arnold carefully. "Did you say the Lady of Perfection?"
"You know her?" asked Sid.
"Of course I do," said the Child of Nature. "She's quite powerful, even moreso than me. If she sent you on a quest, then it must be a very special mission. Alright, I'll let you go."
The vines loosened around the waists of the five and they slid back to the ground below. The Child of Nature approached Arnold. "If there's anyway at all that I can help, please let me know."
"Actually, we were wondering where we might be able to find the Messiah?" offered Arnold.
The Child of Nature thought for a moment. "Hmm…you'd obviously want someone very powerful. There's someone like that beyond the forest, near Wellington Downs?"
"You're not talking about the Princess, are you?" asked Helga.
The forest spirit nodded her head. "Yes, that sounds about right. Go see her,"
"That's awfully close to the Beeper King's territory…" said Gerald uneasily.
"No worries – I can show you a path that will get you to the Princess while bypassing the King entirely," said the Child of Nature."
"Thank you, Child of Nature!" exclaimed Arnold.
She giggled. "Just call me Nadine – Child of Nature sound so formal."
"Nadine, huh?" said Sid. "That's a pretty name…it suits you."
Nadine blushed in response.
"Well, I guess we'd better get going," said Arnold. "Sid, you wanna join us?"
"Thanks, but I'll pass," replied Sid "I had a mission of my own to find the spirit of the forest, and now that I've found her, I'd like to get better acquainted.
"Good luck on your journey!" said Nadine.
"Yeah, and uh….good luck having Grass Girl for a girlfriend," quipped Helga.
Sid and Nadine waved as the group departed through a path magically opened amongst the trees.
Later that evening, when they finally reached the outskirts of the forest, the group set up camp and retired for the night. Arnold and Gerald went to sleep early, but Phoebe and Helga sat around the fire and chatted.
"You have to tell him," said Phoebe.
Helga shook her head. "There's so many that go on these quests thinking that they're the ones that are going to make the difference."
"But what if he's the one? You owe it to yourself to let him help you."
"It's too late for that," argued Helga. "The only one I can rely on is myself; I am the only help that I need."
As they spoke, Gerald awoke briefly, but before he could register the conversation, their voices became hushed and the last thing he remembered was the spray of a blue dust before falling back to sleep.