It was not until the light suddenly fell into murky shadows that Fakir realized how late it had grown. The sun had dipped behind the mountains not far to the west, casting the forest into twilight although the sky was still lit up with the sunset's warm hues. "Oh wow, the sun is setting already? I should get home." Fakir began gathering up his discarded writing materials as Ahiru looked around her.
"Yeah, the forest is getting ready to sleep, I should too," the forest spirit replied as Fakir made some final adjustments to his canvas bag. She watched expectantly as Fakir looked around in confusion.
"Let me see, I think I came from that way," Fakir turned about a little indecisively.
"Your home is that way." Ahiru pointed in a different direction into the forest, Fakir turned and squinted.
"Are you sure? I am fairly certain I came here from a different direction."
"Your home is that way as the crow flies," Ahiru insisted, pouting a bit at his doubt. "Here, I'll show you!" She hopped up and began walking in the direction she had indicated. Fakir hurried to keep up, once he had given into having a curious forest spirit hang around him he had realized the best way to be in her company but not look directly at her was to walk side by side. He already knew far more about her freckles than he was comfortable with. "At night sometimes I come to the edge of the forest and look at the human den- I mean homes. What do people do in their homes? How do they light them up?"
"You can come into my home and I'll show you, if you like." Fakir offered absently as he ducked a low branch, the path Ahiru was taking didn't even count as a rabbit trail and he was having a hard time finding his footing in the quickly fading light.
"What? Really?" She exclaimed excitedly, dashing in front of Fakir to grasp his hands happily, Fakir quickly turned away as he felt his face heat up again.
"Of course, why not?"
"That's so amazing!" Ahiru wheeled around and skipped ahead, laughing happily until she ran face first into a tree branch. Fakir winced, that looked like it stung.
"Are you hurt?"
"Oh I'm fine, that happens sometimes. I'm just so happy, I get to see your home!" Ahiru skipped ahead again, doubling back because Fakir couldn't keep up with her pace, before dancing ahead again in her excitement. As this continued she bumped right into a tree trunk, tripped over a bush, and smacked her head on another low branch. Each time Fakir flinched while Ahiru laughed it off and asked another question about human homes.
Shortly they came to a steep hill leading down to a stream's bank. Because of how steep the hill was there was a break in the trees, affording a nice view of the nearby mountains against the pink and gold sky. "Isn't the view breathtaking," Ahiru asked as she slowed to walk next to Fakir and admire the view.
"It is quite beautiful," Fakir agreed, glad the forest spirit's antics were done for the moment. He kept walking, hoping to be home before the last of the light faded, the eastern sky was already dark and a few stars were visible. Ahiru kept walking next to him as she gazed at the silhouette of the mountains with the last rays of the sun shining behind them. Then Ahiru's foot slipped on a loose bit of ground and she tumbled down the steep hill, landing with a weak splash at the water line.
"Ahiru"! Fakir watched in horror as she tumbled, then carefully slid down the loose dirt and rocks of the hillside. By the time he had gotten to the bottom Ahiru had pulled herself into a sitting position, still half in the water, as she inspected herself.
"Ouch ouch ouch, that really hurt!"
"Are you okay?" Fakir took the elbow she had been inspecting in hand, looking for any signs of damage.
"Yeah, I m okay. I've survived worse." Fakir let her elbow go once he realized she had only suffered a few scrapes on the way down. He looked at this dirty, naked, scratched up little waif who couldn t even show him the way home without hurting herself.
"Are you really a forest spirit," he asked as he helped her up.
" 'Course I am, what else would I be?" Ahiru looked up at him in confusion once she was standing again.
"I don't know, I just... which way is my home again?"
Ahiru looked around for a moment, then pointed along the base of the hill they had just fallen down, the loose dirt and rocks would make it impossible to climb back up. "It's this way, we haven't far to go to get to the wide stone path." Fakir nodded, she meant the cobblestone highway that cut through the forest. He definitely had some notes to take once he got home, but that would have to wait until after he showed his curious little muse around his home.